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.