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.