FSY Hong Kong

Right now I am sitting in our room in a beautiful area of Hong Kong called Sai Kung. It is surrounded by rainforest, islands, and the south China Sea. We are at a campus on day 5 of 6 of FSY camp with 160 youth and 30 young single adults. FSY is short for For the Strength Of Youth, which is the equivalent of Especially for Youth that takes place at Brigham Young University in Utah and a few other places in the United States. FSY happens in countries all over the world and takes a year to plan. We have been told that starting in 2020 FSY will replace EFY from now on in the United States and will be run by individual stakes every other year. It will be interesting to see how these changes will be implemented. 

It's a powerful program for the youth that helps them understand that peace comes through living a Christ centered life. This years theme is, "Keep the Commandments". With all of the civil unrest here in Hong Kong, many young people are especially unsettled and afraid. The leaders are taking the opportunity to help the youth and YSA's understand that governments may do what they will, and peacefully we can stand up for what we believe but that no matter what happens we will be ok. The answer is the same. There is peace in Christ and peace in doing what we know is right and obeying the commandments. 

FSY consists of: Classes, a service project, daily gospel study, devotionals, games, dance workshops, a few dances for the youth, variety show, choir, Living Christ activity, testimony meetings, and lots of fun. Our role here is as an advisory couple, which means we are in a supportive role so the pressure is not on us. Our part was the year leading up to this week with what felt like gazillions of meetings, and the struggles that go along with planning something this involved. 

A few weeks ago, one of the young Sister missionary's apartments found bed bugs. Not fun. They had to clear everything out of the apartment and wash every article of clothing they had... 4 Sister Missionaries... 10 suitcases of stuff. :) EEK... So, we helped them get their belongings washed and make sure everything was clean and bug free to move into another temporary apartment while theirs is getting cleaned, new beds, bedding etc. The Hong Kong lifestyle is not easy when everything is going smooth, but add a situation like that and it's pretty overwhelming. We were washing clothes until about 11:30pm and only got 2 of the 4 missionaries stuff taken care of. Bed bugs are common in areas with a high density of people living in a single area and crazy high humidity.

We have Zone conference every six weeks for the young missionaries which consists of three days of conferences with different groups of missionaries each day. I am responsible for taking care of the lunch on those days and I am planning out the food until the end of the year. This year, the November Zone Conference will fall on Thanksgiving week. We are looking at catering part of the meal and there is a member of the church here who owns a restaurant called, "Dan Ryans" which is a traditional American eatery. The manager suggested a meeting there and said, "Lets have our meeting and then order anything you want." Joe said (as he was eating his amazing salmon meal), "Now this is missionary work!" The food was fantastic and we tried a few different things.

We are preparing to go to Mongolia in a few days. We will finish the week of FSY on Saturday, then we have several meetings on Sunday and speak at a fireside that night. Monday we leave for Mongolia for two and a half weeks. It is going to be a busy very eventful August.

Today, the young women ages 14-17 sang as an opening song, "Our Saviors Love" in Cantonese, A Capella. That is my favorite hymn and although I don't speak the language, I knew what they were singing and their voices were so beautiful. "Our saviors love, shines like the sun with perfect light. From up above it breaks through clouds of strife. Lighting our way, it leads us back into His sight, where we may stay, to share eternal life."

Our lives are busy. It is easy to get distracted by the things we think matter so much, bound by traditions we don't realize are such. We get confused and think that those things are part of the gospel. I was talking to a young single adult from mainland China but has lived in Hong Kong for a long time. Her job has her traveling there several times a month. She said, "In some places in mainland China the people meet in living rooms. Five people are all that are allowed to gather and they have meetings on Skype. The organization as we know it, where the church is well established they don't know even exists..." When these people come to Hong Kong to get baptized and then return to Mainland, they understand that the Saviors love really does "shine like the sun with perfect light", and that it does indeed "break through clouds of strife". It isn't a burden. They want to because they understand the price and they want the result it brings. I testify that these things are true and as we follow their example and find joy in the light of Christ, it leads us to His sight and we find great joy.

We miss you and love you all!

The Kwans

FSY dance for the youth. It was a Western Hoedown.

Youth at FSY camp.

All leaders are YSA except three couples.
 Lukes - Session directing couple (all of the spiritual components),
Kwans - Advisory couple, and the
Wongs - Logistics couple

YSA Coordinators, assistants, and the
couples responsible for FSY Hong Kong 2019.

11:30pm after we had done massive laundry and helped
these Sister missionaries move into their temporary apartment.

After the whole bed bug, laundry fiasco we thought the missionaries
would appreciate dinner so the next night we had them over for
tacos and homemade mango salsa and chips.

We love this family. The Lui's have lived in Utah for over 20 years and decided to move back to Hong Kong and Mikey now works for the church in the Asia area office. When I asked him why they would leave such a comfortable lifestyle he said, this is where the Lord wants us. Both of their sons are in college in Utah, and their daughter is actually serving her mission here in Hong Kong.

Twenty pounds of pork cooking in crock pots for 6 hours for pulled
 pork sandwiches for the Missionary Leadership training lunch. :) 

Dinner with four sister missionaries a new member, and
her friend who is learning about the church. :)

Salmon, mashed potatoes, baked pumpkin, broccoli
 and balsamic glaze from "Dan Ryan's"

Super greens salad, with spinach, sliced pears, blueberries,
pine nuts, quinoa and blueberry vinaigrette. It was awesome.

So fun! Troy Johnson, of the awesome Johnson clan
was on business in this area and we got together for dinner.
Chinese Hot Pot, which actually was very good!
We had a great time!!

Summer in Hong Kong

Sunday, June 30th we had the "Special Sunday Temple Opening" that happens four times a year. Hong Kong is the only place in the world where the temple is open on Sunday! It is primarily for the Filipino Sisters who are helpers (maids) and if their day off is Sunday, that is the only day they can attend the temple. Usually when older people go on missions you have a very specific assignment. You are either a temple  missionary, member leader support, public affairs, humanitarian, mental health, or one of MANY different kinds of assigned missions in the church. In Hong Kong, most couple missionaries serve a shift in the temple every week in addition to their other assignments. Our temple shift has been on Tuesday mornings. We also have the opportunity to serve in the temple on these special Sunday openings as well.

The Hong Kong temple is closing July 6th, 2019 for an extensive renovation that will take 2-3 years. We have had so many cool experiences being there and feeling the power of these ordinances that go on in this sacred place. We have seen the sacrifices of people from all over this part of the world. People who have nothing, sacrificing everything they have just to get to the temple because they understand how it will bless their lives. Groups come here from Mainland China, Mongolia, Indonesia, Thailand, etc. Yesterday (July 2), forty people came from Cambodia. For twenty of them, it was their first time to a temple! When I was leaving we saw 5 young Cambodian children with big smiles crossing the street on their way to the temple to be sealed to their parents.

The next few months will be a flurry of activity and a culmination of a lot of planning. The Mongolia phase 2 of the Ger project is in full swing. Between July - September they are building 10 new structures and retrofitting 150 existing Gers with a special radiant barrier insulation and a different heating system so they can stop the use of the coal stove. It requires Joe to travel to Mongolia a few times during this period. He is in Mongolia this week. I will go with him for two weeks in August. Yes, you read it correctly. He is in Mongolia this week and I am in Hong Kong! Crazy right? When I say that a church mission for couples is a completely different experience depending on assignments and needs of an area, I wasn't kidding.

This week he is working with the contractor and government officials on the new builds so he is in meetings and at construction sites... in Mongolia. That means something completely different than if that were happening in the USA. I'm not sure I can even adequately describe what it is like there, but you can't just "run to the store" or even a regular bathroom out in the Ger district. When we are there we stay in a regular hotel but it's about an hour drive to get to the work site. You absolutely can not go anywhere without a driver and an interpreter. Ninety-nine percent of the people do NOT speak English so you have to have someone to interpret for you. Think of the complications of working with a contractor, purchasing supplies or building materials, etc. You can't just run to the Home Depot and get what you need, or fix what doesn't fit or is cut wrong, etc. It takes double the time to explain anything because you tell the interpreter something, and then they have to repeat and explain it to the contractor. Think of a bad game of "telephone" (eek). That is what it feels like sometimes. That is why Joe HAS to be there at times besides the fact that when a general authority asks you to do something you generally say yes, ha ha.

When I go with him in August, I will be organizing the logistics of getting 150 insulation kits cut and prepared, utilizing the youth of the church in Mongolia, a few YSAs and a few missionaries who are serving in there. Much more on this later, but it will be really awesome. Stay tuned.

In two weeks we will have the FSY here in Hong Kong. The next blog will be all about that week with the youth and YSAs. FSY is basically the Especially For Youth that takes place at BYU but in other countries. It's a big deal with a ton of logistics and preparation. Think of a Stake youth conference on steroids that lasts a full week. That pretty much describes it. It will be out in Sai Kung which is a beautiful place way out in the New Territories... Rainforest, South China Sea, little islands, hiking trails, country, open space. Those are not things people usually think of when they think of Hong Kong.

Politically it has been a bit crazy in Hong Kong! Culturally they are very disciplined and organized even in their protesting, so we always knew when and where they were going to happen. We weren't anywhere near those places during those times. For now, they have taken the proposed law off of the "floor" for discussion. This particular law would take away some of their freedoms and give Mainland China more control which is why the people here are so upset. China is supposed allow Hong Kong to be completely independent for 50 years after it was given back to China from Britain. That is why it's called "Hong Kong special administration of the Peoples Republic of China" (HKSAR). It has only been 22 years.

I'm incredibly grateful for these experiences. I'm not sure I could have even dreamed half of this stuff up! Sometimes Joe and I look at each other and shrug our shoulders feeling like we are in a movie or something and that this isn't real. One thing that is constant is seeing the hand of the Lord in so many ways and in the different assignments we've been given. From Hong Kong to Mongolia, we see that the Lord loves his people. All of them... and in every land! No matter what governments do, or what beliefs people have, the Lord sees it all, is in the details, and will continue to guide us into more understanding if we let him. I promise. We see it everyday!

We love you all!
The Kwans

After a Hong Kong wide YSA meeting with our friends
Kristen and Tami. We realized they both know
 David, Joe's son from BYU. Small world!

Twenty YSAs in our apartment for dinner.
Two missionaries brought two others who are learning
about the church and two others were new members.

Classic old Chinese building.

Found a really cool park with a huge pond. There were
turtles and koi fish. Very beautiful and peaceful.

It was so hot and humid but we really enjoyed walking around
this little gem we found in the middle of the city.

More of Tak Wah park.

Beautiful waterfalls in the park

There were literally at least 50 turtles in the
 pond area. These three were  enjoying the sun. :)

Another unique thing about the temple is the second floor has three apartments. One for the temple president, one for the mission president, and one for 6 young Elders. Since the temple is closing we are helping to clean things out. This isn't even half of what was in one room. 

Chicken feet... A big thing here :)
This was in a grocery store.
$10HK is about $1.25US