Sunday, April 24, 2011

week of April 17th

     This is going to be an interesting week.  With the Easter holidays, the temple is open for half a day on Friday, Saturday and also the Monday after Easter.  You see, most people here get those 3 days off, but the schools are closed from Thursday, 4/14 until May 3.  It's spring break too.  Wow, we see people everywhere.  Lots of people are traveling from Hong Kong to Mainland China to visit their families.  We can tell because the East Line which goes to Luohu on the border of Hong Kong and China, has been packed with travelers.  It's a happy time of the year as people renew their familial relationships.  There are a lot more holidays in Hong Kong than in the US as we observed, and the temple is open on public holidays to give church members an opportunity to attend the temple. 

    Elwin and I just finished teaching a temple prep class at the Victoria III Branch and we have a special day set up for the members of our class to attend the temple for the first time.  The excitement is in the air.  We continue to work with these wonderful members and feel their spirit.  We brought in some family pedigree charts to get them started on their family history.  One of the members brought in a genealogy book from her hometown in SiChuan.  It was amazingly clear with pictures and dates.  Even though a lot of records were destroyed during the reign of Mao, some families were able to preserve their genealogies.

    During the holidays (Friday and Saturday), we saw many Fillipina members attending the temple.  This is a group of very humble and faithful saints in Hong Kong.  They work all day and all night as maids and, when there is a day off, they come to the temple.  One can't help, but feel their special spirit.  On the streets of Hong Kong, people are very busy buzzing in and out of train stations, bus terminals, but the only people that I usually see smiling are usually the Fillipinas.  They care for the children, shop for groceries, walk the dogs, and accompany the elderly to the malls.  When we go home in the afternoon, we see these young women line up outside of private schools waiting for the children to get out of school.  They carry the students' school bags and bring them treats.  It's quite a sight to see.  Many of these Fillipinas have their own families back home in the Phillipines.  But because of the poverty in their country, they come to Hong Kong to work and send home money to support their children, husband, and parents.  It has to be hard, but they do it because that's how they know they can help their families.  I know the Lord has a special place for them when they finish their work on the earth.

    It has been a fulfilling week.  We hope Elwin continues to feel better.  His blood pressure has been low, and we have to watch that.  Other than that, he's doing well.  We miss our children, grandchildren, and friends back home.  It's especially hard for me during the holidays.  Hope everyone has a happy Easter. 

2 comments:

  1. Is there a corresponding holiday there to go with Easter? or do they celebrate Easter?

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  2. I can't believe you get more days off than we do! I would love to hear more stories of the Filipinas you meet there. Are very many of them members of the church?

    It's amazing to hear of the sacrifices people make to help their families like that!

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