Our Busy July

 

The Fourth of July was just another day to most people in Hong Kong, but we Senior Missionaries celebrated in style with a big American BBQ complete with ribs, potato salad and all trimmings.

David's comment, "How am going to eat all THIS!"

 Note the Apple Pomegranate Salad we brought in front of David.

 

One week a month the missionaries and branch missionaries and members go out finding every day of the week.  They tell us that they have never had Senior missionaries go with them, but now David and President Smith go with them every day and I go when I am not busy teaching piano or sewing or helping our prospective missionaries with their mission papers or doing Family History which all seem to take up my mornings!

 

Here is a group of women we found who committed to come to church and really came.  The parks and malls are full of Filipina women who have a day off and "spend their time sitting, waiting for nothing" as one member told me.  She said she did the same thing before she found the church and has a much better way to spend her days now.  David is taking the picture.

This is a family that David and the members found.  They said they would come to church so David went out and bought some milk in case the baby got hungry.  They got sidetracked, but we still have the milk (in a box) in case they make it someday.

We were excited that the Dragon Boat Races were going to be held right in our front yard so we walked over to watch. 

For some reason, there was a Chinese Scottish Band Marching around....bagpipes and all.  We thought that was pretty random!

 

We expected huge crowds like they have in Cambodia for the Boat Races but in spite of lots of teams, there were few spectators.  We didn't mind that at all!

One afternoon we got away before dark and since it was a Statutory Holiday (an extra day off for the domestic workers) we happened to run into some of our sisters, so we all jumped on the ferry and we treated them to dinner on the other side.

 

 

It was so fun to be with them outside of regular church activities! 

Meet Pearl, Katrina and Kathy.

 

We got to experience preparations for a big typhoon.  The day before, all the windows in town and in our hotel were taped to prevent flying glass.  Barriers were put up against the waterfront.  The day it was supposed to come, Church was dismissed early so everyone could get home safely.  The streets were packed with people and the buses and the MTR were jammed so we opted to run to the ferry in hopes to make it before it quit running.

 

As you can see, it was a good choice as we took this picture from the ferry. 

Below you can see the crowds on the streets.

The wind blew and we got a little rain, but the Typhoon never hit us. 

 

We were excited to have two of our former Cambodian Sister Missionaries come to Hong Kong with their American fiancés that they met on LDS Planet to be married. 

 

Sister Mat Navy and Matthew and Sister Tol Vanny and Terry. 

 

Navy and Matt dropped in one evening and stayed for dinner.

 
 

 

We joined Navy and Matt at City Hall for their Civil Marriage

 

Then we all went to the Wedding Registry in Hong Kong Park for the Marriage of Vanny and Terry.

 

In the afternoon we all attended the temple sealing of Navy and Matthew.

 

We have many different activities after all our church meetings are over. 

 Here is Sister Claire teaching us how to make mango pickles. 

 They were yummy!

 

We have choir practice.  I have been blessed to be able to play the piano well enough to accompany the sisters! 

There is no end to the selfies around here!  This one is called "Fun after Choir"

 

You can't see me, but I am off to the left playing the piano......a real miracle!

 

 

We learned how to fold towels into animals and cakes just like they do on cruise ships!

 

We have fun cooking in the kitchen!

 

We had a class on how to put on makeup.  They asked for volunteers to be made up, but what they didn't mention is that the person applying the makeup would be blindfolded! 

This would be a great YW Activity!!

 

And of course.....we always eat together!

Here we are on a P-Day at Dim Sum with the couples who help us with Saturday Family.

 

They took an official mission picture of us here.  I think it's pretty bad, but maybe that's just the way we look!  I wish I would have known that it was going to be taken and I would have worn something besides my black sweater that I wear every day to keep warm in our freezing building!