Note to self: Bad idea to eat at a wet market

Our first Sunday in Hong Kong was quite amazing and filled with tender mercies. Since we have not been assigned a ward (congregation) yet, we went to church with another missionary couple to a cantonese speaking ward. The meetings felt just like ours back home, just in a different language. In all of the meetings, a sweet member sister would sit by me and translate quietly in my ear so I would know what was being taught. It's hard to express what I was feeling as they sang, "There is a Green Hill Far Away" in cantonese... They know what they are singing about and it was a powerful experience for me. Between meetings I saw a sister who I felt something was wrong and seemed like she was hiding in the back and not feeling very comfortable. Not knowing the language, I talked to the young missionaries and asked who she was and suggested they check in with her and let her know that she was noticed and not alone. They said she was a less active trying to come back to church and went to talk with her. At the same time, a young man started talking to me in English who is Chinese and had just moved back to Hong Kong from London. He's the only member in his family, and is 23 years old. I was able to connect him with another YSA (young single adult) and get his information to the people who run that program so he could get information on activities, etc.

So here is what is interesting... I was with a group of people I do not know and do not speak the language. I felt like God was trying to show me that He can use me if I listen to him. It was another powerful reminder that we are not in charge and how our Heavenly Father can work in our lives if we let Him.

We had a meeting with the Elder Meurs, who is the first counselor in the Asia Area Presidency.  We for sure will be assigned to a Cantonese speaking Stake, which is a group of congregations in a specific area. The rest of the specifics are yet to be determined and we are both super excited about what will unfold. There is a lot of work to be done in helping to strengthen the new and long time members here in Hong Kong. The church in Hong Kong has: six cantonese speaking Stakes (30-40 congregations) plus the International District which consists of a huge English speaking ward (feels like Utah :) as well as a Mandarin speaking branch. The District also has about 9-10 Pilipino congregations. They are the domestic workers who are all women. A lot of these ladies have university degrees but can make three times the money cleaning toilets in Hong Kong so they leave their parents, children and husbands to work here and send money home. It is a cultural thing that the oldest in the family go out and support the rest of the family. Hard to see, but our job as missionaries is to support them within their culture.

Funny story.  Friday night several missionary couples wanted to go to dinner together, so one of the couples picked this place and it was in one of the wet markets. Before we realized how much of a mistake this was (eek) we were in too deep and it got worse from there. So lets just say that it was an experience to remember and laugh about. Next time I'm picking and we are going Italian! ha ha.  Speaking of Italian restaurants, we went to this Italian place last week and had Mexican fajitas which were fantastic!! We will be going back again to try their Italian food :) lol . I'm sure it's great too.

We are doing well here. Got our new mattress delivered on Wednesday and that was life changing!  No, I have not used the Easy Bake oven yet, but will share when I do. :). Mostly using the stove top.  Our new mission president arrived Friday night so we will be meeting with him next week. Things are moving forward and I am still very much adjusting to the new way of life here.

Remember faith is about moving forward even when we don't have all the answers. Sometimes we need to be patient and allow things to unfold as we are doing everything in our power today. We are not promised and easy passage, but we are promised peace and safety as we look to our Savior and follow His way the best we can.

Love you all!
Sister Kwan

Dinner in the wet market with several of the missionary couples.

Elder Wright is holding up the napkins they gave us. We had plenty so that's good. :)

Back in our apartment.

This was in the wet market as we went to the restaurant.
Yes, that is a big fish head and yes, he was preparing the food to sell.

This is the Hong Kong version of Costco called "A and M".  They have a lot of the same stuff with the exception of the frozen/fresh food.  It was a beautiful sight!!

An Ice cream truck with music and everything.  If you zoom
 in on the picture you can see it better.

Dinner at home. Taco salad with corn chips, ground seasoned meat, black beans, lettuce, and mango salsa. There is definitely a learning curve cooking here. The culture is to shop for fresh stuff every other day. With a small space, there is no stocking up on anything and with the humidity, things don't last long so you have to plan accordingly.