Holidays for the Senior Missionaries in Hong Kong

What a special month it was as we welcomed Elaine and her family to Hong Kong during the temple closing, Dec. 1 - 10.  A separate post can be seen at elwinandshirley.blogspot.com.   

The rest of the month was filled with visitors from afar.  We had a couple of groups of members from Thailand, from Singapore, and from Shanghai.  Each group brought such a special spirit to the Temple.  It was especially nice to see these people during the Christmas season.  We count these as our choiced blessings as we work with these people who come from afar.

On Dec. 17, a special temple devotional took place at 4 PM for the temple workers, staff and their families.  We enjoyed our special speakers, Elder and Sister Gong.  We were then treated with a special buffet by President and Sister Aki.  Two roasted pigs were prepared for the special occasion.  What a delight to have the Hawaiian flavor at this Christmas Social.

That night, we also participated in the Victoria III Branch Christmas Party.  There were 4 roasted turkeys for the occasion.  The Branch members had a great time as we visited and enjoyed the Christmas dinner together.  Wow!  2 Christmas dinners in one day!  Better be hitting the hiking trails! 

The Barretts and us at the Vic III Social

Elders Singing at Vic III Branch Christmas Social

Monday, Dec. 19:  For our P-day, we went to Victoria Park to see the "Food Expo".  It was fun to see the food trends of Hong Kong.  People here are sophisticated connoisseurs of food and spend a lot of money on it.  So, we had a glimpse of what it was like.  In fact, the saying goes that one is sure to enjoy good food if they follow the Cantonese people.  It is true as we have been recipients of wonderful cuisines in Hong Kong and in Guangdong.

Christmas day fell on Sunday.  We only had Sacrament meeting that day.  We were invited by the Watson's to have lunch with them, along with the Brown's and the Warmoth's.  Afterwards, we took a leisurely hike at the TAI TAM WATERWORKS HERITAGE TRAIL.  It was a delightful afternoon and what a beautiful trail that was.  

 For future reference, here is the url for the trail:
http://www.hongkongextras.com/_tai-tam-waterworks_heritage_trail.html

Tuesday, 12/27 was a holiday, so the Temple was open for half a day.  We were invited by the Cheung's to their home in Sai Kung to have seafood dinner.  Brother Cheung, our chiropractor was the cook that night.  What a delicious meal he made for us.  Elwin thought that it was probably the best seafood dinner he had ever had.  It was that GOOD!  For entertainment, he sang a couple of Taiwanese love songs for us.  It was a beautiful evening.  We are grateful for these gracious people who treated us so well.

Dec. 31:  The Temple was open for half a day since it was again a holiday.  We met with the other senior missionaries after the last temple session to enjoy the "hot pot" dinner at East Tsim Sha Tsui.  It was a new experience for most, but for Elwin and myself, we've had that many times.  It was a tradition for my family to have "hot pot" dinner for New Year's eve.  So, it was perfect timing.  Afterwards, we went to Chinachem Theaters and watched a movie.  It was fun.  I don't know if anyone stayed up for the midnight fireworks, but we were exhausted after working, eating and watching a movie.  So, we came home and crashed by 9:00 pm! 

So long, 2011!  It's been a good year!