With the year-end audits completed, April's focus was on following up with all the stakes and districts in the Area to ensure that the audit exceptions noted in the audit reports are being resolved/corrected. This task falls primarily to the Assistant Area Auditors and our job is to follow-up with them to ensure the local priesthood leaders properly address these issues. This activity will carry-on through May and tends to be somewhat tedious - but hey someone has to do it and that is why we are here.
The first two weeks of the month were disrupted as a result of our office space being renovated. Five of the senior couples had to all work in one of the conference rooms during this period so it cut into our productivity significantly. We now have new cubicles - one couple per cubicle. They had to make room for two more couples who are coming in the near future.
Our new office space
We enjoyed attending the General Conference broadcasts. Conference week-end for us was the 2nd week-end in April due to the time difference. One talk that we particuarly enjoyed was Jefferey R. Holland - it is a classic. If you have not heard it take a listen - if you have - listen again.
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-laborers-in-the-vineyard?lang=eng&media=video
Jolayne has now started doing ESL tutoring via Skype with two church employees in the Phnom Penh, Cambodia administration office. She works with them two mornings per week and she is really enjoying it.
We were asked by our branch president a couple of months ago to give a powerpoint presentation on modesty in dress and preparing to attend the temple during the 5th Sunday 3rd hour joint meeting. Preparation for that was also a primary focus for us during April. I am happy to report that the presentation went very well.
On Easter Monday we attended a temple worker outing to Wan Chuen Temple. It is a Taoism temple located in the New Territories of Hong Kong near the border with mainland China. They had a multi course vegetarian lunch after - a lot of tofu etc. We did not partake. Well over 100 temple workers attended the event. Here are a few pics of the place.
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| Jolayne and sister Renee at Wan Chuen Temple |
The senior missionary activity in April was a visit to the Hong Kong History Museum. Very interesting to learn the about the evolution of Hong Kong from a colonial outpost to a modern world financial center. Here are a few pics but they do not do the place justice.
An old Chinese Junk
Lunch at the Museum
One of our Saturdays off we decided to take a little junket over to the other side of Hong Kong island to a village called Stanley. People had been telling us it was a nice place to go and that it has a good market. So after we got our weekly chores of cleaning and shopping done off we went. Here are a couple of pictures of the place.
Enjoyed a nice dinner overlooking the Stanley harbour
So life goes on for us here in Hong Kong. It is hard to believe it is May already. Not quite sure where April went. We appreciate the opportunity to get involved in many different assignments so our days and weeks are varied. The best part about our mission is working and associating with wonderful people - the area office staff, the other senior missionaries, the Filipino sisters in our branch, the temple workers on our weekly shift and of course our assistant area auditors. We feel very blessed to have this opportunity to serve and to be able to make some small contribution to building the Church in this part of the world. This past weekend the 20th stake in the Asia Area was created in Indonesia. So the work continues to move ahead. We are happy to be part of such a great cause.
Scripture of the month
Doctrine & Covenants 128: 22
Brethren shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren: and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.
God bless
