Hallelujah!!!

When we arrived brand new in Ho Chi Minh City on September 5, 2016 we were so amazed to see the Church functioning so well here – two active branches, eight young “branch builders”, a District (similar to a diocese) with a District presidency.  We stood in awe that here in this part of the world the church was growing and thriving and doing so well.

Our first day in Ho Chi Minh City, with our eight branch builders
and two professors from the United States.

Little could we have imagined the changes that would take place in just one year. Today, there are 25 young branch builders and 8 "seniors", as us older folks are called. 

Branch builders serving in the Ho Chi Minh District - September 2017

There are now two Districts in Vietnam – the Hanoi District and the Ho Chi Minh District.  Ho Chi Minh City and outlying areas now has six branches and several church buildings to accommodate them.

The Ho Chi Minh District was created in a special meeting held on September 17, 2017.  The energy was electric and only surpassed by the power of the Spirit.  The chapel was overflowing for this special occasion. 

September 17, 2017 on the occasion of  the creation of the Ho Chi Minh District

The Tan Son Nhat branch president, President Thinh, was called to serve as the first District President (center).

 

President Thinh then stood to speak.  “Hallelujah,” he began. “Heavenly Father is the author of this work. I commit myself to help establish Zion wherever He needs me.”

Surely the field is ripe already to harvest.

Courtesy of flickr.com/
World Bank Photo Collection

Our two branches have now grown into 6 little branches, and new leaders are being raised up, trained, and established. Last week in sacrament meeting a 17 year old young man who was just baptized a week earlier was one of the main speakers.  Another speaker was a recent convert of only a few months, now newly called as the Primary president.  Their talks were just as doctrinally sound as if they’d been in the church for many years. 

Outside of the Tan Son Nhat building

The Tan Son Nhat branch meets in a large house.  The ground floor has a large open room which serves as an activity center, dance hall, meeting room, and general gathering place. 

Multipurpose room that serves
 as a chapel on Sundays

But on Sunday’s the plastic chairs are lined up and the room transforms into a sacred chapel, a room worthy of the sacred ordinance of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.  Today 66 people attended sacrament meeting. Many are new converts or friends who are investigating the church.  Even with all the recent new branch divisions, the Tan Son Nhat branch is still one of the largest branches in the Ho Chi Minh District. Foreign visitors also often join us – travelers trekking through the country, business executives, families of Vietnamese descent coming back to see the roots of their ancestors, and many others.  

I can’t pinch myself enough – this is so amazing to see this all unfold.  A great foundation is being laid, and it is a great miracle.  The people here are so happy to find answers that bring peace to their lives, stronger families, and good values.  We are blessed to be here and watch this all unfold from the side lines.  There is far more work that can be done than we have people to do it.  Instead of the work moving forward one step at a time, it does so in leaps and bounds.  We truly “stand all amazed!”

We are witnesses of the prophecies made in holy places regarding this land.  The Saints rejoice today, saints on both sides of the veil, as this great work moves forward.  Hallelujah indeed!!!

A Trip to Heaven - The Temple in Manila

It seemed like it was a long time coming. The anticipation was high as P. (age 8) and her family began their trip to the Manila temple from their home village of Châu Đốc, Vietnam. They were on their way to be sealed as a forever family.

A six hour bus ride brought the family into Ho Chi Minh City where they joined the rest of the group – 44 in all – who were making their way to Manila for the annual temple trip.

On July 17, members from the three branches in Ho Chi Minh City as well as the Virtual Branch from the outlying areas gathered together at the Tan Son Nhat chapel for a brief devotional before catching either the 1:00 am flight to Manila or a flight later that morning. 

A devotional started off the trip with the outpouring of the Spirit.

The group gathers for the 1:00 am flight.

We were assigned traveling buddies - Elder Coffey and I traveled with a delightful mother and her daughter.

Arriving at the temple in the middle of the bustling, crowded city of Manila is a little bit like finding heaven.  A lot like it, actually.

The tired but happy group gathered in the patron housing lobby to receive their room assignments.

Patron Housing at the Manila Temple - for those who travel a long distance to attend.

The weary group waits for their room assignments.

Catching up on sleep before heading over to the temple.

The temple provides housing for temple patrons who come to the temple from long distances.  Bunk beds line each room housing 8 people.  Some rooms are reserved for families so they can stay together.

Assigning out the bedding for each room.

The group arrived at the temple around 6 in the morning and after resting up a bit, began serving in the temple.

The Manila temple is an English speaking temple.  Many of those in our group spoke only Vietnamese, but several in the group were able to translate to help explain things. In spite of translation challenges, the universal language of the Spirit flowed and blessings followed. 

A particularly tender moment was when P.'s family was sealed - first her grandparents to each other, then her mother to her grandparents, then her parents to each other, and then the crowning moment when P. and her baby sister were brought in to also be sealed as a forever family.  I could not hold back the tears that swelled in my eyes at this sacred moment. 

Three generations of Vietnamese Saints

It was a very big day for them!

S. was another one who came to the temple (photo, right).  A widow for 7 years, she came to receive the sacred ordinance of being sealed to her husband for time and all eternity. Miracles unfolded as saints rallied around her to help her with the paperwork and translation in order to be able to perform the sealing. She has been a member of the church for 2 years and this has been a sacred highlight for her. 

The blessings continued day and night as members were baptized for their loved ones by proxy and as families were joined together by the power and authority of the priesthood that Heavenly Father has restored to the earth in these last days. 

Elder Coffey and I and others were given opportunities to assist in the temple - helping wherever they needed us. 

What a joy it is that we are blessed with temples throughout the world - bringing these eternal blessings to families on both sides of the veil. Our visit to the temple was four faith-filled days mingling with saints, feeling the outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord, and being reminded of the supernal and eternal binding power of the priesthood. Everything about the temple points us to Jesus Christ. It is His house.  We are grateful guests in His sacred work. 

"Temples are are more than stone and mortar. They are filled with faith and fasting. They are built of trials and testimonies. They are sanctified by sacrifice and service."  Thomas S. Monson

Teaching English Conversation to Amazing Students

What is the best part of our senior mission?  The people - absolutely!  They are such an amazing delight.  Whether we are working with them one-on-one in Gospel discussions, teaching English conversation, sharing self reliance workshops, or just having fun with them - the people here are refreshingly open, teachable and very loving.  

We teach free English conversation sessions twice a week - one night in the District 6 Branch and one night in the Tan Son Nhat Branch. All missionaries share in this opportunity in Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced levels.  Elder Coffey and I lead the Advanced levels, and are grateful to mentors who assist us in the classroom!

Our fantastic mentor helping with the discussion groups

 

One of our students made a video of our last class - you'll get a good feel of what it's like to interact with these amazing students! Click here - English Class.

At the conclusion of the hour long free English class, we share a 15 minute spiritual message to those who are willing to stay and listen.  No one ever leaves.  The Spirit is strong during those messages and sometimes we see those who are being touched by the power of God as they hear, sometimes for the first time in their lives, of a God who loves them and cares for them.

Some of the crazy, fun, amazing missionary-teachers of our English conversation classes:

Bringing Life to a New Building

Twenty empty chairs faced us in our little classroom on the 4th floor. It was the very first day of our Happy Family class in the brand new church building in District 6. And we were waiting to see who would show up.

Ho Chi Minh City is divided into political administrative districts.  The financial hub of the city is in District 1.  Stretching outward from there are numbered districts (1-12) as well as districts with such creative names as Bình Thạnh, Tân Bình, and Bình Tân, not to be confused by open markets with names like Bến Thành and Tân Định! (And when you pronounce them slightly wrong to the taxi driver, you are likely to end up in a completely different part of town than you expected!)

New District 6 Branch Building

With the membership growth of the Ton San Nhut Branch, the mission made plans to create a new branch of the church in a new area. 

District 6 was the fortunate choice. A building was located that would be suitable for the start up branch.

We had the opportunity of helping outfit the new building in preparation for English classes. It was virtually an empty shell, with echoing halls and blank walls.

The new building - empty and waiting

We spruced it up with a visitor’s area, large pictures of the Savior and His life, class room dry erase boards and tables on various levels of the building. But still it sat empty.

On January 22, 2017, the new District 6 Branch was created, the third branch in Ho Chi Minh City. Because the new building was not available to move into quite yet, the branch met on Sundays in the Ton San Nhut building in the afternoons.

The District 6 Branch's first sacrament meeting  - a fledgling group with big hearts and high enthusiasm!

And the chairs of the District 6 building sat empty, waiting in hollow rooms.

But after a couple of months, the building was finally ready. There was mounting excitement for the new budding branch.  On April 4, 2017 the District 6 Branch met in their new building for Sunday services for the first time. See how much they have already grown!

First Sacrament Meeting in the District 6 Building

Scroll forward to our first Happy Family Class just this past weekend. The twenty empty chairs sat waiting. 

Then several people from the community came. Then some more.  Then more! They were coming! 

First Happy Family Class in District 6 Building

Nowadays the building is bustling with activity. It is filled with church meetings, missionaries, English conversation classes, family history consulting, and classes on strengthening home and family. It is becoming a gathering place for the community.

But it’s not the classes, meetings, offices, furnishings, or facilities that makes it a great gathering place.

It is the people. It is always the people.

English Class in District 6 Building

 What is most important almost always 

involves the people around us. 

 -President Thomas S. Monson

We love serving in Ho Chi Minh City!

We Know “Where the Sidewalk Ends”… and Why

Courtesy of Flickr.com/Roadside Pictures

I always wondered what that phrase meant – “where the sidewalk ends”.  With the famous American poet’s book by the same title, I’ve been intrigued by Shel Silverstein’s thought process.  Mental images of neat and orderly urban sidewalks suddenly coming to an abrupt end at empty lots satisfied me only slightly as I figured Shel probably had a much more sophisticated and abstract idea in mind when he titled his book. Something about a magical place of imagination worthy of exploration in our dreams.

Well, we actually found the truth.  We found where the sidewalk really does end. And who would have guessed it would be right here in Hồ Chí Minh City?

"We dare you to try to use the sidewalk!"

You simply cannot get from here to there on the sidewalks.  Somewhere long ago someone decided that the walkway outside their storefront was much too valuable. Seeing as pedestrians are rare, (Elder Coffey and I are among the very few crazy enough to traverse the sidewalks) they opted for creating some additional moneymaking real estate.

 Motorbike parking lots with watchful security guards - they can charge a small fee for motorists to park their bikes on their property.  

 Little vendor eat shops with tiny plastic stools surrounding

 equally tiny tables line the sidewalks in practically every part of town.... 

Courtesy of Flickr.com/Khanh Hmoong

...sometimes blocking the entire sidewalk!

"You'll just have to go around us, ma'am!"

There are also construction zones, promotion aisles for over-crowded storefronts, small businesses...

...and people sitting around just waiting for time to pass - or to maybe play a round of Xiangqi...

Courtesy of Flickr.com/ Matthew Klein

 


The sidewalks even become thoroughfares for motorists, making sidewalk-traversing an adventure in motorcycle-dodging - only to be done by the bravest of souls.

So this dizzying array of dishes, flowers, clothes, fruit, bánh mì, merchandise and a near constant flow of motorcycles on the sidewalk crowd out the pedestrians and force them to the streets for "safe" adrenaline-rushing passage. If you can imagine the streets being safer than the sidewalks!

Yes - the sidewalk ended in Ho Chi Minh City when commercialization and motorists both discovered it. Every day is an adventure! 

Loving our mission in Hồ Chí Minh City!!

Teaching the Swing Dance at the Branch Halloween Party