Enduring To The End

July 6, 2018

We have come to believe and know that it is the people here in this beautiful country that make Vietnam so special. There are so many that we have come in contact with that have touched our hearts, increased our testimony and have made our mission so memorable. 

We met Dong early in our mission and are witnesses of the miraculous change that has taken place in his life, from active communist party member all the way to his baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. When we first met Dong, his health was not good -- years of smoking had taken its toll. In April, right after his 57^thbirthday, we lost him to the Lord. We feel fortunate to have been able to have known and loved Dong. Our experiences with him has been a testimony to us of the power of the Spirit in assisting souls to come unto Christ and be baptized.

The first time Gerald and I met with Dong, as he was investigating the LDS church, was with the elders in his apartment. At first, as the discussion began, I found I was struggling to feel and have the Spirit with me. There was music playing in the background -- a repeating tune of “Ghost Riders in The Sky”, as we sat there with him, that was distracting and preventing me from focusing. I remember saying a little silent prayer asking for the Spirit to be with me and expressing my desire for Dong to turn down the music. At that particular moment, the missionaries asked me to bear my testimony, and as I spoke from my heart, I found that I was able to tune out the distracting music and focus on feeling the Spirit. Obviously touched by what I had to say, Dong immediately got up and turned off the music. The missionaries finished the discussion and asked me to give the closing prayer. I know the Spirit was there during our meeting with Dong, as we all could feel it. This special experience was evidence to me of the importance of being prepared with my testimony, as well as having the faith that the Lord will be there to help me express it when I need Him most.

I remember Dong sharing his testimony in sacrament meeting, shortly after his baptism. He said, “I am grateful for the friends I have at church. The church is a blessing and I am so glad I was baptized. I think a lot about life and death and the healing of one’s soul. I am so grateful that the church has helped me come unto my Savior.”

As missionaries, we have been encouraged to drink deeply from our spiritual experiences and to not let them fade. We have been taught that the Lord will give us successes, but we need to be willing to prepare and sacrifice for that spiritual success. Whether it is reading and studying the scriptures more each day or listening carefully to promptings. I have learned that when we are living the life the Lord wants us to be living, spiritual experiences will come to us and miracles will occur. The adversary would have us think that we are not enough and

that being spiritually prepared is beyond our reach. We need to know that the Lord is aware of us and our righteous desire to serve Him, and humbly ask for His guidance. 

Just before Dong passed away, he told us how grateful he was that we bore witness of the truth of the great and life changing influence of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His true gospel, when we first met him. He told us that he often referred back to the memory of this experience when he felt discouraged, and it inevitably brought him comfort. I am grateful that through this mission experience in Vietnam,  I was able to meet and help Dong, while in his earthly trials. Our first meeting was one of the great miracles of our mission and a sweet blessing in all of our lives.  

Not enough good things can be said about Thu, our translator. She has been invaluable in her service to LDSC. She has also become a true friend to us, as she has helped us in navigating the social structure and customs of Vietnam. Through this last year, I have seen Thu grow in many ways, as she continually seeks to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Besides being our translator and going with us to all of our meetings, project inspections, and ground breaking and completion ceremonies; she has been invaluable in taking on the huge task of keeping us on track with the Vietnamese government protocol and procedures. Her patience with us is admirable and much appreciated. 

She has many talents, and her talents are so needed in the growing church, here. We have seen her testimony increase as she has accepted assignments and callings in her branch. She is truly a pioneer in God's kingdom, here in Vietnam, and she is strong and sure. I have appreciated our discussions with Thu about the Church and have loved the privilege of bearing my own testimony to her of Christ and His true gospel. Her friend, Hieu, will be home next April and I can see great things in their future. 

This picture was on the day Thu arranged a city tour of Hanoi for Sister Gary E. Stevenson when they were here for a conference in March 2018. 

Ngoc is another one of the special people that we had the opportunity to come in contact with. She is in her early 30’s and an amazing person with many talents. The missionaries invited us to some of the discussions with her. Through the Spirit, I made a special connection with her, and what a blessing that has been. Right away, I could see her great potential in the church and what an asset she would be to help the Long Bien Branch grow.

Ngoc’s testimony on the day of her baptism was very strong and filled the room with wonderful feelings. However, she went home to Thai Binh to visit her family, shortly after her baptism. When she came back from the visit, she wasn’t the same and had pulled away from the Spirit. We tried to get her to come back by contacting her at work and writing notes, but she would avoid us. We worried and prayed harder for her. In about a month’s time, she came back to church and admitted that she missed the Spirit not being with her.

This experience taught her that she could have more happiness in her life, through the gospel of Jesus Christ. She has since devoted herself as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and is very strong in her testimony. She accepted a calling and has faithfully served as the secretary in the Women’s Organization, in the Long Bien Branch. This past Spring, she put in her papers to serve a full-time LDS mission and received a call to the Vietnam, Hanoi mission. She will report to the MTC in Manilla, Philippines in July. She will make a wonderful missionary, and as she shares her testimony of Jesus Christ’s gospel, she will be able to help others feel the Spirit and come unto Christ. I love her like a daughter, and it has been a privilege to have her as my friend and a sister in the gospel.

I have loved serving in the Women’s Organization in the Long Bien Branch with Ngoc, Rachel Rogers and Nana Tateoka. They all are an inspiration to me. We were directed to teach women, just coming into the church, how to lead and carry out the LDS organized programs for building the Relief Society, Primary and Young Women's, here in Vietnam. It has been a unique and faith building opportunity for us all. 

Each one of our current Women’s Organization Presidency are all leaving the Long Bien Branch -- Rachel and her husband, Justin, are going to Egypt to teach school. Nana and her husband, Luke, who works for the U.S. embassy, will be reassigned to Israel. With Ngoc and me leaving too, the responsibility falls on those we have trained. The Lord’s work goes on and it is an inspiration to see how true this statement is.

There have been so many others we have come in contact with here in Hanoi that are all part of the big picture of being an instrument in the Lord’s hand.  I love this quote by President Monson: 

“We cannot truly love God, if we do not love our 
fellow travelers on this mortal journey.”

The Vietnamese people are so dear to my heart and have touched my life in amazing ways.

--Sister Sharon Thomason

Five years ago, if someone had suggested to me that Sharon and I would be going forth on behalf of the Lord, Jesus Christ, to live in and serve in various ways, in two of the major communist countries of the world, I would have shaken my head in disbelief. 

But this is precisely what our Heavenly Father sent us to do. This latest assignment covered the whole of Vietnam, to both initiate humanitarian projects ourselves, as well as have supervisory responsibility over others, also, working on their projects. 

We were instructed to first, bless the lives of as many people as possible, within the country of Vietnam, through humanitarian projects. Secondly, under the registered name of Latter Day Saints Charities, we were to expose our organization and efforts, to as many people as possible, as a prelude to the church coming behind us to initiate missionary work. This is what we were told was our mission.

Well, these things did happen. But the real miracle of our mission is what happened in our hearts, as evidenced through the deepening of love in Sharon and my relationship, as well as our individual relationships with our Father in Heaven. Having her by my side every day, through all the ups and downs, has been very special for me. Our love for, and dependence on the Savior ‘s atonement, as well as the Holy Ghost, in his ability to guide us as we have worked every day to feel His promptings, is what our mission has really been all about. 

Zone Conference, June 2018

It has been a joy, while managing the LDSC humanitarian projects here, to work closely in collaboration with the Mission President, President Lewis Hassell, and his sweet wife Mary. They are an incredibly inspired team that the Lord has raised up for the very mission and people they have been serving. Listening to the many lessons presented by this wonderful couple, in various conferences, have touched my heart and soul over and over. 

As we have served, we have fallen love with the great people of Vietnam. Our responsibilities here have put us in contact with a broad array of communist government officials. We’ve learned great lessons by observing how these men and women care about and serve the citizens of their country. 

It has been special, and will be long remembered, to have had the blessing of several General Authorities and their wives visit with us, here in Hanoi, while we have been serving here. It is empowering to receive the instruction and counsel, from these great brethren, and feel of their great spirits. 

Long Bien Branch Members

Being away from family for 18 months has been difficult. But it is equally as hard to say goodbye to a people we’ve grown to love so dearly. It is clear that the Lord loves the people of Vietnam. They are smart, ambitious, loving, and very respectful. The Lord greatly desires to have them inside His gospel fold.

I know the Lord lives. I love Him with all of my heart. I desire to serve Him and assist Him in His great work to bring as many souls as possible back into the presence of the Father. I sustain my church leaders with all of my might, mind and strength.

Sharon and I have made a wonderful team effort to complete this mission. We thank Heavenly Father every day for the opportunity to serve as LDSC Humanitarian Directors here, in the great country of Vietnam. We love our Heavenly Father and His son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, and recognize their hand that has helped us as we’ve worked to help further the Lord’s work in the kingdom here. 

Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.      -D&C64:33 

-- Elder Gerald Thomason 

We will be arriving home the 23^rdof July, 2018.

Glamping in Butterfly Heaven

April 25-28, 2018

For our Senior Missionary Conference President Hassell took us glamping in tent cabins on the shores of Lak Lake Camp in Lam Son Village, near Buon Ma Thuot, in the central highlands of Vietnam. The area around this shallow lake is beautiful. Buon Ma Thuot happens to be the coffee capital of Vietnam, and it is the trees that shade the coffee trees here that attract the butterflies. The cocoons were hatching, and thousands of little yellow butterflies abounded; it was quite a magical sight. This girl was trying to catch them in her plastic bag. 

We were taken by boat across the lake to our glamping, hide-a-way, tent camp. Each couple stayed in their own individual tent cabin, overlooking the lake, which were built up on the side of the hill on stilts. The units each have a modern bathroom attached, with flush toilets and a hot water shower on one end, and on the other end of the tent cabin is the balcony overlooking the lake. The beds even had a soft mattress with an attached mosquito net. True glamping! 

Throughout our stay, we were spiritually fed by President and Sister Hassell as they taught  “Teaching Repentance and Baptizing Converts”.  The Restoration of the Gospel is an ongoing process and we are active participants in it. The Lord helps us because IT IS HIS WORK. There are many people willing to receive the Gospel. We just need to find them. This is an act of faith. We must believe that the Lord will place prepared people in our path. It takes setting goals, working hard, and consistent prayer. This will bring forth the blessings of heaven. Even though we are humanitarian missionaries, we touch people’s lives by our faith, hard work and prayers. Our acts of charity are constantly being watched as we display Christ-like service.

We were encouraged to seek out the scriptures. The truths they reveal will be treasured up in our minds for teaching opportunities. We are promised that when we most need to remember the truths we have studied and learned, they will be there for us. (Elder Renlund)

We were admonished to remember that a mission is a unique opportunity for us to serve side by side with our eternal companion. President Hassell promised that we will grow to love our companion more deeply through this united service. We need to utilize the gifts that each of us has and work as a team to be successful. Gerald and I, personally, appreciate this opportunity. Our mission truly has helped our marriage to be stronger.

During a break from our training, we were invited to go on a hike to nearby Ede village.  It was an experience walking through the rice fields, passing water buffalos, cashew nut trees, coffee fields filled with butterflies, and fully experiencing the heat and humidity, during our hike. 

At the end of our hike we were treated with a cool orange drink at the market as we prepared to take a boat back to our camp.

The next afternoon we took a tractor wagon and visited another village that grows cacao. It is fun for us to visit various ethnic minority groups in Vietnam and become more knowledgeable about all the different people and their cultures in this amazing country. 

We were entertained by the Ede ethnic village people. It gave us a fun look at their unique culture. 

At dinner time we always had the resident cat come up to our laps to beg for tidbits; he was irresistible and very well fed.

One thing that camping always brings is lots of insects… and at night the insects in the jungle really come out, as they are attracted by the light. We found that it was better to go to bed early, turn off the lights and just listen to the “night noises”, rather than deal with the bugs.  Most of the night-time noises we heard were different species of geckos making little chirping noises. The early morning sunrises from our balcony were glorious. Just before dawn we could hear the fisherman on the lake banging the sides of the boats to scare fish into their nets. 

The stay in the tent cabins on the shores of Lak Lake Camp was a most interesting experience, and also helped us to appreciate, all the more, the things we have in every day life that make us comfortable. It is important to remember that sacrifice brings forth blessings. When we sacrifice and get out of our comfort zone, we can experience things that we wouldn’t ordinarily see and do, and our lives are therefore enriched. 

President Hassell left us with a blessing to go forth in our callings. We should never take our “setting apart” for granted. We can be instructed spiritually at the knee of the Savior and be filled with the Spirit as we go forth in this vital work, if we are willing and humble. When we put the Lord first and take Him into our heart we can bless others through His influence.  

A Sweet Experience With Wheelchair Recipients

April 20, 2018

As directors of LDSC, part of our responsibilities involves learning how to properly fit a wheel chair to a disabled person, assessing whether a recipient is eligible, and then, six months after receiving it, evaluating how they are using their wheelchair. Even though we were trained last November to assess wheelchairs, it is the Women’s Union and Bach Mai Hospital that distribute our wheelchairs in partnership with us. We have them shipped up to Hanoi from Ho Chi Mien City, after which, they are stored either in the Hospital or at the Women’s Union Offices. As part of the evaluation procedure, we are to do some live assessments. For us, this contact with the individual benefitting from the wheelchair, is where the real sweet experience is. 

 We find all those we meet that have received a wheelchair from LDSC, are so grateful for the freedom and restored independence, as well as quality of life the wheelchairs provide. Thong, a 52-year-old language professor at the University of Hai Phong, whom we first met at the Bach Mai Hospital, shared with us his story. 

This past year Thong fell off the roof and broke three ribs, punctured a lung, and cracked his spine. While in the hospital the doctors told him that because of the break in his spine, he would be paralyzed. When he received this devastating news, it was the most difficult time of his life. He became bitter and couldn’t understand why this had happened to him. Although he was physically injured, the mental and emotional pain he had to endure was the worst. He said that he felt like a “bird without wings”, unable fly as he once did. He had to will himself to dig deep and find the courage to go on.

Dr. Vu, who was working with Thong in the hospital, suggested that the hospital get him one of the LDSC wheelchairs to use. When he received the wheelchair, “the tears rolled out of his eyes”.  He finally realized that there was a light on the horizon and that he can find hope. Thong is grateful for the help he has received with the gift of the wheelchair and said that he treasures it because it represents to him “a thankful heart”. He expressed gladness that we came and did an interview with him because he wanted to express his gratitude personally for giving him the wheelchair and providing a better way of life. 

As Thong shared his experience and gratitude, he was so sincere and so articulate, I felt impressed to give him a hug. Upon embracing him, the tears rolled out. I encouraged him to look forward, never look back and keep nourishing his positive attitude. I told him that blessings will abound. I wanted so much to tell him about the Gospel, however, this is something we are not allowed to share with him right now. My wish and prayer is that he will hear the Gospel message someday and be able to feelthe truth of it because of our encounter at Bach Mai Hospital.  

We also visited 80-year-old Yen in the Province of Nam Dinh. Three years ago, she was going to the market with three of her friends, when a drunk man on a motorbike crashed into them. The impact killed her friend and seriously injured her. Yen was taken to the hospital, where they tried their best to repair her leg and knee and holding them together with several pins that remain there today. Arthritis has set in, which makes it painful for her to stand and walk. 

The Women’s Union gave Yen an LDSC wheelchair several months ago, which has made an incredible difference for her and she is very grateful for the gift. There is something about this sweet woman that touched my heart deeply. During the interview, I felt prompted to take her injured foot and leg and start gently massaging it and she enjoyed it very much. The simple act of me

massaging her foot, caused our hearts to touch and I was glad that I listened to the Spirit’s promptings. I was communicating with her through our translator, Thu, but I was also communicating with her through the basic human need of touch. Yen asked me when we can meet again, and I was taken back by her request, knowing that I am going home soon and don’t know if I will ever see her again. As I communicated with her, I just let my heart start talking, telling her that I wish we were neighbors because I would visit her every day. I shared with her the one thing I know for sure is that we will see each other in heaven. I gave her a long hug, not wanting to leave, but knowing we had many more evaluations to do. I think about her often and I know that in our hearts we are the best of friends.

I have often thought, during this mission, that connecting with people, spirit to spirit, as we are helping individuals that come in our path, is what the Lord wants us to experience. True joy is found in serving others.  

We had the privilege of meeting an inspiring gentleman named Sang, who contracted polio when he was 8 years old. He lives alone and makes a living selling vegetables and crabs at the market. He is strong, considering he doesn’t have a lot of strength in his legs because of the crippling effects of polio. Every day he goes down to the river and gets himself into a little boat and fishes for crabs to sell. Kind neighbors help him, and he has a puppy for a companion. He makes good use of his wheelchair and has practically worn it out. We suggested that he have the rear tires replaced or even get a new sturdier wheelchair to replace it. As we were leaving, we were surprised that he followed us out to the street. We enjoyed our visit with Sang and felt inspired by his bright, optimistic attitude.

Through our experiences with the people here, we are reminded of Christ’s admonition to us to Love One Another. “…that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”   --Mosiah 2:17.  The experiences we have had in the mission field give us a deeper and more eternal perspective of life, and instills within us a desire to be more like Christ.

Hanoi Elders to The Rescue

April 7, 2018

One of the LDSC projects we've worked on is at Bach Mai Hospital, the largest hospital in Vietnam. While working to complete new and improved latrine facilities here, we were also informed of a need to have wheelchairs for the sick and crippled patients that are coming in daily to the 24 clinical departments and 2 outpatient departments of the hospital.

We proposed a project that would supply wheelchairs that are unique in design and that would be recognized and not confused with the other wheelchairs used in the hospital. The finished product is a bright green and yellow wheelchair that has delighted the hospital, as well as the patients it benefits. 

On the day of delivery, problems arose of how to retrieve the wheelchairs that had mistakenly been delivered to the wrong part of the hospital, as well as the tasks of extracting them from their shipping cartons, assembling them and distributing them to the various departments in a timely manner. 

Inspiration told us to call the mission office and invite the mission elders to get involved. President Hassell authorized LDSC to mobilize the Hanoi Mission Elders. With little notice, 14 elders responded! What a blessing this turned out to be. 

On the appointed delivery hour, the elders showed up and ate a lunch that the hospital kindly supplied for them. After eating, the elders got busy ripping off the cardboard cartons and quickly assembling wheelchairs. It was quite a site to see in the main lobby of the hospital with the elders in white shirts and ties working hard to accomplish the tasks. 

Dr. Thang of International Relations, was in charge and was amazed upon seeing these young men who, obviously, were foreigners, accomplishing this act of service. Not only were so many kind, well dressed young men hard at work in the hospital lobby, he couldn’t believe that they all could speak fluent Vietnamese!

He wanted to know who these special young men are. It was a good opportunity to explain to him about our missionary program, and also for him to feel the spiritual presence of the elders. 

Because of this service project, Dr. Thang asked the elders if they could start teaching English classes at the Hospital. Although they aren’t allowed to give a spiritual message, the hospital staff knows who they are what they stand for. One hundred and fifty doctors and nurses showed up for the first class. They have been going strong ever since!

The following week we were invited to the hospital for a visit from the press, scheduled by the Bach Mai hospital administrator, to see the handover of LDSC wheelchairs to several patients. We were interviewed, and not only were we featured in the newspaper, but our story was also on The National Vietnam News. 

The wheelchair distribution has definitely been a success and an opportunity to have the name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as well as Latter Day Saints Charities more recognized in Vietnam. We are constantly amazed by the many miracles that help the Church to be recognized in this country. It reaffirms our testimony that THE LORD IS IN CHARGE and we are instruments in his hands. 

A Visit With Family

March 15-27, 2018

We were excited to have Sharon's daughter and son-in-law, Shauna and Andrew, visit us for two weeks. Seeing them, after not visiting with family members for over a year, was a wonderful experience. We wanted them to see what our mission is really like and what we do, working with Latter Day Saints Charities for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, so we planned a very busy couple of weeks.

The morning after Shauna and Andrew arrived, we drove with with them several hours to Thai Binh to visit four different schools in the area and view the various stages of progress on our current projects with LDSC, providing new updated latrines for the students. Mr. Giang and The Red Cross has been a great partner to us, helping us to get clean water and new latrines in many schools there. Shauna and Andrew were able to participate in a ground-breaking ceremony for the new latrines at one of the schools we visited. As always, the people are gracious and so generous with their gifts and gratitude to us. Mr. Giang treated us to a delicious lunch of fish, crab and shrimp -- the first of many authentic Vietnamese meals for Shauna and Andrew to experience. 

The very next day, we took them along for the combined activity with the Long Bien and Hanoi branches -- hiking, paddle boating and a picnic. Exploring and spending the entire day with the branch members was an opportunity for Shauna and Andrew to get to know and fall in love with the special LDS members here. 

After exploring, we were pretty hungry and sat down to eat, only prepared to have a snack of spicy mango, french fries and a few veggies, but the Branch members soon brought plate after plate of delicious food to our table -- BBQ pork kabobs, 2 kinds of tasty sticky rice (the best we've ever tasted!), hot dog sushi, and fruit for dessert... It was quite a feast and we were touched that they shared all of their amazing food with us.

Finding a little time to do some sight-seeing, the four us us took a few days to tour Cat Ba Island, by way of ferry from Hai Phong. It was an incredible, once in a lifetime experience, taking in the views of the unique limestone islands, while cruising through the emerald green waters of Lan Ha Bay. It was also an opportunity for us to get a rare glimpse of the sun that is usually veiled by the thick clouds and smog in the city of Hanoi. 

Kayaking in Lan Ha Bay

The cook and crew were phenomenal!

Sunset on the bay

View at the top of Ngu Lam Peak on Cat Ba

View of the bay from the resort on Cat Ba

We were invited to a Government Spring Festival Friendship Tour with PACCOM and they arranged for a procession of buses to take us to the oldest Citadel in the city, as well as a classic Vietnamese water puppet show, and finally, finishing off the tour with lunch and authentic Vietnamese cultural entertainment at Smileyville. This was a rare opportunity to visit with the local Communist Government leaders, as well as a lot of the other NGO’s, working here in Vietnam to improve the quality of life for the people, here in the country.

On Sunday we went to the Long Bien Branch church meetings. Afterward, Shauna came along with the Women’s Organization and the sister missionaries to visit Hai Anh’s home -- an investigator at the time of our visit. Her father treated us to a delicious Bun Cha lunch. (Hai Anh was recently baptized in May.) 

One of our most treasured experiences was to take Shauna and Andrew to celebrate at the Quyen Hoa Vocational School handover ceremony. We have worked to help this school re-build their collapsing, almost non-existent kitchen, as well as to give wheelchairs and computers to help with the training of the handicapped students. It was wonderful to finally celebrate the completion, and see how this project has changed and blessed the lives of the students here. Upon our arrival, we were welcomed in a big way.

The students were so excited to see us and share in the celebrating, and expressed their enthusiasm by greeting us with big hugs and smiles. They wore their best school clothes -- many of the girls in their pretty Ao Dai dresses; and they conveyed their gratitude by presenting flowers and gifts, singing for us and serving us a delicious lunch. We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting, dancing, and taking lots of "selfies"! -- an activity that we find teens and tweens love to do here, in Vietnam, almost as much as they do in the USA.

We were also able to go to Bach Mai Hospital, the largest hospital in Vietnam, to the spinal injury center, and oversee the progress on our continuing projects there -- providing new latrines and wheelchairs for the patients there. 

It was a busy couple of weeks for sure, and so special for us to be able to share with Shauna and Andrew, the projects we've been working on as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In just the short time that they were here, they grew to love Vietnam and the remarkable, gracious and generous people that call this country home.

Having Shauna and Andrew here was a poignant reminder that we are so far away from the family we dearly love and miss back home. However, we know that we are where the Lord wants and needs us to be, and we are so grateful for the incredible opportunities we are experiencing through loving and serving the people here, in Vietnam. We will cherish these eighteen months and always remember the love and camaraderie we have felt, living amongst our now and forever Vietnamese friends.