My sister, Barbara, had the thrill of a lifetime as she practiced with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir recently.
(She is standing wearing a white sweater at the left in the above photo.) To celebrate her 85
th birthday (she runs circles around people much younger), her daughter arranged to have her sing with the choir as they practiced on a Thursday night recently. Because Marilyn is a choir member, she was allowed to bring her mother (only for those 80 and above) to the practice. It was announced that Barbara was there, and a little info was shared by Mack
Wilburg, the conductor. All of her children, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren were there. As a bonus, Barbara also has a
daughter-in-law who is a choir members. What a wonderful blessing for both to be part of that world-famous group!.
We began serving at the
Hong Kong Temple on Thursday nights in late July. We leave the office at about 5 p.m. and travel via bus to the temple, approximately a half hour away. Usually we arrive home about 10 p.m. It is a pleasure to be there with wonderful Chinese people, and we hope to learn our assignments very soon so that we will be useful.
A couples' activity at Deep Water Bay to celebrate July 24 was a most pleasant outing. It took about 15 minutes on the bus, and we were at the beach! Complete with
KFC, baked beans, potato salad and all the trimmings, we enjoyed a relaxing time and incredible scenery. We didn't hesitate to sing together, and enjoyed an incredible story of pioneer faith.
What's a cookout without s'
mores! Hershey kisses were a substitute for chocolate bars;
marshmallows and graham crackers can be found here, at a price!
There are now 12 couples here, and we are a happy group, all living in the same apartment
complex. Two new couples joined us in July so we aren't considered newcomers at all anymore.
Sunny is one of the building attendants who greets us each morning. He is, as his name implies, a happy, witty and fun-loving person. A member of the church since 1979, he studied at
UVCC (now
UVU) in Provo, and his English is excellent. Everyone loves Sunny and he keeps us smiling!
Ashley, Vivien and I went to the flower market recently on a Friday afternoon. We were checking out possibilities for floral arrangements for the upcoming seminars. These two women are incredible, capable and delightful to work with. We found lots of options, and the prices were amazingly reasonable.
Stall after stall of flowers -- every imaginable variety, provided a most pleasant experience. For sure, I'll take any visitors coming to
HK to the flower market . . . a place not be be missed!
Times Square is always busy, even on a rainy Saturday afternoon. We live about 5 minutes from this bustling shopping area. Because it rains so much, it is necessary to be out even when the weather isn't ideal.
The "ding ding" is a great way to get around
Hong Kong. They run every few minutes and are very inexpensive -- 25 cents buys a ticket to the end of the line (only half that cost if you are lucky enough to be 65+). The trams are quite reliable (occasional breakdowns cause huge problems) and have been running on the tracks in this city for over 100 years.
Hennessy Road (our apartment address) is right on the line, which makes for both convenience and noise! Thank goodness for
cheap transportation!
The Wan
Chai market is about 4 blocks from our office and a bit further from the apartment. It is always busy with the locals (perhaps it isn't on the "tourist" map), and it is especially crowded on Saturday afternoon. You can buy most anything there from toys, clothes, flowers, all Chinese items, linens, housewares, dried fruits and nuts, all types of meat, produce, plumbing supplies . . . the list goes on. Note the
KFC and Pizza Hut signs -- the western influence is felt!
Since the 4
th of July fell on a Saturday, we organized a brunch at the church where we enjoyed delicious food (breakfast casserole, bacon, fresh fruit,
cinnamon rolls, muffins and juice). Everyone helped with the food and the decorations added a festive touch. Thanks to
familyfun.com, I was able to produce a great trivia game and pinwheels to stick in the plants. A stop at an art/crafts store found a perfect "stars and stripes" strip to run down the center of the table. Place mats were cut from wrapping paper, and we thought we were back home for a while.
Various activities included the trivia game, paper airplane flying contest and ping-pong; Ned seemed to come out victorious in all categories. What a guy!
Our Home Teaching/Family Home Evening group enjoys treats that I provide twice a month. They like cookies (
snickerdoodles are a favorite) and this particular day they were tasting a
cheeseball which they seemed to really enjoy. These marvelous women are from the Philippines and work in
Hong Kong to provide for their families back home. They love to be together on Sundays when they have a chance to reconnect. They are domestic workers who live in a variety of circumstances, some much better than others. A happy group, they certainly look younger than they are . . . I want their secret!
My sister, Barbara, had the thrill of a lifetime as she practiced with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir recently. (She is standing wearing a white sweater at the left in the above photo.) To celebrate her 85th birthday (she runs circles around people much younger), her daughter arranged to have her sing with the choir as they practiced on a Thursday night recently. Because Marilyn is a choir member, she was allowed to bring her mother (only for those 80 and above) to the practice. It was announced that Barbara was there, and a little info was shared by Mack Wilburg, the conductor. All of her children, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren were there. As a bonus, Barbara also has a daughter-in-law who is a choir members. What a wonderful blessing for both to be part of that world-famous group!.
We began serving at the Hong Kong Temple on Thursday nights in late July. We leave the office at about 5 p.m. and travel via bus to the temple, approximately a half hour away. Usually we arrive home about 10 p.m. It is a pleasure to be there with wonderful Chinese people, and we hope to learn our assignments very soon so that we will be useful.
A couples' activity at Deep Water Bay to celebrate July 24 was a most pleasant outing. It took about 15 minutes on the bus, and we were at the beach! Complete with KFC, baked beans, potato salad and all the trimmings, we enjoyed a relaxing time and incredible scenery. We didn't hesitate to sing together, and enjoyed an incredible story of pioneer faith.
What's a cookout without s'mores! Hershey kisses were a substitute for chocolate bars; marshmallows and graham crackers can be found here, at a price!
There are now 12 couples here, and we are a happy group, all living in the same apartment complex. Two new couples joined us in July so we aren't considered newcomers at all anymore.
Sunny is one of the building attendants who greets us each morning. He is, as his name implies, a happy, witty and fun-loving person. A member of the church since 1979, he studied at UVCC (now UVU) in Provo, and his English is excellent. Everyone loves Sunny and he keeps us smiling! 
Ashley, Vivien and I went to the flower market recently on a Friday afternoon. We were checking out possibilities for floral arrangements for the upcoming seminars. These two women are incredible, capable and delightful to work with. We found lots of options, and the prices were amazingly reasonable.
Stall after stall of flowers -- every imaginable variety, provided a most pleasant experience. For sure, I'll take any visitors coming to HK to the flower market . . . a place not be be missed!
Times Square is always busy, even on a rainy Saturday afternoon. We live about 5 minutes from this bustling shopping area. Because it rains so much, it is necessary to be out even when the weather isn't ideal.
The "ding ding" is a great way to get around Hong Kong. They run every few minutes and are very inexpensive -- 25 cents buys a ticket to the end of the line (only half that cost if you are lucky enough to be 65+). The trams are quite reliable (occasional breakdowns cause huge problems) and have been running on the tracks in this city for over 100 years. Hennessy Road (our apartment address) is right on the line, which makes for both convenience and noise! Thank goodness for cheap transportation!
The Wan Chai market is about 4 blocks from our office and a bit further from the apartment. It is always busy with the locals (perhaps it isn't on the "tourist" map), and it is especially crowded on Saturday afternoon. You can buy most anything there from toys, clothes, flowers, all Chinese items, linens, housewares, dried fruits and nuts, all types of meat, produce, plumbing supplies . . . the list goes on. Note the KFC and Pizza Hut signs -- the western influence is felt!
Since the 4th of July fell on a Saturday, we organized a brunch at the church where we enjoyed delicious food (breakfast casserole, bacon, fresh fruit, cinnamon rolls, muffins and juice). Everyone helped with the food and the decorations added a festive touch. Thanks to familyfun.com, I was able to produce a great trivia game and pinwheels to stick in the plants. A stop at an art/crafts store found a perfect "stars and stripes" strip to run down the center of the table. Place mats were cut from wrapping paper, and we thought we were back home for a while.
Various activities included the trivia game, paper airplane flying contest and ping-pong; Ned seemed to come out victorious in all categories. What a guy!
Our Home Teaching/Family Home Evening group enjoys treats that I provide twice a month. They like cookies (snickerdoodles are a favorite) and this particular day they were tasting a cheeseball which they seemed to really enjoy. These marvelous women are from the Philippines and work in Hong Kong to provide for their families back home. They love to be together on Sundays when they have a chance to reconnect. They are domestic workers who live in a variety of circumstances, some much better than others. A happy group, they certainly look younger than they are . . . I want their secret!
