Transfers

Two missionaries finished their service and left for home this week.  Sister Saito from Japan was one of the sister trainers and Sister Ieremia from Kitibus was another excellent missionary.  We'll miss them both.

Two new missionaries arrived: Sister Stringer from Utah and Sister Slade from Samoa.  Both will be excellent.

Christmas with Missionaries

Christmas eve we enjoyed being with the sister missionaries and zone leaders, and the other senior couples.  The "younger set" had purchased $5.00 gifts and did the gift exchange game.  It was fun as they "stole" from each other.  Afterwards we sang carols and watched the movie, Johnny Lingo, and had fabulous desserts.  We went home to bed and they went to the stake center and played games until 11:30 pm.

Here's sisters: Fung, Cutler, Clark, Watanabe and Smith.

Here's the rest of them, after playing the game: Aguda, Mango, Ochiai, Hu, Kafusi, Latu, Ganouchkina, Ieremia, Bridge and Saito.

Can you match the Country or State of their birth: Idaho, Tonga (2), Kiribati, Japan (2), Utah (3) Russia, Phillipines (2), Scotland, Taiwan.

This morning began with the senior couples cooking breakfast for everyone - 25 all together.  Great food.  Then we gave them a gift from the "seniors."  We bought Chad Hawkins drawings of the Laie Temple and framed them, and also got them temple recommend holders with the same drawing.  Here's a picture of our two great zone leaders opening their gifts, Elder Hatch (6'5") and Elder Wooten.

The other picture shows some of the sisters with blankets made by Sister Eubank.  Donna got a lavender one.

The VC was open from 12 noon until 6:00 pm.  Donna and I opened and worked two hours.  We were busy! and three visitors I helped were from Poland.  One asked, "can I buy a Book of Mormon in Polish?"  I said, No, but I will give you one and have it delivered to your home in Poland by two missionaries who will share a message of the gospel.  She thought that would be great, and her sister, who now lives in Pennsylvania asked if we do the same for her.  So we got two referrals and they left with a new information of the gospel and a greater appreciation for Christmas.  Nice gift don't you think?

A little later a man from Turkey asked Donna (at the counter) who the statue represented.  She told him "Jesus Christ" and shared as much as she could before he had to leave to catch his tour, including referring him to mormon.org.

This evening we had dinner with the other three senior couples, another missionary couple living across the drive from us, and two artists from Rumania who are here for three months restoring the murals in the temple.  The senior artist escaped from Rumania in the 80's and ended up in Utah.  She found the gospel and the Church found her and she has since worked on art restoration in 15 to 20 temples.  Her cousin still lives in Rumania, is not a member of the Church (yet) and is retired from heading up the art department of a University.

All in all, while we missed our family!!!! we also enjoyed Christmas in a special way today.

Our 2009 Christmas

We have an awesome family!  And enjoyed talking to many of them today!  At Ron's suggestion we hooked up our Skype camera and were able to talk to, and see his family via our computer.  Here's a picture of some of our Christmas gifts we opened Christmas eve.  (We understand two more packages are on the way.)

Donna and I bought each other a BBQ and here's Don grilling the first steak (a little tough).

The next pictures show our "pad" decorations.  This set was a gift from a sister in our ward who made it, and does so each year for the missionaries in her ward.

California VC visitor

Today I had the privilege of hosting Amy Mi and her daughter, Katlyn, as they visited the Visitors' Center.  Originally from China, she now lives in Dublin, California.  While her husband went horseback riding, she decided to sight-see and saw the Temple from the highway.  We talked about the Book of Mormon, another Testament of Christ, then walked over to the "prophets" section and talked about modern revelation.  Next we stopped at the touch panel and listened to little children answer the question "Who is Jesus Christ."  She also visited "God's Plan for Families" and our temple corner.  As she left I asked her if she  would like our missionaries to visit her and her family in California, bring her a Book of Mormon and share the gospel.  I was so happy when she said yes.  As she left she indicated she wanted to come back to the VC and bring her husband.  Usually the Sister Missionaries would give her the tour but, lucky for me they were all busy with other visitors.

82-year-old Korean Sister Joins Church

Tonight we accompanied three of our sister missionaries to the baptism of one of their investigators, Sister Keum Rae Ham, an 82-year-old who has been here just a few months from Korea.  Her daughter and her family live in Kuhuku, about five miles north of Laie, and are members of the church.  It was an incredible baptism.  A fellowshipper from BYUH, who had helped our sister missionaries with translation, gave a talk on baptism (in Korean) and a group of Korean students from BYUH sang a medley of hymns (beautiful)!  Afterwards, this sweet sister bore her testimony, bringing tears to everyone's eyes.  Notice the lei's given to her after the service was over.  The three missionaries: Sisters Ochiai, Magno and Fung.  The other three standing in the picture with Sister Ham are her daughter, her husband, and her grandson who baptized her.

Farmer Don

Don added another plant to his plantation.  This time it's a coconut palm growing right out of a coconut.  (Notice the roots under the "nut.")  It joins his pineapple plant, which has doubled in size over the past two months, and a plumeria tree which has another 6 to 8 weeks to go before showing signs of life.  He started the pineapple by slicing off the top of a ripe pineapple, letting it dry for 5 days, and then planting it in the pot.  The plumeria is a cutting from one of the trees at the Visitors' Center.

February 22, 2011 update.
Sadly my pineapple plant got run over by a car backing up from across the driveway.  And it was looking soooo good.

The plumeria plant outgrew the pot and so I "donated" it to Sister Eubank and planted it in front of their apartment since they will be here for another eleven months to nuture it.

The next picture speaks for itself.  The palm tree is doing great.

South Jordan visitor Delivers!

Today we received a surprise visit by Elaine Tschaggeny, a friend from our former ward in South Jordan, who delivered a few Christmas presents from Ron's family.  We had a great afternoon, including a picnic lunch on a North Shore beach, and a Shave Ice at Matsumoto's in Hali'iwa.

Sister Henilieta Kolo

One of our favorite missionaries, Sister Kolo, left early this morning for New Zealand to attend her father's funeral.  Her parents were in New Zealand, on a vacation from Tonga, when he had a heart attack and ended up in the hospital.  On the same day, Sister Ieremia's father in Kiribati had a stroke and was admitted to the hospital also.  Needless to say, all the missionaries have been concerned and held a special fast for the two fathers.  Brother Kolo didn't make it but Sister Ieremia's father seems to be recovering.  Sister Kolo had served eighteen months and a few weeks, and was scheduled to be released in two weeks, having opted to extend and serve as long as she could.  Her home is in Nuku'alofa, Tonga.

Bananas galore!

Here's a picture of Donna holding our box of bananas that were left on our porch.  As we went around  the neighborhood to share we found that every apartment got a box.  Apparently 10,000 boxes of bananas were delayed in shipping and got too ripe on the boat so they went around the island giving them away.  Donna made five loaves of banana bread, gave a few bunches to some sisters at the PCC, and took the rest to the "free box" at BYUH.  Others weren't so lucky and had to throw many away.  Needless to say the entire town smelled like bananas for a few days.

Surf's Up!

Today we drove to Honolulu, by way of the Liki Liki Highway, to have two pair of pants altered and then to Costco for groceries.  On the return trip we decided to go around the North Shore to see the waves.  The weather reports had predicted 30' and higher waves today and had advised residents to evacuate to higher ground and for tourists to stay off the beaches.   It took us an hour to drive seven miles along the coast - a two-way crawling parking lot.

Mission President and Wife

Our Mission President is Stephen Peterson from Draper, Utah.  We first met him in 1992 at the Utah Salt Lake City Mission office where his parents, Richard and Ramona Peterson, were serving with us, working in the office and living in their own home in Midvale.  President Peterson came by the office to see his parents and we had a chance to meet him.  He and his wife are on the downward side of their mission, finishing next June.

Sister Missionaries escorted to Polynesian Cultural Center

Last night Donna and I escorted three new sister missionaries to the Polynesian Cultural Center for dinner and then "comp" tickets to the evening performance of "HA - the Breath of Life."  The three sisters, shown in the picture, are Sister Clark from Orem, Utah; Sister Watanabe, Japan; and Sister Magno from the Phillipines.

The next picture shows Donna, the sisters, and our former missionary from SLC (1989) Elder Tuimaseve who works at the PCC.  (see our posting dated October 19, 2009)

Chinese visitors

A Chinese family visited the VC today, Tom Hou, his wife, his 5-year-old daughter and his wife's sister.  Tom and his wife live in Virginia and her sister is visiting from mainland China and did not understand a word of English.  They were very inquisitive, loved the technology of the VC displays, etc.  The sister from China left holding a Chinese Book of Mormon, and several pamphlets in Chinese, including the Joseph Smith story.  Tom and his wife expressed interest in learning more about the Church and filled out a referral card asking to have missionaries visit them in Virginia and bring them a Book of Mormon.  It was an hour well spent!

Anti-Mormon visitor experiences the VC

On Friday all the sister missionaries attended a meeting with Elder Tom Perry, leaving the Senior Couples to staff the Visitors' Center.

I (Donna) had a great experience on Friday am.  I talked to a young couple and their mom (from South Jordan, Utah) who were members of the church plus their non-member grandmother (from California).  As I began to show them around, the mother whispered to me that the grandmother was "anti-Mormon."


 We stopped with others who were watching the children in a kiosk presentation. The grandmother just stood their and REALLY listened and enjoyed the presentation. Then we moved on to the Mormon Ads. Again she really enjoyed them and pushed a button herself so she could listen to more. I suggested we go to God’s Plan and they all agreed. While there the members all had tears in their eyes and the grandmother was also touched. She left smiling and I testified of the importance of families and the temple. I could not get over the difference in her countenance from when we first started and when we finished. They were all happy and I bet anything they will have better gospel discussions than ever before. The gospel can change lives and I’m praying that the grandmother will listen to her children.

Transfers

This week five sister missionaries left the Visitors' Center, two completed their missions and returned home, Sister Jager to Germany and Sister Mulipola to Western Samoa.  Three other sisters were transferred to "the field" and are serving on Maui.

In exchange, two returned "from the field," Sister Ganochkina (Russia), and Sister Smith (Utah.)  The three new sister missionaries  who just arrived from the MTC are: Sister Clark (Utah), Sister Watanabe (Japan) and Sister Magno (Philippines).  This picture shows everyone serving in the Visitors' Center and the two elder zone leaders.

Samoan sisters from BYUH

Tonight, just before we closed, these three BYUH students asked if they could see "God's Plan for Families" a twelve-minute presentation that is my favorite part of the VC. At the conclusion I asked if they were all members.  Two were, one wasn't and she said she felt "tingly" inside as she watched the presentation.  I explained she was feeling the Holy Ghost witnessing to her that what she had just watched was true.  She ended up asking to have the missionaries visit her and teach her the gospel.  Her name is Anna Oloaga.  She and her member-friends are all Samoans.  Anna is standing between her two friends, Jennifer and Euemma, who were just doing what we all should do more often: being friends and sharing the gospel.

Birthing Stones

Today we visited a sacred Hawaiian site: the Kukaniloko Birthing Stones where past royalty came to give birth to future rulers.  When the time came for Royalty births the woman would arrive at what was then a secret spot, and in the presence of 36 male chiefs she would position herself at certain stones to give birth while they watched.  Within minutes of birth the child would be taken away and the mother would never see her child again until it was grown.  First born sons were raised by the husband's relatives and first born daughters were raised by the mother's relatives. Every boy, first born or not, was taken from the woman's hut when weaned and raised in the men's hut.  Never again in his lifetime would the male be allowed to eat with women, not even his mother or his wife.

Hawaiian Chickens

At 9:30 pm tonight I finished eleven Hawaiian chicken pin cushions to be sold at PCC for eight dollars each .  Last night I repaired the flag of Hawaii (for the second time).  I also hemmed a muumuu for Sister Tripp as the one that fit her was about three or four inches too long.  What a different mission but I guess everything we do helps build the kingdom in some way. 

I also had a wonderful tour today.  One member who attends the University of Hawaii brought her three non-member friends to the visitors' center this morning.  I got an e-mail referral from Clare Warwick, one of the young students..  When we get an e-mail referral like this, Elder Peterson, one of the senior missionaries, sends an e-mail with offers of multiple items they can have.

 It is a fun mission!  I know the church is true and the Lord is blessing us as we help the young sister missionaries.

Referral for the week

Don hosted a young couple who are members of the Church.  After "God's Plan for the Family" Stephanie expressed her love for her father, a less active member.  We do not send missionaries to members but I was able to write him a letter and send along two pass-along cards.  His name is Keith Sabin, from Oregon.

Senior Missionary Change

Elder and Sister Jay England finished their twelve-month mission and returned home to Draper, Utah this week.  They were replaced by Elder and Sister Steve Tripp, also from Draper, Utah.  Elder Tripp is a retired building contractor - "retired" by the economy.  As I understand, he also worked with his sons in the building business.  Their son is a bishop in Jenn and Pat's stake

Elder and Sister England                           Elder and Sister Tripp

The next couple goes home in March and the Mission is looking for a brother with strong computer skills - someone who knows his way around excel spreadsheets, and other presentation programs.  If you know of someone who qualifies and would have an interest in serving in Hawaii, please have them contact me: 801 550-5525.

Missionaries are always hungry

Tonight, while on duty at the VC, we heard Sister Aguda (with the banana) tell her companion, Sister Ochiai, that their dinner appointment fell through.  It was 7:30 pm and so we invited them come to our house and we'd feed them.  We got home about 8:15 pm and they showed up around 8:30 pm.  We fixed them tamales (opened the can) Ritz crackers and a delicious rice pudding with peaches, coconut and almonds that Donna had made earlier in the day.  As the picture shows, they left with a little nourishment to tide them over.

Two Sister Missionaries returning home

Two of our best missionaries will be finishing their missions next week and returning home, Sister Mulipola to Samoa and Sister Jager to Germany  Sister Mulipola has consistently been one of the top missionaries at the VC and Sister Jager has been one of the two trainers.  They were honored yesterday at the weekly training meeting.

All the sisters develop a special bond and they serve together, evidenced by their smiles and hugs in the next picture.  (4 of them got away before I took the picture.)

Filipino family

On Wednesday a Filipino woman and two boys came to the VC to use the bathroom.  Afterwards she lingered by the Book of Mormon display.  Donna pointed her out to me and suggested that she seemed to be searching for something.  In talking to her I learned that she had been baptized about 10 years ago in the Phillipines but had lived in Honolulu for the last 8 years and had not attended church because she didn't know where the church was.  Her sons who were with her, ages 10 and 12, had not been baptized and, of course, had not grown up learning about the gospel.  I said, "we need to have our missionaries stop by your house and teach and baptize your sons, and show you where the church is."  She agreed and so I have send the referral via internet to the mission office.  Her name is Merlinda de Jesus.  I had a spare copy of the Book of Mormon in Tagalog and (contrary to our usual practice) gave it to the boys along with an English version.  I also gave them copies of Joseph Smith's story, both in English and Tagalog.  The 12-year-old son has only been in the USA 6 months and so his English is very limited.  If Donna had not been attentive to the Spirit, they could have easily walked out of the VC without saying a word.

Presidents' Leadership Council - Hawaii

Today was our P-day and we had the entire day to attend the semi-annual meeting of the BYUH and PCC Presidents' Leadership Council.  Starting with breakfast and ending with a luau dinner and the Polynesian Cultural Center production of "HA- the Breath of Life" the entire day was inspiring.  The PLC does incredible good, providing financial support for students from all over the world.  We heard heart-felt testimonies from three students from Tonga, sharing how their education at BYUH and experiences working at the PCC had changed their lives.  At lunch we were joined at our table by three students who were members of the Concert Choir.  The choir performed some of the music that will be part of their tour to Hong Kong and Taiwan next spring.  Other students gave an incredible presentation on the SIFE organization, a national group that fosters world-wide leadership development.  BYUH has students from over 70 countries and helps fulfill President David O. McKay's prophetic vision for BYUH when he declared, "From this school, I'll tell you, will go men and women whose influence will be felt for good towards the establishment of peace internationally."

We were so happy to see Mitch Davis, a great friend from Escondido, CA.  A contemporary of Dave and Steve, Mitch's parents, Dix and Lynn, helped shape the lives of our older children (and visa-versa).  Mitch, who produced the movie about Elder John Groberg's mission in Samoa (The Other Side of Heaven) will be the concluding speaker tomorrow as the PLC seminar winds to a close.

Here's a picture of Jim and Carolyn Ritchie; Von Orgill, president of the PCC; and the two of us. Jim was a partner with Chuck Akerlow in South Mountain ten years ago when McArthur Homes purchased some lots from them.  He is now serving here full-time as a BYUH volunteer heading up an international business development program for the students.

We also enjoyed sitting with Milt Shipp and his wife at the luau.  Milt was a partner with Steve Young in Development Associates, Inc. and sold McArthur Homes the "Elk Meadows" subdivision in South Jordan.

Following the evening performance of "HA" the PLC guests were invited to stay and meet the cast of the show.  Here's a picture of the cast as they gathered to greet.

Special Visitors

Donna got her first referral this week!  And it wasn't easy.  A tutu came in pushing a baby stroller (tutu means grandmother).  No sister missionaries were in sight and so Sister McArthur greeted her and quickly learned that she did not speak English, only Portuguese.  Her name is Zambonimaia Selli Aerlane and she is from Brazil.  But with the help of the Lord and her genuine interest in helping, the two of them were able to communicate.  The grandmother sat in front of the Christus statue and Donna played her the 2-minute narration (in Portuguese) in the Savior's own words from the scriptures.  Donna says she could tell the grandmother was touched by the Spirit and had tears in her eyes.  She took her to one of our large theatres and showed her a 11-minute video about Christ.  Afterwards she gave her a Comment card (Portguese version) which she filled out requesting more information and visits from missionaries.

We also had a visit last night from two Halloween groups.  The first was a visit by Shirley's niece, Emily Newman and her friend, who brought us some "treats."  Emily is attending BYUH.

The second group is shown in this picture - ten of our sister missionaries - doing their version of "Trick or Treat." 

We and Elder and Sister Peterson made breakfast for the sisters Saturday morning because they did such a great job cleaning their apartments earlier this week.  We fed them pancakes, eggs and bacon, orange juice or milk, and fresh pineapple or grapes.  A fun activity starting by getting up at 5:30 am so they could eat by 7:00 am.

Visitors' Center walk-in's

Tuesday morning the sister missionaries attended a Zone Conference and so Donna and I and one other senior couple manned the Visitors' Center.  We hosted an interesting gamit of guests:

A couple from Czechoslovakia.  They seemed very interested in everything, including modern propets, the purpose of life, temples, etc.  When I asked if they believed that Jesus is the Christ they were reluctant to say yes.  I thought they would agree to have missionaries, but no luck. 

A Catholic couple from Minnesota.  I was in the "prophet's corner" with two young LDS men and we were listening to the testimony of President Uchtdorf.  The Catholic husband slipped in a sat down and listened.  Afterwards he asked "Who is that man?"  This led to a discussion of prophets in our day who receive inspiration and direction from God.  He asked "Is the Prophet still living?"  We talked about all kinds of good stuff, the Book of Mormon, Temples, etc.  Then he and his wife listened to "God's Plan for Families."  Once again they were close to saying yes to learning more, but not close enough.

There were the two young LDS guys.  One attending BYUH and his friend from California who had spent the past month surfing.  They were fun to be with and I felt the VC was a positive influence for both of them.

My last group was four senior adults touring the Island.  They were not members but wonderful folks who appreciated our message and the good the church does around the world.  I shared with them our experience a couple of years ago meeting a girl from Mongolia who was attending BYUH after joining the church in Mongolia as a result of being taught English by the missionaries.  She later accepted a mission call and served in SLC on Temple Square.  She was about to graduate with a degree in accounting and would be returning to Mongolia to build up and strengthen her Country and the Church.

An LDS couple from Australia walked in and enjoyed every minute in the VC.  They seemed to soak it up and I felt they left with reinforced testimonies and an increased appreciation for the Church.  We were also surprised by a visit from Louie and Johanna Wolfgramm, good friends from Kona Hawaii.  Louie had just been released as a bishop on Kaui and they were on their way moving to Pleasant Grove, Utah to help a son raise a couple of grandchildren.

The Visitors' Center is an incredible teaching tool and all who come with open hearts and minds can leave strengthened by the experience with resolves to do better and be better. 

During the evening we served at the PCC.  I was helping at the Aloha Luau when a group of five LDS FM guys arrived.  One said to me, "Were you the stake president of the Escondido Stake?"  I answered affirmatively and asked who he was.  He said he was the son of Dan Clark who had served twice as a bishop in Poway.  In the early 70's Dan's son must have been a young teen ager.  Pretty good memory.

All in all, a mighty fine day, spiced with calls from Linda, Jennifer and Dave.

Mumu and Sulu

When we serve at the Polynesian Cultural Center we wear a matching Mumu and Sulu.  The Sulu is like a lava lava (except it has pockets) and wraps around your waist then ties at the side.  Quite comfortable actually.

Saturday night the "Royal Family" waited at our duty station before performing at the Luau so I took Donna's picture. 

Later two of our sister missionaries, who were at the PCC inviting folks to visit the VC on the tram, caught up with us and got a "kick" out of our costumes.  Sister Han, from Korea, is on the left, and Sister Fung, from Scotland is on the right.

Haunted Lagoon

This morning we were pleasantly surprised to welcome Dennis and Diane Reeder, three married daughters, one son-in-law, and several grandchildren at the Visitors' Center.  They are good friends from the South Jordan Country Park 3rd ward.

Tonight we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and enjoyed(?) it's Haunted Lagoon.  The PCC has been holding this several nights a week for two weeks (two to go) as a means of offsetting the loss of income due to the recession.  Saturday night they had 3,500 attend and had to turn hundreds away.  We waited two hours in line for a 15 minute canoe ride through the lagoon.  Fun but not scary. 

Later, tonight at 9:30 pm, when the sister missionaries got home, the four senior couples took a birthday cake to Sister Ieremia from the Republic of Kiribati.  (Kiribati is a chain of 32 atolls and one raised coral island.  The average height of the atolls and island is 3 feet.  Kiribati is about half way between Hawaii and Australia.)

Singing Sisters

During a lull in visitors Sunday night, four our our Sister Missionaries entertained us by singing hymns.  They have beautiful voices and sounded like angels.  From left to right:  Sister Saito from Japan, Sister Mulipola from Samoa, Sister Kolo from Tonga, and Sister Fung from Scotland (with Chinese ancestry).

Elder Tuimaseve, former SLC Utah missionary

On our second night serving at the Polynesian Cultural Center a tall Samoan walked by the restaurant entrance and stopped and stared at me, then said, "President McArthur?"  I said yes and he said, "Tuimaseve!"  He was one of our missionaries in 1989-92 in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission.  One of our favorite experiences with him was a story he told of holding a Book of Mormon in his hand while standing by the road.  A car pulled over and asked what book he was holding and he said "It Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ."  The car driver asked if he could have a copy.  Later that day, the man called Elder Tuimaseve (whose name and phone number was in the book) and asked to meet with the missionaries.  Here's a picture of him, his wife (who is teaching at BYUH for a year) and their 10-year old son.  We took the picture last night when they came to see us at the Visitors' Center.

Phil and Oly Harris

Phil and Oly Harris brightened our day with a visit to the Visitors' Center, our home, and then we all went to the PCC for dinner and the show "HA, the Breath of Life." They also came to spend time with their niece, Tess, who is attending BYUH. We celebrated Oly's birthday with the PCC employees singing to her. A fun time for all.

Tongan Sister shares story of faith and tithing

During a quiet time last week I role-played with two sister missionaries, testing their skills at resolving concerns and answering questions.  I asked, "So what about this business of having to pay 10% of my income to the church?"  Sister Latu, an Tongan from Compton, California, shared this story:

"When my family, mom and dad and twelve children, arrived in California from Tonga the only two English words my father knew were 'hello' and 'thank you.'  He got a job earning a modest salary.  We had very little...sometimes no food to eat.  One Sunday my mother said to my father, 'Why are you paying tithing to the Church when we have nothing to eat in the house?'  He just answered that paying tithing was a commandment and that the Lord would provide if we were obedient.  I will never forget the many ward families who brought food to our home that week...enough for the week and food to store."  Sister Latu concluded that from that day to now she believed in paying tithing and knew that the Lord would always bless us when we are obedient.

BYUH Mainland China Influence

Tonight we attended a Family Home Evening for Senior Missionaries - all serving in either the Visitors' Center, PCC or BYHU. The program was presented by the BYUH China Club. There are 14 students at BYUH from mainland China. Six talked, sharing their conversion stories. Five of them have served missions.

One sister talked about going to school in Denmark and being contacted by LDS missionaries. Eventually she joined the church, against her parents wishes. A year later, listening to General Conference she felt she needed to serve a mission. Later her parents joined, having been taught by local mainland China members. Her father is now feeding her the names of their ancestors for temple work.

They all expressed their love for their native country and pray for the day when the gospel can be openly taught there.

One sister shared how Elder David O. McKay came to China in 1921 and dedicated the land for preaching the gospel. She shared parts of the prayer and it was prophetic and inspiring.

BYUH China Club

Tonight we attended a Family Home Evening for Senior Missionaries - all serving in either the Visitors' Center, PCC or BYHU. The program was presented by the BYUH China Club. There are 14 students at BYUH from mainland China. Six talked, sharing their conversion stories. Five of them have served missions.
One sister talked about going to school in Denmark and being contacted by LDS missionaries. Eventually she joined the church, against her parents wishes. A year later, listening to General Conference she felt she needed to serve a mission. Later her parents joined, having been taught by local mainland China members. Her father is now feeding her the names of their ancestors for temple work.
They all expressed their love for their native country and pray for the day when the gospel can be openly taught there.
One sister shared how Elder David O. McKay came to China in 1921 and dedicated the land for preaching the gospel. She shared parts of the prayer and it was prophetic and ins…

Fiji Devotional

Saturday morning we attended a Fiji Devotional in the Fiji Village at the PCC, celebrating the independence of Fiji. The theme for the program was taken from Joshua 3:5 "Sanctify Yourselves: For tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you." (great theme for a stake or ward conference) The program was outstanding. Following the program we were treated to a brunch and then entertainment. (the dancers were much better than the food.)

Mongolian Students

Sunday night this young couple came in to listen to the "Christus" narration. I asked them if they wanted it in English or another language. They asked for Mongolian, but unfortunately it was not available. In talking to them I learned the the girl (Tsatsral) been in the MTC with Kody Cook (she then served on Temple Square in SLC). The young man (Ganjii) had served with Kody in Mongolia (just not his companion). They said that Kody was an awesome missionary who LOVED the Mongolian people.

General Conference, Saturday morning Oct 3, 2009

General Conference was broadcast to the Visitors' Center and received at 6:00 am. After the morning broadcast we all gathered at the apartment compound and had breakfast. Here are a few pictures.