DECEMBER!  We're hearing about the cold and snow from friends and family in the States, and it's hard for us to believe we're not there, but here in Macau where the temps are in the 70's F. and the flowers are still blooming.  As we were walking downtown this morning, Roland mentioned how funny it is to see Christmas decorations on the avenues with marigolds in the background!  Actually we're experiencing a cold snap--it's only in the high 50's today.

We've experienced many things since our last post; Thanksgiving!  Thanksgiving here is just another day, BUT, in the true American tradition, Roland announced in church one Sunday in late October that we would have a "Thanksgiving Feast, complete with all the trimmings" for the Branch.  That was before he knew that turkeys are VERY scarce in China--in fact, almost un-findable.  After many frantic contacts, he finally found out about a market in Taipa where we could order some.  So, we took the Chinese missionaries, and placed an order for five turkeys.  On the appointed day, I (along with four strong Chinese elders) took the bus to Taipa to pick them up--we then distributed them all over the place to people who had refrigerator room for them.  The next problem was ovens to cook them in; people here just don't have ovens, and if they have one, it's usually just a little toaster oven.  AND, the ovens are heated by gas which is in propane tanks a little larger than the ones used for barbeque grills in the USA.  So, we not only needed ovens, we needed to make sure everyone had enough gas to do a turkey for four-plus hours.  We did finally get them all done, but they were all over town and had to be carted to the church for the dinner.  I won't even mention the pumpkin pie fiasco (other than to say that we ended up doing large pans of pumpkin bars because pie tins aren't to be found here, either)!

Our other "food" adventure worth mentioning was the evening the Chinese elders decided that we needed what they call a "cultural experience" and they took us to a "Hot Pot" restaurant.  This is a place where each table has a section in the middle which is lowered and has a hot plate in it with a large pot of boiling water.  You then order various things to be brought to the table (raw) and you put what you want to eat in the pot to cook it.  There was much that we didn't recognize and couldn't pronounce, but there was choi (Chinese vegetable), wanton, several kinds of dumplings, fish balls, rice balls, little sausages, beef strips, and then the live shrimp (they dip them out of the tank at the front of the restaurant and put them in a basket with a lid on it--the antenna or whatever you call them on shrimp are poking out and moving around, and they try to "run" when you stick your chopsticks in to get one to put in the boiling water.  I'm sure they scream when they hit the water and turn from their normal gray color to a lovely pink!)  Oh, and don't forget the chicken feet.  Yes, real chicken feet with the claws still on them.  Roland tried one; I couldn't do it.  The rules of the restaurant are few:  you pay for the time you are there--not the food you eat, and you have to eat everything you order.  They made big bucks on me, I'm sure, but the elders who were with us just loved it, and kept ordering and ordering (and ate it ALL)!
We made a couple of trips to Hong Kong this past month - one for the Mission Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Day (That's a whole 'nother turkey story!), and on the 30th of Nov. for a Senior Missionary Conference at the Asia Area Office.  That was a real treat, to be taught by our Area Presidency and their wives, also our Mission President (Pres. Chan) and Pres. Yip of the Hong Kong Temple.  We enjoyed getting to know some of the other couples who are serving in this area in various capacities, and hearing their stories.  We also enjoyed a trip together to Hong Kong Park (Zoological and Botanical Gardens and Aviary).We are looking forward to Christmas here in Macau; we have a very little tree with one string of lights in our apartment, but the spirit of the season is not in the decorations. It is in our hearts and the hearts and lives of all we have met and grown to love here in China. We are thankful for blessings unmeasured!

Achievement Day Girls and Helpers making Peanut Butter Cookies--

They REALLY love to "kook"!

Just thought everyone would like to know Kara is OK and living at the Venus Disco in Taipa!

One flat duck left (and several heads available) at this stand at the wet market.

Our living room and our little Christmas tree - Merry Christmas!

Roland eats the chicken foot at Hot Pot!  What a MAN!

November already!  We are thinking of the fall colors at home, and we miss them, but we DO NOT miss the coming cold Illinois weather!  We have had a little change in temperature here in Macau; the past three days have actually been very nice!  It's in the 70's--all of the people have broken out their "winter" clothes--sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets, etc.  We, on the other hand, are happy in short sleeves and no sweat!  We've had the air conditioners off and the windows open.
We're still having almost daily adventures in the city; we've had some members helping us find people, which is almost impossible unless you have someone to lead you by the hand.  Also, the apartment buildings are all locked and you have to be buzzed in or have someone open the main door for you.  Then, once you get inside, you don't know where to go, and most of the apartments are behind another set of locked gates if you do happen to reach the right floor.
On Oct. 26th, there was a Chinese holiday--Chong Yang.  Our Branch activity was a hike up the highest hill on Coloane to the temple and statue of A-Ma.  Roland wasn't feeling well, but I went, and even though it was a hot day and the hill was high, it was very enjoyable.  There was a huge celebration at the temple, which is close to the top of the hill.  Of course, there were the lion and dragon dances, but lots of other things going on as well. I especially enjoyed listening to the music.  Here is the story of Chong Yang and the reason for hill-climbing on this day:
During the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 - 220), a devil inhabited the Nu River which caused disease in the neighbouring people. The parents of a young man, named Hengjing, died because of the devil's magic. In order to rid the people of the devil, Hengjing went through extraordinary lengths to find an immortal to teach him swordsmanship in order to expel the devil.

On the eighth day of the ninth lunar month, the immortal told Hengjing that the next day the devil would appear and he was to go back to get rid of the devil and the disease. Taking a bag of dogwood and some chrysanthemum wine, Hengjing returned to his hometown. In the morning of the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, Hengjing led all the villagers who were each holding a piece of dogwood leaf and a cup of Chrysanthemum to the nearest mountain. At noon, when the devil came out from the Nu River, the devil suddenly stopped because of the fragrance emitted from the dogwood and the chrysanthemum wine. At that moment Hengjing used the sword to battle the devil for a few rounds and won.  Great story!
We got our temporary "blue cards"--a visa--so we can remain in Macau for a few more months.  Getting visas for Macau is very difficult--unless you're just visiting for a few days.  If you want to stay, you have to sign away your life (and your first-born child!).  For those of you who know Roland's handwriting (if you can call it that), he wrote the e's differently in his father's name and his mother's maiden name, and they caught that and wanted to know what kind of scam he was trying to pull.  They probably would have denied him the visa, except that he was blessed to have a former school teacher who spoke some English helping him in Immigration, and when he explained that he just can't write very well, she understood!  The lady who was 'helping' me in Immigration wasn't quite as understanding when she asked if the last letter of my maiden name had a 'y' or a 'g' at the end.  It was clearly a 'y', but you couldn't have proved that by her.  She thought I was trying to pull something (I don't know what it would have been or why a 'y' or a 'g' made any difference even if I was).  I didn't think I'd make it out of there without being told I'd have to leave Macau and not come back.  AND, we really don't want to leave!

The A-Ma Temple in Coloane--Chong Yang Holiday

Some of the 'fish' girls - parade at the A-Ma Temple.

Don't know what the instrument is, but it sounds neat!

A-Ma Statue - Coloane

This statue was made for the return of Macau to China in 1999.  It is 19.99 meters tall, weighs 1000 tons, and is made from white jade from Fangshang in Beijing.  120 sculptors worked for 8 months to complete it.

Our branch Halloween party was a huge success--see pictures below:

Roland with his Bud - Hou Leng Jai (Cute little boy).

Ida as "Spider-Woman"

We are plugging along with our weeks having a few successes and plenty of people to try and find. We have an appointment tomorrow to teach a lady who came to church on Sunday. We will also baptize a little girl this Sunday who has been coming to church with her aunt on a regular basis. The mother has given permission and says she will attend the baptism so we hope we can teach her also. A sweet little girl whose only hope is the gospel.


In a typical week we have meetings, contacts with members, make lots of phone calls and send lots of text messages, and do our jobs in the branch. We have been out wandering a little--trying to meet people, and trying to find our way around STILL. Macau is someplace you'd never really get to know--there are little alleyways, narrow streets, little openings into courtyards from strange doorways, mostly one-ways, etc. etc. We have been to some places we'll NEVER be able to find again!

We continue to be amazed at the city of Macau and the culture; some parts of the city are so old. The streets themselves fascinate us--they used lots of tile and some of the streets have very intricate patterns in them. It's a wonder to us that there aren't a thousand accidents when it rains because the streets get so slippery--and the motor scooters are just wild and crazy, zipping all over the place at high rates of speed and usually without looking.

We were in the area called San Mah Louh (the oldest part of the city) the other day and saw a parade which snaked its way down the hill from the Ruins of St. Paul to Senado Square. It was quite a production—see the pictures below. We tried to find out what it was all about, but couldn’t. We were told that there are parades all the time and for any reason—the people here just love to have them.

We have finally worked out the bus system enough that we can get close to where we need to go, and even get back home again in a reasonable time--and without ending up at the Barrier Gate! Now, if we can find a bus that will drop us off at our door....

We have been to Taipa and Coloane (the other islands in the Macau peninsula) a couple of times. We took a ride over one day just to see if we could do it--and visited a beach called "Hac Sa" or "Black Sand". It is a beautiful beach, and even though the weather wasn't very good the day we were there, there were lots of people. An entire boys' school was having some kind of an outing that day, and practically filled the area. They were having a great time. The schools over here are numerous; the children ALL wear uniforms--different uniforms for each school. (It's the same in Hong Kong.) They have classes in each school all the way from kindergarten through the end of high school. The littlest kids are so neat when they go outside of their schools--they all hold onto each other for dear life and the teachers shepherd them like ducklings all over the place. Even the pre-schools have uniforms.

We decided to go to McDonald's for supper the other night; we got together with the Chinese missionaries and asked them how to say a few things, like: "Super-size it" (that was Roland's main request!), or "For here”, or “To go", or "No sauce, please" (this was mine--they put a horrible sauce on the Big and Tasty and it ruins it!). So, we get there, and we get everything we asked for EXCEPT that they put lots of sauce on the Big and Tasty's. Roland says he got his part right, but that I messed up. I say that he was so busy saying his one line, "Gau daaih, gau daaih" that they couldn't hear me saying "Mouh jau". Anyway, we had to waste a couple of french fries (which are JUST like the ones in America!) scraping off the nasty sauce. As missionaries we have to sacrifice in some things... We are thankful for McDonald's now and then.

The "Horse Girls" and the "Scary-Faced Guys" in the parade at San Mah Louh.

Hac Sa Beach on a cloudy day (left) and one of the Streets of Macau (right).

We've spent a couple of days wandering the streets, trying to get to know Macau and where we are in it.  We have made a couple of contacts that we will follow up with - that's the GOOD news!

The actual date for the Mid-Autumn Festival is tomorrow, Oct. 3, but the festivities have been going on for a few days.  The Mid-Autumn festival is sort of like Thanksgiving in the United States.  Families get together to visit and eat a lot!  It is to celebrate the harvest and the full moon.  We've attached a couple of pictures showing the huge pink rabbit in the square close to our home, and some pictures of the dragon dance we watched today near the Ruins of St. Paul.  The party goes on!  We can hear the drums and music very clearly from Tap Seac (the square near our apartment); it will go on until late tonight, and then start again tomorrow evening.

Yesterday was National Day, a celebration of the day 60 years ago when the Chinese people, under the leadership of  the Communist Party of China, declared victory in the War of Liberation against the Nationalist forces of Chiang Kai Shek. The grand ceremony for the founding of People's Republic of China was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Central People's Government, solemnly declared the founding of P.R.C.  Yesterday the telecasts all day in most of China were showing the huge parade held in Beijing to celebrate the anniversary.

We walked down to the harbor with the rest of the missionaries in our zone for P-Day last night; we all had dinner together and watched the fireworks over the water (and the thousands of people).

The BIG pink rabbit at Tap Seac

We don't know who this is - but he's SCARY

The Fire Dragon Dances near the Ruins of St. Paul.

Dragon Dances and Lion Dances are held during celebrations of many kinds--most notably Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival begins today (Oct. 1).  Macau is FULL of plastic rabbits!  We can't figure out why rabbits would be a sign of anything festive, but...
We were able to see some of the Chinese Lion Dances at Tap Siac (the square near our apartment) last Saturday evening.  I forgot to take my camera!  We've heard that they take place quite often, so we'll get pictures another time. 
We had more adventures on the bus; we were trying to get home from Fisherman's Wharf, and caught a bus that we hadn't taken before.  We ended up at the Barrier Gate (the entrance to mainland China!)  It was an impressive sight - huge buildings and walls, so we couldn't actually see anything on the mainland from where we were.
Our other "misadventure" took place today when we tried to get to the Grand Lisboa Hotel from the Ruins of St. Paul (walking, of course).  We ended up about two blocks from our apartment, so we started out again and finally made it.  Macau is not really all that big area-wise, but there is so much packed into this small space and the buildings are so tall you can't tell where you are most of the time.
Still hot and humid here--rain the past two days.
Chihdi (Later!)


                         

The Ruins of St. Paul (Macau Landmark)

Getting Ready for the Mid-Autumn Festival

EVERYTHING is decorated.

We travelled to HK yesterday for a temple session with our zone; we had lunch with Bro. Wong - he took our whole group (12 of us!) to Dan Ryan's, an American steakhouse.  Later on we had dinner with the Kau's and they showed us how to get to our hotel and some other places in Hong Kong.
Today, we had a Multi-Zone Meeting in Ho Man Tin - that was a GREAT experience.  Also had an interview with our Mission President, Pres. Chan.  He is an awesome man, and we look forward to working with him and learning from him.
We made it back to Sheung Wan to the ferry terminal and then to Macau all by ourselves--we are feeling quite proud.  We also figured out which buses to take in Macau to get to the ferry terminal and then back home.  Sure beats walking!
 

                                      Us in front of the Hong Kong Temple.

Pedi-cabs at the Ferry Terminal

The Streets of Macau

We are here in Macau, and have been non-stop busy since we arrived. We are still very tired. You would not believe the temperatures and high humidity here - it is like NOTHING we have ever experienced - even in the worst Illinois summer we can remember. However, we are dealing with it, and will hopefully get used to it. Everyone tells us that the weather is "better" now; I can't imagine what it was like when it was "worse"!!!!!We survived our first typhoon Monday night. When they "hoist the #8" then you go home, and you don't come out until they say you can. We were inside until about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. When we went outside, it was a real mess--things blown all over the place, trees down, etc. Businesses didn't open that day until very late, if at all. We have walked, and walked, and walked, and walked. We feel like the little pioneer children. This too, we will get used to.The people here are awesome, particularly those in the Macau 2nd Branch. It is an International Branch, so we have people from all over the place here. Most are from the Philippines, and Indonesia, but we have them from many other places as well. I'd like to describe Macau, but can't really. We will post pictures to this blog when we get our internet connection next week, and you can see for yourselves. Macau is a very old city, and is still so obviously Portugese. Things are much like China, too, however. The streets and alleys are crooked and narrow, and dirty, and busy--and so much FUN. The buildings are all very tall - and when they run out of room, they haphazardly add on. And then there are shacks built on top of the roofs (they call them garden apartments)! Our apartment is amazing - we live at the Chun Kin Palace (or something like that); we are in a very large apartment on the 18th floor - 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, nice hardwood floors, stone and tile bathrooms. It has missionary (read Salvation Army) furniture, but we can hang!The Branch feels like it is their home away from home, so is like Grand Central sometimes. I'm sure that will quiet down once the Lloyds leave (they are the couple we're replacing). They are dearly, dearly loved by the Branch members - and now by us also. What a wonderful work they have done here! We hope we can be just like them. Tomorrow we go to Hong Kong to get ID cards and receive orientation from our Mission leaders. It will be a very long day.
The Changs (that's our Chinese name!)

Sign at HK Airport

Going Away Party for Lloyd's at Apartment (Some of Macau 2nd Branch)

Our Adventure Begins!

On Monday, Sept. 7, 2009, we enter the MTC in Provo, Utah - the adventure begins!