Crowbars and Shovels

Last week we attended one of our projects at the Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi. It is the largest hospital in Vietnam and was built in 1954, during the French occupation. Thousands of people pour into its gates every day to receive treatments from some of the finest doctors in Vietnam. LDSC (Latter Day Saint Charities Humanitarian Aid Fund) has an ongoing program with this hospital to supply wheelchairs. This particular day was the closing of one project and the beginning of another wheelchair project. In the usual Vietnamese tradition they have a ceremony with many dignitaries to show their appreciation.

As part of the program, they introduced the patients that were receiving the wheelchairs. All of the patients were very grateful for the gift of their wheelchair. One of the recipients of the wheelchairs was asked to speak at the event because of her knowledge of the English language. She is a school teacher in her late 30’s and was in a motor scooter accident that broke her back and left her paralyzed from the chest down. In her speech, this young woman spoke with such sweet sincerity, courage and humility, as she graciously accepted the wheelchairs on behalf of those patients receiving one that day. Her touching words were the highlight of the entire ceremony.

LDSC also initiated a project, in conjunction with the hospital, to replace some of the patient restrooms that are in poor condition. The doctors invited everyone to go to another part of the rehabilitation center to start construction of the three new latrines. Currently, the public restrooms in this part of the hospital are run down and difficult for handicap patients to use and desperately need to be replaced. The project will serve to provide brand new, up to date, sanitary restrooms that are more accessible and usable for all. To celebrate the moment, a simulated ground breaking with a crowbar and shovel, where the handicap bathrooms will be built was performed. Elder Thomason looks especially fierce, as he gets ready to spear the next hole in the wall.

After the ceremony, we took some time to visit some of the patients in the rehabilitation unit. Many of the people were injured in auto (scooter) accidents and have lost the use of their legs and/or limbs. Others are there because of disease and the residual effects of Agent Orange from the Vietnam War. There is much overcrowding of the facility. Some of the people have been sharing their bed with another patient. Outside in the court yard, we met a man that was using one of the LDSC wheelchairs, along with his wife. He was in a motor scooter accident 7 months ago that has left him paralyzed from the waist down. He has some feeling in his feet but, has no use of his legs. In this picture, he just received his new wheelchair. He and his wife live quite a distance from the city of Hanoi and have had to leave their two young children in the care of their grandparents, while he is in the hospital. The wife has been diligently massaging his feet and legs to stimulate feeling to come back to his legs. They are very grateful to get a wheelchair.

Visiting the patients is very sobering and heart wrenching, knowing that lives have been changed forever as a result of injury and disease. What a blessing and difference these wheelchairs make in the lives of these patients.

Our lives are being blessed ten-fold to have the opportunity to be  humanitarian missionaries in Vietnam. The needs here are so great and the money LDSC has to spend is so little in comparison. We are grateful to be followers of Jesus Christ in helping the poor and needy. Thanks to all who donate to the Humanitarian Fund. Together we can do so much.

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