Vietnam September 2014

 September 2014 we spent an extensive week in Vietnam prior to going to Hong Kong for mission president seminar.  First trip we made was east of HCMC to Sister Nga and Sister Thuy's home, where we were able to meet their parents and family.  They live in a beautiful rural area and have a wonderful family... we were able to express our gratitude to their non-member parents for letting their daughters serve a mission, and also shared some gospel insights with them.  The father is an upright, thoughtful, and good man.  I hope that he will have the opportunity to receive the gospel and will be open to his daughters teaching him more.  He has cared for his wife who suffered traumatic brain injury about 10 years now-- she is sweet and functions on the level of about an 8 year old, but he is patient and caring with her.  We didn't know this about their mother until our trip to their home.  We could feel the spirit strongly being with them again.  They had only been home from their missions for about 1 or 2 weeks.  The father gave me a US G.I. dogtag that he had carefully kept for several years after finding it in the fields.  He asked me to please return it to its rightful owner.  I was able to contact the Veteran's Administration and determine that it was not a missing person, and we did our best to have it sent to the rightful owner.

 With our wonderful sweet missionary daughters Sister Thuy and Sister Nga (last name Do)

 With Brother Thang and his family-- he is the Elders Quorum President in Thao Dien Branch and a part-time church employee over facilities-- he lives about an hour away near Bien Hoa and his family are so faithful and strong.  We had a beautiful discussion with them about the plan of salvation and eternal families and could feel the spirit so strongly in their home.  They are a sealed family and living the gospel and such a strength to the branch-- they will one day be very helpful to the growth of the church in the areas east of HCMC.  They hope someday there can be a branch closer to where they live.

 With Sister Jenna Loan Pham, our translator and returned missionary "daughter", on a ferry as we cross one of the 9 "daughter" rivers of the Mekong on our way to a visit to western Vietnam provinces to see members-- we started at 6am in the morning, got back at 4am the next morning-- a long but wonderful trip.

 We visited LongXuyen, where several families who are members live-- this is the brother of Elder Van (Long) in our mission, and his wife-- both sensitive and kind.  She bore a strong testimony.  They lost a child to tubal pregnancy and don't know if they will ever be able to have children but she bore a wonderful testimony about her faith in God and his blessings.  Cute small home, newer.

 With Sister Nga in area north of Long Xuyen, An Gieng province, she is a longtime faithful member and we have seen her come to district conference in HCMC multiple times.  She has a group of family and friends, some members, some who want to be members, and she has a small room upstairs in her home where they gather to read scriptures and sing hymns together.  She is wonderful.

 Some of the many rivers and canals we passed by on our long trip, lots of water in this part of Vietnam, the delta area of the Mekong.

 Above, homes along a small canal/stream

 At 8:30pm at night in the middle of nowhere we got a flat tire.  We tried to use the jack and spare but the jack was faulty/broken and we couldn't get the spare tire to drop.  We were very concerned-- we still had one member's home we were trying to get to.  Then we looked around and found 50 meters away a tire store, open all night!  What a miracle and blessing-- they quickly had us back on the road.

 Brother Son Ni - father to President Trieu, and his sons, had been waiting dinner for us, looking forward to our visit all day-- we enjoyed a lovely Vietnamese dinner with them and were so grateful to be able to visit them in Soc Trang, very rural and peaceful and beautiful area and ancestral home.  We can see why he doesn't want to move.  He lost his wife 1 year ago.  He is a very faithful Melchizedek Priesthood holder.  Two of his sons are returned missionaries.

 After our trips in and around HCMC to visit members we stopped for 1 day in Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam, and Nguyen Dynasty.  It is a beautiful area in Central Vietnam, and we thoroughly enjoyed our "p-day" together there.  Above, it is the Lunar Moon Festival time, and the streets were filled with lion dancers and drums and crowds gathering to watch.  Below the beautiful scenery in Hue from the top of a hill overlooking the river and city.

 Beautiful architecture and buildings in the palace area of Hue-- built approximately 1800 I think.  The massive stone painted gates were very impressive.

 We're not sure what the ceremonial basin above was for, but we thought it would make a great baptismal font!  Below with a couple of similarly stone-faced friends.

 We love the beautiful flower markets.  Below the female workers in our hotel were dressed up for the Lunar Festival celebrations in traditional costume.  It was very fun -- we were the Moon's staying in the Moonlight hotel during the Harvest Moon Festival.