David and Terry

Chinese New Year

2012-02-05T17:20:00.000+08:00

Below is a copy of a letter Terry wrote to our family, describing Chinese New Year here in Hong Kong.

This week (22 Jan) is the Chinese New Year. It has been fun in many ways and quiet in others. Monday (23 Jan) was the first day of the New Year. Our apartment celebrated with a lion/dragon dance. It was fun to watch. The doorways to the offices and the individual buildings had bundles of green (lettuce plus other green veggies) hanging from the doorways. The lions (people inside) raise up (front man climbs on the shoulders of the rear guy) and bring the greens down in the lions mouth. The lion (people inside) tears the greens apart and throws it around the lobby from it's mouth. It is considered good luck. Many firecrackers are set off to ward off the bad spirits. They had lots of Chinese food to taste and we even got a lai see (red envelope) not with real money, but a chocolate coin inside.

Tuesday night (24 Jan) was a spectacular fireworks display choreographed to music. The evening was cold for Hong Kong and as we waited it rained fairly heavy but ended just before the time to start. The fireworks are shot from a barge in the harbor. It went on for 30 to 40 min. I was very impressed and then learned that there was supposed to be a spectacular ending with a large dragon and the year but it malfunctioned. I was still impressed and thought it worth the time and the cold.

Many of the shops are closed for the next several days. People are home with family celebrations so streets and sidewalks are not nearly as crowded. In fact, yesterday is a day that Chinese believe you should not go out because it is probable that you will get in fights and arguments with others. Of course, it was the night of the Mandarin Branch New Years Party. I did not observe any fights, only friendly and warm people. Dave was in India so I decided to go by myself. I have attended enough to know that there are some there who speak very good English. I went early to learn how to wrap dumplings. I am very good (hen hao) now at wrapping. I will have to get some recipes for the filling and we will have a dumpling party when I get back.

During dinner a couple of the sisters told me I needed a Chinese name. Most of the Chinese choose American names, so they chose a Chinese one for me and one for Dave. His is "bai hui zhang" which I was told means white president. I am still trying to confirm the correct spelling of “zhong.” The name they gave me was "bai tai rui" which bai means white. But I have no idea what the rest means and will have to work on it. I know one meaning for "tai" is "excessive" but thankfully my new Chinese friend wrote the character different than the character for excessive so I will find out what it means (I may or may not let anyone know depending on the meaning). They thought tai rui is closest to Terry.

There is a great legend of the Nian (means year) beast. The tradition is that he comes the night before New Years and eats the animals and children in the villages. They put red above their door to scare him away and they wear red for the same reason. Firecrackers are shot off also to scare him away.

I love the legend of the kitchen god. There are many variations on every legend because China is very old and very big. I had read that many families hang a picture of a diety that they leave up all year. He observes their behavior all year and the night before New Years goes to heaven to report on the family. I read that they take down the pictue New Year's Eve and spread it with honey and then burn it so it can go upwards to heaven where it reports on the good things the family has done. The honey is to ensure he will report sweet words.

Last night I learned a variation of the legend. We had fried buns called "nian gao" that are made out of glutinous rice flour and filled with sweet lotus seed paste and peanuts then fried.

The glutinous rice is very sticky and chewy. I thought the flavor was actually pretty good. New Years eve the children set out nian gao for the kitchen god to eat before he goes to heaven and then if he has good things to say about the family his words will be sweet because of the treat. If he intends critical words then the sticky, chewy nature of the treat will seal his lips and he will not be able to report.

It is very fun to experience the culture here in Hong Kong. This is acutally the first year that we had planned to be here during the holiday. We have been out of the country for the other two years. At the last minute Dave had to go to India for a few days so he will have to experience it through me. Being here has given me a new appreciation for the holiday. With this being the year of the dragon there is much excitement, and decorations are elaborate.

We wish all of our family and friends a very happy New Year. May your pockets be filled with money (Chinese sentiment) and may good luck come in your front door and not leave.

Kung Hei Fat Choy (Cantonese) or Xin Nian Kuai Le (Mandarin)

Dave and Terry

Year-end Vacation Trip

2011-12-27T20:56:00.001+08:00

This year Terry and I decided to take a vacation trip between Christmas and New Year's Day. We came to Putra Jaya, Malaysia. Today (27 Dec 2011) we had a good vacation day.

The day began with a four mile run before the sun came up. Then, I played 9 holes of golf on a course adjacent to our hotel. Here is the last hole, looking from green back to toward the tee. The hotel is just to the left of this picture.

While I was playing golf, Terry decided to check out the pool, which we can see from our room.

When I joined her, we tried the pool.

We finished up by enjoying lunch.

It has been a tough day, but someone had to do it.

Clean Water Project - Indonesia

2011-11-13T19:57:00.000+08:00

Recently I was in central Java, Indonesia. While there, I toured a project recently completed with funding by Latter-day Saints Charities. The project provides clean drinking water to several villages outside Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

The villagers in this area have been dependent upon nearby rivers for drinking and washing water. Unfortunately, by the time the water gets to the village, it has passed through many miles of populated area, picking up all sorts of pollution. In order to obtain fresh, clean water, a collection box was installed high in the mountains, next to a fresh water spring. The collection point is on the far mountain shown in the picture below:

From this collection point, the clean spring water runs through a 4" diameter pipe to a large distribution tank located above the villages:

From the distribution tank, the water is piped to smaller tanks located in each village served by the new water system. If you look closely in the trees below, you will see an orange "village tank."

From the orange "village tank," a family may run a water line to their house. These house lines are about 1/2" in diameter. With this line, the family can have clean running water for drinking, cooking, washing, and sanitary use. Each family who does this, has to pay a small monthly fee to the village, in order to provide funds for maintenance of the new system.

Some families do not run a water line to their house, but simply go to the tank to wash or to obtain drinking water. Here is a woman doing her laundry with clean water provided by the water project. Notice on the wall near her head the two spouts where water cans may be filled.

Along with providing water which may be piped to homes, the water project provides multi-use facilities in several locations. Pictured below is a combined fresh water station, laundry point, and latrine, with clean water for sanitary use. The man in blue jeans is the head of the construction company which built this water system. He has his hand on a clean water faucet. These may be used to fill water containers, or for doing laundry. The two doors open into toilets, as "toilets" are defined in this part of the world. Really, they are a stainless steel "squatter" receptical in the floor, with a barrel from which a large dipper of water is extracted for "flushing." The barrels are filled by continuously running water. These latrines keep sewage from simply being deposited in the jungle and substantially reduce the likelihood of desease.

The entire water distribution system operates without electricity. all water movement is gravity fed. This system provides fresh water to thousands of people. The distribution tank shown in the second picture above holds enough water to supply the daily needs for all users. Overnight, the flow from the spring is sufficient to refill the tank, so that water may be available for the next day.

The plaque on the wall states that the facility has been donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A significant statement since virtually all of the villagers who will use this facility, and the surrounding water distribution system, are Muslim. The Savior's admonition to assist those who are less fortunate was not limited only to those of a particular religion or ethnic group.

Perhaps you are wondering about the cost of this project. I learned that the system cost less than US$ 10.00 per person served. It is overwhelming to me that the Church can enable people to have clean water, clean clothes, and a sanitary place for waste disposal, all for $10 each. I left the project determined to invite every person I could to donate to the Humanitarian Fund of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Perhaps in a future post, I will describe watching cataract surgeries, where doctors assisted with supplies and equipment provided by LDS Charities, literally give sight to the blind.

Adventure With Shrimp

2011-08-23T20:53:00.000+08:00

Tonight I will have been back in Hong Kong for a week. It is strange how after 6 weeks you begin to adjust to being home (SLC) and there is some adjustment in coming back. I think it is especially noticeable in the amount of walking required!

The jet lag is beginning to lessen. I had been here only a day or two when I woke up early (5:30 or 6:00 am) and laid in bed thinking about what a sister in our Salt Lake Ward had told me about when her mother lived in Hong Kong. She remembered her going down to Wan Chai market early in the morning and waiting until they delivered the shrimp and she would then buy the fresh shrimp and take it home and immediately cook it and clean it and put it in the refrigerator. She said it was the best shrimp they had ever had. I thought that sounded so good, I guess I really had shrimp on the brain so I got dressed and decided that would be my morning walk. It was somewhere between 6:30 and 7:00 when I got there and the fish markets do not even open until about 7:30 I learned. As I was looking at some shrimp in a big foam container an older woman motioned if I wanted some. I told her about 2 lbs. I don't know what I was thinking, new adventures should be small to start with. I also thought they were fairly large shrimp. They look large with the head, legs, feelers and tails on.

I carried the bag home with the critters moving and wiggling. I read on the internet how to clean them and cook them. It said you could do either first. I was very glad because I did not want to pull head and tails off with them still wiggling. After boiling a few minutes I chilled them and began to clean them. They were not very big when I was done. Only about a med size. I also had bought and awful lot. It took me about 3 hours to clean and de-vein them all. I am now looking in the store for frozen cleaned shrimp.

I did make a pasta dish one night and I froze the other half of the shrimp for one other meal. It is good but I am not sure that I can tell the difference between my work and the frozen variety.

Good Morning Vietnam!

2011-06-19T20:01:00.000+08:00

We spent the last 4 days in Hanoi Vietnam. We want to share our favorite things.

The traffic is amazing. The motorbikes swarm, interspersed with cars and buses. Navigation is by honking; lanes are only suggestions. The amazing thing is it seems to be very congenial. It appeared the goal of driving is to move over enough that the oncoming car or the car passing you or the one you are passing can get by all at the same time.

Hanoi Traffic, taken from our Hotel Window

Crossing the road by foot is also a creative challenge. We followed the locals and discovered that if one finds a little slow-down and starts across and doesn't look, by some miracle they avoid you, and you safely cross.

Terry waiting to cross

Find a break and hurry

One day involved a 3-4 hour drive from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay. It was worth the drive!

Outside Hanoi

Besides seeing beautiful countryside, we took a cruise of the bay in a junk boat. The seafood lunch was delicious. The shrimp, after de-heading and peeling, were very good. We had crab cakes and steamed fish. I am not so big on squid, but the rice and french fries and sauteed vegetables and spring rolls were very tasty!

Terry in front of our boat

A walk through a cave reachable by boat was very beautiful! The cave operators requested that we vote for it to be included in the seven wonders of the world. I'm in favor.

David and Terry inside the cave

The real reason we went to Hanoi was so David could make a presentation to the 3rd Religion and the Rule of Law in Southeast Asia Conference. He joined other presenters from BYU, the Vietnam Institute of Religious Studies, the Institute for Global Engagement, and several other institutions. We met people from the United States, Canada, China, Laos, France, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, as well as Vietnam.


David in between two of the Conference Sessions

The title of David's presentation was: Grassroots Contributions to Societal Development and Stability: a Case Study of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We had a wonderful trip, but are glad to be back at our flat here in Hong Kong.

MOTHERS' DAY 2011

2011-05-08T18:34:00.000+08:00

One evening, almost three and a half years ago, shortly before Christmas, I sat in a hospital room next to my mother’s bed. My father was there, but, because of the lateness of the hour, and the stress of the previous days, sleep had overcome him. We sat with mother in anticipation of her passing from mortality to the next phase of her eternal existence.

I sat in the semi-dark, attempting to read by the light of a small lamp. Of a sudden, I realized that Mom’s labored breathing had stopped. I stepped to the bed and listened. She made no sound. For Mom, earth life had ended. She had returned home to God.

Today I reflect on the three generations of Mothers I know best - my mother and my wife’s mother; my wife - the mother of our children; and our daughters and daughters in law - the mothers of our grandchildren.

I do not view these daughters of God as perfect. I know that they are not. But, they are trying. We men who are their husbands are not perfect either. We also are trying, but usually it is their patience we try the most.

Eight years ago, my wife and I decided to move to downtown Salt Lake City. Mom and Dad were aging, and we thought it might be a good idea to live nearby. We located a condominium which was just around the corner from, and in the same LDS Church Ward (congregation) as where my parents lived. Mom said it would be okay for us to live there, as long as neither I nor my father were called to be the bishop of the ward. She did not intend to confess her sins to either one of us.

A couple of years later, I was called to be the bishop. A few months before her death, Mom made an appointment to see me to renew her recommend to enter the Temple, a process that involves the bishop asking the Church member questions regarding compliance with the commandments. Some times such interviews involve confession of sins. I reminded Mom of her statement, and asked if she would like to see one of my counselors. She assured me that she did not.

To this day, I am grateful for the opportunity to interview my mother and issue the last temple recommend she received in mortality. Her faith in Jesus Christ was a strong as I remembered from the years of my youth.

Thank you Mom for your wonderful example.

My wife’s mother passed away many years ago. She was a woman who made liars out of all who tell mother-in-law jokes. When I met my soon to be mother-in-law, I did not realize how much faith it takes for parents to be kind to a stranger who wants to marry their daughter. I never felt anything but love and support from my wife’s mother. I wish her mortal live had been longer, so we could have shared more experiences as I and her daughter have watched our children grow.

I think the greatest legacy of my mother-in-law is her daughter. My wife is not perfect, but she is perfect for me.

More than 37 years ago, Terry agreed to marry me. I am sure there are times she has questioned the wisdom of that decision. I am grateful that she has been willing to see me as a work in progress, helping to knock of a rough edge here, and applying some sandpaper there. Now, as I watch her be grandmother, I am grateful for the good mother she is.

Today I also am grateful for our daughters and our daughters-in-law. Our grandchildren are blessed to have mothers who truly love them and who lead lives which are powerful examples of kindness, love, and caring. I specifically include Angela in this expression of gratitude. She does not yet have her own children, but her love of nieces and nephews is easily discernable. Her kind and caring nature is given full expression in her chosen profession as a emergency room nurse. Those who are ill or injured are the recipients of her mastery of the healing skills.

I am grateful for the wonderful mothers who taught, nurtured and loved Terry and me. I am grateful for Terry and the mothers of our daughters-in-law, who did the same for their children. I particularly am grateful for those who work to raise the next generation.

I know that none of them are or was perfect. I long ago came to realize that Mothers’ Day is not, and should not be, a celebration of some unrealistic notion of perfect motherhood. Rather, the holiday is an expression of love for those who give their best efforts, whatever their circumstances.

Happy Mothers’ Day to each of you - my mother, my mother-in-law, my wife, my daughters, and my daughters-in-law. I love, appreciate, and respect each of you.

Hong Kong Golf

2011-04-10T18:57:00.000+08:00

The title of this post is misleading. I have no experience playing golf in Hong Kong.

I have, however, on two occasions traveled across the border to Shenzhen, China to play.

Ten years ago, if someone had suggested that I would play golf, I would have said they were crazy. I had no interest in that silly game. Then, I actually tried it, and found that while I am not very good, I really did/do enjoy the game.

Three years ago if someone had suggested to me that I would play golf in China, I would have asked what Word of Wisdom violating substance he or she had ingested. But, about three weeks ago, for the second time in two years, I found myself wheeling my golf travel bag through the border crossing between Hong Kong and the Peoples' Republic of China. As I was doing so, I was struck by the almost surreal nature of the seeming simple activity in which I was engaged.

With only a brief wait in line, a quick review of my visa, and stamp or two in my passport, I was over the border and headed to the meeting place where I was joined by three friends from Hong Kong. We were met by a car and driver provided by the business associate of one of my counselors in the District Presidency. We were transported about 30 min into Shenzhen, China to the Mission Hills golf complex. I say complex, as there are something like 10 complete 18 hole golf courses. (There is a sign posted at the reception saying that Mission Hills is the largest golf course complex in the world.)

One of the fairways, captured with my cell phone camera.

It was a wonderful day. Though I have not even picked up a golf club since last July while I was in the US, I was not as bad as I thought I would be. Not to say I was any good. Only that I was not as bad as I could have been.

The past two years have brought wonderful, new experiences for Terry and I. We have seen many new and exciting places. We have met many wonderful people. We have been introduced to new foods, some of which we even have enjoyed. Now, I have enjoyed playing golf in China.

This is my counselor, on a par three, attempting to hit over the water hazard.

All is Well in Hong Kong

2011-03-19T21:36:00.000+08:00

Many family and friends have inquired regarding our welfare following the events in Japan. We are pleased to report that we have had no problems.

I was planning to be in southern Japan, traveling up to Tokyo on the Friday the quake hit. I just could not make the scheduling work, so I went two weeks earlier. Consequently, I was back to Hong Kong well before that tragedy began to unfold.

We have had no ill effects here in Hong Kong. The tsunami apparently did come to Hong Kong, but the wave was smaller than the normal tidal change, so no problems.

Today I spoke with a woman who had been to our local grocery store. She told me that there was almost panic buying of rice and salt. She described people buying five and ten boxes of salt. I think it arises from a false notion that the iodine in salt will help protect in the event of nuclear radiation. We did not rush out, as we see no need.

Thanks for your concerns. We are well, and miss all.

Hiking Hong Kong

2011-01-17T20:36:00.001+08:00

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Approximately 7.5 million people live in a very small geography. The skyline is most notable for the almost unending parade of residential towers which have been pushed upward over the past 50 years.

Hong Kong at night, from Victoria Peak

Yet, just over the large mountain ridge which forms the spine of Hong Kong Island, a mere 25 minutes walk from our house can be found the Hong Kong Trail. It is one of 4 major trails which have been constructed to allow residents to escape the concrete and steel canyons for a few minutes of peace and quiet.

Waterfall along the Hong Kong Trail, stage 4

Last Saturday I went out to hike one of the stages of the trail. I think I was well rewarded for my efforts.

Stone bridge over one of the cascading streams

One significant difference with hiking in the Colorado or Utah mountains is that here in Hong Kong, the trail construction crews do not believe in switch backs. They would rather take the direct route.

The only way is up

Along the trail, I even found remnants of World War II defense positions, left over from the unsuccessful efforts to prevent the invasion and capture of Hong Kong.

Well camouflaged, but still identifiable

Hiking Hong Kong is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning.

Shanghai World Expo

2010-11-03T22:02:00.000+08:00

David and Terry in front of a wall of children's art

Last month Terry and I decided that we simply had to attend the World Expo in Shanghai. It turns out that we were just two of more than 73 million people who visited the Expo over its six month run. Fortunately, most of them attended on days other than the two days we were there.

For those not familiar with the Expo, it is the "World's Fair", with pavilions built by various countries or groups of countries. The idea is to showcase countries or regions of the world.

David and Terry, with Suzan Nield. She and her husband Kevin (Area DTA) were our travel buddies.

The centerpiece pavilion, of course, was China's. It was designed to resemble a Chinese emperor's crown and is painted Chinese red, the same color used in the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Chinese Pavilion

There also were whimsical creations, such as the Netherlands pavilion.

We visited the Spanish pavilion which contained this rather overwhelming and almost scary, huge lifelike baby. We never did understand what the baby had to do with Spain.

Larger than life baby, which moved, blinked its eyes, and generally freaked us out.

Fortunately for us, the crowds were not large on the days of our visits. Even so, we waited almost 45 minutes to enter the China pavilion.

We have just waited through this line.

In addition to the national pavilions, there were a few corporate pavilions. We could not miss the opportunity to visit the Coke "Happiness Factory."

The Coke bottle actually was a bottle shaped computer display screen which changed constantly.

Chinese people are not particularly accustomed to drinking cold drinks. So, Coke took the opportunity while we waited in line to teach us about the temperature at which Coke should be enjoyed.

As enjoyable as were the pavilions, we really enjoyed meeting people. On our first evening, while waiting in line for the Coke pavilion (longest line we had), we met a Chinese family. We met the same family the next day while waiting in line for the Hong Kong pavilion.

On our second day there were flocks of Chinese school children at the Expo. Many of them, aged 9 to 12 wanted to practice English with us. They were quite friendly and very cute.

At the end of our two days, I searched the souvenir shops for an XL tee-shirt, so I could wear my experience. It took several shops, but I found one. Later, when I tried it on, I learned that Chinese XL was not near large enough for my American XL body. Oh, well.

American Resturant - Peking Food

2010-09-18T15:10:00.000+08:00

During our stay in Hong Kong, we have learned that signs do not always provide full and accurate information. Consider this sign, advertising a very popular eating establishment which has been in Hong Kong since shortly after World War II:

In spite of the sign, there was nothing "American" about the restaurant. No chicken fried steak, no barbecue baby back ribs, no cornbread, and certainly not a fork in sight.

You will notice that the sign discloses that the culinary specialty is "Peking Food" and that is what we found.

We enjoyed deep fat fried sea weed, which really is quite good.

We also had Szechuan sizzling prawns, sweet and sour chicken, broccoli in garlic butter and fried rice, all of which are very Chinese dishes.

We have been told that the American Restaurant waiters can be rude to westerners, but we did not find that to be the case. Of course, the fact that we were there early in the dinner hour so the place was not real busy may have had something to do with it. We did note that some of staff looked like they had been there since opening day.


Our waiter posed in front of other waiters enjoying a pre-shift meal.

The American Restaurant - a great place to get Chinese food.

Home for the Summer (. . . Sort Of)

2010-09-08T21:30:00.000+08:00

Dave and I left Hong Kong the end of June: Our first stop was Guam where we spent a few days. Dave had a few meetings, I relaxed! We even found time to do a little snorkeling.

Our next stop was Salt Lake. Had a chance to catch up with our family, and friends for a few days. Angela lives a few buildings down from us. She adds laughter and a fun dimension to our lives. Lori and Todd and Brooklyn and Savannah are in Provo. Brooklyn and Savannah planned good treats for grandpa, and had some very fun plans for us.

About 10 days later, we found ourselves on our way to St. Paul, Minneapolis. Celebrating Virginia's graduation at a Japanese sushi Restaurant, a visit to the St. Paul LDS Temple, a walk through the Mall of America kept us busy. It was a wonderful time with Gini, Scott and Benson.

A few days later we were on our way to St. Louis to visit Terry's sister and brother and family. Her younger sister, Leslie, was also there delivering up her stem cells for a stem cell transplant her brother is preparing for. It was a tough day for her. We, (Dusty, Chris, Leslie Dave and I) also enjoyed our visit to quaint "Old St. Charles".

A few days later we were heading to Tucson Arizona to visit Kristie, Nathan and Kiersten and Tanner. We went straight from the airport for our much anticipated "Sonoran hot dogs", visited the Bioshpere, took our grand-kids to the park at 6:30 am one morning for a breakfast picnic, (remember this is hot-as-**** Tucson). We did art projects and Grandma lost many games of "Old Maid" to Kiersten. Happy Birthday Nathan!

From here Dave flew home to Salt Lake to depart for Hong Kong. Terry spent a few more days in Tucson then headed for Salt Lake where she had a lot of fun with Lori and Todd, Brooklyn and Savannah learning about dinosaurs, going down slides at "Jumping Jacks" and playing dress up.

The last few days Terry spent with her sisters, Tanna, Sue and even Leslie again (recovered from her stem cell donation.)

It was a great summer vacation!

Happy Birthday to Terry

2010-06-13T18:41:00.002+08:00

June 12 is Terry's birthday. Buying surprises for her is quite difficult, so this year I told her (several days in advance, so it would not appear to be a last minute thought), that we would go to the "Art Village" in Shenzhen, China. This is a village of several hundred shops, many of which sell art reproductions, as well original works. (For those who would like some additional information on the Art Village, try this link: http://www.chinatravel.net/forum/Shenzhen-Dafen-The-Artist-Village-of-Shenzhen/1881.html. I also promised that her birthday present would be art of her choice for our dining room wall. Then we were going to have lunch at a "Chinese" restaurant (I know, every restaurant in China is a Chinese restaurant), and return home.

To gain a real appreciation on our day, it is helpful to remember that prior to coming to Hong Kong, Terry had never been outside the United States. Her first passport was the one we obtained for this assignment. (We just had a conversation on whether Terry needs to go to the US Consulate here in Hong Kong and have additional pages added to her passport.)

We left our apartment about 9:00 am Saturday morning. We took the MTR (subway) until we connected with the "East Rail Line." We boarded this train for the 30 min ride to the China border crossing - Lo Wu. Leaving Hong Kong is quite easy with our Resident Card. After a brief wait, and fairly close scrutiny of our passports and visas, we were inside China.

We left the border crossing, and walked to a nearby taxi stand. There we simply climbed into the next taxi in line, and gave the driver a sheet of paper with Chinese characters saying "Take us to the Art Village." We had no idea if that was sufficient information or if he even knew where the Art Village was. We quickly learned he spoke no English. We also learned, or at least I think we learned, that he did not know the location of the Art Village, as the first several minutes of our ride were him yelling into the radio, and the person on the other end yelling back. I think they were exchanging driving directions.

After about 25 minutes, which was what we were told to expect, he pulled to the curb, gestured, and said something which resembled "Here?" Since we recognized the location from a guided visit we made about six months ago, we said "Yes", paid the fare (I can read a taxi meter in any language), and entered the village.

The multitude of shops is simply overwhelming. We spent several hours just wandering from shop to shop, not really knowing what we wanted, whether we liked the same thing, or what we were going to buy. I was impressed that Terry has learned to say "How much cost?" ("duo shao qian") in Mandarin. The standard response is for the shop owner to pickup a calculator and type in the price (in RMB), and show it to you. Terry also has learned how to say "Too much," ("tai gui") always the appropriate response to an opening bid.

We did find one or two owners who spoke English, and we even learned a bit about some of the types of art we were seeing. Finally, we took a short break, purchased a cold drink (from a small stand, where no English was spoken - I was able to understand "No Diet Coke" - and started to get serious about some slightly abstract pieces. However, we both seemed to be prepared to purchase only so we would have something to show for the day. At this point, Terry entered a building and entered the 97th shop we had been in. All of a sudden, we saw several paintings that we both really liked. Of course they were about twice as expensive as what we had been looking at - probably had something to do with why we liked them.

After a bit of negotiation with the proprietors - who had to go get a friend from the adjacent shop to translate for us, we purchased a matched pair of paintings for the dining room. We think they also will look good in Salt Lake. Here is a slightly cut off picture of the pair, sitting on the back of our living room couch.

Here is a close up of one of the two:

Once the pictures were wrapped, we went out to the main street, found a taxi, and gave directions back to the hotel which is next door to the border gate. Before crossing back to Hong Kong, we went into a 5 story shopping mall, looking for the restaurant where Terry wanted to have lunch. Very little English spoken there, but we managed to eat most things we ordered. We did make a mistake on the order sheet, and requested "Steamed rice with chicken feet and spareribs." Not quite ready for chicken feet, so not much of that dish was consumed. (Look carefully in the photo below and you can see the uneaten order in the larger white bowl.)

As we headed home, I reflected on what we had done. We enjoyed our unaccompanied trip to China, had sufficient confidence to use the taxis, leave the border crossing zone where there is much English, and venture to one of the cultural points of Shenzhen.

As I am writing this, Terry is on the phone with the wife of one of the Area Presidency, arraigning to take her to Shenzhen and then to the Art Village. Terry now has become a tour guide. I guess she really is settling into China.

YM/YW Closing Social

2010-06-06T19:03:00.001+08:00

One of the challenges of my new calling in the District Presidency is that we have Young Men and Young Women. On the Sunday I was sustained, we had Seminary Graduation. Guess who was to conduct!

Correct.

Well, since I did not really know very many of the young people in the District, I decided that I should join them for their closing social. I heard that it was to be a "Junk" Boat trip to Bluff Island.

As we were leaving our house Saturday morning, Terry said "Were we supposed to bring our swimming suits?" "No" I said. "If this was a swimming party, the announcements would have said something." How wrong I turned out to be.

When we arrived at the pier, I did not see a "junk" boat. Instead, this is what we saw:

There were a total of 57 young people and leaders, and the boat could have held more. We motored to Bluff Island, which took about 1.5 hrs. So you will have some idea of where we went, here is a map, showing the start (about 5 min walk from our Church and about 20 min walk from our house) and the Island where we went.

As many of you know, Terry has a bit of a problem with motion sickness. I did manage to catch one picture of her while the anti-motion sickness medication was working.

When we arrived at the island, we learned that the activity was swimming and jumping off the top deck of the boat:

By now, I was feeling quite bad that we had not brought suits. (Terry was just feeling quite bad, and really did not care that she failed to bring her suit,) So I decided that if I was going to relate to the Young Men and Young Women, I needed to join in their activity. So I did.

(Since there is a little more of me that there is of most of the young people, I decided that a little more covering would be appropriate. All in all, I think a good time was had by all.

Chinglish

2010-05-09T19:33:00.000+08:00

These are a few fun signs we have found that show that Chinese phrases don't always translate well into English.

This was taken on a walk through Happy Valley which was the place the British originally chose to set up their settlement. It was swampy and many people died from malaria, so it became a place for cemeteries.

These we noticed at a theme park, Ocean Park.

This sign was on a ferry.

We found this on a walk in Kowloon

Public Transportation in Hong Kong

2010-04-05T14:55:00.000+08:00

We turned our car in after only 4 or 5 months here. Dave was brave enough to drive but we found we had to plan to drive the car every week just so the battery would not die. Since we were not using the car enough to justify having it, we turned it back in.

Furthermore, we found the roads in Hong Kong very challenging. They are not on a grid. Streets names are not posted or at least not on the corners where one would look for them. The streets have developed from winding trails and have several lanes. If we were in the wrong lane when a road veered off, it has taken up to 45 minutes to find our way back. The roads are full of buses (aggressive) and taxis (more aggressive).

We have friends that have learned to be comfortable driving and do well. They express the frustration that when you drive somewhere the lack of parking is a real problem. We also have friends that only drive one road to and from their children's school. So they have learned to shop and do everything they need to do on that road.

We have chosen to learn to be comfortable with public transportation. Taxi's rarely get lost (although I have been in one that did) and generally are safe, though we have a friend who took a taxi to a church dinner while carrying a chocolate cake on her lap. The taxi was involved in an accident and she ended up with chocolate cake all over her! The MTR (subway) never is held up in a traffic jam.

Here are some of the ways we get around Hong Kong:

We are getting very good at escalators. They are everywhere and Hong Kong even boasts the longest covered escalator in the world. It is in segments and takes about 20 min to ride to the top. Unfortunately it one only goes up, not down.

This is the tram, or ding ding or ling ling, whichever name you prefer. The cost for a ride is $2.00 HK which is about 25 cents US. The entrance is towards the back and there is a turnstile to go through. We find this hard if we have very much to carry. The view from the top deck is wonderful.

The MTR stands for "Mass Transit Railway" and is comparable to the subway in New York. It is fast, easy to navigate as evidenced by the fact that I, Terry, use it. There is has good coverage for Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories - going clear to the China border. These trains can be so packed at peak times, that I think it would be impossible to loose one's balance.

Buses are plentiful in Hong Kong. We are still learning which ones go where. We can take the bus to Stanley, a small town on the south side of the island with great shopping, and to Repulse Bay, a beautiful beach. We know one other bus route and it is our goal to learn more. Someone told us that a good method is to pick a bus, get on and ride it to the end to see where it goes. Then ride it back home. That sounds good but there are hundreds of buses and routes. Where to start?

This is the cross harbor ferry that goes back and forth from Kowloon to Hong Kong about every 10 to 15 minutes. We love to ride it! Especially at night when the buildings on each side of the harbor are all lit up. We can enjoy a beautiful view of the harbor.

There are other ferries that are enclosed and larger that go to other islands such as this one that goes to Macau, a beautiful Portuguese settlement, which is turning into Asia's "Las Vegas."

The cable cars are a fun way to get to Big Buddha or Ngong Ping Village which is up in the mountains. You can even choose to take one with a clear, see-through bottom. There are also cable cars in "Ocean Park" a large theme park that goes from one bay to the next.

Last, but not least, there are the taxis. They are usually plentiful, inexpensive, and usually have drivers that understand enough English to get around. They come right to the lobby of our building. These are life-savers when it is raining, or we are lost or don't know where we are going, or have more than we can carry or it is late at night and we are tired. They are a little sparse when there is a major sporting event or it is raining during rush hour. It is the taxi that gives me the courage to explore new places because if we get lost or tired, we can always find one and give them our home address.

Mark Comes to Visit

2010-03-07T18:59:00.002+08:00

Mark, Dave's Father came back to Hong Kong with us when we left Utah. We have had a great time. We want all to know that the rumor Dave started when he reported to his family that Mark had made it safe and we had temporarily lost him was only a joke. Unfortunately, when we arrived home the weather was very cold (that is for a humid climate). Our apartment does not have heat. We use portable heaters and they work fairly well.

We attended the Hong Kong Temple. Unfortunately it was dark and you could not see much.

Chinese New Year began on February 14th and continues on for the next two weeks. The decorations are beautiful and include lanterns, decorated trees (I don't know what kind they are but they have little pink blossoms on them) and tangerine bushes everywhere. We had gone into this beautiful building called the Central Plaza view the city of Hong Kong from the 65th floor. It was quite a view!

We also visited the Coastal Defense Museum. They had some interesting exhibits including one about some British soldiers that escaped during the Japanese occupation during the war. Here is Dave and Mark looking at some old tanks and cannons.

And of course no day in Hong Kong is complete without traveling on the "MTR" which is the subway. However subways in China are underground street crossings not a train system.

According to our daughter Angela, no trip is complete without pictures of the food you ate so here is Mark eating Korean noodles.

Dave and Mark in Hong Kong Park with New Year lanterns. This is one of my favorite parks.

Mark and Dave spent a few days in Manila Philippines. Mark is pointing to the name of his cousin who is listed as one of the servicemen killed in WWII.

This is my favorite fruit stand in the Wan Chai market. They have very good mangos right now.

Speaking of fruit! Dragon Fruit is a colorful pink and green fruit that can be peeled and cut. Mark became our resident expert on dragon fruit

Hong Kong even has a life sized replica of Noah's Ark.

Mark standing on the beach at Repulse Bay. The next picture shows the residential housing across the street.
Hong Kong has several beautiful beaches. It makes sense since we are an island.

We were very grateful for Mark's visit and hope he will come back.

Scaffolding

2010-03-07T18:25:00.001+08:00

One of the most unique features of Hong Kong construction is the use of bamboo instead of metal for scaffolding. Long bamboo poles are lashed together with plastic zip ties to create a strong web which may extend up for 30 or 40 stories. The worker would hold the bamboo poles with his feet while he lashed them in place. Once the scaffolding is erected, the entire building may be wrapped in netting. We think it is called "cocooning." Here are some pictures of scaffolding being built, and the one showing a building in its cocoon.

We understand that bamboo is used because it is lighter and more flexible than steel. It also may be less expensive.

Two Fun Weeks in Utah

2010-03-07T17:56:00.002+08:00

Terry left Hong Kong on Jan 28th for Salt Lake City, Utah and Dave arrived a week later. It was a great week visiting with kids and playing with grand kids. Here are a few highlights.

Brooklyn, Savannah, Kiersten & Tanner playing with balloons.

Grandpa playing with Brooklyn and Kiersten

Lori and Savannah

Tanner with his daddy, Nathan

Kristie and Grandpa and Grandma holding Savannah

Grandma trying to impress Benson with a toy crown

We loved Christmas In Hong Kong

2010-01-10T19:23:00.005+08:00

Yesterday, as we put away our Christmas Tree, we reflected on our first Christmas in Hong Kong. We enjoyed the holidays and the festivities of the season. While Hong Kong is not predominately Christian, they do celebrate the holiday with lots of decorations and carols. We especailly enjoyed having our daughter Angela come to celebrate with us.

The decorations are beautiful. The whole city is lit up. Huge buildings were covered in lights. The malls were gorgeous. However there seems to be more purple-pink-silver combinations rather than our traditional red and green. We have learned that in Chinese philosophy that red and green colors combined are not good feng shui.

One evening we rode the ferry to Kowloon to the beautiful Fine Arts Center to attend a Christmas Concert with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and a Children's Choir

We spent time walking and riding around the city enjoying everything we could. Most of the decorations were of beautiful scenes, lots of trees, some Santa, but no nativities.

Christmas Day was very fun. We began by opening gifts. There is no telling what Santa might bring!

From BYU aprons from our children to a pirate scrub brush for dishes to flying helicopters for the kid in us. We also enjoyed telephone calls from our US children and grandchildren.

A few days later we headed to Beijing for 6 days. It was very cold but there were no crowds! We saw interesting sights, met interesting people and understood a little more of the culture.

We began with the Great Wall. The wall was overwhelming and a masterful piece of engineering and architecture.

We visited the Forbidden City. It was massive and elaborate. Certainly the Chinese were very skilled in building. I personally worried that they could stay warm as they spent the winters there. But I was assured they did fine.

We walked through Tiananmen Square. There was not much there except a very heavy police presence.

Visiting a silk factory we learned a lot about the manufacture of silk. We helped stretch the silk thread from a double or twin cocoon. Because the fiber from these twin cocoons cannot be unwound, they are stretched and used for silk batting.

That night we took an overnight train to Xian. It was a sleeper train but I am not sure that we slept a lot. The train was crowded and Angela and I shared a compartment with another younger couple ( We were so grateful that they were friendly and clean and healthy) Dave had a bed in the next compartment with similar people.

The train was full and crowded. I believe that 2/3 of the people in China smoke and while they could not smoke in the train cars, they could at the end of the cars so the smoke filled the cars anyway. Spitting, actually it is referred to as "hawking" is constant with the mostly the older generation. We did learn that they believe it is a way of ridding their throat of evil spirits. Needless to say, there were many people who did not have evil spirits in their throat. That was an experience that I would be hesitant to repeat but can say I really felt the local culture. We were met at the train station by an English speaking guide who was a breath of fresh air. She and the driver took us to the Terracotta Warriors, and to a museum where she gave us a crash course in Chinese History coverning the period when Xian was the capital of China. This picture is of Penny, our guide.

We were fascinated by the Teracatta Warriors. What an amazing amount of work and effort and lives went into this project. It truly is a wonder.

While Dave and I secretely spent the day trying to figure out how we could change our train tickets for airline tickets our guide assured us that our trip back to Beijing would be much better (her agency had made the reservations) She was right. It was a very pleasant experience. We were all together. The train was new and not full and it had western bathrooms!!! Relatively clean. Yea.

We returned to Beijing, where we visited the Temple of Heaven. Each year the Emperor would come here to worship and offer sacrifice.

Of course, no discussion of our trip would be complete without some indications of what we ate. We confess to several meals at McDonalds. But, we also tried the local cuisine:

We returned to Hong Kong just prior to a major snowstorm which closed the Beijing airport. Though we had been cold, our hearts were warmed with the wonderful time we enjoyed together learning of this ancient culture.

Trip to Philippines for Christmas Bazaar

2009-12-14T12:05:00.000+08:00

On November 1st, I joined a group of ladies (plus one husband, John) from our International LDS branch to head to the Philippines to shop at a Christmas Bazaar. How fun is that? We flew to Manilla in the morning. Charisse is seen standing, Teri is seated and was my "roomate". I am in the background.

The afternoon and evening was spent checking in to our hotel and doing a little explore of the city.

The next morning we headed the bazaar. It was lots of fun. There was everything for sale you could imagine. Wood carvings, quilts, quiet books, jewelry, food. Everything that could possibly be made to decorate or be used in a home was there. John tried to teach us to bargain. I am sure that I made headway but believe with time I will get better at it. We were not the only ones who had come a long way, we met a group of ladies that had flown in from Guam.

We shopped until mid afternoon and headed back to the hotel to "re-pack" out luggage. Oma bags came in handy ( large plaid bags)

Then we relaxed for a little while. We learned how to cut a Thailand mango from Eleanor (second person on the row on the left). Were kept somewhat in check by John, (standing in back) Carols husband.

The amount of luggage going home was amazing. We did manage to get it all checked in. There was even time for some to have a massage. However, I must be a very "tight" person because I was so sore for 2 days after. Either that or I had someone who was extra vigorous.
Thanks to Charisse for putting this trip together. It was a great experience.

Trip to Shenzhen China

2009-10-28T20:50:00.001+08:00

Dad and I were invited to go with a group to Shenzhen China on Saturday, October 24th. Shenzhen is just over the China border and is a place that people go to shop because the prices are cheaper than Hong Kong. It was a very carefully scheduled trip but was very fun and informative. I had to get a visa. Dad already has one.

The HR director in the Hong Kong church office, Liana,and her husband, Cecil, took two missionary couples and Dad and I to show us around.

The couple on the left are the Smith's and the couple on the right are the Woolseys. The big building behind us has some red Chinese characters near the top and they say Shenzhen.

Just outside the train station is a very large building which houses hundreds or maybe thousands of little shops. Most of them carry brand name knock offs. I think that is also where many of the ladies from the ward go to have clothes made. I will pursue that now I have a visa. We went to a shop that sells freshwater pearls. It was a lot like the one Dad went to in the Philippines. We left our orders and they said they would string them and we would pick them up later. It was very nice having someone who spoke the language translate for us. Liana and her husband (our guides) are native Hong Kong and have used her shop before.

Our guides arranged a driver to take us to an art village. It was an amazing place. There must have been hundreds of shops that sold every kind on art work from embroidery to oils to cloisonne. It is a picture that is outlined with gold wire and the spaces are filled in with colored ground stone and it is heated so the stone melts and is is something like colored glass but not see through. We saw a couple of shops that will paint any picture from a photograph. They were very beautiful and amazingly accurate. I might try to get some done. You can place orders on the internet and they ship the picture.

By then it was about 1:30 and we were very hungry. You know how hard that is for Dad when he is hungry! He did well, however. We drove ( I have no idea what direction) to have lunch, it took about 45 min. Lunch was wonderful. It was Chinese food and very good. We had chrysanthemum tea, dim sum, a dish with shrimp and octopus and vegetables, beef with some vegetables, and some fried asparagus cakes, some steamed Chinese lettuce, and mango pudding for dessert (which they brought out as one of the first dishes. which was perfectly OK with me as I like to start with dessert). We went to a restaurant in a hotel. The dinning room was very large and had little rooms off each side. It was lovely to be secluded in a room with just us.

This is not a great picture but the only one I have of it. I think I was too hungry to take any more pictures.

After lunch we walked across the street to a combined set of amusement parks that are connected. One is called "China Folk Cultural Villages" and is patterned after the Polynesian Cultural Center. China has 56 "tribes" and they have replicated a village scene for 24 of the main ones.

The other side of the park is "Splendid China" which has replications of the main attractions of China done in miniature. We saw the great wall of China,

The Potala Palace in Tibet (1000 rooms, 13 stories) where the Dali Lama resided for many years until exile. There were also some people in costume posing for pictures at the palace. The king is in yellow, the queen in red and the other three are princesses

We saw the replica of the Terracotta Warriors.

These are life size with us!

We also had time to see 2 shows. One was a depiction of a battle on horse of the Mongol invasion of China. It was very well done, the costumes were amazing and the horsemanship was impressive. It was all in Cantonese but we were able to figure out what was happening. The Mongols won.

Then in the evening we went to an amazingly impressive show of culture and history, I think. Again it was not in English. But the amount of people on stage and the costumes were spectacular!

In the spirit of battle, Dad even tried his hand at archery. He did very well!

It was a great time.

Mid-Autumn Festival

2009-10-04T20:15:00.002+08:00

Saturday, October 3rd, was the Mid-Autumn Festival. This holiday is one of the 3 or 4 main Chinese holidays. It is somewhat like our Thanksgiving in that it involves fall, family gatherings and feasting, but it differs in focus as it is a celebration of the moon at its brightest point. Since Dave is back in Utah this week, I, a novice in this country, I am going to tell you what I experienced.

It appears that the main decoration for this holiday are brightly colored lanterns. The lights in various forms represent the moon. Our apartment building had lanterns hung for several weeks in a covered patio. They were quite pretty. The lanterns on the outside edge had cards with riddles hanging from them. I guessed the first one I read and thought I was pretty smart, but I think that was the only easy one. It read something like "What answer can you give all day long and each time it will be different but always correct." (Time) Well, I tried to guess some more and could not get them.

The traditional food for the holiday is moon cake. They are advertised and sold everywhere! I believe that it is something that you acquire a taste for. Dave's secretary took us to a place in the subway station where she likes to buy hers. Here is a little more information about them.

Mooncakes (from Wikipedia) are Chinese pastries traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching; moon cakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy on this occasion. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival, one of the three most important Chinese festivals.
Typical mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 4-5 cm thick. A thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are rich, heavy, and dense compared with most Western cakes and pastries. They are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea.
Most mooncakes consist of a thin tender skin enveloping a sweet, dense filling. The mooncake may contain one or more whole salted egg yolks in its center to symbolize the full moon.

Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for "longevity" or "harmony" as well as the name of the bakery and the filling in the moon cake. Imprints of the moon, the Chang'e woman on the moon, flowers, vines, or a rabbit (symbol of the moon) may surround the characters for additional decoration.
Mooncakes are considered a delicacy; production is labor-intensive and few people make them at home. Most mooncakes are bought at Asian markets and bakeries.

There is a legend connected with the festival (from Wikipedia) which is as follows:

Chang'e and Houyi the Archer (Version 2)

The Jade Bunny delineated on the moon.

Chang'e was a beautiful young girl working in the Jade Emperor's palace in heaven, where immortals, good people and fairies lived. One day, she accidentally broke a precious porcelain jar. Angered, the Jade Emperor banished her to live on earth, where ordinary people lived. She could return to the Heaven, if she contributed a valuable service on earth.
Chang'e was transformed into a member of a rich farming family. When she was 18, a young hunter named Houyi from another village spotted her, now a beautiful young woman. They became friends.
One day, a strange phenomenon occurred -- 10 suns arose in the sky instead of one, blazing the earth. Houyi, an expert archer, stepped forward to try to save the earth. He successfully shot down nine of the suns, becoming an instant hero. He eventually became king and married Chang'e.
But Houyi grew to become a tyrant. He sought immortality by ordering an elixir be created to prolong his life. The elixir in the form of a single pill was almost ready when Chang'e came upon it. She either accidentally or purposely swallowed the pill. This angered King Houyi, who went after his wife. Trying to flee, she jumped out the window of a chamber at the top of palace -- and, instead of falling, she floated into the sky toward the moon.
King Houyi tried to shoot her down with arrows but without success. Her companion, a rabbit, is constantly pounding the elixir of immortality in a large mortar.
The moon is also inhabited by a woodcutter who tries to cut down the cassia tree, giver of life. But as fast as he cuts into the tree, it heals itself, and he never makes any progress. The Chinese use this image of the cassia tree to explain mortal life on earth -- the limbs are constantly being cut away by death, but new buds continually appear.
Meanwhile, King Houyi ascended to the sun and built a palace. So Chang'e and Houyi came to represent the yin and yang, the moon and the sun

Worship of Chang'e

On Mid-Autumn day, the full moon night of the 8th lunar month, an altar is set up on the open air facing the moon to worship her. New pastries are put on the altar for Her to bless. She endows her worshipers with beauty

Saturday night our building had a big party that I attended. There were a lot of people there. They had a wonderful variety of food, games for children, stage for entertainment and drawings for prizes. I only stayed for a little while because I was meeting some people from our ward gathering on the beach at Repulse Bay.

The food on the buffet included some "barbecued" sausages and hot dogs ( they called them sausages). But the fellow grilling them was only warming them. There was no sizzling or browning going on. I definitely hope they were precooked! But I had the pork sausage and it was very good. Also there were several rice dishes including plain rice, a chicken and mushroom rice, and seafood rice, Then there was potato salad, scoops of mashed potato in a tomato sauce, lots of fruit including pomelos, Asian pears, cut apples. Potato Chips and rolls seemed to end the entree section and at least half of the table was desserts. There were moon cakes in abundance, of course they were cut into small wedges. Then there were slices of many local cakes and tarts. I asked the girl serving to give me her favorite and I received a whole plate full. I tried all except the cake that was green as I think it might be a green tea flavor which is very popular here in baked goods and ice cream. I think my favorite was one she called "chocolate" but it was a very light tan color rolled around a orange flavored cake center. I never would have guessed it was chocolate!

I then walked down to "Queens Road East" to catch bus "6x" to Repluse Bay ( I know that sounds like I really knew what I was doing but I was quite nervous.) Also waiting at the stop was a Filipino lady who asked me where I was going. She assured me I was in the right place. I found her very helpful and she even told me when we were at the stop I wanted. Thank Heaven for sweet people! I walked down the hill and with the help of cell phones I found the group I was looking for. It seemed to me that the beach was full of groups and I learned that an important part of the celebration is family gatherings in outdoor areas (parks, beaches etc,) where they can watch the moon. I noticed that most of the groups would surround their staked out area with lights, glow sticks or lit candles. It was absolutely beautiful! I also understood what the inflatable toys I had seen hanging from the market stands were for. They have little lights in them and the children play with them while the adults sit and visit. It was for me a delightful evening. I couldn't get the camera to capture the beauty of the lights and glow sticks. Everyone in our group had several fluorescent bands on but they do not show up. The moon was bright and visible. It glistened on the ocean, and I realized that I was in a far away country from those I loved but I was doing alright! Luckily when it was time to be done I rode home with a family that lived in our building. Delightful blessing!

I've Been To Mongolia

2009-09-20T19:14:00.000+08:00

As I was growing up, I remember when my parents wanted to make a reference to a place very far away, they would say something like "I was so far away I thought I was in outer Mongolia." Well, I now have been to Mongolia (outer, in fact), and have pictures to prove it.

I was invited to be one of the speakers at a symposium on Religious Freedom. Here is a copy of the invitation and program:

I shared the program with a Seventh Day Adventist, several Buddhists, and a Russian Christian. Those in attendance included the Catholic Bishop for Mongolia, the Chair of the Evangelical Committee for Mongolia, one or two government representatives, and others. It was a great experience. Significantly, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints probably is the largest Christian religion in Mongolia. We have had great success since the fall of communism, in the early 1990's.

While there, I participated in several meetings working on some of the legal issues facing the Church in Mongolia. I also had the opportunity to participate with the Mission President and his wife, in a dinner for two senior couples returning to the US. One of the couples was from Littleton, Colorado. I did not know their name, but I recognized them from the temple.

I also had the opportunity to see a bit of the Mongolian countryside. Of course, my base of operations was the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. It has a population of about 1.5 million people - approximatley 50% of the entire population of the country.

Here is a picture taken from the south side of town, to give a bit of perspective on the size of the city:

The city itself looks much like any large city.

There is construction everywhere, as the country tries to grow following many years of Russian rule.

We also went out into the country side. Here are a few pictures. This is just outside the city. The round hut is a "ger," a Mongolian dwelling for a nomadic people. The cattle in front are grazing on open, public land.

As we headed south, we moved into more mountainous country:

Finally, we were about an hour outside the city. We got into some pretty mountains, where fall already is changeing the colors on the trees.

(The picture proves I was there, as I do not know how to use PhotoShop.)

On the way back, we saw a Mongolian nomadic family, who set their ger alongside the road, were grazing cattle, and living much as had been done for hundreds of years. In the picture below, you can see their ger, their cattle grazing along the trees, and the wife going out to milk one of the cows. The husband was just out of the picture on the left, on one of their horses, moving some cattle. Just behind the ger, and hidden from view was a small pen, into which Mom placed a toddler, so he would not be in the way as she milked the cow.

On down the road, I took some of pictures of yaks. I understand their hair is used to make coats, hats, etc.

Finally, here is a picture of the first two full time missionaries called from Mongolia, who went to the United States. They were called about 15 years ago, and both have returned home to Mongolia. The one on the left is Soyolmaa. She is a Church employee and manages the Service Center in Ulaanbaatar. (The picture was taken in front of a tourist camp ger, not one occupied full time by a family.)

I enjoyed Mongolian, Indian and Ukranian food. It was a great time. I hope that circumstances will allow me to return and to take Terry.

Our Trip to Manila Philippines

2009-09-03T10:15:00.004+08:00

Friday August 21, 2009 Dave and I flew to Manila for a 2-day conference of the J Reuben Clark Law Society, Philippines Chapter. There are about 50-60 members of the chapter and about 30 of them came from all over the country to attend. We met some amazing people and learned a lot about the members of the church and their challenges.

We were met at our hotel by Fred and Jackie Wright. He is a retired attorney who serves as David’s Associate Area Legal Counsel, watching over the legal affairs in the Philippines. He serves as a volunteer/senior missionary along with his wife who is very helpful in getting the records of the churches real estate transactions up to date. Jackie did all the driving which was excellent! The traffic in the Philippines is of a totally different philosophy. It appears there are very few rules and you aggressively head in the direction you want to go. David says it is traffic anarchy.

We enjoyed a tour of the temple grounds, the church offices and we walked around the Missionary Training center. As always, the Church’s buildings were beautiful and very well kept.

Friday evening we attended the first session of the conference. We gathered at the first meeting house built in Manila. It was built in a rural area but the city spread and engulfed it. I also found it interesting that the buildings in the Philippines do not have the traditional basketball standards inside the cultural hall. They are out in the parking lot. It is a hard and fast stance that the Area Presidency has maintained. However, it seemed as we came and went that there was almost always someone using the court.

The conference was planned by a woman who is a local attorney and the secretary of the society. She is quite a fireball! Every detail was meticulously planned. Friday night the hall was decorated much as it might be for a wedding reception. There were door prizes, flowers, gift bags, awards, speakers, lots of entertainment (which was very good, exceptional talent), food every few hours, plenty of it and very good. I especially enjoyed the fruit smoothies. The people were warm, friendly, and relaxed. However, they did not seem to be bound by time and starting an hour late was very common.

Saturday morning there were training sessions. A local judge (pictured in blue) was there to answer

questions and give guidance. Many of the L.D.S lawyers do “pro bono” (free) work that helps converts be able to go to the temple. There is no divorce in the Philippines. A very common occurrence is that the husband may leave his wife and start with a new woman. The original wife may then begin a new relationship. Because of the inability to divorce, neither of the new relationships are legal marriages nor can they be without some legal help that they cannot afford. It is very hard for converts to go to the temple (not legally and lawfully wed) without the help. Most of the people in the country are very poor. Education is difficult for the people to get because they cannot afford the clothes to go to school or the transportation to get there. Lack of jobs is also an issue. The people we were with were obviously well educated and some of them had more than one degree because they may not have found a job with their first degree. That level of education seems to be the exception.

These people were the entertainers The three women - sisters - sang in a trio. I was most impressed by their

lovely voices but also they are extremely well educated. The woman in red is a lawyer and attending the conference. One sister is an accountant and the other is a physical therapist. They also have a sister in San Francisco who is a medical doctor. The young man in the middle is a law student also attending the conference. The other young man (pink shirt) was quite talented and we think was introduced as the winner of the Filipino “You’ve Got Talent Contest."

A very sobering activity was a visit to the American cemetery where so many of our soldiers are buried. Here Mhe-Anne, the conference organizer, reads an explanation of the memorial.

There are several large hillsides that contain rows and rows of labeled graves of specific soldiers. The thousands they could not find remains for are listed on the numerous granite slabs in the background below that you can barely see because we are in the way. Dave located the name of a relative on one wall. (Mhe-Anne is in the center in front and her law partner is next to her in the dark shirt. I was so impressed with her abilities.)
The rest of the day we spent traveling about 35 miles, taking about 2 ½ hours. Roads are limited and very crowded.

Dave was the concluding speaker in the closing exercises in Dasmarinas. He did a great job and spoke powerfully on the Savior as an Advocate.

We finished the conference traveling a bit farther south of Dasmarinas and enjoying a dinner of roasted turkey, pasta Alfredo, rice with veggies and more smoothies (yeah!) at a restaurant owned by a Bishop and his counselors. They have other jobs but do this adventure as a way to employ ward members. It was a little more up-scale than most of what we passed along the way. Food was delicious! A lot of the buildings lining the road were very poor shops and dwellings. My dinner companions are from left to right, our singer and young lawyer, and Sister Wright, our fearless driver.

Sunday morning we were invited by Elder Edwards, the Area President for the Philippines, to attend a building dedication with him and his wife. The building was located about 30 minutes north of the city. The Edwards had spent a few months in our ward in Salt Lake before their move to the Philippines and it was good to see them again. I don’t have any pictures but will describe the people as the most welcoming and friendly as I have ever experienced. Every sister in Relief Society stopped to shake hands and say welcome. Even children came up to us with their hand extended. One sister asked how we like the Philippines and when we remarked how wonderful the people were, she responded that the people in the Philippines are generally very poor but very happy. I will add that especially the women are very hard workers. That is a great description!

Scott Graduaes from BYU!

2009-09-02T11:01:00.004+08:00

It was a big day for us on August 13th &14th. Scott Graduated from BYU. It is wonderful to celebrate our children's accomplishments. Congratulations Virginia and Scott!!

Family Picture

2009-08-30T19:01:00.000+08:00

While we were altogether for the Berrett family reunion,

we took the opportunity to have a current picture taken of our clan.

We sure think they are great!!

Mark and Joyce Berrett Family Reunion

2009-08-30T15:34:00.001+08:00

Dave arrived home from Hong Kong on July 31. We then headed to a family reunion for his extended family held at Reid Ranch above Heber, Utah. The reunion originally was planned as an 80th birthday party for Dave’s mother. With her passing it became a tribute event. All of our kids and their families were there at least part of the time. Todd had mandatory meeting for his MBA program but was able to come up for an evening. Lori and the girls were there. Gini and Scott had new baby Benson and came up for Monday. The activities were a lot of fun and it was great to be with family.
Here is David having some fun tossing Kiersten , age 4 (Krisite and Nathan’s) at the swimming pool.

David also tends little Savannah, 7 mos., (Lori and Todd’s)

Tanner, 13 mos., also joined in on the fun! Nathan helping him out of the pool. (Kristie and Nate’s)

Brooklyn, 2 ½ , riding “Tramp” They had to wear helmets and padded vests to ride. (Lori and Todd’s)

David competing in the "traditional" horseshoe competition

Lori, Savannah, Angela and Brooklyn in the paddle boats. Brooklyn insisted on Paddling. I wouldn’t try to tell her that her legs aren’t long enough!

There was even time for some arts and crafts!

We spent time exclaiming over and enjoying month old baby Benson (Scott and Virginia), but they managed to escape our camera.

We realize that these pictures are mostly of our grandchildren, but what do you expect from grandparents who have left the country?

A Pioneer Day Lesson Learned

2009-07-26T20:57:00.001+08:00

Last year, in honor of the 24th of July Pioneer Holiday, I participated with a friend in running the Deseret News 10K race. This year, I was too many miles away to join in the festivities. But, when I heard that my daughter-in-law and her mother ran and did quite well, I decided that I needed to run 10K here in Hong Kong, thereby joining in the spirit of the event.

I have been regularly running 7 or 8 km here on a good, fairly level path. I have a pretty good idea of my abilities, and was sure that extending for 2 km more would not be difficult. Besides, it is time that I extended my distance and yesterday was a good day to do so.

Saturday morning I slept in a bit. I got up, took care of a couple of errands, and then figured I would go run before breakfast. (Our shipment of kitchen appliances, containing a waffle iron arrived last week, and I was looking forward to waffles for breakfast.) So, about 11:00 in the morning, I pulled on my shorts, shoes and running watch, and out the door I went.

I walked/climbed the hill behind our apartment to the running path and started off. The first couple of kilometers went by smoothly. I was running a good pace, and was feeling good. I did notice that it was a few degrees warmer than when I usually run (11:00 in the morning, instead of 6:00), but only a couple of degrees. The humidity was a point or two higher that in the mornings, but again this is Hong Kong. It always is humid. Previously I had checked out the path on Google Earth. I knew that after 2km, it turned into a road, but continued for quite aways around the edge of Hong Kong city. I even had run for a kilometer or kilometer and a half past the point where the road began. No problems on the course.

What I did not know, because I failed to check the Google topo map, was that just past the farthest point of my previous runs, there was a significant downhill, followed by a steep up hill. The up hill run, coupled with the heat and humidity and my lack of water, forced me to accept the fact that there was no way I could complete the uphill. I stopped, part way up the hill to breath before turning around. Back down the hill I went, and then started up the other side. By the time I reached the top, and got back to the “flat” I was prepared to run, I realized that I was going to be doing well to get back home - now about 3.5 km away. Along the way, I checked my heart rate. I was well above 90% of the max recommended level. This is called the “red zone.” I also realized that I literally was running out of gas. I had not eaten since dinner the evening before, and that had been a rather juicy hamburger, with barbeque sauce and french fries - not exactly good running fuel.

A walk break or two, and I managed to get back to the turn to go down the hill for our apartment. I was dripping wet from the sweat, and a bit light-headed. In fact, I had to sit down for a few minutes, as I was afraid I might pass out.

I know I can run 10 km. I know I can (and yet will) do so here in Hong Kong. But yesterday, I was reminded that even when we think we know what we are doing, even when we are certain it is a good and right thing to do, there can be serious problems. Sometimes we even have to reevaluate, and maybe modify, our goal. We have to be sure we are prepared. (No greasy hamburgers before a long run.) Yesterday it was only a morning run which had to be modified. Hopefully, I will remember the lesson and apply it to life’s more important challenges.

Independence Day Follow Up

2009-07-12T22:40:00.000+08:00

I just finished reading the book: Life and Death in Shanghai, written by Nien Cheng. It is a 1986 autobiography of a 61 year old woman who lived in Shanghai, China during China’s mid 1960’s Cultural Revolution. Because she was the widow of a Chinese citizen who worked for Shell Oil Company prior to his death, she was deemed to be an enemy of the Proletariat.

In 1966, her home was ransacked by the Red Guards. A month later, she was arrested and imprisoned in No. 1 Detention House in Shanghai. She spent almost seven years in solitary confinement, being subjected to substantial torture, both physical and mental. During almost innumerable interrogation sessions, she refused to confess to the allegations that she was a capitalist or a imperialist spy.

Finally, after seven years, Nien was released. Following the death in 1976 of Mao Tse-tung, a more liberal attitude settled upon China. Thereupon, Mrs. Cheng was “rehabilitated” and declared a victim of wrongful arrest. Within a few years, she was allowed an exit passport to travel to Canada and the United States to visit her sisters. She did not return to China.

Upon her release from prison, Mrs. Cheng was told that about a year into her imprisonment, her 21 year old daughter had committed suicide. However, over time, the truth came out. Her daughter had been killed while being pressured to denounce her mother, and hopefully provide evidence to justify the incarceration.

The book is a magnificent story of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of almost incomprehensibly difficult circumstances. Mrs. Cheng tells of her experience without bitterness or rancor. She demonstrates an amazing ability to forgive.

I recommend the book as an excellent read.

The Epilogue to the book was most significant to me, in light of my observations on the 4th of July. She writes:

“In Washington [D.C.], I am free to do whatever I like with each day. I can travel anywhere without having to ask anyone for permission. Goods and services in abundance are available to me. . . . When I am with others, I can speak candidly on any subject without having to consider whether my remarks are ideologically correct or to worry that someone might misinterpret what I have said. . . . In this atmosphere of freedom and relaxation, I feel a lightening of spirit. . . .”

I consider it to be a great privilege to have been born and lived in a great land such as the United States of America.

Independence Day

2009-07-05T18:14:00.000+08:00

I believe that for the first time in my live, I have not been inside the United States of America to celebrate the 4th of July. That day passed quietly here in Hong Kong. There were no parades, no fireworks, no picnics no Freedom Festival and certainly no furniture or automobile sales. There was a pro-democracy “protest” march on July 1, the public holiday which commemorates the turnover of Hong Kong from British rule to Chinese rule. Some estimates I read said approximately 50,000 marched, carried banners and chanted slogans advocating greater democracy in the governing of Hong Kong. However, since I am not fully up to date on the political issues of the area, and since I do not read or speak Chinese, I really could not follow the issue. But, I digress.

The 4th of July was for me a quiet Saturday, as I explored some new portions of the city. The lack of the usual indicators of the holiday caused me to reflect just a bit on the meaning of Independence and the great American experiment called representative government.

I know that there are serious issues which face the United States of America. Our economy needs strengthening. Unemployment is reaching significantly high levels. We are deeply divided on key social issues such as abortion and “rights” for those with same gender attraction. Access to reasonably priced health care is an issue for many. Efforts to combat the terrorist tactics of those who attack us cause many divisions.

And yet, for all of its shortcomings, faults, and problems, the United States of America still is the best place on earth to live. The election of 2008 produced a significant shift in the political control of the country. Many of those who had supported the policies and practices of the Republican Party were defeated in the election. The Democrat party gained control of the Presidency and the Congress. Those who had been in power now were out of power. Monumental and fundamental changes took place. Significantly, not a single armored tank rumbled through the streets of our country either to make sure the change of power occurred or to support those who opposed the change. To the best of my knowledge, not a single bullet was fired. There no riots in the streets. There were some celebrations, but certainly no riots. To the best of my knowledge, with the possible exception of the departure of the Clinton White House staff, and their low class “trashing” of the White House, each change of power is accomplished with quiet dignity and peace.

This past week’s events in Honduras seem to me to be representative of the issues faced in many parts of the world. These events stand in stark contrast to the events in our country. Those in power do not want to give it up. Those who oppose may resort to arms to produce the change they want. Sometimes violence breaks out. Other times it is avoided only because of overwhelming displays of military might.

For all of the troubles which beset our country – and they are significant – We still are a most blessed country. I am grateful that my passport was issued by the United States of America. Happy Fourth of July.

Church

2009-07-01T22:10:00.000+08:00

Over the past five weekends, I attended meetings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in five different local congregations in five different countries, in five different types of buildings. Significantly, none of the meetings have been held in a typical “stand alone” Mormon Church building.

I think my experience is somewhat unique for someone who is not a General Authority of the Church.

The meetings were:

31 May - Salt Lake City, Utah, USA - Joseph Smith Memorial Building

7 June - Hong Kong - 2^nd Floor chapel in the 12 story Church Office Building

14 June - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Duplex House

20 June (Sat) - Kathmandu, Nepal - House, with adjacent building for Sacrament Mtg.

28 June - Beijing, China - Meeting rooms, 4^th Floor of commercial office building

The local congregations were different in their demographic and ethnic makeup. Some of the meetings were conducted in languages I did not understand. In other places the English was translated into a native tongue. Meeting facilities varied from the ornate chapel in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building to homes or office space converted to meeting rooms.

In spite of these differences, there was a commonality to those in attendance. All were well dressed, though “Sunday best” varied a bit from place to place. Of greater significance was the look on the faces of the people. Uniformly, they were happy and were excited to meet together with others who call themselves “Latter-day Saints.” Returned missionaries were everywhere. I especially was impressed with the number of locals in Katmandu who either were returned missionaries or who were about to depart for full time service.

Over the past couple of days, I have thought some about the differences and the similarities in the various worship services I attended. The thought which has come to me is that the most common elements in these meetings, and I believe in the Church world-wide, are the ordinances. In each Sacrament Meeting, following the pattern set forth in the Doctrine and Covenants, those who hold the holy Priesthood broke bread, blessed it and passed it to the congregation. When each had had an opportunity to partake, water was blessed and passed. In these simple acts, the five congregations I attended were united with thousands across the world in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ and His life, death, resurrection and atonement. Each of us partook of the Sacrament, and in so doing, we renewed covenants to bring forth a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We each pledged our best efforts to become more like Him whose name we bear. This is the great unifying force which brings together each member of the Church, regardless of his or her language, skin color, politics, dress or location. This is the power which will allow the Church to full the whole earth.

I am grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Beijing

2009-06-29T07:40:00.000+08:00

I have just returned from several days in Beijing, China. Of course, most of my time was spent on the business purpose for the trip, e.g. meeting with lawyers who assist with our legal work and meeting with others who have some insights into the current state of affairs in the People’s Republic of China. Consequently, I did not have a great opportunity to sight see.

My observations of Beijing are that it is a large, major metropolitan complex, which has made a significant and successful effort to become fully modern. Streets, as we saw them, were wide, well light and well maintained. Traffic was heavy, and at times was the worst traffic jams I have experienced – certainly on par with anything in Los Angeles. Beijing’s air is known worldwide for its lack of quality. Mornings were a little better than afternoon, but still, it was not very good.
The skyline is marked by significant numbers of skyscrapers. However, the most noteworthy feature I observed was the greenbelts, with innumerable trees. It seemed to me, as we taxied from place to place that entire forests had recently been planted. I heard that some of this planting was done in preparation for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. I also suspect that some of it has been done to assist in improving air quality. Whatever the motivation, the effect was striking.

Saturday morning I did take a couple of hours and visit the Forbidden City. It is a huge complex – almost a kilometer from north to south - with thousands of rooms, surrounded by a 10 meter high wall. This exterior wall has a 3.5 kilometer perimeter. Inside the complex are a series of walls, gates, and smaller buildings. There is no way I can describe the place, nor am I professional enough with a camera to get good pictures. However, I will post a few pictures in an effort to give you an idea of the beauty of this centuries old palace.

Inside the main gate, looking across the largest square in the Forbidden City.

A closer look at one of the cerimonial halls.

Large statute of a lion, outside one of the cerimonial halls. There were not enough guards for this to be gold, but I do not remember what gives it the gold color.

An inside passageway, showing that the Forbidden City is divided into smaller areas, each with walls, gates, and inner rooms.

Several of the buildings in the Forbidden City contain museum displays. These are bronze items, dated from 1500 BC to 500 BC.

Returning to Hong Kong

2009-06-22T21:48:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, as our stay in Kathmandu was concluding, I found myself looking forward to returning to Hong Kong. I even thought it was time to go "home." Of course, Hong Kong will not be "home" until Terry is here with me, but it sure seems more like home than did any of the hotel centered stops I have made over the past week.

This morning we arrived back at the apartment here in HK. I made my way, on my own, to the dry cleansers, where I successfully picked up a couple of shirts and a suit which had been left prior to our trip. Later, I left the area office, walked to McDonalds, purchased lunch, paid the proper amount, and successfully returned to the office.

These are small steps, but maybe I yet will feel that this really is home, even if only for the next three years.

There are further indications that this is becoming "home." Today I received my Hong Kong Resident Identity Card and my Hong Kong driver's license. Now, I can pass through Passport control when coming and going from the city, without using the "Foreigner" line. I also can legally pilot a motor car around the twisting, winding streets of this city where everyone is on the "wrong" side of the road. I am certain that I will not try the car until I can go out early some morning, when there are few cars on the road, and try to get in a little practice. It should be exciting!

Sunday Morning Potpourri

2009-06-21T12:02:00.001+08:00

It is Sunday morning in Katmandu, Nepal. Here Saturday is the day of worship. We attended Church yesterday, shortly after our arrival in the country. There were about 90 people in attendance at the Branch Sacrament Meeting.

A portion of the Branch Meetinghouse. This houses classrooms, Relief Society room and Branch President's Office.

This building is the room where Sacrament Meeting is held.

The Branch members here are mostly Nepali locals. I think I observed one family of expatriates. The branch president is a wonderful man. He is a civil engineer, who has studied in Russia and in the United States. He is very well spoken and well grounded in the Church.

When we arrived at the meeting house, we learned that the Mission President was in attendance. He brought with him two full time mission call packets for members of the Branch. We were invited to join families and several members of the Branch to be present when the prospective missionaries opened their call letters. It was a wonderful and moving experience to watch this young sister and young elder open the letters signed by President Monson, extending missionary calls. Virtually all young men called from Nepal serve in one of the India missions. Therefore, there was little surprise when he was called to the India Bangalore Mission. He will attend the MTC in Manila before reporting back to Bangalore. The sister was called to serve in the Utah, Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission. She was almost overwhelmed at the prospect.

As I watched these two young people, I was reminded of the times when our boys received their mission calls. I was moved, almost to tears, at the recollections of my own mission, and the experiences of our children. The opportunity for young people to spend a substantial period of time in the full time service of Heavenly Father is so significant in the rest of their lives.

We were impressed with the number of returned missionaries in the branch here in Nepal. I think we were told there are about a dozen returned or soon to be returned missionaries. There was a marvelous spirit present with these young people who are gaining the foundation necessary to help carry the Church forward in this portion of Asia.

In the past several days, I have been in Bangalore and Delhi India and now in Katmandu.

Skyline of Katmandu, taken from my hotel window.

I am coming to appreciate that the standard of living found in the United States is not necessary to be happy. We Americans label these countries as “Third World” as if that is all that needs to be said. But, in doing so, we do ourselves a disservice and we insult the people who live here.

In this past week, I have traversed neighborhoods where the label “substance living” would be generous. I literally have looked in the face of street poverty in India. Electricity is erratic, running water sometimes doesn’t. And yet, everywhere I go, I find happy people, who smile and seem excited for life. I have been overwhelmed with the joy of the Church members in Vietnam and here in Nepal. They do not have the large, ornate place to meet that the Eighteenth Ward enjoyed. The President of the Church has not been a regular attendee in their meetings. Yet, they sing with enthusiasm, pray with humility, administer the Sacrament with reverence, and teach the gospel with testimony. I have been blessed to be here.

Happy Father’s Day to all – especially to my own father, whom I love and respect.

2009-06-18T00:00:00.000+08:00

Today is Wednesday, June 17. I am in Bangalore, India. As I was flying to India, I had to complete a "landing card" for Indian passport control. On the form, I was to list the countries where I had been in the past 6 days. There was not enough room. We started in Hong Kong, went to Vietnam, then to Thailand, and now we are in India.

Yesterday we were in Thailand. We were there less than 24 hours, and really did not get to see much. Here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea of the city of Bangkok.

As I said, today we are in Bangalore, India. We spent the morning visiting with the manager of the Church's Service Center here. We then spent time with the mission president.

Following that, we went to lunch, and I took a picture of the street as we walked to lunch. As I look at the picture, I realise that it does not give any real sense of the traffic here. There are cars, buses, and the little three wheeled scooters called "autos," one of which can just be seen in this picture

Later, we used an auto to get to one of our afternoon meetings. Here is a picture taken from inside one, as we went on our way.

Traffic in each of the cities in SE Asia we have visited has been unbelieveable. Each city has more than 7 million people, and so there are lots of vehicles. I have decided that lines on the road mean nothing. Freeway driving in Utah calls for us to leave multiple car lengths between you and the next car. Here the distance between you and all of the vehicles around you is measured in inches. A much better analogy is a molucule of water moving is a river of water.

The Church in India seems to be doing well. The mission president was very optomistic and clearly loves the people. Tomorrow afternoon we depart for Delhi, where we will be until early Saturday morning, when we go to Katmandu, Nepal. That will make 4 countries and 5 cities in 7 days. Obviously, we are spending a lot of time in meetings, as I meet Church leaders and employees and our outside attorneys. I am trying to gain an understanding of our operations and the legal challenges we face. It is most interesting!!!

David's Travels - Sunday

2009-06-14T20:24:00.000+08:00

Last night I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam. This city used to be called Saigon. The experience has been rather surreal. I can remember that in 1969 and 1970, I was very worried that I would get to see Saigon, courtesy of the US military. The Vietnam War was on everyone’s mind. Now, I am back, attending a branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My hotel is located on the river. I have attached a couple of pictures taken from my room on the 15th floor.

The most common form of transportation is the motor bike. I am attaching pictures of the local ferry, which transports vehicles across the river. You can see the stream of motorbikes leaving the ferry.

Last night, on the way to the hotel from the airport, I saw a family of five – father, mother and three children – all on a single bike. Dad was driving, he had two children in front of him, one behind him, and then Mom was on the luggage rack which extended from the back of the seat.

This morning I attended Church in the branch here in HCMC. Branch meetings are held in a house which the Church has rented. Actually, it is a duplex, with a common inside courtyard.

Meetings are held in both sides of the building. Sacrament meeting was attended by about 125 to 130 people. There was a significant mix of natives and expatriates. I met people from Hungary, New Zealand, and the USA, as well as native Vietnamese. There were several US citizens who served missions in the US, where they learned Vietnamese. They now live here. One or two of them have married local women. Some of you will remember Scott Newman, who we knew in the Aurora 2nd Ward. Scott was called on a Vietnamese speaking mission to Atlanta, GA. Today I met one of his mission companions, who has a business which brings him to Vietnam several times a year.

The branch president is a local, and conducted in Vietnamese. Translation headsets were provided. The speakers were from New Zealand and Australia. (They spoke English, which then was translated into Vietnamese.) The hymns were sung in both languages, with great gusto. Interestingly, one Sacrament prayer was offered in English by a Priest, whose primary language is either Hungarian or German. The other prayer was offered in Vietnamese. Sunday school class was conducted in English, and was virtually all expatriates. Priesthood meeting was a mix of languages, but the Priesthood group lesson was given in English.

After the meeting block, we had dinner with the branch president from the Hanoi branch – several hundred miles to the north. He came to town today to “meet with the Church lawyers.” We also were joined by a State Department official, who is a Church member, and whose job involves working on religious freedom issues for the US Government. We spent about 4-5 hours discussing the Church in Vietnam.

Tomorrow I am scheduled to meet with a counselor in the Cambodia Mission Presidency, who lives here in HCMC. He is an American, married to a Vietnamese woman, with 4 or 5 children. That will be followed by meetings with our local attorneys. I am learning about the Vietnamese laws regarding establishment of religions. Our goal is to get the Church fully and officially registered in the country.

It has been a most interesting Sunday.

Coming to Hong Kong

2009-06-11T09:04:00.000+08:00

We have been in Hong Kong for several days, and because this morning is a very rainy day, we decided to start to work on our blog. We will try to do some updating of our efforts and our transition to our experience of living and working outside the United States.

One of the questions we are asked the most is how we are doing on getting ready to move. The task seems almost overwhelming. We started collecting material in our SLC bedroom, so we would know what we wanted to move. Here is a picture of how the room looks, after we started to move some of our stuff. Somehow, the clutter does not look as bad as we remember that it was.

We traveled to Hong Kong for a get acquainted visit. The trip was long, 16 hrs of flying time. Dave slept a lot of the way, Terry developed motion sickness and did not sleep as much.

We were met at the airport by Michael and Jean Jensen who we are replacing. They drove us around the city (more motion sickness) and to their home so we could see their place.

It is a nice apartment particularly by Hong Kong standards. This is the dinning room looking into the kitchen. There are three bedrooms/ two baths with a maids quarters, laundry/pantry area .

The living room has a beautiful view of the city. There is also a Buddhist monastery at the bottom of the hill, just down the road.

This is the master bedroom with a beautiful view of a lush green hillside.

This is a view of the outside of the building; however, what looks like the ground level is actually 11 stories up from the ground. We live on the 12th floor in the tower, which is about 22 floors from the ground

During this get acquainted visit, we are staying in a hotel. Our hotel is on the harbor and has a beautiful view. It is also very close to the church and has a covered walkway the whole way. This has been very nice this week as there has been a lot of rain. (These pictures are taken from the hotel window.

Sunday was our first full day here. We went to church and met many wonderful and friendly people. They are from a variety of countries. It is an International branch and so does not have many native Hong Kong members. We met the district president and he told us to not get too comfortable here as there is a great need for help in the Filipino branches. This is the church building that houses meeting rooms for services, area presidency offices, and area presidency homes.

In the afternoon we had some free time so we walked to Hong Kong Park. It was about two miles away but very worth the walk. There was also a tea museum. I never knew there was so much to know about tea. The grounds of the park were beautiful, to say the least.

We stopped for dinner in a hotel close by, here is David trying to eat a bowl of soup with chop sticks.

Monday was spent in the office meeting everyone and getting our Hong Kong residence cards, we also surrendered our passports so the office could arrange David’s Nepal visa, and our driver’s license could be obtained. I will have a driver’s license but that does not mean that I can drive here!
We had lunch at the church office building with the area presidency. It was very nice. It included a Greek Salad, lasagna, a green leafy vegetable with stalks wrapped in a dough like pot stickers and covered with a rich creamy sauce (very good) . It was a welcome to us but mostly a goodbye tribute to Michael and Jean Jensen.
The rest of the afternoon was instruction on how to walk from the church to the apartment. A walk through the grocery store, locating a cleaner. I cannot express how thorough the Jensens have been in helping us to acclimate
Then we drove around to the south side of the Island to a town called Stanley where there is a major market, however we were exhausted and we had a great dinner and then made our way back to the hotel.

Tuesday we learned to ride the MTR which is their subway system. We took it to see the LDS temple which is presently closed, then to catch the cable cars that take you to see the giant Buddha. The cable cars were closed for maintenance but there were buses that could be taken for the 45 minute ride to the monastery. It is fascinating to see the worship practices of Buddhism. The people are so very respectful of their ancestors. There were big pots where people put incense to their ancestors and big ovens where they bring a paper replica of boats or houses or cell phones to burn to their ancestors. These are pictures of the Buddha shrines. They are very ornate. There were offerings of many things there but we did notice that the oranges had Sunkist stickers on them. By the time we got to the monastery, the clouds were so low to the mountain that we could not see the big buddha.

We had lunch at the monastery. It is a vegetarian meal and very good. There is not a choice of things to order, they just bring the food and set the table. I have not historically been good at chopsticks, however when I was very hungry and that was the only implement, I seemed to learn very fast how to get food to my mouth.

In the afternoon we took the MTR to Kowloon side (across the harbor to the mainland side) to visit a tailor that the Jensens had used. Dave had wanted to see about getting a new suit. We’ll see how that works out.

It has been an eventful couple of days. We continue to be excited to be here and grateful for all of the new experiences.