Blog Post #58: Enchiladas

Dear Friends and Family,


Last Saturday was Elder Goo's birthday! A family in our Ward (we have 4 Elders serving the same congregation) wanted to feed us, but they wanted me to cook. I don't know who let out the secret that I want to be a chef when I grow up, but because of it, I was asked to make Enchiladas for 8 people.

Now, 8 is not a huge number, but when your Enchilada Experience is as limited as mine (eating the ones my mother makes), it's a little bit daunting! I was simultaneously making a South-West Black Bean and Corn Salad and Horchata, and the only reasons I survived were Elder Goo and his Trainee, Elder Tong, acting as my Sous-Chefs.

As a result, we had a LOT of delicious Mexican food! We split two heads of lettuce, 3 chicken enchiladas, 3 Taiwanese sausage enchiladas, two quarts of Horchata pudding (Elder Goo was quick on his feet and averted that disaster), and 6 quarts of icecream (Rocky Road, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Cookies-n-Cream, with a dish of chopped Macadamia nuts on the side). We were all full, and there was even a little leftover dessert (which got left at their house; we had to ride a 16-passenger minibus back home, and the icecream would NOT have lasted that half hour trip).

Beyond that, not much has happened. We are working through the heat (26-29 degrees with 80-95% humidity for the rest of the month... and the next, and the next) fairly well, with at least one McDonald's Sundae Cone a day. My Sourdough Starter that began life as a handful of oatmeal, a little red sugar, and a splash of water is now a bubbling mess in a peanut butter jar on top of our fridge; expect news about that in the future!

Love,

Elder J.E. O'Gara

Blog Post #057: Panda Express and Wanchai Ferry

Dear Beloved People (whom I love),

Good Morning and Alo-HA! I just got done talking to most of my family on the phone for my Mother's Day call; and from all the questions I got, I'm going to guess I haven't talked enough about what I eat here in the Fragrant Harbor. So, let me illuminate the subject for the next few paragraphs.

Chinese Breakfast

I am not sure what exactly constitutes a "Traditional" Chinese breakfast. I know that it is acceptable to eat noodles or rice at all three meals, but I'm not sure beyond that. I have seen my companion, Elder Chan, eat cereal most mornings, and all out skipped the "Most Important Meal" the rest. On Preparation Days we like to go to McDonald's, which is a complete zoo. School kids, old fogies, business men, hobos, and expatriates all line up to order their delicious tray or bag of hot and greasy "M-Gei".

They've got the American classics; eggs with sausage and a muffin, pancakes with sausage and a hashbrown, the Sausage Egg McMuffin with cheese, the Cheese and Ham sandwich, and even the Filet-o-Fish served with Coffee and a hashbrown. Is that last one normal?

Then there's the more Chinese stuff; the noodle bowls. You can get a big bowl of macaroni soup with a fried egg, chopped pork or chicken, (or a hotdog for another dollar), and a slice of cheese. You may have that in the US, but it just seems super Chinese to me. 

Chinese LunchEveryone here has the option of going to lunch at M-Gei, but there are a number of smaller places that advertise deals that are a little bit too good to pass up.

There is the classic "Fried Food Stand", where you can get three pieces of pretty much anything lightly battered and fried for $5. My favorites are eggplant, fishpaste, and tofu. You can also get a handful of noodles boiled up right there for you, thrown on a waxpaper square, and then drowned in sesame oil, soysauce, and chili oil.

The other option is to catch High Tea (9-11, but served all day for Public Holidays), which is another great and beautiful thing for the early-lunch-eaters. The Shanghai Noodle place here in Tai Po has 4 wantons and a glass of hot or cold soymilk for $12, which is awesome. I like to get 2 wantons, a bowl of sour soup or 1000-year-old egg congee for $14, which is also a pretty good deal. I usually stick to water because lunch time here is usually about 90 degrees with 90% humidity, so I've lost almost all of my internal water supply by that point.

Chinese Dinner

Dinner is usually a larger meal shared with your family. The first time I saw it I was thrown off because, after a bowl of "Mystery Ingredient Soup" (which turned out to be Sharkfin) they put 3 plates of what I thought was one person's serving on the table, then handed me a bowl of rice with a pair of chopsticks. The thing to do is throw a couple pieces of one of the 3-5 "entrées" on top of the rice, and then eat it with the rice, thus filling you up and eventually leaving half a bowl of flavoured rice to be eaten while you talk. I usually do 3 bowls of rice, while most locals do 2.

The other option is going to "Yum Chaa", like a buffet where you sit and order little baskets of expensive and delicious bite-size things. Also called "Dim Sum", I'm a huge fan of this kind of thing, but it's so expensive that once every other month is about all I can afford.

Chinese Dessert

The Chinese don't like sweet stuff, so their desserts are a bit different. The favorite is "Dau Fu Faa", hot tofu with red sugar, ginger juice, red beans, grean beans, or black sesame pudding on top. Tai Po just happens to be the home of the best dau fu faa in Hong Kong, where you can get any flavor of the above for $9, or just sugar for $7.

There are a few places that serve "tong seui" (literally sugar water), that has bits of chopped sweet potato, occasionally corn kernels, usually a bundle of watercress, and a lot of honey in a big steaming pot. Tong seui actually grows on you; it's good stuff.

To be fair, there are the occasional and expensive dessert shops that will sell thin pudding to you for outlandish prices, but it's good and it's worth it. The best is mango pudding with tapioca pearls (think frog eyes), but most of that kind of stuff is a little bit outside a Missionary's price range (unless you just give up dinner for the night).

So yeah, I like Chinese food! Panda Express got the Sweet and Sour Whatever with Bell Peppers and Onion exactly right, and Wanchai Ferry is sold here in the nicer supermarkets. Any good grocery store in a highly Asian influenced area will carry the Amoy and Lee Kum Kee brands, both of which are made at factories here in the Tai Po Industrial Estate. Go out and be adventerous! Try a new recipe, or at least go to a "Chinese" buffet!

I love you all, the work is going great, and I am having an awesome time. I love what I'm doing out here, I love the people I'm serving, and I love the people I'm working with! Beyond a doubt, this is the best place for me, and I intend to make the most of it. I am so glad I was called to be hot and sticky in this air-polluted city for two years, because there is no where else in the world that has as many people who I can help. Everyone here is waiting for the Gospel of Jesus, they just don't know it yet. I love Hong Kong!

Love,

Elder O'Gara 

Blog Post #56: Temple Day

Dear People,

Happy Wednesday! My district went to the Hong Kong Temple today, so our Preparation day is today as well! Next week it'll be back to normal, so be sure to check Monday for the update!

ANYWAYS

It was really nice to be in the House of the Lord today. It's the 11th Anniversary of my Step-Father passing away, and I'm used to being with my mom to comfort her. Being in the Temple helped me remember that this life, although the most important part of our eternal existence, is the shortest part as well. My mom might be separated from her husband for a time, and I might be separated from all of my beloved family members, but this is all just a tiny part of everything we're going to experience.

Missionary Work is the same way; whenever something bad or annoying happens, you just remember that we've got 730 chances to have the perfect day, and another one is coming up pretty quick. I want to live my life this way; focusing not on what's bothering me now, but what can make me happier later. I want all of you to try that too; stay connected and involved with the real world, but don't let sadness and depression get you down! Choose to be happy!

Everyone has more than enough reasons to be sad, but few of us choose to shrug them off! Face your problems, tackle them and defeat them, but don't let them kill you! I've learned that the people in this Mission that have the most problems are the ones who refuse to be optimistic. Don't be like them! Don't be sad! This phase of our life is too short to mar with negativity! Make your mortal life a time of joy, not regret!

I love you all,

Elder O'Gara

This was a message on facebook

I love pictures of my missionary! Moms are SO easy ;-}

Blog Post #55: Faith

Dear People,

Today I want to talk about Faith. Faith is a principle of power, and if given the proper environment to be cultivated in, it will grow. Now, my letter this week isn't about the ways to prepare your soul to receive and nurture this "seed of faith", but about the things I've discovered about faith in my studies recently.

Now, every Christian knows that Faith, Hope, and Charity are bound together in such a way that you cannot have Faith without the other two. I've found, in the last few days, that Patience is also inseparably connected to these other three virtues. Faith, in an interesting way, is also the root of Hope, Charity, and Patience, they could even be called "Facets of Faith".

HOPE

Hope is an abiding trust in God and His timing. You Hope for the things that you need in your life to further the work of God. You Hope for the strength to conquer your challenges and weaknesses. Part of Hope is waiting patiently for God to bless you in your time of need.

PATIENCE

Patience is having the faith to wait out your trials and tribulations, to accept that God is in charge, what He's throwing at you is part of the plan that leads to your greater good, and that you'll ultimitely be happy for what you're experiencing. Patience is a key indicator of your trust in God.

CHARITY

Charity, a type of Love that was exemplified perfectly in our Savior Jesus Christ, is what takes your Hope and Patience, and turns them to those around you. Once you have the Faith to be Patient and Hopeful towards God's plan, you can start to show a similar trust in those around you through Charity. You start to acknowledge other peoples' freedom to choose more and more, you accept them as children of God more readily, and you recognize faster that, even with their weaknesses, most are trying just as hard as you are to find true happiness in this life. Charity is showing your love for God by loving His children.

So yeah, it's been a really good week. The other Tai Po Elders had a Baptism yesterday, have one scheduled for next week, and we've got one scheduled for the next week, and the week after that. There is a lot about to happen in this Area, and I hope I can be patient and charitable enough for the Lord to bless others through me.

Love,
Elder O'Gara

Blog Post #54: Rain and Testing

Dear People,

It's been a slow week. We've had rain every day, and everyone is studying for year-end tests. 

It's been a REALLY slow week.

On another note, I have been getting better at making Asian food, so hopefully I'll be able to share when I get home! Just don't go getting me trunky by making specific plans for my work.

I don't have much else to talk about, but I hope everybody is doing great!

Love,
Elder O'Gara

Blog Post #53: All's Quiet on the Northern Front

Dear People I Love,

Happy P-Day! Also, I'm pretty sure that #2's oldest daughter is turning something like 13 really soon, or just did, so happy birthday to her!

I'm pretty much doing great, with nothing too special going on. Most of my time is taken up preparing my friends for baptism, which is pretty much all my life consists of right now.

I loved General Conference! All of the talks were awesome, but I probably received the most-needed personal revelation from Elder Holland's talk, go figure.

I hope everything is awesome in America! I know I'm going my best out here in Hong Kong, and I love every humid second of it!

Love,

Elder JE O'Gara