From the land of pig flu and modern toilets

something cool:
here in Hong Kong is a restaurant called "The Modern Toilet." yes, it is exactly what you are thinking it is - a bathroom themed restaurant. it's pretty much amazing. we went there today for lunch and i took tons of pictures which i inconveniently can't send to you. try googling it. you drink out of urinals and sit on toilet seats and eat food out of a toilet. and they also have flushing toilet sounds in the background. sorry mom, you probably think this is ridiculous, but you are totally coming here when you come to pick me up. the food is alright, but the atmosphere is hilarious and totally worth it.

something miracle:
we had 2 less actives come all the way to the Ma On Shan chapel on Sunday after 20-30 years of not going to church. it was a miracle, seriously. God is amazing.

something food:
so, our district elders won the Easter egg hunt we put together for them a few weeks ago and the grand prize was a dinner on the sisters, so we made them the most amazing meal in creation. it consisted of lamb, mashed potatoes, vegetables, french bread and cheesecake with strawberries and whip cream. (you don't really get meals like this here in Hong Kong.) so they were really excited and so was i because we ate it too. it reminded me of America...except for the lamb part. which was a miracle that it turned out, because i've never cooked lamb before. yeah for experimentation!

something exciting/scary:
so, the bird flu/pig flu or whatever it is that is going around has been causing quite a stir here in Hong Kong. they are crazy about sanitation here, especially since the SARS scare. they clean everything! and I'm serious. they have stickers everywhere that say "sanitized every hour" and "this carpet is sanitized." so funny. they also have people out cleaning the streets, sweeping sidewalks and trimming, pruning, washing all the time. it's amazing. i guess it keeps people employed and keeps the city clean. i like it and it makes me feel better about touching public things for sure. the chinese are funny when it comes to being sick though. they always wear face masks, even in public. it's just what you do to be courteous to others. luckily, i haven't got sick at all here in hong kong. if i do, I'm totally wearing a mask.

something spiritual:
in thinking of mitchell and michael getting there mission calls recently, i read in Alma 16:16 the other day and how it is so true that the Lord is preparing the hearts of the people they will teach in Honduras and Chile. I'm so excited for you two!!!! one of the best things i ever did was start praying for those that i would meet and teach on the mission as soon as i got my call. it is also true now for me as i know there are people being prepared every day for me to meet and teach the gospel. The Lord knows who will be ready for us and where we need to be to meet them. it's so amazing and such a blessing! and so cool if you jsut think about it!

something funny:
chinese people are so confused sometimes. they are caught between 2 cultures - the british culture and the chinese culture. an example of this can be seen just looking at people walking down a sidewalk. they have no idea which side to walk on. they drive on the left side, like in england, so the sidewalk just puzzles them. left or right? ahh! i don't know!!! so they just walk all over the whole darn thing. it makes for fabulous encounters though and great "breaking the ice" moments when you run into them because neither of you can decide who has the right of way. now add bikes into the mess and it's just hilarious.

tata for now!