Hong Kong Temple, We Are Coming!

Our family woke up very early today because today is the departure day of our Hong Kong Temple trip. We were so excited about it. Alvin was back to Kuala Lumpur yesterday and we were slept early last night because we have to wake up at 3.00am. We will be meeting at the PJ Chapel at 4.30am today to take a bus to KLIA2.

Alvin had booked the Public Cab but till the certain time the cab did not turn up and we were worrying for a while. Immediately we downloaded the Grab Car App, and luckily for us there is a Grab Car for us and took us to PJ Chapel and we reached around 4.00am. It cost us around RM22.10 including the toll fees at this odd hour, considered worth it. There were already youths and parents at the PJ Chapel.

We were joining the Kuala Lumpur District Youth Hong Kong Temple Trip which is organised by the District Young Men and Young Women Presidencies from 28th – 30th March. We were blessed that this is our family second time going to temple and Alvin and I able to witness for our son and daughter doing the proxy baptism for the dead ordinances for my grandparents.

There were total around 34 youths joined the temple trip this time. All of us were feeling so excited for the trip. We took the bus which had been arranged to KLIA2. We were taking the Airasia flight AK134 KUL – HKG 8.40am – 12.40pm. Initially we were supposed to meet at 5.00am but due to school holiday and high travellers at the airport, we were requested to arrive early for the booking process.

After the checking process at the counter, we were having our breakfast at Burger King, McDonald’s or Chicken Rice Shop at the departure hall. All of the youths were having their breakfast joyfully. Everyone was so high spiritually at the boarding room and during boarding to the air plane. All of us were getting some sleep on the four hour flight to Hong Kong.

When we touched down at the Hong Kong International Airport it was around 12.40pm. After going through the immigrance and taking our luggage it was already 1.45pm. There was a bus which had been arranged and arrived at 2.00pm. We saw beautiful scenery around Hong Kong when the bus acrossed the Tsing Ma Bridge.

We were reaching the patron housing which is just right across the street from the temple around 2.45pm. After getting settled, about 3.15pm we were walking over to the Festival Walk which is a shopping mall nearby for our late lunch.

Once we entered to the Festival Walk, it give me a feeling no other than it is just another shopping malls that we have back in Kuala Lumpur. We went to the food court, and hunted for our food. All of us including all the youths were so hungry!

We were getting our food at the mall food court. There are varieties such as Cafe de oral, Chee Kei, Pepper Lunch, Tai Hing, TamJai Sam Gor, and McDonald’s. We just getting some Braised Minced Pork Rice for Alvin and Issac, Wonton Mee for myself and Pepper Lunch fried rice for Annabelle.

Around 5.00pm, Brother Van Cott lead the youth to see the Hong Kong Temple outside and the lobby area on our way back to the patron housing. After which all of us took turn to take our bath. The men and women are in separate sleeping rooms whereby a room can fit in up to 6 – 8 beds. Annabelle and I shared the room with 5 others young women and Sister Van Cott. Alvin and Issac were sharing the room with others young men and Brother Van Cott as well.

At the patron housing, we met with saints from Chengdu, China. They came here on Monday to attend to the temple as well. They are really a good cook. They invited us and shared with us some of their dishes as they cooked too much. It was really delicious.

All the youths were having fun time mingling and play games while some of them were taking their time doing the temple history work, printing the ordinances cards for tomorrow. Almost 9.00pm, we were busy cooking instant noodles the dinner for the youths.

After the dinner, we had a short 5 – 10 minute devotional. Brother Van Cott was teaching the youths about temple works and we were discussing about Doctrine and Covenants Section 138. It is about a vision given to President Joseph F. Smith about the spirit world. Brother Van Cott invited the youths to ponder and get themselves ready to enter to the temple tomorrow.

We went to bed around midnight and tomorrow we need woke up early for the our schedule at the temple. I am really happy and indeed grateful to the Lord as He have prepared a way for our family to be here in His temple again.

Annabelle is Healed!

 

Here she is being energetic again! She is healed!

Unfortunately for Issac, now is his turn fallen sick – diarrheal and having fever as well! I think it is infected from Annabelle as well. I prayed that all of us would be good the day when we fly to Hong Kong!

Annabelle Fallen Sick

Today Annabelle fall sick due to stomach flu as she is having high fever and diarrheal. I hope she will be getting better soon enough, because our family will be flying to Hong Kong soon for the Kuala Lumpur District Youth Temple trip. I hope everything will be turn out good before we fly to Hong Kong.

Homemade on Sunday

Today we just had some fried mee hoon at home! I just want to do something different every Sunday so that the children would not feel bored about my cooking.

Trying to be a better mother for the children.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Yesterday when I was studying Matthew 14, I came across this talk by Elder D. Todd Christofferson. In actual fact, I heard 3 video clips from Mormon channel before this, I kind of like it and I remembered it.

I shared with E Chin yesterday on this message too. I shared with her one of the video clip. I shared with her frankly that I too, face the tight financial challenge every month.

Though I still pay my tithing, that is the least thing that I can do as I have covenanted with the Lord before my baptism. Paying tithing was one of the important matters that I pondered a lot before my baptism, besides the Word of Wisdom. I do not know but I just know that some how I would be ok even sometimes it is really so stress out.

“Some time before I was called as a General Authority, I faced a personal economic challenge that persisted for several years. It did not come about as a consequence of anyone’s wrongdoing or ill will; it was just one of those things that sometimes come into our lives. It ebbed and flowed in seriousness and urgency, but it never went away completely. At times this challenge threatened the welfare of my family and me, and I thought we might be facing financial ruin. I prayed for some miraculous intervention to deliver us. Although I offered that prayer many times with great sincerity and earnest desire, the answer in the end was “No.” Finally I learned to pray as the Savior did: “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). I sought the Lord’s help with each tiny step along the way to a final resolution.”

“There were times when I had exhausted all my resources, when I had nowhere or no one to turn to at that moment, when there was simply no other human being I could call on to help meet the exigency before me. With no other recourse, more than once I fell down before my Heavenly Father begging in tears for His help. And He did help. Sometimes it was nothing more than a sense of peace, a feeling of assurance that things would work out. I might not see how or what the path would be, but He gave me to know that, directly or indirectly, He would open a way. Circumstances might change, a new and helpful idea might come to mind, some unanticipated income or other resource might appear at just the right time. Somehow there was a resolution.”

“Though I suffered then, as I look back now, I am grateful that there was not a quick solution to my problem. The fact that I was forced to turn to God for help almost daily over an extended period of years taught me truly how to pray and get answers to prayer and taught me in a very practical way to have faith in God. I came to know my Savior and my Heavenly Father in a way and to a degree that might not have happened otherwise or that might have taken me much longer to achieve. I learned that daily bread is a precious commodity. I learned that manna today can be as real as the physical manna of biblical history. I learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I learned to walk with Him day by day.”

“Asking God for our daily bread, rather than our weekly, monthly, or yearly bread, is also a way to focus us on the smaller, more manageable bits of a problem. To deal with something very big, we may need to work at it in small, daily bites. Sometimes all we can handle is one day (or even just part of one day) at a time.”

“The Spirit can guide us when to look ahead and when we should just deal with this one day, with this one moment. If we ask, the Lord will let us know through the Holy Ghost when it may be appropriate for us to apply in our lives the commandment He gave His ancient Apostles: “Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof” (3 Nephi 13:34; see also Matthew 6:34).”

I was so touched with Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s testimony. His testimony made me feel as I have to learn to be humble like he is. He is not spare from trials and challenges too, even he is an apostle of the Lord. He taught me something: When we expect the Lord will give us quick solutions to our problems, we fail to see the greater purpose in the delay of His aid.

Then, I read the talk and especially love how Elder D. Todd Christofferson began his talk inviting us to look to God for what is needed each day. It gives me a new perspective or moment of learning to pray and get answers from the Lord and how to put it practically.

“Thoughtful planning and preparation are key to a rewarding future, but we do not live in the future—we live in the present. It is day by day that we work out our plans for the future; it is day by day that we achieve our goals. It is one day at a time that we raise and nurture our families. It is one day at a time that we overcome imperfections. We endure in faith to the end one day at a time. It is the accumulation of many days well-lived that adds up to a full life and a saintly person. And so I would like to talk to you about living well day by day.”

“Included in the Lord’s Prayer is the petition “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11) or “Give us day by day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3). I believe that we would all readily acknowledge that we have needs each day that we want our Heavenly Father’s help in dealing with. For some, on some days, it is quite literally bread—that is, the food needed to sustain life that day. It could also be spiritual and physical strength to deal with one more day of chronic illness or a painfully slow rehabilitation. In other cases it may be less tangible needs, such as things related to one’s obligations or activities in that day—teaching a lesson or taking a test, for example.”

“Jesus is teaching us, His disciples, that we should look to God each day for the bread—the help and sustenance—we require in that particular day. This is consistent with the counsel to “pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul” (2 Nephi 32:9).”

“The Lord’s invitation to seek our daily bread at our Heavenly Father’s hand speaks of a loving God, aware of even the small, daily needs of His children and anxious to assist them, one by one. He is saying that we can ask in faith of that Being “that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given” (James 1:5). That is, of course, tremendously reassuring, but there is something at work here that is more significant than just help in getting by day to day. As we seek and receive divine bread daily, our faith and trust in God and His Son grow.”

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

CES Fireside for Young Adults • January 9, 2011 • Brigham Young University

I feel that since the day I have been set apart by the Branch Presidency, I can feel the Spirit easily and it does influence me to make the better choices. I have never experience it before. I feel grateful for the Lord on the calling and blessings which He gives me and my family daily.