"A man filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race." Joseph Smith

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The Elder Coffey Birthday Hike

Seems Hong Kong loves holidays.  Today is a national holiday - the Chung Yeung Festival - the day people go to the graves of their ancestors and family members and pay their respects.  And then have the rest of the day off to relax.

So no office for us today.  And since it was Elder Coffey's birthday - we celebrated with a hike to the Ng Tung Chai Waterfalls. It was a perfect day for a hike.













In Hong Kong, to prevent mudslides and erosion, the government puts a cement slurry or wall over hills and slopes to keep them in place, then registers them. Every hill and slope has a number.  What?? Don't you register your slopes too?? 


We were off to check out some waterfalls, and along the way we passed some typical graves.  The bones of the deceased are in the ceramic pots. You can see the paper "money" hanging in the center at the top -- blessings from the family to their loved ones in the spirit world.



Some grave sites are cared for better than others....

 This part of Hong Kong is lush and gorgeous - 
with ferns and moss lining the path.





 








There were three main waterfalls along the way and some smaller ones as well. This was the lower waterfall.


The path became extremely steep with irregular stone steps, narrow in parts and rather exhausting! But beautiful!






But finally we made it to the main waterfall.



 I love the woman here who is practicing yoga or something in the
 middle of the stream!














A huge elephant ear plant.



And after a homemade Chinese dinner, we had apple pie for dessert!
  The end to a perfect day! Happy birthday Elder Coffey!



Saturday, October 3, 2015

Moon Festival Time!



Courtesy of Flikr.com/ Pasu Au Yeung
The Moon Festival, or the Mid-Autumn Festival, is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture.  It is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, which this year happened on September 27th, a Sunday. It is the time in the year when the moon appears at its fullest size. We didn't get to see the "blood moon" in our area - but it was full and beautiful none-the-less.

Monday, the 28th, was a public holiday and we had the day off from the office. Our branch enjoyed the day at beautiful Gold Coast Beach. The branch members really know how to throw a party!



Grilled chicken, pork chops, corn, sweet potatoes, and eggplant were cooked up in huge quantities.

Once the eggplant is grilled and soft, the peel was removed. Japanese eggplant is yummy!


Maribel reminds us that Casaba melons are the best!
Elder Coffey with some quality one-on-one time with a branch member.
Nearly everyone wore their "Meet the Mormons" t shirt!

Elder Coffey provides a defense zone for attacking water fighters.
After eating, the games began!

Sister Chan demonstrates how it is done right!




Not everyone was happy though!

That night Elder Coffey and I explored Victoria Park to see some of the lanterns, which are a popular part of the celebration. 

Strange, but it is our last Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong..... time is ticking on our mission....