Good-byes

It is time to say our "good-byes." Our Sheung Shui Ward members had a going away social for us after Church Sunday and then many wanted to have their pictures taken with us.

Left column (top to bottom) includes Bishop Chan's family, the Tseng's, the Yeung's, and the Lam's.

Second colum (top to bottom) includes Chan Tak Fai and his parents, the Law's, the Chan's, and the Shiu's.

The large photo is of Stephen Tse, his wife and two daughters along with Elder and Sister Wong (Area Seventy). We knew Stephen 40 years ago and Elder Wong is his home teacher working to get him to the temple with his family. The families below their picture is the Choi's and the Young Women.

Right colum (top to bottom) includes the Chiu's, the extended Chan family, the YSA group, and the Poon's.

If you haven't already heard, our youngest daughter, Amy, just received her mission call to Hong Kong! You can read about it on our daughter, Stephanie's, blog through the link from our blog. We are all excited about her call!

The "Banquet Circuit"

We have definitely been on the "banquet circuit" as of late. There have been over 15 different people who have invited us to dinner in the last two months to say "good-bye." We have almost forgotten what it is like to fix dinner for ourselves at home.

Bro. Chan (Lowell's reactivated member) and family (upper left), Lowell's friend, Craig Norman, (top center), the Chiu's and a number of ward members (upper right), the temple missionary couples (center), The Mak family and their spread (bottom left), and Sister Kwok (bottom center) who first took us on a walk to a reservoir (lower right). There are still a few more to go this week.

We also attended a "viewing" for the mother of one of Susan's former missionary companions (left center and lower left). The funeral parlor was very busy and it was interesting to learn about some of their customs, a number of which are similar to ours (flowers).

Some of Our Favorite Friends

As we near the time of our departure, we are enjoying spending time (and eating with) some of our favorite Sheung Shui Ward friends. Someone asked the other day how we were enjoying the "banquet circuit." That is pretty much what it is. So many are asking that we come to dinner as a last time "good-bye."

We enjoyed a roasted goat (yes, I mean goat) hot pot dinner (upper left ) with ward members last Saturday and another meal at the Law's (upper right) on Tuesday last week. Sunday night we had the singles (though some are no longer single) at our place to which many brought food including sushi (lower left) brought by Bro. Chow. There are other dinners scheduled this week.

The tears are getting pretty close to the surface now. I don't know how we will make it through these last two weeks without them flowing freely. We do love these people!

Trip to Macau Materializes

Susan has been wanting to go to Macau (former Portuguese Colony attached to mainland China) ever since we came but it was looking like it wouldn't happen before we left. It finally came about as the other missionary couples encouraged her to just go (even though it ended up being on the coldest day of the year thus far). We traveled by turbo jet ferry for an hour to arrive there.

We visited several hotels but most of the pictures here (upper left and right) are from the Venetian including the canal on the third floor (upper left center) which actually sported gondola rides and the lantern festival (lower left). The huge ivory carving (lower left center) and gold plated carving (top center) were in the Grand Lisboa (lower right) which had an amazing architectural structure.

We enjoyed a scrumptuous buffet lunch at the Star World Hotel and saw the famous Ruins of St. Paul's (center and bottom center) and the Macau Fortress (lower left center) as well as walked through the traditionally Portuguese style city streets (right center).

Holiday Activities

We have not lacked for things to do during the holidays. We have attended two performances with other missionary couples. One, a musical performance by a group of members known as Songs of the Heart Singers, who have been singing together for years, was at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall (lower right). The other was a ballet performance of the Nutcracker (no pictures to show for that one).

The Wong family in our ward invited the missionaries to their home to help celebrate their son's 19th birthday. Wong Chung's birthday is the day after Christmas so they have traditionally cooked him a turkey dinner and this year he had a cake made by Susan (lower left and bottom center).

An acquaintance of ours from forty years ago, Sister Anita Pok (now less active), invited us to her home for a scrumptious dinner (upper left) and to meet her non-member husband and son (upper right).

The Christmas Crunch

It seems like all we do is eat---and then eat some more. We have had several invites to dinner what with Christmas around the corner and our imminent departure next month. Recent Christmas socials: one with temple missionaries and temple staff (upper left, l to r: the Arnells and Wilsons, now in the temple presidency), our mission president and his wife (center top), and included our newest missionary couple, the Davises (bottom left) from St. George. The other temple social was for all temple workers and included quite a spread (upper right) highlighted by a roast pig (lower right center).

We also have our twice monthly dinners for our local elders, this time including the Davises who live just six floors above us and who speak Mandarin as do two of the elders sharing an apartment with "our" Cantonese speaking elders (far lower right).

First Things First

For more than a year now, Lowell has been fellowshipping Brother Chan Tak Fai, son of our stake patriarch and his wife (upper right). He has made great progress in that time---from several years of near total inactivity to a regular attender, now a counselor in the Young Men's presidency, and just recently, receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood and being made an elder---this all happened miraculously the same evening that his niece (daughter of his older sister and her husband, lower right) was baptized and he was able to stand in the circle as she was confirmed.

Brother Chan came to the temple to do baptisms for the dead the following day; something he hasn't done since he was a young teenager. Lowell was able to help him perform the proxy baptisms. The family thinks Lowell is the angel sent as an answer to their prayers to help reactivate their son and brother.