Take 2 - Mission in Hong Kong - Can't believe we're doing this again

Just posting a few pics. We do realize they're rather boring to anyone but us. We can't believe we're doing this again. I've (Nyla) been so reluctant to do another mission, and now that I'm here, I'm actually saying to myself, "Can't believe we almost missed this opportunity." This is just an amazing place to see and live, and we're loving wearing the missionary badges once again.  The office job is rather overwhelming right now, but we'll keep trying to get it under our belts - no small task for these two old brains. 

Our first Saturday here, the COB (church office building) couples (there are about 12 of them) had their monthly outing. We took two ferry boats to a little fishing village. I snapped this pic while we were eating a seafood lunch on the dock. No wheeled vehicles on this island - just fishermen and their wives running little shops. This is their livelihood. Could walk the width of it in 5 minutes. The length about 45 min. Quaint. 

Yup - home sweet home. This is where we live - Uh, I'd show you which one, but I can't. Don't even ask about the late night we tried for a long time to get into our building (uber frustrated) and our card wouldn't let us in the door. Uh...finally realized we were trying to get into the wrong building. Oh the joys of adjusting to a totally new surrounding. Can't believe what the church expects of 'old people.'

A happy reunion our first week here with Ng, Pong and Lucas from Malaysia. Met them at the HK temple and attended their sealing. They don't speak English - we don't speak Chinese, but we loved the hugs and the opportunity to join them for their first time in the temple. We taught them 'new member' lessons when we first arrived in JB. Pretty nostalgic for us. I had a hard time reigning in the tears. 

Garald's seafood platter at the fishing village. Sister Hamilton in the background. She's a single senior sister serving here in Public Affairs. You didn't really expect I'd get pictures organized in order, did you? 

Don't know if you can make heads or tails of this. It's the view out of our living room window at night. We also get the same view from the bedroom. Enjoy it a lot.  We're on the 6th floor here and the 8th floor at the COB - sometimes we have to work at remembering which floor we should be heading to. Really - should we be doing this???

This is the view out the other side of our building - stunning. I took this from the window where we catch the elevator down. If we lived on this side, our rent would  be considerably higher. It's high enough now - we'll enjoy this view from the walking promenade along the harbor...  The most incredible place to walk\jog.  I'll never tire of it. 

I think I took this from the ferry. We live in Kowloon - this is looking across the bay at HK island. We cross over the bay by ferry or under by bus every day to get to the COB. (I try to not think about being underwater when we're on the bus) We can actually do it without help now, and not get lost. We have to celebrate small strides. But then who knows - maybe we'll get lost tomorrow.

At a neighborhood market. Aw - chicken feet - how we've missed you - NOT!

The Dodsons are over humanitarian and they're thru the glass from us at work. They posted these flowers on our door one morning before we got there. I think they knew we needed them. Love it. 

Another view of a great market we've found for fruits and vegetables. Amazingly enough, Durian is starting to actually smell good to me. What's going on!!  We can find almost anything we want here in this amazing city.  But if it's a favorite western product, we usually refuse to pay the price for it. Cost of living here is very high - milk is $10.00 a gallon. And you can only buy it by the quart. Oh well, maybe enjoy it more when we get back home. I miss it.

I took this picture from the window in our office - the harbor view is beautiful too - try to get that next time. 

The lobby of the church office building. Garald is just getting out his 'tap card' to take the elevator to our floor.

Our office - my chair in front - his by the window. We are spending 8 hours or more per day here trying to learn our PEF duties - 

Snapped this pic of the Church Office building from a walkway across the street. See the beautiful round window at the top. And the floor right below- where the area presidency and their wives live. The round window is President Gong's apartment where we had our welcome dinner. Stunning views - beautiful apartment. Our office is a center window - 8th floor.