Love Hate relationship with technology!

One of our assignment is working with both Hong Kong and Taiwan to get them ready for For the Strength of Youth Conference this year.  We are assigned as the In Area Couple to oversee the FSY.  Hong Kong is on target with their calling of In Session couple, coordinators and assistant coordinators.  We have have meeting to get the schedule of FSY going and are looking for ysa counselors to work with the youth.  Taiwan on the other hand has been slowly catching up.  You would remember I mentioned that Taiwan has been busy with their 60th celebration of the year last year so they have been to busy to work on FSY.  No sooner did we enter 2017, we have been getting messages and email from Taiwan about getting their program going.  They started application for YSA to apply to be coordinators and assistant coordinators and counselors.  With 800 youth anticipated, they would need about 100 ysa leaders.  The deadline for the ysa leader application ends 12/31/16.  They had to extend it to 1/14 because they only have 30 plus applied.  As of 1/14, they have 50 applied, which is half of what they needed!!  In the meantime, they called an online registration administrator and I have been emailing Salt Lake to add his name so that he can get access to start the online page going.  We have time difference of 15 hours so everything I sent, take 3 days to get a reply!!  I ended up calling Salt Lake at 8 in the morning our time and luckily, I was able to talk with someone (6 pm salt lake time).  I love technology, but hated it when I cannot control it!

In the meantime, I find out that the website is not loading correctly.  It was supposed to have everything loaded with translated manuals and handbook, but somehow nothing Chinese is loaded correctly, Now they (Salt Lake) with need to get the bug fixed.  I hope they get it done soon as we need to get registration going for both leaders and participants done soon!!!

I think the biggest thing I learned so far on our mission is PATIENT!  Sometime we have to be patient with ourselves and sometimes we have to be patient with the process.   I am so glad that Heavenly Father in on my team because, in the end, I know everything will work out.

We have Area devotional last week where Elder Sam Wong informed us he and his wife has been called on a 2 year mission as mission president.  We waited till yesterday to find out in the Church news that he has been called to serve in the Vancouver Canada mission.  This would be his first mission because he did not have an opportunity to serve as a young man.  I know he will be good and needed to strengthen the missionary work in Vancouver.  With that said, there is going to be changes in the Area Presidency in July.  Rumors has it that they might reorganize the Area Presidency... We are anxious to see what will happen, our assignment might even change with all these changes but we are ready and willing to do whatever it is asked off us.

So far we spend about 50% of our time with FSY, 10% in communication and about 25% in helping with the mission home in inspecting missionary apartment, especially those that is coming up to have their lease renewed.  It seems we are getting our wishes to be busy and productive!  It feels good to feel tired!  Some days we don't even get home until 9 p.m.  We are hoping we will get to work with the missionary in getting a mandarin group going in New Territory but so far, we have not heard from President Lam on when he would like that to start.

Our trip to Taiwan to help with FSY is schedule for February 3, we will be staying in Taipei for a day to go to the temple, then onto Tai Chung for training and to visit the camp site for FSY.  Elder Funk wants us to go as often as it is needed so we will see how the first training goes to decided when we will go again.

January2:  Beckstead and us went to this fundraiser music program.  We were so impressed, This is a harps performance, the little boy is probably 4-5 years old!

This little girl is 7 years old!!

This is right across the harbour from where we live, can you see the Church building?

The church building is the little brown building in between the tall building!

You don't see little boat like this very much any more, but we see them on the harbour every now and then.

Visited Ngau Tau Kok ward today and saw a member I recognize when I served in Kwun Tong 30 years ago.  This is Sister Lee Oi Ling, she was one of the ward missionary.

We saw this McDonald in TaiPo, Ted was very impressed at how environmental friendly they did, a live flower/grass wall!