Our Week in Hong Kong Together!

After our trip to Hong Kong I knew I had to record the experiences, feelings and gratitude that we had as we followed Amanda around this beautiful country for 6 days!  It was an amazing trip for both Scott and I . . . ENJOY!

Friday, June 29th

First, we arrived at the mission home yesterday morning about 15 minutes early.  Much to our surprise, all of the departing missionaries, including Amanda, were in the foyer.  Amanda jumped up screaming and we embraced and hugged and kissed and cried a little.  It was an incredible reunion.  Then we realized everyone was watching us and so Scott and I slipped into the back of the scene as the missionaries loaded up and headed to the airport.

The next highlight of the day was Watermelon's wedding!  Watermelon joined the church about a year ago when a wonderful returned missionary introduced her to the gospel and fell in love with her here in HK.  They had a civil marriage first in the chapel of the church.  It was unlike anything we have experienced, yet so awesome.  We all stood as Watermelon was walked down the chapel isle by her Father to the front of the pulpit.  Her fiance, Ho Yin, was waiting there.  AMANDA WAS PLAYING THE WEDDING MUSIC as she walked in . . . Love At Home on the piano!  Their good Bishop married them, the family clapped!, and then they signed papers.  None of their family is LDS.  Then Ho Yin stood at the pulpit and talked about eternal marriage and how excited he was to be sealed to Watermelon and he explained to the family what all of that meant.

THEN . . . we went to the TEMPLE!  The Temple President performed a beautiful sealing ceremony and it was so touching to see members of the ward, the Bishop, and two of Ho Yin's mission companions in attendance.  These two mission companions also stood in as the witnesses.  The crowning moment for me was to see this couple looking in the mirrors.  The sealer was telling them about the generations that had come before them and the generations that would come after them.  Suddenly Watermelon's eyes lit up and she smiled.  Tears came to her eyes and I believe in that moment she caught a glimpse of eternity!  It was such a blessing to be at this sealing!

After this we headed to our nice AIR CONDITIONED hotel and convinced Amanda to take a nap with us!  We all slept for 3 hours and Amanda was pretty alarmed with how tired she was:)   Then we went to dinner with one of Amanda's recent converts, Tracy.  Tracy is 17 years old and gave up quite a bit to join the church.  She loves Amanda like sister and Amanda said they had an instant friendship and bond.  We grew to love Tracy very quickly!

Yes!  We found AMAZING foot reflexology spots several times in HK!  And they were CHEAP!!

Saturday, June 30

So Amanda discovered Cantonese Siri this morning and that was AWESOME!  She just talked and laughed with Siri in Cantonese. It was so funny!

Then we got on the train to head to a cheng-out with Bro. Foo.  We have nicknamed him the Asian KFC Colonel.  He was a kick!!  So Amanda told us something was mentally off with him, but he loves the missionaries and treats them well!  Upon arriving and meeting him we learned that he converted to the church in 1975. He really loves this gospel and has been a faithful member of it for over 20 years!  He is now 78 years old and it became obvious very quickly that his “mental problem” is dementia.  He had asked his older brother to meet us at the restaurant and order the food for us.  Colonel Foo Sanders is extremely loud, but his brother was soft-spoken and seemed to be all there mentally.  Anyway, they were both very generous and insisted on paying for lunch.  We got our first taste of what sweet Amanda was expected to EAT as a token of gratitude and respect for these people that love her! They just kept ordering food!  SO MUCH!  They warned us it would be spicy, and it was!  Then Scott had to ask about the Chinese Century Egg!   This is an egg they pickle for 100 years and it turns black and slimy!  Next thing you know we have a Century Egg dish on the table.  That was my limit . . . I couldn’t stomach it so I sneakily put the portion Bro. Foo put in my bowl into Amanda’s bowl.  I now understand why the missionaries all had constant stomach problems and gained weight on their missions!  This would repeat itself for us two evenings later with Sarah!

After this, we walked to the church for a family history activity the missionaries had organized.  Amanda wanted us to experience one of her common walking routes.  Picture 90 degree weather with 80% humidity and then walk briskly in that for 45 minutes, including up a steep hill to the church at the end . . . WE WERE SOAKED THROUGH!  Amanda wasn’t phased a bit.  She just walked into the bathroom, wiped down with paper towels, and joined the other missionaries in the activity.  I think it took us 2 hours to dry through!  The family history activity was well planned, but went a bit overtime.  This also gave me empathy as I listened to 2 hours of Cantonese, not understanding one thing.  Amanda said this was the first several months of her mission.  It was so difficult to stay awake and focused!

However, the members are incredible!  We learned about several of their conversion stories and how committed they are to the gospel!  They love it and they share it with those around them.  This activity was supposed to be for Less-active members, but none showed up   Instead the wonderful members came and it was humbling to see their engagement and support!

On the way home we stopped by the famous Starbucks where Amanda spent so much time studying, finding and teaching others.  It was a really cool Starbucks with a huge loft upstairs.  I could feel this had become a sacred place for Amanda where a lot of personal growth had taken place and the Spirit had helped her to share the gospel with others.

Then we stopped at a hawker stand on the way home and got one of her favorite dishes in Hong Kong . . . BBQ Pork over rice with bok choy and this yummy garlic-onion paste.  IT WAS SO DELICIOUS AND CHEAP . . . like $2 a person cheap!  One of my favorite parts of visiting HK with Amanda has been the look on the local people’s faces when she starts speaking in Cantonese.  First they STOP and listen in awe, then they get these BIG SMILES, and then they just start talking SO FAST to her!  They ask her where she has learned to speak so well and tell her how proud they are of her for learning the language so fluently.  They really value her ability to speak with them in their native language and it opens the door for a wonderful introduction to the title of MISSIONARY for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!  The people at this hawker stand were in awe of her and we took this cute picture.

We experienced this time and time again.  Amanda has developed a habit and the ability to talk to EVERYONE!  This was miraculous to me on many levels.  When she was in the 3rd grade I was told at parent-teacher conference that she was painfully shy and we needed to help her speak up in class.  When the teacher would call on her, she would answer but almost in a whisper.  This continued to be a part of Amanda, especially when she was around people she didn’t know.  I recall her Senior year, attending mission prep with her in our stake every Sunday.  We have returned missionaries come and teach the seniors and she expressed to me her TERROR of being called on to role-play or even comment spontaneously.  It was really difficult for her to speak unless she had a talk or remarks written down or prepared.  This really concerned her when it came to being a missionary.

Yet as we followed her around for a week, we watched in awe as she opened her mouth, learned about people all around her, shared her title and message as a missionary, and was received with awe by the Cantonese-speaking people!  (I know this wasn’t always the case and she experienced a lot of rejection, but we saw mostly positive responses to her efforts!)  It was fun for complete strangers to see her with us and tell us, tell us that we looked alike, and then make sure we know how well she was speaking their language.  It really connected them in love to her!  We ended out day by walking through the Ladies Market!  Hong Kong is so much fun at night!!

SUNDAY, July 1st

We started the morning at the Kowloon ward.  This was Amanda’s current assignment and she was still a set-apart full time missionary.  The ward was so welcoming and excited to meet us.  Amanda is currently teaching a few single mothers.  One of them came to church with a darling little girl and it was fun to meet them.  Amanda and her companion, Sister Sam, played a beautiful musical number and then Amanda got to share her testimony.  The Elders translated for Scott and I. Amanda bore powerful testimony of our Savior and the Restoration.  She also spoke specifically to the youth.  She spends a lot of her time working with the youth in her wards.  She testified of the miracles and transformation that occurs from serving a mission.  She challenged them to prepare to serve and promised them great blessings as they did.  The young women of the ward really love Amanda!

Then we were off to the Butterfly Ward where Amanda spent 11 months of her mission!  The people were so excited to see her and we were also able to meet Sara and Nico, recent converts who were baptized under Amanda’s watch.  It was really amazing to see the love they all had for each other.  We were invited to dinner at two people’s houses the coming nights.  I LOVED the feel of Butterfly!  It was a quieter, slower paced way of life.  The crowds were so much smaller and it just felt peaceful to me.  I was grateful Amanda was able to serve here to start her mission!

After a little Sunday afternoon nap, we headed out to The Peak for a beautiful view of HK at night.  It was almost magical as we got to the top and had clear skies, but then the clouds rolled in on top of us and we were walking in moving mist!  HK is a beautiful place!

When we got back to the hotel, it was time for Amanda to be released as a missionary.  Pres. Mortensen was able to Face Time in and visit with us.  He expressed his gratitude for Amanda’s service and visited with her about her mission.  Then he formally released her as a full-time missionary.  As we hung up with him, there were tears in all of our eyes.  We could physically feel that mantle of MISSIONARY leave Amanda and it was humbling.  I testify there is real power, tangible power, in the setting a part of a full-time missionary!  While it was time for this to conclude for Amanda, we felt the void and realized the power that had accompanied her for the last 18 months with a lot of gratitude!

Monday, July 2nd

We started the day with some delicious breakfast breads that Amanda loves and some ‘milk bananas” that were DELCIOUS!  Even having lived in Asia before, I had never tasted this kind of banana, and it was by far my favorite!

Scott had been wanted to go to Din Tai Fung the whole trip for their amazing soupy dumplings, so we found one near the pier and enjoyed a nice lunch.  Then Amanda took us into MUJI, one of her favorite Japanese stores, and got her favorite ball point pens.  They have the cutest little kid toilets in a stall next to the adult toilet!  I thought this was such a clever idea!

Amanda knows where all the best street snacks are!  We enjoyed this amazing coconut milk drink, some fresh fruit slushies and other amazing fresh fruit juices!  The funniest was when Scott stopped by a McDonald’s to get an Oreo McFlurry and it ended up being TARO (purple sweet potato) ice cream!  It was SO GROSS, but Scott ate it anyway!!  Amanda and her companions would come to the market below and load up on "gummies" too . . . 

Next we headed back to Butterfly, the area Amanda lived in for 11 months.  Butterfly sits on the pier and the water is beautiful.  There are still these HUGE 34 story apartment buildings all over and on top of each other, but the buzz of the busy city is gone.  It just felt so much more relaxed and inviting.  I pictured Amanda landing in this busy, bustling place and felt so much gratitude that she was able to spend so much time in a peaceful corner of HK.

It was time for dinner with Sara and Nico!  Sara is a single mom whose husband took their money to Macau several years ago and lost it all gambling.  He never came back and left her destitute.  She had to move into her parent’s apartment and figure out how to support a family.  Her mother did not take good care of the kids and after 3 years of neglect, she realized it was time to move out on her own.  Her daughter got involved in drugs and alcohol and guys and is pretty much estranged now.  She still comes by the house to her room for things she needs, but she doesn’t speak to her mom.  Nico is now 10 years old.  He is really bright and studies 3-4 hours per night after school.  He is in the top 1% of his class throughout all of Hong Kong.  He’s darling and really took to Scott.

Sara had been cooking for 5 hours in preparation for us.  There was so much food and it was evident she had really sacrificed to have us over.  Amanda told us it was so important that we eat all the food she put out.  This was a way of showing gratitude to the family.  We tried, but there was no way this was going to all fit in our stomachs.  Scott would finish his bowl and Sara would fill it back up quicker than he could say no thank you.  Scott and I both had to stop as we were getting sick, but sweet Amanda kept going.  It was evident she was uncomfortable, but had gotten use to this.  She said the missionaries had learned to eat until the chills hit them.  Then they would offer a fervent silent prayer that Heavenly Father would help them and somehow their stomachs would calm down and they could finish their meal!  She said it was a miracle played over and over again on her mission!  No wonder she had constant stomach and bowel issues throughout her mission:L

Sara cried as we parted ways and told us Amanda was like a daughter to her and that she would miss her more than she could express.  It was a really tender moment.  Sara told us that because she loves Amanda so much, she has committed to do missionary work.  Sara has brought 3 families into the church since she was baptized!  She is one of the most active member missionaries in the area!

Tuesday, July 3

We woke up and headed to a beautiful island called Cheung Chau on the bus.  The bus was our favorite way to get around HK because we could sit on the 2nd level in the front and have an amazing view of everything!  Then we took the ferry out to the island.

 It was a cloudy day which meant the humidity was off the charts, but it was noticeably cooler!  We rented bikes and rode around the boardwalk.  Then we parked our bikes and hiked up to a cave.  Amanda called it Pirates Cave because it’s really hard to find and it is literally an opening in the ground between 2 rocks.  If you’re claustrophobic, this would not be the cave for you!  We barely fit through some of the walls, but it was really cool!  We came out of the cave and had a gorgeous view of the East China Sea!  We biked back through the small streets where the villagers lived.  Biking is one of my favorite ways to explore a new area, and this was such a fun way to see the island.  Then we did some shopping, eating and went to the beach.  While we were in one of the shops, a lady asked where we were from.  We told her Utah in America.  She lit up and said her husband was showing a family from Utah around the island!  We found this family at the beach and they had lived in Eagle Mt. in our stake 2 years ago!  They lived across from one of my dearest friends, Susie & Mike Smith!  It was a fun reunion!

AND YES . .. THEY DO HAVE DURIAN IN HK:(

We took the ferry back to the hotel, but Scott and I stopped for our daily foot rub along the way!  When we lived in Singapore, this became one of our favorite things to do.  In HK, they were really cheap . . . $16 for a 45 minute foot run!  HEAVENLY!

After that it was time to go back to Butterfly for dinner with the Bishop and his family.  His wife is a wonderful cook and she also invited the missionaries to join.  The meal was delicious.  I’m still getting use to some of the manners in HK.  As you encounter a bone or some skin or something that you don’t want to swallow, you just spit it out to the side of your dish and leave it until the table is cleaned off.  They also drink only warm or hot water.  For dessert they usually serve fruit.  We had chilled lychee for desert and it was delicious!  Then Bishop’s wife had painted some beautiful portraits of village life and elephants.  She gave us two of them.  They are lovely.

We ended up visiting longer than we should have and this made the missionaries late, so Amanda suggested we get them a taxi back.  We did and we followed them back to see where Amanda lived.  It was this beautiful area parks and walking paths along the way, but the buildings are HUGE!  We were able to go up to the 32nd floor and peek into Amanda’s first apartment.  Then we went to the small grocery  store next door.  Scott had been looking for a Dr. Pepper since we landed in HK with no luck.  However, we found ONE left at this grocery store!  It was awesome!

It was now time to go back and pack up our 6 suitcases to head HOME!

Words can’t express my feelings this past week.  I have experienced a glimpse into Sister Webb’s life this past 18 months.  She has wholly relied on Heavenly Father and He has personally tutored her and blessed her with the gift of tongues and the ability to share the good news of the gospel with  His children in Hong Kong.  She has been given the gift of charity and developed a true Christ-like love for her brothers and sisters here.  She had also been able to love all of her companions without condition.  She has become an exemplary missionary and has told me of her testimony of obedience.  She said that her Mission President, Pres. Lam, told her that “obedience brings blessings, but exact obedience brings miracles.”  She said it then became easy to be exactly obedient . . . this included never J-walking, getting into her apartment on time (to the second) each night, and many other missionary rules that she came to love and appreciate.

Pres. Lam had 3 rules of his own for his missionaries.  They were:

1.        Work Hard

2.       Work Smart

3.       Have Fun!

She told me he treated them with complete trust and confidence!  He expected them to be their best and do their best . . . and SO THEY DID!  They had very few problems with the missionaries.  These kids loved Pres. Lam so much that they couldn’t imagine disappointing him.  What a wonderful model for me as a parent . . . letting my own girls know we believe in them and trust them to do wonderful things throughout their lives!  How I love Pres. and Sis. Lam!

I’m now about one hour from landing in Utah with our sweet Amanda.  My heart is overflowing with gratitude to Heavenly Father for His  careful watch and care of her!  She has truly become a valiant disciple of the Savior who knows how to qualify for, receive and act on personal revelation from the Holy Ghost!  She is prepared for whatever the Lord would have her do for Him!  I love her so much and I’m so grateful for her choice to serve a mission!!

I go back to my own moment of comfort 2 years ago, shortly after Amanda had received her mission call to HK.  I was feeling worried about her leaving us and being so far away for so long.  Suddenly the song, THE PRAYER, started playing on my headphones.  I was taken back to 2012 when our family visited HK to attend the temple.  Scott and I had gone out for a foot rub and I had put my earphones in to listen to some music.  This song, THE PRAYER, came on.  I was so touched by its lyrics!  It brought such a peaceful feeling to me in that moment and I added it to my playlist.  As this song randomly started playing in my closet in Utah on that winter day in 2016, I had that same peace distill upon me and knew that My Prayer was being answered:

“ I pray you’ll be our eyes, and watch us where we go.

And help us to be wise, in times when we don’t know.

Let this be our prayer, as we go our way.

Lead us to a place, guide us with Your grace,

To  a place where we’ll be safe.

I pray we’ll find your light, and hold it in our hearts

When stars go out each night, remind us where you are.

Let this be our prayer, when shadows fill our day.

Lead us to a place, guide us with Your grace,

Give us faith so we’ll be safe.

We ask that life be kind, and watch from above.

We hope each soul will find another soul to love.

Let this be our prayer, just like every child.,

Need to find a place, guide us with your grace,

To a place where we’ll be safe.”

Truly my prayer has been answered as He carefully watched over Amanda in Hong Kong.  Thanks be to God!