Spiritual Highlights of our Mission

Our mission has turned out to be filled with many wonderful spiritual highlights. We have already traveled to eight different Asian counties besides our base in Hong Kong. (Trip to Nepal still ahead in April). Although we trained welfare missionaries in these countries in the procedures for handling humanitarian projects, including emergency responses, every visit was also filled with spiritual experiences as we met the humble church members, many of whom were recent converts to the Church. We felt their spirit as we shook their hands and looked into their eyes. We listened to their stories and saw their faith and courage in accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior and Redeemer against the pressure of non-Christian traditions and cultures. We met many individuals not of our faith, but who had principles of goodness in their lives and they were great examples to us. We have touched upon these experiences in several of our blogs.

When we are in Hong Kong, we have many experiences with the Spirit that are not directly related to our assignment as welfare specialists, but which have given our mission a spiritual fullness. Every Monday morning we join with the 11 other Asia Area Missionary Couples who serve with us in the Asia Area Administration Building in Wan Chai, and the 60 Chinese staff members who work here as well, for a devotional. Each of us have the opportunity to participate in prayers or talks. The devotional starts our week off with the spiritual emphasis we need. We hear from our Area Presidency members each quarter. Then, once a month the missionary couples join the Area Presidency in a session at the Hong Kong Temple, followed by a testimony meeting in the adjoining chapel.

Our Sundays are filled with spiritual experiences as Elder Smith serves as the First Counselor in the Branch Presidency of a Philippine Domestic Worker Branch (200 sisters) and Sister Smith assists in helping the sisters with their Sacrament Meeting talks and with learning how to prepare their ancestor's names for temple ordinances. Once a month we meet with 15-20 sisters and one elder in a joint home teaching meeting where we share a Gospel message with them. On another Sunday night, we join the same group of members in a Family Home Evening where everyone has the opportunity of participating by giving a scripture, teaching a lesson, or conducting a game. This is followed by a branch supper. Twice a month the couples assemble in one of the apartments for a Family Home Evening, with the lessons given by the host couple. Every Thursday night we catch the bus for the temple to serve as ordinance workers. We work with patrons from all over Asia who come to the Hong Kong Temple to do ordinance work for their deceased ancestors. Elder Smith has been able to use his sealing authority to perform sealings for the living and the dead. Each Friday, the Missionary Senior Sisters attend an Institute class. This year's teacher has been Elder Gibbons, a former Seminary and Institute Teacher. What a spiritual treat that has been.

As a couple, we have the privilege of reading the scriptures daily and praying to our Heavenly Father for the welfare of the Asian people, for our families back home, and for the missionaries around the world, including our two grandchildren. We feel the protection of a loving Heavenly Father as we carry out our various assignments. It will be hard to leave this part of the world to return to Utah in June.

The following pictures are primarily of some of the people who have so profoundly touched our lives for good. It is hard to capture the spiritual strength of these people with a camera but perhaps you can see in their eyes and in their smiles how happy they are to be involved with Christ's work. We feel blessed to have met them, and look forward to further associations in this life and beyond the grave. These truly have become eternal friendships. The same can be said for the couples and members we met in the nine visited countries. For you our friends who read this blog, we hope you will include in your plans time to volunteer for a Church mission. You will never regret it.

The Asia Area Administration Building was our home for our welfare duties and our Sunday spiritual callings. Seven branches meet in this building. Floors 1 to 7 include three chapels, three kitchens, 3 relief society rooms, many classrooms, a cultural hall, high council room and many priesthood leader offices. Floors 8-10 house the Asia Area offices including the Area Presidency, and the 11th and 12th floors provide housing for the Area Presidency. The building was completed in 2005 and is a very functional building.


In the foyer of the building this beautiful painting of the Savior with children greets all who enter. It is a reminder to us all of Christ's love for all mankind, especially the children of all colors and races.

The Asia Area Presidency are our ecclesiastical leaders. They are also general authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When we arrived, Elder Hallstrom was the President with Elders Perkins and Watson as the counselors. When Elder Hallstrom was called to the be in the Presidency of the Seventies Quorums, Elder Perkins was called to be President and Elder Pratt joined Elder Watson as the counselors. It is wonderful to "sit at the feet" of these wonderful men.

This picture was taken just before Elder Hallstrom returned to Utah. The three Welfare couples, Woolsey, Gibbons, and Smith are supervised by Elder Wan (standing) and Terry Oakes (on left sitting). Jaymi Wong is our very efficient secretary.

The Hong Kong Temple is the Temple for all of Southeast Asia. The building not only houses the temple on floors 3-5 and in the basement, but the Hong Kong mission office and the residence for the Mission and Temple Presidents and a ward chapel. In July 2010, a new chapel and mission office will be completed across from the Temple, and the temple will expand to fill the empty spaces.

The Temple President and Matron are President and Sister Goo. They are from Hawaii. President Goo had served as the Hong Kong Mission President prior to his present call.

Elder and Sister Heaton serve as First Counselor and Assistant to the matron. They are serving as missionaries from the United States. Elder Heaton served as a Chinese missionary. Sister Heaton is of Chinese ancestry. They are very helpful to President Goo. The other counseler is President Yip, a local Hong Kong member. The Recorder is Brother Lee.



Elder and Siste Elia serve as a couple in the mission office supervising missionary apartments. They are from Hawaii. Elder Elia was born in Molika. They also serve in the Temple on a regular basis. Sister Elia dances a beautiful hula as she demonstrated at the Christmas Temple Party.

One of our very favorite couples is Elder and Sister Gibbons. They are housed on our floor and serve in the Welfare Department as Asia Area Employment Resource Specialists. Elder Gibbons also teaches Institute classes on Tuesday nights to the young adults and on Friday mornings to the Sister Senior Missionaries. He is a retired Seminary and Institute teacher and has a great knowledge of the Gospel. Sister Gibbons works with the Filipino sisters who need help in finding a job after termination or ending of contracts. She also is our hair dresser and barber. We are so blessed to have them here. They live in Farmington, Utah and are parents of 11 children. They serve in the Temple one session each week.

Elder and Sister Pierce were serving as Temple missionaries when we arrived. They are from the Provo Temple District and worked in the Temple before their mission. They were a great assistance to us as we became acquainted with the Hong Kong Temple.

Elder and Sister Wong serve as temple coordinators on our shift. They are from Hong Kong and can speak Cantonese and English. We use English to perform our duties, but most of the workers use Cantonese. Visitors from other countries use their native languages and we accommodate them with audio tapes and cards in their own language.

Elder and Sister Kau are a Mission Office couple with Temple assignments. Their current home is in Mapleton, Utah, our prior Utah home. They know many of the same people we do.

Elder and Sister Woolsey with Sister Wanda Wong served on Thursday nights with us. We rode the bus to and from Hong Kong Island each week to serve. The Woolseys had their office in the same open space with us and between us, we served as the Area Welfare Specialists to our Asia Area Welfare Manager, Stanley Wan.


The endowed Filipino sisters came to the temple as often as they could. On national holidays, their employers usually gave them the day off. To accommodate them, the Temple was left open in the mornings on holidays, and the missionary couples came to assist in the temple. Sister Cecilia Chamos to the right of Sister Smith went through the Temple for the first time today. Several branch members supported her with their attendance. Sister Trinidad(on right) is also an ordinance worker with us on Thursday night. She is in our home teaching group as well.

The beautiful front facade of Kom Tong Hall.

As the plaque on the building explain, this beautiful private mansion served as a chapel for the Church and as the Asia Area administrative offices prior to the new building. The building is now preserved as a national museum. The hand belongs to our boss, Stanley Wan. He took the senior couples on a tour of the building. His father was the custodian years ago, and Stanley grew up living in the building.

Missionary work is very important in our branch. Elder Bowen and Lewis were some of our great US missionaries. We have 10-15 conversions each year of Philippine sisters. The branch is English speaking, and thus we can be useful in all phases of church activity. Elder Smith was responsible as a member of the branch presidency for Missionary Work the first year of our mission. The last six months both of us worked with Family History as the new Family Search program was introduced to Hong Kong in December 2009.

The baptism of two Filippino sisters. We have two sets of missionaries in our branch. The sister on the right, Sister Baker, is 70 years old. She is currently paired with a younger Filippino Sister. The baptismal fount in our building is on the ground floor. These new converts demonstrate great faith as they gain testimonies of the Church and its teachings and covenant with the Lord to keep His commandments.

We have become the grandparents of many sisters. These are members of our home teaching and family home evening groups as they prepare a supper for the branch. These sisters are great cooks as they serve as domestic workers to Chinese employers here in Hong Kong.

The Mission sponsored a "Preach my Gospel" Bowl with the 9 branches of the International District of Hong Kong. These four sisters did very well in answering the questions.

These sisters are studying the new Family Search program in Sunday School each week. The Sister dressed in white in the center, Sister Florinda, is the teacher. Most of these sisters are now registered in the new family search program, and are entering their family information into the data base. We serve as shadow leaders in this program.

Elder Gibbons is a master teacher of the Gospel and of the scriptures. He has extensive knowledge of Church History, and makes the Doctrine and Covenants come alive for the Missionary Senior Sisters each Friday morning. Sister Gibbons is a fun support to everything he does.

Four of the sisters sitting around the high council room table as they meet for Institute. Sister Arnold, Erickson, Steele, and Gibbons.

These daily and weekly spiritual activities have indeed added much to our service as welfare missionaries throughout Asia.