By DAVID HENRY LEIGH
The countdown is nearing an end for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hong Kong as the territory passes from British control to the People's Republic of China.
'I think some people are pretty scared,' said Natasha Tolman, who just returned from Hong Kong where she was serving a mission for The LDS Church.
Tolman said when she would speak with members of The LDS church in Hong Kong about the pending take over, members would express to her their faith in the Lord and a knowledge that he would take care of them.
Julie Hullinger just returned three months ago from Hong Kong, where she too was serving a mission for the LDS Church. She said members there take courage and gain faith from comments made by President Gordon B. Hinckley, president of The LDS Church, during the dedication of the Hong Kong Temple last May.
'When President Hinckley dedicated the temple he told the members that progress would be in God's time,' Hullinger said. 'He felt the work going into China would be a really gradual process rather than a sudden event. He said he felt good about the take over and that the church would be fine.'
Hullinger said many of those who fear the take over are older Chinese members who grew up in China and eventually fled to Hong Kong. Hullinger said some of these members are making plans to immigrate to Canada.
Tolman said changes in Hong Kong might not happen for some time.
'The Chinese government signed an agreement not to change anything in Hong Kong for the next 50 years,' Tolman said. 'Of course, that all depends on whether or not they keep their agreement.'
Eric Hyer, professor of political science at BYU, said although China has made some mistakes in recent policy decisions towards Hong Kong, causing the people of Hong Kong to lose some confidence the Chinese government, China has everything to gain by keeping things the same.
Hyer said China has taken key steps within the last 10 years to ensure its interest in the region's stability, including a large investment of money into Hong Kong when the stock market crashed in 1987.
That interest in stability seems to be extending into other areas like religion as well. According to the South China Morning Post's on-line newspaper Internet site at http://www.scmp.com, Article 141 of the Basic Law stipulates that no restrictions on religious beliefs or organizations will be imposed so long as they do not 'contravene the laws of the region.'
The paper said Beijing's Religious Affairs Bureau Director-General Ye Xiao-Wen visited Hong Kong last June and promised the bureau, which oversees religious activity on the mainland, that he had no plans to set up offices in the territory.
The Morning Post reports 600 schools in Hong Kong are run by religious organizations, most of which are taught by Catholic and Protestant educators. The paper stated that Article 137 of the Basic Law protects religious teaching in classrooms; the Education Department said they expect no changes in the future.
Tolman said the pending take over of Honk Kong by China may actually have positive results for the church in helping open the doors for LDS missionaries to preach in China.
President John M. Aki, president of the Hong Kong mission, feels optimistic about the relationship between The LDS Church and the Chinese government.
'Be assured that our church leaders have met with the new government leaders of Hong Kong on several occasions,' President Aki said. 'They have assured us that religious freedom and missionary work will continue to be allowed after July 1, 1997, not only for our church, but for all churches in Hong Kong.'
'We have witnessed his guiding hand on numerous occasions while serving here,' President Aki said. 'He has erected a temple in Hong Kong which will be the first in China after July 1, 1997. It is the Lord's work (and) it will continue to grow.'
Elder Steven Kok, a missionary from Malaysia, who is serving a mission for The LDS Church in Hong Kong, said most members of the church do not feel the take over will affect their ability to worship.
'Most of them believe that this is only the first step of the progress to the future of the church in China (and) the beginning of many miracles to come,' Elder Kok said.
Elder Kok members believe that although the new government will set some new rules and regulations in the coming months, there will be nothing drastic.
Elder Daniel Helsten, a missionary from Salt Lake City, now serving a mission for The LDS Church in Hong Kong, said members of the church in the United States and other countries should not always believe what they hear from the press regarding the Chinese and the pending take over.
'The atmosphere here is one of festivity and excitement,' Elder Helsten said. 'I've heard reports from missionaries that have returned to the U.S. that makes it sound like the Chinese are going to take over and turn everything upside down. Most members in Hong Kong do not feel that way. I was actually very surprised when I heard that report.'
'The members of the church are generally not worried about the take over and see it as an opportunity to increase the church's influence in the mainland,' Elder Helsten said.
He said, 'One thing that will change is the 150 missionaries serving in Hong Kong will begin learning the Mandarin language in addition to the Cantonese that they have already learned.'
A spokesman for the LDS mission department said that new mission president will be Stanley Tak-Chung Wan, a native of Hong Kong and a graduate of BYU.