New Meeting Schedule for 2012

The meeting schedule for our Branch Sunday services will revert back to the morning.  Here is the new meeting schedule for the Branch Sunday meetings in 2012:

Sacrament Meeting	9:00 AM to 10:10 AM
Sunday School	10:20 AM to 11:00 AM
Priesthood, Relief Society, Young Men, Young Women, Primary	11:10 AM to 12:00 PM

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December 25 Christmas Sacrament Program

On Christmas Day, the final Sunday of 2011 and the final Sunday of the branch's Worship Through Music Month, we celebrated the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ with special musical guests. To start off, a special quartet (Vincent Li on the cello, Jessica Tsai on the violin, Joshua Tsai on the clarinet, and Melinda Tsai on the flute) played the prelude song, "Beautiful Savior." After the four Tsai children sang the parts for the "Angel's Carol," Brad Johnson shared a Christmas message. Then the all-male choir sang four verses in English of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." Following Michael Cunningham's talk, Brother George Chang and the Primary children sang together "O Holy Night." President Patrick Shen shared the final Christmas talk. For the finale, the Branch Choir, together with members from the Washington Chinese Chorus, the Yellow River Arts Ensemble, and the Hua Xia Chinese Choir joined voices and sang the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah.

December has been a wonderful month to commemorate the birth of our Savior through beautiful music with our family, neighbors, and friends.

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December 18 Christmas Sacrament Program

Dear Montgomery Branch Members and Friends:

First, many thanks to the many of you who attended our Sacrament meeting today, during which the children and adults of the Hope Chinese School Chorus sang "Silent Night" for the congregation.  We were also blessed to hear the beautiful voices from our own Primary, the Seminary students led by Bro. and Sis. Anderson, the combined voices of the Tsai, Huang and Theodore families, and a moving closing hymn by Sisters Tsai and Susan Liu.

Of course, the many visitors who visited our church for the first time today were captivated by the inspired words of Ashley Cooper (孔兰欣）, Dan Maxwell （马德安） and Nicholai Lazarev （罗智全）, and marveled at their Chinese proficiency.

We were thrilled to see so many new friends in the Congregation today, and many old friends who had not seen in awhile.  In total, 116 people - a Montgomery Branch record -- came to support our program today.  We recognize that many of our guests are faithful members of their own churches, and some may not belong to any church at all.  We respect everyone's faith, or the right to have no faith.  However, we hope that the music and spoken words everyone heard today brought a special feeling of happiness that will stay with all of us for a long time, making our days a little brighter, or better yet, inspiring us to make other peoples days brighter as well.

This coming Sunday, we will hear from more special musical guests, including members from three different Chinese community choruses who will sing with the Montgomery Branch choir the Halleluja Chorus from Handel's Messiah.  We also look forward to hearing special performances by Brother George Chang who will sing with our primary children, and a song by the Tsai kids.

Brad Johnson, who recently returned from a teaching assignment is Nanjing, will be our guest speaker.

We would be honored if you can spend part of your Christmas day with us.

Sincerely,


The Montgomery Branch

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Christmas Party

You can see all the photos here

'Twas the week before Christmas,
When all through the branch,
Not a member was bored,
But all were busily engaged in a good cause.

This Christmas, we enjoyed a sumptuous meal of turkey and ham, noodles and rice, salad and casserole, sundry dishes, and many desserts, both Chinese and Western. Before the Christmas program, our new mission leader, Da Zhao, presented our beloved full-time missionaries, Elders Kerby and McLane, with a special letter from home and a scripture case from the branch. Helen Mu and Michael Cunningham, our distinguished emcees for the evening, recited the story of the Savior's birth, with additional musical numbers by the Primary children, the youth, and the Relief Society sisters. A special guest, Zane Liu, favored us with a piano solo, "O Holy Night." The audience sang together a stirring concluding hymn, "Silent Night." After the closing prayer, the familiar Jingle bells began to ring, followed by the laugh of the jolly old elf himself, Santa Claus. The crowd cheered, the paparazzi followed, and the children, old and young, lined up anxiously to seize a chance to sit on Santa's lap, inform him of Christmas wishes, pose for a photo, and receive a special gift. While the work of cleaning up ensued, we mingled, hugged, and enjoyed each other's company. Many heartfelt thanks to Sisters Chen and Shen for their organizing of this special memorable event, simple yet meaningful.

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Where Are They Now? ---> Michael Chang

I served as a missionary in MCB from 2008 to 2009. My missionary companions were Elders Cheng, McCully, Chiang, Lin, and Lo. My mission President was President Mansell.

One of my memorable experiences in the branch was the Chinese New Year celebration at the Stake Center. The YM’s lion dance, YW singing, and the decoration in the chapel were amazing. The costumes that members and friends put on especially enriched the Chinese New Year festivity. The Christmas party was a lot of fun too. The Primary children and the youth acted the nativity scenes, and then everyone sang part of 12 days of Christmas from each of the table. The young Primary kids rode their bicycles around at the end be like future missionaries. Another of my favourite activities was singing hymns at the English class. It’s memorable because nobody in the English knew how to sing initially, but by the end we were becoming more confident in singing English songs. I will always remember the song, ’America the Beautiful,’ Hymn #338, because we sang it over and over every week for 3 months. I am forever thankful for the many opportunities to serve in the branch and be able to learn from faithful members in the branch. The love and kindness that many members in MCB possess has motivated me to carry on this journey of labour of love. A small example that I always remind myself is that I should try to feed the missionaries every month now like I used to be fed in MCB.

I have been serving as a branch mission leader and 2nd counselor in the branch presidency in the Chinese branch in Oakland California for more than a year. In a way the branch in Oakland functions a lot like MCB, but there are a few obvious differences. We have 3 sets of Chinese missionaries (2 sets of Elders and 1 set of Sisters) and 1 senior couple serving in the branch to accommodate the huge demand of Chinese population in Oakland Chinatown and East Bay Area. 80% of the Chinese population here speaks Cantonese, which is a lot different from the folks whom I am used to interact with, bu my Cantonese has only improved slightly since I arrived. It’s often that you will see the lessons/talks at Church get translated into three languages – Mandarin, Cantonese, English. The English class in Chinatown is extremely popular in this area, where we have 80 people on average on Saturday and also 3 other time slots during the weekdays. The Oakland branch doesn’t have as many families and kids as MCB, and we know families are important to build growth and stability in the branch and kids are the future of the Church.

I am working in a freight forwarding company, doing import customer service. I am dating a RM girl from Hong Kong, and we are planning to get married next year. I have 6 wonderful roommates from Nepal. They cook really nice curry for me almost every day. I am trying to learn how to cook good Chinese food for them, so that I don’t get kicked out of the apartment. I am still deciding where to live and settle down in the future. I miss New Zealand a lot and want to see my grandma there. And yes! All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup this year, so life is good even though my car was stolen twice in a week last summer. I am very grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and the love and tender mercy of God every day. I am very excited to see how things will unfold as to where I will be staying, and I will only know until the next post!

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December 11 Christmas Sacrament Program

Dear Members and Friends of the Montgomery Branch:

Following up on the message below, we are delighted to report that the today's Sacrament meeting went exceptionally well. We had four terrific guest speakers (all returned missionaries) who gave moving testimonies in still fluent Mandarin of what Christmas means to them and their families. Mr. Dai (a renowned tenor from China - now retired and living in the U.S.) and Elder Kerby sang a beautiful duet. Indeed, after watching an 80 year-old devout Chinese Catholic and a 20 year-old Mormon missionary from Arizona singing together about Jesus Christ in our Sacrament meeting, we became more convinced than ever that it is the gospel of Jesus Christ (and uplifting music) that will unite mankind and transcend any language, cultural and political barriers in this world. We also received many compliments from our visitors about the Chinese proficiency of our four young brethren who spoke, sparking a wonderful conversation about our missionaries program.

It only gets better. In the next two weeks, we will have members from various Chinese community choirs coming to sing Christmas hymns with the Montgomery Branch choir. If you were with us today and had a rewarding experience, please come back and join us again -- only this time bring more of your friends and neighbors. If you weren't able to make it, you have two more opportunties, on the 18th and the 25th.

Hope to see you soon.

The Montgomery Branch Presidency

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New Branch Callings

One constant factor we can always expect in our church is change. On this Fast Sunday in December, many such calling changes were effected. President Shen announced changes in the following organizations (former/new): Branch Mission (Peng Lin/Da Chi Zhao), Relief Society (Charlotte Shen/Li-Fang Tsai), Young Women (Abbey Zhao/Xiaojun Jones), and Primary (Alexis Chang/Ashley Theodore). He thanked all of the leaders who served so valiantly and all of the members who were willing to accept the new callings. Congratulations to all! The work of the Lord goes forward!

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Invitation to December Christmas Services

Join the Montgomery Branch and special musical guests for a celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Each Sunday throughout the month of December, the Montgomery Branch choir and members from our area’s premiere Chinese Community choruses will join voices to bring to all the spirit of this Christmas Season.  We also are blessed to have many guests speakers who had served the Lord as volunteer missionaries in Chinese speaking areas across the world!

Church service begins at 1:00 PM.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
16 Kent Gardens Circle
Gaithersburg, MD 20878

This is a GREAT opportunity to share with our friends our belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the joy we feel every Christmas season. Please come and bring your friends. The language of music is universal. They don't even have to understand Chinese!!

For more information, please call (240) 498-5984

蒙哥馬利分會和音樂來賓邀請您一同慶祝救主耶穌基督的誕生。

十二月的每一個星期日，蒙哥馬利分會合唱團和本地中文社團的合唱團將一同獻唱，為我們帶來聖誕季節的精神.我们也很荣幸能够邀请到曾经用中文传教的弟兄姐妹来与我们分享圣诞信息。

我們的教會時間開始於下午1時

耶穌基督後期聖徒教會
16 Kent Gardens Circle
Gaithersburg, MD 20878

这是一个非常好的机会来与我们的朋友们分享季节的快乐，以及我们对耶稣基督的信心。音乐是国际的语言。您带来的朋友甚至不需听懂中文！！

若您需要更多訊息請電洽 (240) 498-5984

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Newsletter 2011 December

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Where Are They Now? ---> Kuo & Kazumi Huang

I was a member from 1994, when we met in the Potomac chapel, until 2002, when my family moved to Japan. I did not have any official church callings, but I performed some language translations during Sunday meetings.
My most memorable experience while a member was, of course, being sealed in the Washington Temple to my wife. Also, going on splits with the missionaries was always fun!
I am living in Japan now. My two children are of junior high and elementary school age.

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Youth Temple Trip

After the big Thanksgiving Day, the youth had an opportunity to serve in the temple by performing proxy ordinances.  Four young women, one young man, and a single adult served as patrons by doing confirmations for 5 individuals and baptisms for 15 people.  In addition, 7 brethren and 1 sister assisted in the ordinances.  Sister Bryan, the newly called Assistant to the Matron, spoke to the patrons about the importance and blessings of being in the temple to help in these important ordinances.  Although today was still vacation time, the youth were engaged in a most worthwhile service activity at the temple.

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Young Women Cooking Activity

On the half day of school before Thanksgiving, 5 young women gathered in the of Sister Zhao for a relaxing day of cooking instruction, practice, and enjoyment. The delectable dishes included potato casserole, ham potato soup, bacon potato soup, hot and sour noodles, and the traditional green onion pancakes. With increased competence in culinary creations, the young women not only prepared themselves for the Thanksgiving festivities, but they savored their cuisine with much delight.

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Where Are They Now? ---> Ricoh & Joyce Pascual

My name is Brother Ricoh Pascual from the Philippines. I attended the Montgomery Chinese Branch from 2005 to 2007 when my wife and I decided to look for a better opportunity in the US. I was called as the executive secretary to President Ben Tsai. I have a lot of fond memories in the branch. I will never forget the time that I joined the Young Men in their biking activity along the way to Beach Drive to... somewhere very, very far, in which I almost collapsed. I thought I could compare myself with the young ones in terms of strength. I was very grateful to Brother Patrick Shen for accompanying me until the finish line. Also, I miss those times with the Chinese saints at the Foulger's farm.  We were always there for the branch activities.  We had games, lots of fun, and of course good food to enjoy. I enjoyed and cherished the full fellowship of the saints, which made me feel home. My family misses the branch so much. My wife, Joyce, is always longing to talk with her friends, and so are my children, Jelica and Jericho.  They always remember their happy moments with their friends, especially the thing called a "sleep over" and jumping on the trampoline with them. They always wish they could go back again someday. We have been back in Taiwan for almost 4 years now, but the memory of the Montgomery Chinese Branch remains with us. We wish to get in touch with those whom we had been acquainted, especially those who have helped us during our difficult times.  Our Facebook pages are uploaded with our latest pictures. You can always send us a message, and we'll be happy to chat with you. We miss you guys!

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Lunch for Missionaries

On November 11^th, under the direction of Charlotte Shen, the Relief Society, including two non-member friends, prepared and served a lunch to 85 missionaries during a zone conference of the Washington, D.C. North Mission.  The missionaries, along with Elder Patrick Kearon of the First Quorum of the Seventy, expressed their appreciation for the sisters’ labor of love, and for the delectable Chinese culinary delights

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Relief Society Sewing Activity

In preparation for the missionary appreciation activity, on the evening of November 3, Sister Tsai led the sisters in embroidering cloth sacks to be filled with holiday treats and other gifts for the missionaries who currently or formerly served in the Branch.  Sister Tsai provided the materials to make and decorate four large, handcrafted sacks from scratch despite having only two sewing machines.  As in years past, the sacks and contents will be presented to the missionaries this Christmas.  We are grateful to Sister Tsai for sharing her talents and to all the sisters who participated in this meaningful annual tradition.

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Newsletter 2011 November

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Where Are They Now? ---> Sara McBride Luo

I participated in the branch after I got home from my mission in 2006. I think the Christmas of that year I also attended meetings there. After that, my family moved away from Maryland. I remember when Sophy Lin got married, attending her sealing and reception. I also remember giving a talk one Sunday. It was a good experience, but a little embarrassing since when writing it, I thought for sure I would talk for too long, but it ended up only being like a 5 minute talk.

I just graduated this past August from BYU with a Master's in Mathematics. I will be starting a job at Raytheon in Aurora, CO this month, working as a Systems Engineer. I got married in 2008 to Yi Luo. He is from Hangzhou, China, and came to BYU in 2002 for school. He has one more year left to finish his Ph.D., also in Math.

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Where Are They Now? ---> Zach Metcalfe

My name is Zachary Metcalfe and I was a missionary in the branch, on and off, from May 2005-May 2007. My Mission President was William Price and my companions while serving in the branch included Dylan Landeen, Kyle Melling, Joseph Heaton, Ben Li, and Gnailam (Aaron) Wong.


One of the most memorable experiences with the branch was the first September in the mission when we reenacted the Legend of Hou Yi and Chang E. I dressed up as a big rabbit, using fairy wings for my bunny ears and my companion, Elder Landeen, was Chang E. When Elder Landeen was dancing around, he slipped on something and fell, which made me laugh, though I hoped he didn't hurt himself.
Another memorable experience with the branch was the time we had a large branch activity up near Sugarloaf Mountain. I remember it being a lot of fun and I really enjoyed spending time with the members on a less formal activity than church services.


Currently I'm finishing up my last year of university, getting my Bachelor's of Arts in English and Mandarin-Chinese Education. I'm student teaching in Las Vegas, Nevada and I love it. I'm not married yet.

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Wedding and Reception for James & Helen Mu

After many years of waiting and searching, our beloved Sister Helen He has found her true love, and she married him in the right place.  Amidst a beautiful backdrop of a sunny autumn morning, the newlyweds looked relaxed and happy in front of the temple mingling and posing for photos with the dozen friends.  An hour earlier, she and James Mu were married and sealed in the Washington DC Temple.  In the afternoon, the new couple joined the Mandarin endowment session.  As a finale to the celebration of their wedding, friend and family gathered in the Kentlands Chapel cultural hall to honor the newly married bride and groom.  Each family brought a delicious dish to share.  Brother Andrew Shen acted as emcee for the evening.  A special choir sang Charity for James and Helen.  Many people paid tribute to the new couple, including Benjamin Tsai, Ron Harrison, Sid Foulger, Li-Fang Tsai, Xiaoyun Li, and Su Tan.  James and Helen sang Love One Another before cutting the cake.  As an outpouring of love and support, we were so excited and honored to witness this day and special event.  Congratulations to the James and Helen on their new life together!

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Elder Tsai Returns Home

On October 5, Elder Jonathan Tsai returned home after serving two years in the Australia Melbourne Chinese Speaking Mission. His family were so excited to meet him that they canceled all of their prior engagements that night, so that they could pick him up at the airport. Dinner was happily eaten in the car on the way to the home of President Harrison, where Elder Tsai was finally released by the same person who set him apart him as a full-time missionary two years ago. Although it was a difficult transition to accept for the diligent missionary, all good things must come to an end. On the other hand, after one door is closed, God opens another door. The new prospects are ahead for Elder Tsai.

The following Sunday, Elder Tsai reported on his mission to the stake council in front of the stake presidency. That afternoon, after church services, a branch homecoming fireside was held in his honor. At 4pm, members came into the cultural hall, enjoyed some crackers and cheese, talked with Elder Tsai, and enjoyed a slideshow of photos from Elder Tsai's missionary experience. Our branch mission leader, Peng Lin, conducted the missionary fireside. After Elder Tsai's parents said a few words, President Shen made some remarks and presented Elder Tsai with a plaque for his mission. Then Elder Tsai shared thoughts about his mission with everyone. After a closing hymn and prayer, the fireside was adjourned. The branch provided a beautiful cake to celebrate the return of Elder Tsai.

Looking at Elder Tsai, one would not notice anything different from before. In fact, he kept wearing the same missionary outfit for a few days. His demeanor and disposition are about the same as before. His speech and actions appear to the same Jonathan before his mission. But a closer inspection will reveal that Elder Tsai indeed has changed on the inside where it really counts. His knowledge of the gospel and understanding of life and other people have improved significantly. Elder Tsai's return resembles that of the sons of Mosiah. "What added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God." (Alma 17:2-3)

Well done, and welcome come back, Jonathan!

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Newsletter 2011 October

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Where Are They Now? ---> Jack Shirts

My name is Jack Shirts. I was a missionary serving in the Montgomery Chinese Branch from 2000 to 2002. My companions were Elders Wertz, Chiu, Hsieh, Lin, Li, & Muir. My mission presidents were Gary Farnes and Michael Madsen.

Hardly a day goes by that I don't think about the people I met, served with, and love in the Montgomery Branch. I could go on and on, but some of the most memorable things include:

• Sister Tung & Sister Hsueh's faithful service at the weekly English classes.
• The kindness of so many members inviting missionaries to their homes for meals and fellowship.
• Meeting weekly with Brother and Sister Foulger to discuss the progress of investigators.
• Most of all, watching wonderful people accept the light of the gospel: Bernard and Mary Shiu, Du Jiang and Zheng Qing, Chen Peifang, Linda Fu, and many more.

My wife Natalie and I have two boys: Jackson (3 years) and Clayton (10 months). I graduated in April with an MBA from BYU. Since then, we moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where I work in Human Resources for the Kellogg Company. You can follow us through our blog: http://luckyshirts.blogspot.com/

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Young Women's Bulletin Board Activity

On the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, when the kids were off from school, the Young Women took advantage of that time to redecorate the Montgomery Branch bulletin board in the Young Women's room.

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Baptisms of Minxi Zhu & Meiling Jiang

On the last Sunday in September, we were privileged to witness a special mother-daughter baptism held right after church.  Katie Zhu and her daughter, Ling, were baptized on the same day.  Elder Hsiung baptized Katie, after which Elder Kerby baptized Ling.  They requested Sisters Abbey Zhao and Li-Fang Tsai to present talks on baptism and on the gift of the Holy Ghost.  After Sister Charlotte Shen welcomed Katie to Relief Society, Sister Alexis Chang welcomed Ling to Primary.  Brother Haoming Guo welcomed both of them to our branch. The whole program was conducted by Brother Ming-Chieh Lee.  We welcome Katie and Ling as the newest members of our branch.

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New Chinese Branch in Virginia

On September 18 at 11:00am in the Centreville Stake Center, President Steve Hilton speaking in Mandarin officially organized the long awaited Twin Lakes Chinese Branch in the Centreville Stake.  President Hilton released the old branch presidency: Brandon Welling, Bowei Zhu, and Chengxi Ye.  He then called the new branch presidency: Ta-cheng Hsu, Kevin Mallory, and Mike Shen.

The newly formed Twin Lakes Branch (Chinese) will serve Chinese members residing in all eight stakes of the Washington DC Coordinating Council in the Washington DC South Mission in Virginia. To accomodate the expected nonmember Chinese guests, the starting time for that day was changed to 11:00am.  For the balance of 2011, the meeting time schedule will be from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.  Beginning in January 2012, the Twin Lakes Branch will meet from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, with Sacrament Meeting convening in the Relief Society Room of the Centreville Stake Center at 9:00 a.m.

Congratulations to the Chinese Saints in Virginia on the branch, and congratulations to the new branch presidency for accepting their new callings and challenges ahead.

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Moon Festival Celebration

Five days after the harvest full moon, our branch held its annual celebration of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in our own Kentlands Chapel.  Led and planned by Da Zhao and Fengdi Chen, the evening's program was emceed by Leroy Thong and Sherry Wei.  We first enjoyed a delectable potluck meal.  Under the direction of our emcees, the program included recitation of Tang Dynasty poems, family stories of how they celebrate the Moon Festival in their home now or when they were growing up, and a couple of special musical numbers. Brennan Zhao recited the poem, 夜思.  After the Guo Family shared how they celebrated the Moon Festival in China, Michael Golden recited his poem, 竹里館.  The young women sang a Chinese song, with Melinda and Emerald at the piano.  Then Isaiah Shen recited the poem, 楓橋夜泊.  The Huang family told us about celebrating the moon festival in Taiwan, and the Ly family informed us about celebrating the moon festival in Vietnam.  Richard Huang shared his poem, 山居秋暝.  Then Melinda Tsai played the flute, with her mom accompanying on the piano.  During the program, Betty Anderson chaired the lantern making table, wherein the children learned how to make paper lanterns, decorated with an artificial lamp.  Of course, we enjoyed the homemade moon cakes made this past Thursday by our fabulous Relief Society sisters.

All in all, over 100 people attended.  We saw old friends and made new friends in our large branch family.  Thank you Brother Zhao and Sister Chen and all those who made this event possible.  Happy Moon Festival.  Hope you can come next year!

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Where Are They Now? ---> Jake Petersen

My name is Jake Petersen. I served as a missionary in the branch from 1997 to 1998. My companion was Carl Johnson, and I served under President Gary Farnes. As far as memorable experiences in the branch there were many. I was actually called as an English elder and transferred to the Chinese branch about half way through my mission. I remember sister He inviting all us missionaries over to her home when she entertained the U.S ambassador to China. Also, I remember the Chinese New Year celebration put on by the branch. Since my mission I have attended some college classes at the Salt Lake Community College here in Salt Lake City but have yet to finish. I work as a customer service supervisor for Verizon Wireless, and I am currently single but dating a wonderful girl. I miss you all and hope to soon have the chance to come back and visit!

Sincerely, (Elder) Jake C. Petersen

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Relief Society Moon Cake Activity

Over 15 people attended the Relief Society Enrichment Activity on Thursday, September 15. Mrs. xxx, Sister Gee, and Sister Azucena taught the sisters how to make Guandong style, shu shi, and frozen ready-to-eat moon cakes. Over 100 moon cakes were made to prepare for the branch Moon Festival activity this Saturday. Stay alert for the report on how the homemade moon cakes turn out.

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Elders Quorum Breakfast

On the Saturday before Labor Day, the Elders Quorum invited the Young Men to participate in a breakfast activity.  Although President Mike Cunningham and Brother Mingshu Zhang were not able to attend, Brother Greg Ly stepped out to the plate and did a fabulous job in organizing the event, preparing and making the breakfast, and conducting the activity.  About six men and four young men participated.  While the breakfast was being prepared, a friendly basketball game ensued between young men led by Jess and the older men led by Da.  The exciting game went into a tiebreaker, in which the older men barely won.  Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious full meal consisting of waffles, sausages, rolls, fruit, and juice.  We were filled in more than one way.  This activity was a great way to kick off the fall season.  Thanks to the Elders Quorum leadership for organizing this activity.

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Where Are They Now? ---> Stephen & Janice Adams

My name is Janice Adams.  I was a missionary in the branch and I was known as Sister Ng.  Sis Chew was my companion for 2 months (I was in the Chinese branch for the last 2 months of my mission).  Pres. Graff and Pres. Farnes were my mission presidents.

One of my fond memories is how kind, patient, and loving the branch members were despite my limited Chinese.

I am married with one son and a baby girl on the way (due Aug 14, 2011).

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Relief Society Humanitarian Service Project

Under the coordination of Sisters Charlotte Shen and Betty Azucena, the Relief Society in cooperation with the Young Women conducted the annual Outreach Service Project.  The Relief Society first collected used backpacks for assembling kits for children in poor countries.  They collected 18 backpacks and assembled them with school supplies, including pencils, erasers, notebooks, children's books, and stuffed animals.  Sister Azucena brought the assembled backpacks to the Montgomery County Homeless Shelter on Thursday.  Today despite the threat of Hurrican Irene, Sisters Chen and Gee, our two elders, and the Brother Azucena brought lunch for 31 people at the shelter.  They also left enough dinner for 80 people. 

Through this service project, the sisters delivered their love and concern for our community.  The Relief Society thanks those who donated backpacks and those who served and the young women for preparing the back-to-school kits for the homeless children.  They are so grateful that we could reach our goals with all your love.

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Where Are They Now? ---> I-Ming & Tina Wang

We are I-Ming and Tina Wang, and we were members of the Montgomery Chinese Branch from 1993 to 1998.  Tina was a teacher and counselor in the Primary.  I-Ming was a Sunday School teacher, choir director, and athletic director.

Our most memorable experiences in the branch include the branch trips to Salt Lake City and Hill Cumorah.  Most memorable of all, we were married in the Washington DC Temple in 1996.

Tina is a full-time mom at home, and I-Ming works for a pharmaceutical company as a research scientist.  We have 2 children.  Jacob is 13, and Abish is 12.

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Where Are They Now? ---> Gary Lu

My name is Gary Lu.  I was a full-time missionary in the branch, my companions included Elders Chen, Taylor Hsieh, Fugal, Lin, Daniel Hsieh.  My mission presidents were President Farnes & Madsen.

I remember singing hymns with the missionaries in Mandarin to the Foulgers and how it would bring tears to Sister Foulger.  I also remember my "going away activity" where my heart was so full, I talked about every member who was there and how they touched my life.

I am currently living in San Diego where I build and oversee insurance agencies in the San Diego District for Farmers Insurance. I am currently single.

I'm on Facebook and Linkedin.

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Youth Temple Trip

On Tuesday evening, July 26, the youth had another opportunity to perform baptisms and confirmations in the temple.  Four young men and four young women, along with two single adults, participated in the activity.  Seven priesthood holders were on hand to assist with the ordinances.

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Where Are They Now? ---> Hope Ti

My name is En-Shuang, but you can also call me Hope.  It has been a long time since I “graduated” from the Chinese branch.  When I was a member of the Chinese branch I had many different callings like in  婦女會, 兒童會 and also in 女青年 too. These three callings helped me a lot, but I didn’t know it during that period of time. If you ask me to do them again, I would try to do my best even more and better.

In fact, I have so many memorable experiences in the Chinese branch: firesides at Brother Foulger's farm and activities inside the church. There were all great memories.  The one that influenced me the most was the day I got baptized. I remember it was a sunny day. I went home after the Sacrament meeting. A few hours later I drove all the way from my house to the church.  Inside the car, I was very happy and grateful for who I am and where I am.  When I got inside the church, friends were preparing for my baptism.  I won’t tell you everything in detail here because you got to experience it yourself.  There is only one thing I can tell you, and that is to be baptized was one of the greatest things I have done for myself so far.  It is one of the ways to get closer to our Heavenly Father. It can help you to be a better person and to be someone not just you. Heavenly Father help us in many different ways. Sometimes you may not even notice that He is there to help, but don’t see it through your eyes.  Use your heart.  You will be able to see the beauty of everything.

Right now I am working in a school near by the airport. I hear and see the airplanes take off everyday, and it makes me want to go back to Chinese branch to visit all of my lovely friends there. There are so many times I watch the airplane fly by and shout “take me with you.”  My students will laugh at me because they think I am such a goofy teacher We have over 200 students in our school from kindergarten to elementary school. I am teaching in kindergarten.  My students are about 6 years old. This is a very important age because they have to get ready to go to elementary school. Due to the environment and the heavy working hours, I don’t have time for myself.  Kindergartens in my country are very different.  This is the reason why I am still not married, but I am looking forward to it happening one day.

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Young Men Hike

Four Young Men, led by Jess, commenced an expedition to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain on the morning of July 9.  All of the explorers boldly maneuvered the rugged terrain to reach the peak.  They enjoyed delicious salami sandwiches provided by their fearless leader.  Congratulations to the young men for a successful trek.

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Farewell Fireside for Twin Elders

After two very fleeting years, the day of reckoning has arrived.  Elders Luk and Hung, who started together as missionaries, will now depart for home together.  Both will be returning to Hong Kong after two successful years.  At the end of the baptismal service for Ming-Chieh Lee, President Shen asked them to share their testimonies.  We thank the two of them for their wonderful work in our branch and wish them success in the future.

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Baptism of Ming-Chieh Lee

On Sunday, July 3, right after church, Brother Ming-Chieh Lee was baptized by Tommy Jones.  Brothers Mike Cunningham and Benjamin Tsai shared talks on baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Brother Cunningham welcomed Brother Lee into the Elders Quorum, and President Shen welcomed him into the branch.  Congratulations, Brother Lee.

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Where Are They Now? ---> Felipe & Petra Chou

I was in the Montgomery Chinese branch in 1995-96.  As a member of the branch, I helped teach the young men's class and Sunday school.

Among the most memorable experiences I had was taking the youth to the stake youth conference to Church Historical sites.  Then I helped to organize a branch activity to go to the Church Historical sites in Pennsylvania and New York area, as well as visiting Niagara Falls.  I also remember the wonderful farewell party organized by the branch when I went to BYU, and then the great wedding reception for my wife and I when we came back to visit the branch.

I have been working for the Seminary and Institutes (S&I) of the Church, currently assigned at the Church Office Building with Church Correlation's Research Information Division, and S&I's Research, Evaluation and Assessment.  Petra is a full time homemaker and enjoys caring for our children.  My wife and I were sealed in the China Hong Kong temple, and we have 4 children.

We have no blogs yet, but you can email us or find us on Facebook.

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Newsletter July 2011

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Baptism of Michael Golden

Michael Golden, who just turned eight years old, was baptized by his father, Haoming Guo, after church on Sunday, June 26.  The baptismal room was packed with branch members and friends, who came to witness Michael's baptism and confirmation.  With our branch mission leader, Brother Peng Lin, conducting the baptismal service, the speakers included Richard Huang, Megan Tsai (read by Alice Huang), Alex Done, and Sister Yuan Zhu from the Northern Virginia Chinese Branch.  Michael's father also confirmed him a member of the church and gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost.  After Sister Alexis Chang welcomed Michael to Primary, President Patrick Shen welcomed Michael to the branch.  Members enjoyed time to mingle together while enjoying a light dinner.  Congratulations, Michael on your baptism!




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Relief Society Dinner

Branch sisters gathered at the Kentlands Chapel to enjoy an evening by themselves for the Relief Society Enrichment night on Friday, June 24.  They had the opportunity to sit down together, eat together, talk together, and learn together.  Sister Betty Azucena shared a special thought.  She called on Sisters Helen He and Xiaojun Jones to bear their testimonies with everyone.  All were strengthened and edified on this special evening.

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Where Are They Now? ---> Erik & Margaret Peterson

We were members of the branch from.  Erik was in the Elder's Quorum presidency and taught the Gospel Essentials class.  Margaret worked with the Young Women.  Erik enjoyed going out with the missionaries when we were in the branch, and Margaret absolutely loved working with the Young Women and has great memories of parties at the Folger's house with them.

We are both working.  Erik is a computer programmer in charge of multilingual development for Janya, a language analysis company in Amherst, NY, near Buffalo.  Margaret teaches psychology classes at Canisius College in Buffalo.

Our son Daniel, 5, is about to finish his year in Kindergarten and our daughter Laurel, 3, is looking forward to starting preschool in the fall.

My website is still www.mandarintools.com.

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Seminary Graduation

With a record 5 seniors graduating from high school this year in our branch, three of them attended the Stake Seminary Graduation at the Stake Center on Sunday evening of June 12.  Michelle Chen, Joshua Tsai, and Pearl Zhang received their diplomas or certificates.  They were congratulated by President Holmstead of the Stake Presidency, Brother Rowberry representing CES and Institute, and Brother Tommy Jones representing our branch presidency.  Joshua also played a special musical number, Nessun Dorm, from Turandot.  Afterwards, all enjoyed some pie together.  Congratulations to the graduates.

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Young Single Adult Activity

On June 11, the young single adults held a farewell activity for David Chiao.  David will be joining the Navy and will be going to training next week in Baltimore.  The activity consisted of volleyball, badminton, and of course refreshments.  We will miss him.  Good luck, David!

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Youth Car Wash

On a hot, muggy summer day, the annual youth car wash took place in front of the Potomac Chapel.  The purpose of the fundraiser was to help our young women attend the stake Girls Camp.  Fortunately the weather cooperated, so cars continually streamed in to be washed starting at 10am.  Four young men joined with eight young women, along with seven adults to form two washing stations and one drying station.  Everyone worked continuously until 1pm.  Besides raising a sufficient amount of funds for Girls Camp, all had a fun time in this fabulous cooperation.

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