The Case of the Missing Statue and Other Miracles in the Life of Dong...

August 18, 2017

Miracles in the Life of Dong

Bridge across the Red River

We have been helping the missionaries teach a man that lives out across the Red River in Long Bien. His name is Dong (Dom). This particular Vietnamese gentleman has a very colorful history. He is about 56 years old and has been a life-long member, of high standing, in the Communist Party. He lives alone in an apartment with his pet turtle and Koi fish, swimming in a rock pool in a corner of his home. He is into Eastern medicine and uses roots, leaves and oil to help alleviate his pain, as well as the pain of those who come into his life.  

The first time we were invited to accompany the elders and meet Dong, he seemed contrary, as well as critical and argumentative with us and those around him. He seemed to believe that his way is a better way of doing things. However, since meeting with the missionaries, we have seen a gradual change in his disposition. I truly believe he has been looking for some peace and sees that the Gospel message has something that will enhance his life. At the time, we were not quite sure of his health issues, but knew that he has lost a lot of weight in the past couple of years, and sometimes has to sleep for extended periods of time.

Two months ago, he decided to accept a baptismal challenge. However, his dilemma was what to do with his years of ties with the Communist Party and having followed their philosophies. On his 56^th birthday he decided to tell his Party friends that he was going to seek some religion in his life. It was sort of a miracle because it is not easy to break away from being so closely tied to the Communist Party. 

Even though I don’t speak Vietnamese very well, when I pray in his presence I feel of the Spirit very strongly and I know he feels it too. At first he didn’t quite know what to do with these feelings. However, since he has started with the missionary discussions, he feels the Spirit often. 

Dong, Gerald and Sharon visiting Nhi at her school

We invited him to come to the General Conference broadcast in April, He came and even brought along four others. At the meeting. He met another one of our investigators, a young women named Nhi. She has started a school for handicapped children. We have done an LDSC project to get equipment for her school. She and Dong have become good friends and Dong has even helped her with materials for her school. He is now teaching Nhi his Eastern medicine skills so that she can help the children at her school. He feels like his knowledge is precious and that it should be passed on.  

The Case of the Missing Statue

Dong is also skilled at carving and has won several awards for his statues. Some of his beautiful works are even in museums, here in Hanoi. He has expressed that he is very impressed with our work, as missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to help the people of Vietnam with our humanitarian projects. As a thank you for our charity work, Dong decided to give us one of his carved statues. The statue is about 3 feet tall and made of aged peach wood from the mountain forests in the north. The figure is an ancient king of Vietnam, and at our request, he has promised to write up the story of the carving of the king. We are honored that Dong gave us this beautiful statue and wanted us to take it to our apartment to enjoy. We count our association and friendship with him as a great blessing.

One of the main reasons for us being with the missionaries at Dong’s apartment, this particular time, was to give a lesson on the Priesthood. We felt inspired to offer Dong a Priesthood health blessing in conjunction with this lesson. He graciously accepted. Also, Nhi came mid-way through the lesson and was able to feel the Spirit and message as she listened to Gerald gave him a Priesthood blessing. She has also been taking the missionary discussions. The giving and receiving of the statue made this a bonus day.

After the discussion, we found a taxi just outside Dong's apartment building for the hour long ride back from Long Bien. The Elders were invited to ride in the taxi with us, since they live part way, along the way to our apartment. It is nice to travel with the Elders because they speak very good Vietnamese and it makes it easier to communicate. We put the statue in the trunk of the taxi and then made our way home.  When we arrived at our apartment in Hanoi, we paid the taxi and got out. Gerald had to hurry off to charge his phone at the store before it closed so he left on foot to do his errand. We were in such a hurry that we didn’t even ask the taxi driver for a receipt, as we usually do. About an hour later Gerald realized, waiting at the phone store, that we had left the statue in the trunk of the taxi. He panicked and called me  and said, “We have a big problem...We need to pray.” I guess we were both kind of tired when we got out of the taxi, and just spaced it. How could we lose such a valuable gift? We both started praying to ask for assistance from Heavenly Father. The first thing that came to my mind was to ask our neighbors - Phuong’s brother, who speaks very good English, to help us. He and his father went with me to the front desk to report the missing statue and see if they could help us get it back. There are thousands of taxis in Hanoi. Would we be able to find the right taxi and get our valuable gift back? Without a receipt, phone number, name of the taxi company, etc. our chances seemed pretty slim.

Our apartment building just happens to have a video camera security system that documents people coming and going in the front of the building. We were truly hoping that we were on that video system. They told us that we couldn’t get into the video system until the next day, when the technician was available. We had to wait out the night and fret, pray, and hope that things would work out. We asked the missionaries if they could remember some details about the taxi to help us. They made some phone calls.

The next day, our translator, Thu, went with us to the security office in the building to see if we could view the taxi cab. Thu is pretty sharp and she identified the company logo from the video. We started making some inquiries at taxi cab companies. The missionaries were having some success on their end, also. After another prayer, we finally got a call from Elder Pendleton saying that the taxi cab driver called him and said that he had the statue. The calls on our end confirmed that we, indeed, were looking for a lost wood statue. The lost was found! We are incredibly grateful. Little miracles bring much joy.

Dong's gift to us - a carving of an ancient king in Vietnam

The next day, we went over to Long Bien, where the elders had set up another missionary discussion with Dong. The taxi cab driver said he would meet us after the appointment and take us back to Hanoi. As promised, after our appointment with Dong, the taxi cab driver met us and had the statue in the back of his car. It was amazing to find the same taxi cab driver in this city of 8 million people and many hundreds of thousand taxis. I know, within my heart, that prayers are answered. We thanked the taxi cab driver for being so honest. He told us that he lives his life to be an example of to his children. He tries to be honest and good in everything he does. We are fortunate to meet such wonderful people. Truly the best thing in Vietnam are it's people.

The Last War in Vietnam

The story of Dong is a continuing saga. He has been having health issues, and we now know that he is diabetic and has had cancer. He has smoked for most of his life, but successfully gave up smoking, more than a year ago. He is careful about his diet and very vigilant about his sugar intake. Just a year ago he was given six months to live and was in the hospital a lot. Now, well surpassing the 6 month life expectancy he was given, he is not only continuing to live, but is actually improving.

About the middle of July, Dong asked us to go with him up Ha Giang Province near the Chinese border. He had asked Nhi to go with, too. We of course brought Thu, our translator. We weren’t sure why he wanted us to go such a distance with him (a seven hour drive). Along the way up, Dong told us a little more about his life. At age 26, he was a commander of a division of soldiers fighting the Chinese in 1979. The battle was called the last war in Vietnam. The soldiers at that time were very young men because Vietnam had just come out of two wars; the French War and the Vietnam American War. It was a fierce battle on the Chinese border. The Chinese outnumbered the Vietnamese four to one. Dong was in Special Forces and operated at night in guerrilla type runs on the enemy, while they were sleeping. His expertise was essential to help the Vietnamese army. A lot of Dong’s men were wounded and/or killed.

Just recently a war memorial has been erected in memory of these fallen soldiers. Because of the difficulties in the battle, a lot of the men that were killed could not be retrieved and buried properly. The bones of his men were left in the rocks and thus, the land has become a sacred place. The dead were not recorded on either side because there were too many to count. Dong was injured severely thirteen times, and still lived. His men called him “Dong, the Immortal”. Dong hasn’t been back since the battle, 33 years ago.

The mountain on the Chinese border, at the time of the battle, was completely wiped clean of foliage. It is a jungle today. To get to the memorial, we had to ride motorbikes up the mountain because the rainy season has washed some of the road out, and bikes are the only vehicles that can get up there in these conditions. It was an adventure just getting up the mountain to the memorial. The memorial is beautiful, complete with a Buddhist shrine and an ancient bell that once served as a call to the soldiers to rally.

Dong looking out over the battle site

There is a special reverence at the sight; and this particular day, the sacredness was enhanced by the open weeping of Dong. We felt honored that he would share this experience with us.

We realized, during this journey, that Dong needed to find closure. He had promised his division of men that he would take care of their families, if they should be killed during battle. Since the loss of life was so great, the promises of so many young men were impossible for him to keep. 

Nhi and Dong

As Dong has participate in the missionary discussions, he has been in turmoil about forgiveness, both as a soldier, as well as a commander of soldiers. Here at the memorial site, he found some of the solace he needed. With the studying of the scriptures and his ability to pray to Heavenly Father, he has been comforted and has found a certain amount of peace. As we left and were returning back to Hanoi, he announced that he was ready to accept a baptismal date. 

Dong's Baptism

Dong was baptized on July 29, 2017. Gerald was asked to perform the baptism. It was an amazing experience for both Gerald and me.  Dong’s countenance has changed; he is a softer, gentler man. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is very real and can heal the hearts of many who come unto him. In his baptismal confirmation, he was promised that he would be instrumental in establishing the Church in Vietnam. The Lord knows his leadership capabilities will serve the Church well. Just this last Sunday, Dong was given the Aaronic Priesthood. He is excited to serve as much as he can. He often brings Nhi to church with him. I think so many good things for the Church in Vietnam will come from Dong’s baptism.