Improving Lives, One Wheelchair at a Time

June 17, 2017

Wheelchair Project:

We have been working on a project, providing a lot of wheelchairs for many people here in Vietnam, lately. There is such a need for them in every community, which makes it is difficult to know how to distribute them. The difference they make in a person’s life is amazing. 

These photos are of a family living in Ho Chi Mien City -- our partner couple, serving in that city (The MacDonald’s), took the pictures. The wife, you see in the picture, used to carry her husband everywhere they went, and someone else had to come along to carry the baby. 

We wanted to include these two, before and after photos in our blog post because a picture truly is worth a thousand words, and these pictures sum up the value of the wheelchair project. For this family, being beneficiaries of this wheelchair project has been life changing for them, as it is for so many others that have been served.

Transfers: 

It was transfer day this week and it was sad to see some of the Elders and Sisters go. Working with these great young people is such a bonus for us and we get so attached to them. I guess that is the nature of missionary work. We love it and we are grateful for our experiences with them.

Sister Moss from Arlington, Washington:

Sister Moss’s companion had to go out of the country to renew her visa, so we got to be Sister Moss's companion on P-day. She had shared with me that she wanted to see the “Turtle Pagoda” on Sword Lake before she left Hanoi, so we went to see it. 

Sister Moss has a way with animals and immediately, made friends with the cat; the cat is the mascot of the pagoda. She calls herself the “Cat Whisperer”. We also went to the Water Puppet Theater with her. Even though it was scorching 104 degrees outside, it was a fun day.

Elder Pendleton from West Jordan, Utah:

We have worked a lot with Elder Pendleton and his companions in the Long Bien Branch. He is part Vietnamese and learned to speak the Vietnamese language when he was young. Because of his mastery of the language, he is an asset to the mission. President Hassell sent him to Ho Chi Mien City to help with some new Elders there. He will return home to the states at the end of the summer, when his mission is over.

Playing Chinese Chess with Chu Dong: This gentleman loves having Elder Pendleton come and 

have a quick game of chess with him before the investigator lesson. 

Elder Pendleton will be missed by many.

Long Bien Elders: Last Sunday -- because of so many meetings in Long Bien, we pooled our resources with the Elders and had a meal together in the Elder’s apartment.

A WALK TO THE CHAPEL

May 30, 2017

Lately, as I walk to our chapel here in Hanoi, I see beautiful blossoming trees that line the streets. They are a delight to the eyes. It is spring and the trees are in full bloom. Huge blossoms; small blossoms; layers of them in purple, pink, red and yellow. The trees all drop their blossoms on the sidewalks so you see the colors, both above and beneath. It is magical. Some young girls even wear them in their hair as they anticipate the end of school. As we look from our balcony on the 17^th floor, we see the splashes of color in the landscape.

I have a blossoming pink paper leaf tree on my balcony that I tenderly water each day. All of the blossoms add to the enchantment of the country. I have been told that the abundant blossoms are an indication of the hot summer to come. However, with that comes the wonderful thought of a prolific harvest season too. I love spring time here in Hanoi; and I love the work that I am doing to help build up God's Kingdom, here in Vietnam. It is enjoyable going with the missionaries to their discussions and feeling the Spirit in the meetings; it is a testimony to me that this is the Lord’s sacred work.

Spring is also a time for butterflies and there are so many of them in Vietnam. This is the perfect time to see them lightly dancing from flower to flower. Their magical presence brightens my day. We visited the botanical gardens recently, and saw many butterflies and blooms. I was amazed to find out that there are about 440 species of butterflies in Vietnam: White Dragon Tails; Red Lacewings; and the most magnificent, The Jungle Queen, a huge butterfly that is mainly black with vibrant stripes of emerald green. I love seeing these delicate creatures. Trying to capture them in a picture on my phone, is nearly impossible because they are too quick.

Spring and the magnificent life of a butterfly, closely mirrors our process of making our way back to our Heavenly Father. It reminds us that we each have the possibility to be spiritually born in Christ, by taking the opportunity to be introspective and make the needed changes in our lives. Like the cocoon of the butterfly; if we surround ourself in the scriptures, pray often, and ponder upon what and how we need to grow in the Gospel, we will find ourselves closer to Christ. These acts awaken us to who we really are: children of our Heavenly Father. He loves us and wants for our success, in this mortal journey. On pondering this metaphor, a thought I had is that butterflies don’t live very long. Their life span is anywhere from one day, to a few weeks. Life is short, and from an eternal perspective, it is even shorter. We need to use every day we are given to develop Christ-like attributes. There is much to do to make our way back to the presence of our Heavenly Father. I am so glad that he cares so much about us and has given us a beautiful world filled with hope.

                     

Baptism and Relief Society...

May 14, 2017

Thu is Baptized

A very happy event occurred on Saturday, May 6, 2017. Thu, our translator, was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! The past few weeks, since setting and anticipating her baptismal date, she has been so bubbly and happy. The sister missionaries have taught and prepared her well.

On Thu's baptism day, the Hanoi meeting house was full of people that came to support her. Hieu, our former translator, has been a good friend of Thu's for years. It was exciting that he was given the opportunity to baptize and confirm her. Hieu started his full time mission on the 19^th of April, and was called to serve in England, but because of some issues with his visa, he is currently serving as a missionary, right here in Vietnam. It is wonderful that he was the one who baptized Thu, because he is the one that introduced Thu to the Church, in the first place. The Spirit was very present and strong in the meeting, and Gerald and I felt honored to be a part of Thu's special day.  

This picture was taken just before the meeting started. As we really looked at the photo later, we noticed that the Savior, in the painting behind us, was captured right in between Thu and Hieu. We are sure that this is no coincidence. We feel very strongly that these two special people are a big part of the future of the Church, here in Vietnam, and that the Lord loves them and will guide them in His work here. Just as you see in the photo, Gerald and I are standing beside them, giving them support, on their journey, as members of this flourishing church. We love these two people; they have a very special place in our hearts. There is not a doubt in our mind that our call to go to the Vietnam, Hanoi mission came from the Lord. We are an instrument in His hands, as He is growing His Church, in this part of the world.

The First Relief Society Meeting in Hanoi

On Sunday, May 7, 2017 I was able to attend the first Relief Society meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam. What a wonderful celebration it was, and a confirmation that we, as sisters, have so much in common. It has taken several months for the sisters to get the Relief Society started in the Hanoi Branch.

We celebrated with a cupcake and a photo. All of the sisters are excited to be meeting together in this great cause.

Thai Binh by the Sea

April 30, 2017

During the month of April, we have been working in Thai Binh, to start our new latrine projects in thirteen elementary and middle schools. Thai Binh is about a two hour drive, southeast of Hanoi, towards the ocean. It is in the farming area, and as we have traveled through the countryside, it has been very enjoyable, as well as a delight to see, all the green rice fields and many water buffalo. We've passed by several motorbikes transporting baby ducks to farms in the area; there are LOTS of duck farms here.

Baby ducklings going to their new home.

The projects, we are working on, are very much needed in this area. The children in the schools, we are targeting, only have a “squatty potty” type toilet, most of which were the original toilets put in the schools in the 50s and 60s. Many of them, without clean running water -- the people usually have to use a bucket to help wash the waste away.

Old latrine to be replaced

One school didn’t even have the typical rudimentary toilet facilities -- the fields and bushes have been their restroom. The new restrooms, we are constructing, will have Western style toilets, with clean, running water, a hand washing area, and will meet the WHO standard. Also, part of the project is sanitation education. Our assignment from the Church is to inspect the project area, and make sure it has a clean running water source, a drain field, and then deliver a water purifying system. As we begin these latrine construction projects, we've participated in ground breaking ceremonies. At two of the schools, these ceremonies were quite a big deal -- complete with pictures, bouquets of flowers and speeches.

Ground breaking ceremony

All of the projects, we take on, are made possible with the humanitarian funds from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and are partnered with Mr. Giang and the Red Cross of Thai Binh. We love Mr. Giang! He is a very sweet man that is working hard to improve the living conditions in his province.  One thing we emphasize to the people we help, is that monies for the projects are donated by families in our Church. We tell them that these families sacrifice to help make the children of Vietnam healthier. Families are very important to the people of Southeast Asia, and they love the idea that we, as Church members, place such an important emphasis on the family.

As we have the opportunity to work on projects for the humble people here in Vietnam, and see how much lives are improved, the humanitarian funds that have been donated by our Church members, have become much more sacred to us. These projects are so needed, worthwhile, and very much appreciated. All that we are able to accomplish, is made possible because of these donations. Besides our clean water projects, we are also involved in distributing wheelchairs at hospitals, infant resuscitation and maternal care education, vision projects, and providing physical education equipment for disabled children.

…ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need… Mosiah 4:16

Sister and Elder Thomason

Cooking, Culture and Conference...

April 9, 2017

Mr. Giang’s Fish

We are doing a project to provide new restrooms and clean water in some schools in Thai Bihn, about 3 hours South East of Hanoi. Mr. Giang, from the Thai Bihn Red Cross, has been visiting us several times in the last month, as we plan and discuss the projects there. Every time he comes, he brings gifts... always fresh chicken and fish, as well as other fresh produce, like bananas, apples and cashew nuts. The large fish he brings are called lung fish (2 ½ to 3 lbs), and are caught in the river. The chicken are "athletic" chickens with the head and feet still attached. They are "athletic" because they run around a lot, have very little fat on them, and have become quite tough. Fortunately, I have a pressure cooker that takes care of the toughness of the meat, and the result is delicious broth for soup and cooking. The other day Hieu, our translator, cooked the fish, Mr. Giang had given to us, in such a delicious Vietnamese way. He marinated the fish with a mixture of ginger, turmeric, galangal root, garlic, lemon grass, scallions, pineapple and dill. We marinated the fish for about 6 hours, and then baked it for about an hour. It tasted as good as it looks. We ate the fish with fresh herbs in spring rolls that we dipped in fish sauce. A green mango salad and fresh tropical fruit for desert, completed our meal. Yum! We are fellowshipping Phuong’s family, so we shared our meal with them. It has been fun expanding my horizons, learning new things with new people in Vietnam.

The Blessing of General Conference

We have been more involved with the missionaries in our branch. Last week we had a visit with the man who was helping Nhi, the young girl who was our house guest a few weeks ago. The missionaries have been teaching him and he has become quite receptive. In our last meeting, the Spirit was, undeniably present, and this man was feeling it very strong, but was not quite sure what to do with it. I bore my testimony that what he was feeling is the Spirit. We invited him to come and listen to General Conference with us on Sunday. He came and brought four other investigators with him!!! Conference was in Vietnamese (Gerald and I listened with headphones in English). It was wonderful to see that the chapel was filled! What an answer to our prayer it was, when a lot of the talks were about the Holy Ghost and how to recognize and use it in your life. Our investigator was very touched by his experience, listening to General Conference.  I love Conference! I love having answers to prayers, and I love being involved with the missionary work here in Vietnam.

5 live crabs

Lunch with my sweetheart

The Gospel of Jesus Christ Blesses Lives

March 27, 2017

INTIATING NEW PROJECTS 

Our mission is going wonderfully. There are 14 projects, we have either inherited or have initiated. There is something to do on these projects every day, as we are the link between LDS Charities funding and the projects themselves, in the various provinces. Our work brings us in contact with the highest levels of the government, and keeps the work the church is doing quite visible here. The government is very appreciative of what is taking place, as Vietnam continues to rise out of obscurity, economically.

We coordinate closely with our mission president, President Lewis Hassell, as well as another senior couple, who also work in the mission office. A new senior couple arrived last week, to do missionary support. Nine new Sister and Elder missionaries also arrived this week, bringing the total number of missionaries in Vietnam to somewhere in the thirties, a lot for a brand new mission to coordinate, pair up, find new housing, and put to work. Most of them have had nine weeks in the MTC to become somewhat fluent in what is a very difficult tonal language. 

We are becoming quite close to a Vietnamese family that lives on the 17th floor of our high rise. They have been over, playing games with us and have had us over for dinner. They are coming to dinner at our place, this Tuesday. We hope to introduce them to the gospel, when we feel the time is right. Their ten-year old daughter is often in our apartment, as soon as school is out each day, and loves being Sharon's little helper.

Our apartment has been the setting for several missionary discussions, this week. It really adds a spiritual dimension to what we are doing, and is a wonderful opportunity to be able to share our testimonies.

Last Saturday we had a sort of mini-General Conference with three General Authorities visiting our branch; Elder Garrit Gong, one of the seven Presidents of the Seventy; Bishop Dean Davies, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric; and President Randy Funk, President of the Asia Area and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. It was wonderful to have these brethren and their wives to associate so closely with.

THE OLD QUARTER OF HANOI

On our preparation day, we take the opportunity to see new sights in Hanoi. Two weeks ago, we went to the Temple of Literature, in the old part of Hanoi. This temple, founded in 1070, is dedicated to Confucius, and honors the scholars of Vietnam. There are paths leading to the courtyard, where stelae (monuments) are positioned on each side of the courtyard. They are, considered to be, the most precious artifacts in the temple. The stone, weather worn monuments, have the names of the scholars and sits on the back of a stone tortoise. The day we visited, there were many scholars from surrounding schools that were having their graduating class pictures taken. Through the imposing gateway, is a plaque that requests that visitors dismount their horses, before entering. It is fun to see places like this temple. It helps us understand the culture and heritage of the people here.

Close by, are the streets of the Old Quarter (the center of the old Hanoi city). They are filled with lots of people and shops that sell trinkets, live chickens, frogs & squid, traditional food (like Pho and Bun Cha), art work, and of course souvenirs. The living conditions seem primitive, with alley ways that meander forever, that you could get lost in. Rat's nests, of overhead electrical wire, exist down every alley way, providing electricity and connecting every body's Internet. It's strange that electricity and computers are found in such humble circumstances. The houses are tall and skinny, generally four stories, and have a room on each floor with a little business out front on the sidewalk on the level of the street.

We were given the assignment of home teaching a member sister who lives in the Old Quarter of the city. Because this sister doesn't speak English, we have visited her with the missionaries. She is pregnant, and will deliver in May. She has a 12-year-old daughter that lives with her in the top room of a house. The bed occupies most of the room. Her husband is living outside of the city because that is where he has found employment; it is difficult for him to see his family very often. With the help of the missionaries, Gerald was able to give the woman a blessing. She was very appreciative because she is struggling with this pregnancy, both, physically and mentally. Her daughter is receiving the missionary discussions and has accepted an April baptism, Yay! This sweet daughter helps her mother, who has to stay in bed in the small cramped room most of the day.  The mother is grateful for the Gospel, and it is nice to feel the spirit during our visits. The Lord's hand stretches out to the meek and the humble.  We are so glad we are missionaries in Vietnam right now.

OUR VISITOR, NHI

This last week, we had a house guest -- a young women from Hanoi that is a member of our Church. She has been in an abusive situation and needed a place to stay. She had lost her ID papers and needed some help in contacting her family. It was interesting communicating with her, because she spoke only a little English and we spoke very little Vietnamese (missionaries and Google Translate were a big help). The President of our branch finally got in contact with some members in Saigon, who thought they could help her find her father. She got on a bus Friday evening, for the 40-hour bus trip to Saigon. Her few days with us was an emotional experience; even though we couldn’t talk to each other very well, our spirits have bonded with hers. She joined with us for prayers, scripture time, meals, as well as some outings. By the time she left, we felt like we were saying goodbye to one of our own children. We promised to stay in contact. I am hopeful that she will find her way to a better, more fulfilling, and happy life.

We have also had a new group of missionaries come this last week. What a delightful group of Elders and Sisters. I think our missionaries are the “cream of the crop” here. This brings the total missionaries in Vietnam to about 35.  There is a lot of work to be done and the Church is definitely growing. We are busy, and so happy to be doing this work!