Hong Kong Day 4: A Day of Rest

Sunday was relaxing and boy I needed a day of rest. By Saturday night my calves were in pain. I think it must have been from the steep trek down from the peak on Friday afternoon. It wasn't so painful that I couldn't walk, but the first few minutes after standing up are very uncomfortable and it takes a few minutes for me to be able to walk somewhat normal.

I talked to the kids in the morning. I was so great to see them. I had seen Katie a day or two earlier, but as our conversation ended she got very sad. Not tantrum sad, but genuinely sad to say good-bye to me. It was so hard to see. Thankfully today she was happy and playful the entire time we chatted. Man I love those kids!

We took a taxi to church so we wouldn't be all sweaty and hot. My Mom and Val attend a Pilipino branch with a few dozen women that work in Hong Kong as domestic helpers to send money to their families back home. Some are very young, some are married with children back in the Phillipines. They only see their families maybe once a year. It was one woman’s last week at church. She's decided to move back home to her husband after working here for 23 years! They talk about how lucky she is that her husband has remained faithful to her (since most of the husbands are not) and how she hopes to now start a family of her own. The experience was humbling. In Sunday school when the lesson discusses enduring hardships these women are living it. They have real wars in their countries, they don't have the freedoms we take for granted, I can't imagine living in the conditions they do with the hardships they face everyday. They shared their testimonies so openly - real women of faith. The spirit was strong in those meetings and I was grateful to be a part of it.

After church they had a Family Home Evening and dinner. These women only get one day off a week and they choose to spend it at the church with sisters of their same faith. I'm sure it's a highlight of their week. Mom, Brenda, and I were strongly encouraged to participate in the whisper game. We had six on a team and the first member was given a scripture to rely to the second, then without help or notes, we pass it down the line and see how close we get at the end. Neither team did very well, but the team Mom and I were on ended up taking the prize - we each got to choose a small key chain as our reward.

Dinner was interesting. The women cooked some Pilipino noodles with vegetables - delicious (I had seconds). They also served (and I ate for the first time) egg sandwiches. For dessert there was a Pilipino "dessert" a brown, soup-like consistency served in bowls. I can't even think of how to describe it except unique. Our table guessed there were leachy nuts, taro, and some tiny round noodles in it - maybe also a little fruit as well.  I ate a little.

My Mom had forewarned us that these Pilipino women are very honest. They say whatever they are thinking. When my Mom introduced us as her daughters nearly everyone commented that we didn't resemble her at all. One sister then looked closer and said, except for your teeth. Us Hipwell's do have big front teeth. Another sister said Mom and Brenda have a similar face shape - they are both very thin, but then added that my face is "chubby." I guess some people would find it offensive, but they didn't say anything we didn't already know and I enjoyed their lack of filtering.

It was a long day, but I was grateful for the experience. I felt guilty sitting there knowing that next week I'll be heading to my beautiful home to be with my family - able to not just live with my four kids, but to stay home with them each and every day. I admired their testimonies of faith. The reminder that challenges in life can make us stronger and that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us we can't always understand.