Self-reliance in Macau

We really liked this picture of Jesus healing the man at the pool of Bethsaida.  This was actually on the wall of the hospital and we would see it as we would walk into the hospital.  Appropriate for a hospital, wouldn't you say? We know that Jesus Christ is the great healer of us all; physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Sunday was a busy day as Elder Chandler had his bishopric meeting and other meetings in the morning in Hong Kong and then in the afternoon we took the turbojet boat to Macau which is about 62 kilometers (40 miles) from Hong Kong to present a little symposium and attend the graduation of a self-reliance class there.

There wasn't much chance for photos so we got just a few from the taxi.

Pretty good balancing act; there are lots and lots of motorcycles and scooters there.

There are lots of Portuguese signs there, too.

Elder Chandler always says this area is so much like where he served in South America on his mission when he was young.

Here we are arriving at the church with Brother Leon Au, our self-reliance manager.

Some of the first people we saw there were two sister missionaries, Sister Bacocol and Sister Baluyat who sometimes serve in Hong Kong, too. They can only serve two months at a time there in Macau so the missionaries are shifted in and out of there quite often.  Fortunately, they now have several other missionaries who are from England serving there, too, and they are allowed to stay six months at a time so it is much better now.

First, we attended sacrament meeting and these sweet little boys were so cute we had to get a photo.  Their dad conducted the meeting and their mom played the piano so they got to sit on the stand during the meeting.  They were really cute and really quite well-behaved.

Here's the "Upright Group" who were graduating from the Education for Better Work and My Job Search self-reliance class.

Here they are again; also pictured is their District president, President Hong, Brother Au, and us.

Here's Elder Chandler giving them some good thoughts and a great presentation.

Most of the members are Filipino so, of course, they prepared some great food for us to eat after the meeting, too!

We love photos and everyone takes as many as they can! The sweet sister sitting between us is Nedy Dasala who is Filipino and who is also pretty amazing, as she has encouraged and has had just about everyone in their branch attend and graduate from self-reliance classes these last couple of years.  She also cooked a lot of the food that was pictured above.

Also, this week we had a public holiday so Tuesday we served in the temple that morning for the holiday. The temple was so busy with so many patrons coming and it was wonderful that so many of the Filipino sisters got the day off and chose to come to the temple. Isn't this a gorgeous photo of the Hong Kong Temple?  It's truly heaven on earth!

English Class, visiting authorities, etc

We took a photo of Gary's phone with all the warnings that were on it at the same time.  It wasn't a very good day to be outside, wouldn't you say?  We survived, except getting pretty wet while coming in to work at the Area Office.

Here's "Professor" Chandler, the great English teacher, getting ready to teach the eager students in our new English class that we started up. We've had at least a couple of students take the IELTS' test from our other English class and they both did really well and passed so they will be able to apply and be accepted at any of the BYU schools, either BYU Provo, BYU Idaho, or BYU Hawaii, so you know he is a good teacher.  Of course, they were really good students, too! 

Here's our class of returned missionaries and others who are shown in the photo above and the photo below:

They take many years of English in their schools here in Hong Kong but they still need help in conversation, listening, writing, learning how to take the tests, etc.

After English class at the Kowloon Tong chapel, on Tuesdays we go across the street to the Hong Kong temple and we serve there on Tuesdays. These photo shows a little bit of the grounds and flowers there.

Here are some of the students from our Sunday Island 1 Branch "Starting and Growing your Business" self-reliance class.  The students named their class, "Sisters in Action", and they just graduated from their twelve-week course. I enjoyed helping run the videos and participating a little bit, while the Filipino sister, pictured on the left of Elder Chandler, Kathryn, facilitated the class.  In the self-reliance classes everyone participates and they run their own class and do a great job helping each other and giving each other good business ideas. Some of the sisters have businesses or have had business previously and some have failed so they are also able to tell each other what not to do in their future businesses!

Someone told us about Helen Foster Snow and above is a photo of her and who apparently was a member of the church  at one time and had some kind of influence in getting something about the seagulls and the pioneers in Chinese history books besides knowing Mao personally.  Strange, huh? I think she was very different and very liberal, not like most of us . Caroline Quak wrote a little about this in her Facebook page with the URL address as “gospel & the Chinese.  If you want to see this, go to facebook and write in gospel & the Chinese

                                                          

You can also read about her in Wikipedia if you would like:Helen Foster Snow although she isn't a hero of mine, it's a bit interesting to read.

About the best part of our week was being able to listen to Elder Quentin L. Cook who came and spoke to the missionaries in the Hong Kong Mission and the Area office senior missionaries. The photo above shows us singing together while waiting for Elder and Sister Cook, Elder and Sister Soarez of the Seventy, and  Bishop and Sister Waddell of the Presiding Bishopric. (You might be able to see us in the top left hand corner of the photo.) These good brethren and their wives shook our hands and spent some time speaking to us in the chapel. Elder Cook also gave all the missionaries an Apostolic blessing which was wonderful, too.

One of the sisters videotaped the General Authorities listening to us singing, "Called to Serve" but it is on facebook and so if you want to see it, you would have to go to facebook and paste in the URL in the "search Facebook"area: https://www.facebook.com/250362281649144/videos/1595904260428266/  Here's one more that is about the same but also on facebook and you have to be on facebook to go to the url : https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/10155283591064820/

Here we were helping to prepare lunch in the area office for the visiting authorities so you can see we're keeping busy in many ways.  Notice the absence of any crutches for Elder Chandler as he is healing well and able to get around pretty good without them!

 We'll be doing more food serving, and clean-up etc. on Saturday for the visitors so you don't need to worry about us getting into mischief!

We hope you all have a happy and safe weekend!

On the mend... the "mini Tabernacle Choir"

It looks like Elder Chandler is on the mend, don't you think?  He hasn't had time to sit around as he has had to conduct church meetings, officiate in the temple, teach our English class, and go to work everyday in the office.  He is amazing and we're grateful that he is doing so well. Thanks for your prayers and kind wishes in his behalf. We just haven't been out running marathons or doing any sight-seeing lately.

We organized a great Self-Reliance Fireside last week featuring Elder and Sister Sellers.  Elder Sellers is the volunteer medical advisor here and Sister Sellers helps with the young missionaries applications here in Asia. They both sang in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for ten years so it was wonderful to have them come and talk about the choir and how they used self-reliance principles in being part of the choir.  They had a great power point slide show and even sang a few songs for us.

Here was part of one of their songs: Consider the Lilies

Here's the official Mormon Tabernacle Choir website address where you can listen to some of their music:  

https://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/

There are so many beautiful songs you can listen to there on that website.

Here's the Tabernacle choir singing: Consider the Lilies

Here's what our "mini tabernacle choir sounded like at the last practice: Today While the Sun Shines  (The piano playing isn't perfect but it was the best I could do and there wasn't anyone else that could do it that day!)These are all wonderful sisters and a few men who are all domestic helpers here in Hong Kong. (Also, we're in the photo but we weren't singing in the choir.)

Here's the last hymn:If You Could Hie to Kolob

Here's an interesting article that was in the newspaper here about a CNN special that was aired on Mothers' Day about Domestic workers, but not members of our church, here in Hong Kong:

HONG KONG (CNN) — Hundreds of miles from home, many work 12 hour days, six days a week, and they're paid less than the minimum wage.

But these women are not victims of human trafficking.

They are among the approximately 330,000 domestic helpers from the Philippines and Indonesia who left their homes to find work in Hong Kong, some of whom are profiled in a new feature-length documentary called "The Helper" which is holding its Hong Kong premiere on Mother's Day.

The film chronicles the diverse stories of five of Hong Kong's migrant domestic workers. It shows the reality of their daily lives and explores the contribution they make to the working families in Hong Kong whilst they deal with separation from their loved ones.

Two-thirds of Hong Kong's helpers are mothers themselves, who feel forced to leave their young children at home so they can work abroad and send money back, to give their families a better future.

"After one year here in Hong Kong, I had a chance to see my kids. And then my youngest daughter didn't recognize me," says Vilma Jondarino, a domestic helper from the Philippines featured in the film. Jondarino has three children aged five, 11, and 12.

A lack of employment opportunities back home means that even those with education and training often cannot find work back home, and many of the jobs that are available pay far less than a domestic worker earns in Hong Kong.

This economic disparity forces these women to make an agonizing choice: leave the family and work abroad, or stay at home and risk a lifetime of poverty.

Some of those featured are members of the domestic helper's choir, The Unsung Heroes, who have performed at Hong Kong's annual music festival, Clockenflap. Their main song, "I Wish I Could Kiss You Goodnight" is a heartfelt reflection on the sadness the mothers feel at being separated from their children.

"Every time I sing that song, it comes from my heart," Vilma says.

The film, which was funded by a Kickstarter project, hopes to raise awareness and appreciation for their self-sacrifice and for the enormous contribution they make to Hong Kong society.

"We kept hearing from the women that the main thing they would like is to receive a 'thank you' for the work that they do," Joanna Bowers, the film's director, told CNN.

So after the premiere of the film on Sunday, the team will launch a social media campaign called "Thanks a Million" to generate messages of appreciation for domestic workers both in Hong Kong and the rest of the world. The proceeds of the film will also go to local charities.

There are roughly 330,000 domestic helpers in Hong Kong.

Raising awareness about the sacrifice these mothers make for the sake of their families, the film is also designed to highlight the issues that many of the workers face on arrival in Hong Kong. For many of them, it is the first time they have traveled outside their home country, and they arrive with no money and limited language skills, leaving them vulnerable to abuse.

Many of the women find jobs via employment agencies, meaning they don't meet their employer before signing a two-year contract requiring them to live and work in their homes. They're paid a minimum wage of HK$4,310 ($550) a month and are only entitled to one day off a week.

This week, the Mission For Migrant Workers (MFMW) charity released findings from a survey of more than 3,000 domestic helpers in Hong Kong, which found that 43% of those surveyed are not provided with their own bedroom - with some reporting that they are forced to sleep in areas such as toilets, storage rooms or on the roof.

This practice is against Hong Kong government guidelines which say that domestic helpers should be provided with "suitable accommodation and with reasonable privacy."

Another study by Students Against Fees and Exploitation (SAFE) at the University of Hong Kong found that more than 70% of domestic helper recruitment agencies in Hong Kong are breaking the law by overcharging fees or withholding passports.

One of the helpers profiled in the film, Liza Avelino, 46, has starting fundraising for the charity Enrich, which helps to train domestic helpers how to budget and learn their financial rights in Hong Kong. Avelino has twin sons in their twenties.

She raises money by following her dream of hiking up Asia's highest peaks.

"Some people said, you're so inspiring, we want to help," she told CNN. "Some people are really willing to donate, so I said maybe I can do fundraising."

She saves her own money to pay for the trips, and when people offer to donate money, she requests that they visit a fundraising site.

"It's nice to do your dream with your own resources," Liza says. "It makes me proud of myself."

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"I have to sacrifice"

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For many of the mothers who work in Hong Kong, the hardships they face are still worth it in the long run.

Analyn Tapil, a domestic helper from Quezon City in the Philippines, recently returned home to see her son graduate. She has two teenage sons.

"I am a very proud mum," she says. "Maybe if I didn't come to Hong Kong, I think I couldn't give them the best future and I couldn't send them to the best school."

But the impact of the distance between she and her sons has taken its toll on their relationship.

"I have to sacrifice," she says. "My eldest son up to now, he couldn't understand why I'm far apart from them, because up until now he's still blaming me. He has so many questions - why there are some families that they can survive, even (though) they are not far from their children?"

"I have no choice, I still have to work," she says.

Of course, everyone had to get photos after the program was over.

The sweet sisters always want photos.  We hope you'all have a happy ""picturesque"" weekend, dear friends and family!

Happy Mothers' Day

Hi Everybody, Happy Mothers' Day 2017 to all of you wonderful motherly women, mothers, and grandmothers out there!

This Mother at the International Mothers' Day shrine in Grafton, Virginia, looks like she has her hands full like many of you great Moms!

Since the great Tug-of-War incident we haven't been around much so you'll have to excuse this short post this week.

And our sight-seeing has been limited to the bus this week.  We liked the flowers here at this flower shop and maybe you sent your mom flowers for Mothers' Day, too.  

Of course, some Moms like cakes and treats and, being Moms, they would probably love something from a bakery like this called the Baby Star Bread and Cake Shop.

Of course, for the extra-healthy Mom, you might give her some healthy fruit from the April Fruit Shop, unless of course, it's closed like it was today.  Besides it's May not April!

Elder Chandler would give something like fried rice with shrimp from his favorite restaurant, the Happy Restaurant; this should make any Mom happy, don't you think? 
By the way, Elder Chandler's knee is healing well and he is working on his physical therapy exercises and he is also excited to get out his stitches next week.  He is also down to one crutch so he is doing great in his recovery.

So here are a few thoughts from the internet in case you want to know more about Mothers' Day:

Early Mother's Day celebrations can be dated back to the spring celebrations to honor Rhea, the Mother of the Gods, in ancient Greek civilization, according to some sources. Later, Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom was traditionally a day for people to visit the church where they were baptized, although it now also celebrates motherhood in modern times.

Mothering Sunday in England

Mothering Sunday was originally a time when people returned to the church, in which they were baptized or where they attended services when they were children. This meant that families were reunited as adults returned to the towns and villages where they grew up. In time, it became customary for young people who were working as servants in large houses, to be given a holiday on Mothering Sunday. They could use this day to visit their own mother and often took a gift of food or hand-me-down clothing from their employers to her. In turn, this moved towards the modern holiday, on which people still visit and take gifts to their mothers.

Traditionally, people observed a fast during Lent. Lent is the period from Ash Wednesday until Good Friday. During the Lent fast, people did not eat from sweet, rich foods or meat. However, the fast was lifted slightly on Mothering Sunday and many people prepared a Simnel cake to eat with their family on this day.

A Simnel cake is a light fruit cake covered with a layer of marzipan and with a layer of marzipan baked into the middle of the cake. Traditionally, Simnel cakes are decorated with 11 or 12 balls of marzipan, representing the 11 disciples and, sometimes, Jesus Christ. One legend says that the cake was named after Lambert Simnel who worked in the kitchens of Henry VII of England sometime around the year 1500.

The modern-day origins of Mother's Day can be attributed to two women – Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis, who were important in establishing the tradition in the United States. Around 1870, Julia Ward Howe called for Mother's Day to be celebrated each year. It continued to be held in Boston for about 10 years under her sponsorship, but died out after that. Other sources say that Juliet Calhoun Blakely initiated Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan, in the late 1800s. Her sons paid tribute to her each year and urged others to honor their mothers.

In 1907, Anna Jarvis held a private Mother's Day celebration in memory of her mother, Ann Jarvis, in Grafton, West Virginia. In 1908, she played a key role in arranging a church service that attracted 407 children and their mothers. A Mother’s Day International Association was founded in 1912 to promote the holiday in other countries. Mother’s Day has grown increasingly popular since then.

Many people believe that Mother’s Day is now largely commercialized, with card companies, flower shops, jewelry stores, gift shops, restaurants, hotels, and department stores advertising promotions and special deals for this event. Anna Jarvis, in her lifetime, unsuccessfully filed a lawsuit to stop the over-commercialization of Mother's D

There are various ways to show an appreciation for mothers and mother figures on Mother’s Day. They include white carnations, which Anna Jarvis asked to be the official symbol for the day, as well as the International Mother’s Day Shrine. This shrine is dedicated to the preservation of motherhood. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States. It is located together with a museum at Grafton, West Virginia, and aims to preserve, promote and develop the spirit of motherhood.

 Mothers and motherly women make a big difference in the world and here's a good link from lds.org if you want to see some sweet and short Mothers' Day videos: Mothers' Day Videos

Here's the best one if you have time:#ItWasMom
HAPPY Weekend and HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY!!!!!!!

Repulse Bay

A day off on Monday meant an Island 1 Branch activity going to Repulse Bay.  Here are some of us waiting for the bus.

Days off, other than the one Sunday a week are rare so the sisters in the branch worked really hard making posters and food and fun activities for this event. They even came carrying big pots of chicken and big pots of rice and other food that they had to bring on the bus.

It was a beautiful day and everyone had fun with many different kinds of games.

To see the event, click here: Tug-of-War



jump rope:

Dancing

Tug-of-War

Unfortunately, the tug-of-war has put Elder Chandler on crutches for a while, though.

There are great views all around the bay.

Well, a few of the younger ones survived the tug-of-war anyway and we had a "pretty" great day.

Actually, the tug-of-war eventually put Elder Chandler in the hospital for a couple of days for not so fun knee surgery for two nasty meniscus tears.

However, with a good repair by Doctor Lam, he's almost back to normal and almost walking normally again. Here he is waiting for the bus by the Golden Dragon statue.  This statue is supposed to be there for feng shui purposes that make people feel safe and happy.  It looks like it's working! We hope you have a safe and happy weekend!