Ang Mo Kio Ward Temple Trip June 2015

(By David Low)

The Ang Mo Kio Ward Taiwan Taipei Temple Trip from the 02/06 – 06/06 was a great success! It was spiritually rewarding and an excellent opportunity for ward members to bond. We were truly blessed with the miracles that we all experienced as we each prepared and took small and simple steps to enter our Lord’s House.

The moment we arrived at the airport in the early afternoon, we were favoured with Taiwanese hospitality. We were swiftly picked up by a bus that was chartered by Brother Arnie Chen, who had also arranged lunch for us. The bus uncle was kind enough to allow us to eat on his bus as we drove to the temple patron housing. We quickly checked in, freshened up, and without much delay, we entered the temple about 5.30pm.

2 June 2015 will be the day to remember for three of our patrons who received their own endowments. Brother Michael Ang’s father, Ang Gong Gong, who is 85 years old in age, was one of them. Despite being in a wheel chair, quite hard of hearing and with poor eyesight, Brother Ang was still able to serve our kindred dead. This was made possible because of the faith of the Ang family and the care and patience of the many temple workers who so kindly waited on him and led him through the various ordinances. Two of our ward sisters, Sister Gerlina Ariola and Sister Annie Lim, also received their own endowments that evening. This is indeed a leap of faith for them, and the next step of progression in the gospel that everyone should take as they continue to grow in faith and testimony.

The rest of the temple program was intensive, starting at 7am and ending at 3.30pm every day. The schedules were arranged by Elder and Sister Tan Su Kiong, under the direction of President Ho. We didn’t have to worry about what to do or where to go next as they had so lovingly prepared every step for us. Lunches were arranged for our group as our tight schedule would not allow us to depart the temple for lunch. This saved us much time and a lot more temple work was accomplished. Everything was maximised to its potential through the dedicated planning and arrangements of the temple workers. Lunch breaks were the best as we had the opportunity to taste all the different local food, in a BOX! Thank yous and hugs would never be enough to the Temple Matron who personally made the effort to buy lunch for us one day. We feel so loved!

The youth were extremely blessed at being able to participate in the temple ordinances of baptism for the dead. It was truly a new experience for them as most youth had to do 20 – 30 names each; which was quite a challenge for some, especially being baptized in the water continuously.

Amidst all the things we had to do in the temple, we were blessed to have one full afternoon of rest and relaxation. We were privileged to have Sister Wu, a temple worker, who kindly volunteered to be our tour guide. First we went to the famous Yeh Liu Geopark where we able to see spectacular rock formations. This is a work of art after thousands of years of wave attacks, rock weathering, earth and crustal movements that contributed to such a stunning geological landscape. We saw a beautiful queen’s head, a fairy’s shoe and even an Ice-cream - all made from rock! While travelling from place to place, we were able to sing karaoke to our hearts’ content. The moving bus trip bonded everyone together and made our voices beautiful. We visited a place called ‘Golden Mountain’ where we were able to buy famous ‘water cook duck’ and also many other delicious titbits. We even stopped along the way for some famous Liu Jia dumplings which was delicious to the sight and taste. Next we went to Shi Men fishing port and viewed the vast sea and the fine sand. Tiny sea creatures were found and were photographed for memories. The last event of the day was going to Dan Shui where it was time to eat, shop and view the lights. Food was definitely the highlight as we savoured every morsel of yummy food that Taiwan has to offer.

On our last day, we did one last session of temple work which brought the temple trip to a fruitful close. Of course, such spiritual moments are always best to end with a testimony meeting. Individual testimonies were heightened and the faith of the ward was strengthened. The spirit was strong, tears flowed as testimonies were borne and even though time was short, we all knew for ourselves that God, our Father in Heaven was watching over us this whole trip. As the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.” However, after attending the temple, we definitely believe that good feelings do not need to have an end because families can be together forever!

We are already looking forward to our next Ward Temple Trip!