Thanksgiving and Christmas- Hong Kong Style

As Thanksgiving and Christmas approached, we were concerned about being so far away from home and family. But we found that in addition to our regular missionary work, we were involved in many festive dinners, activities, conferences and devotionals; all designed to help us remember to be grateful for our many blessings, to celebrate the birth of our Savior and to bring harmony and unity to everyone here. The couples all joined for a turkey Thanksgiving dinner on the Saturday afternoon following Thanksgiving Day. Of course, no one in Hong Kong celebrated Thanksgiving except the ex pats. Sister Smith contributed a delicious cranberry salad based on Deb's wonderful recipe. No one asked me to make dressing, and I must say, the one they purchased here was pretty dry. Maybe someone in the family will let me make dressing for next Thanksgiving.

Our branch had its normal share of weekly group activities during November and December that included some birthdays. Our lone brother, Brother Noel, had his birthday and the sisters in our group had a big meal that included a cake. The branch choir performed a beautiful concert on the Sunday before Christmas with narration from a sister and Elder Linford, our 80 yeear-old beautiful bass voiced medical missionary. On Christmas afternoon, the branch had its annual social with games, skits, singing, and dinner. We had over 140 in attendance. Our normal Sunday attendance is about 120. The four senior missionary couples in the branch: Arnold, Linford, Paul and Smith, performed "The Friendly Beasts". I played the sheep and got the "b-a-a-a" down pretty good. The five group skits were dances from Africa. The sisters had lots of fun making up their faces and creating costumes for their dances. The music was authentic. President Oakes and the wives of the couple missionaries were the judges. There were five categories for prizes, and diplomatically, every group got a prize. Our group was especially good with Brother Noel leading the sisters in their courting dance. We received the "best performance" award.

The Area Administrative Office staff, under the direction of the Area Presidency, decorated the entire building for Christmas. The building has a large glass entrance way on the ground floor that opens onto Gloucester Road. In the foyer behind the entrance they placed a beautiful life-sized nativity set. Passerbys would pause, look at the scene, listen to Christmas music, and feel the spirit of the season. This was the only large nativity display we observed in the downtown area. Lots of lights and displays on the buildings, but nothing about Christ. Each of the ten floors had wreaths, balls, bells, nativity sets, trees and festive colors. All 100 employees and missionaries put the decorations up right after Thanksgiving under the direction of Sister Arnold, wife of the Area Executive Secretary. On Monday, January 4, 2010, all of us assembled to put everything away for another year.

Our Christmas activities included a Christmas devotional with our Area President, Elder Perkins speaking, special missionary couple music, group pictures, and a delicous buffet lunch. Earlier in the month the 12 senior missionary couples were all invited to Elder and Sister Watson's 11th floor apartment for a Christmas party with food, music, and white elephant gifts. Our Hong Kong Senior Missionary Conference (including temple, missionary office, and senior sister misionaries) was held in early December. We were taught beautifully by the Area Presidency with slides and testimony, had a delicious lunch, and then went on an outing to the Hong Kong botanical and zoological gardens in nearby Central Hong Kong The temperature was in the 70's. What a delight. The Hong Kong Temple even had a party for all temple workers in the large garage basement of the temple. With the temple president's wife doing the catering, we had a delicious dinner with entertainment after by Sister Elia and Kau, two missionaries with Hawaiian pedigrees. They even had many of us doing the hula with them.

There were even other events that some of the couples enjoyed such as a Chinese acrobatic opera, Christmas choral concerts, symphony concerts, New Year's Eve fireworks etc. Because part of December Sister Smith and I were overcoming colds, we didn't join in all of them. In the midst of these our missionary partners and trainers, Elder and Sister Woolsey, completed their missions and returned home. Elder and Sister Dodson replaced them. They are from Provo as well. We also were surprised when our Area Welfare Manager, Stanley Wan, was assigned to Beijing, China for 12 to 18 montths to be the China Service Center Manager. In his place, a member of the finance deparment and management trainee, Floyd Ko, will guide our work. So things are set for 2010. Our mission is going too quickly. Just over 5 months, and we will be on our way back to family in Provo. But these 2009 holiday events will long be remembered.



Our home teaching group with food furnished by Sister Trinidad. l to r: Elder Noel, Sisters Violeta, Gloria, Trinidad, Elder Smith, Sisters Gloria, Dioneta, Paz, Sally, Luz.

Thanksgiving dinner was of high quality and quantity.

We sat at the table with Elder Watson.

Senior Missionary outing with Sister Kewish, Sister Smith, Elder and Sister Halvorsen and Elder Kewish. The Filipino domestic servant is in Sister Halvorsen's branch. She is watching her employer's baby.

The botanical gardens were beautiful. This dainty flower caught my eye.

Beautiful fountains at the front of the gardens.

These beautiful orchids make a delicate picture.

These Gibbon monkets were very noisy. They talked by blowing up their throat sacs and tried to outdo each other with their shrieking calls. You could hear them all over the park.

Elder Noel's birthday party. He is 50 years old today.

Another group picture. We had a good turnout today.

The happy Elders. We are truly in the minority in this branch

Hawaaian entertainment at the Temple social. Sister Kau and Elia, Hong Kong Mission office missionaries, were very graceful.

Sister Smith and her dear friend, Sister Trinidad. She has become another daughter to us.

Sisters Kau and Elia lead the lessons taught

Elder and Sister Elia enjoying lunch.

Elder and Sister Poon, missionaries from Canada.

The beautiful life-sized nativity set was a hit with the passer-bys who took time to look at it.

We pose before one of 3 trees decorated on the first 6 floors.

Two of our favorite security guards, James and Sunny. They greet us warmly each day they are on duty.

A Mongolian creche. Note the yak and the Mongolian faces. This belongs to Elder and Sister Gibbons.

Elder and Sister Woolsey say goodbye. Back to Bakersfield, California. We have truly enjoyed them.

Elder and Sister Dodson from Provo enter their new apartment as they replace the Woolseys.

A Chinese creche in Elder Watson's apartment.

A missionary quartet entertain during our dinner in Elder Watson's apartment. Elder Perkins, our Area President, looks on. Sisters Erickson and Kewish, Elders Kewish and Gibbons are the singers.

The Christensen family entgertain us. He is a counselor in our District Presidency.

The white elephant gift exchange was fun. We ended with the three Chinese Wisemen: Longlife, Happiness and Prosperity.

The theme for the skits at our Branch Christmas Social was African Dances


A typical costume complete with face painting.


President Oakes gets ready to be the chief judge.

Sister Angel gets to look like a handsome cowboy (Not sure how Africa fits in)

This was our group of Kenya dancers. Elder Noel is dressed all in black.

This three floor size tree was in the atrium of the Festival Walk mall near the Temple. We walked to it after our temple holiday service on December 31.

The mall has its own ice skating rink-- The Glacier

We watched this junk take or tourists and then roll up the three sails. The wind immediately pushed it along.

The flowers in this fountain near our office are poinsettias for the season.

s We have our own Times Square mall near our apartment. They had a big New Year's Eve gathering. The large flower balls are part of the New Year decorations.