"MAKE SURE YOUR PARENTS BUY YOU A GPS"

This week's subject line comes from something my drivers ed teacher said to me (not kidding). It also is a pretty accurate description of my entire life. On Friday and Saturday, Chi Thu Hong and Chi Thuy Anh flew up to Hanoi to go on companion exchange. All day on Friday, I was paired up with Chi Thu Hong (HOLLA). We had a last minute appointment all the way out in Ha Dong, which is about an hour's bike ride away from Cau Giay (the area where I live). Unfortunately, seeing as I am the way that I am (and get lost on the roads in little Nampa, Idaho), and Chi Thu Hong has only lived in Saigon, we got lost trying to get there. Long story short, it took us over 2 hours to meet with this new girl. It was a fun experience. For Christmas, I am going to by myself a GPS and stick it on my bike so that it never happens again!

Saturday night was another special night for us.. Chi Trang's baptism!! Chi Trang really is a miracle for Chi Man Nghi and I. We have been meeting with her since I first got here, all the way back in July! She has been through so much in her life, especially as she was investigating the gospel. It's just amazing to see the way that she's changed and become happier as she's started learning! 

This weekend we had our Branch Conference, and had a special guest come up from Saigon to teach Sunday School (Chi Quen). Chi Quen taught everyone about the importance of family home evening. Back when I lived at home, I admit, family home evening felt like a drag. The only thing that I looked forward to was the snack at the end (just being honest). But now that I don't get to see my family every day, I understand why family home evening is so important! When we have time to spend with our families, our relationships will grow stronger and everyone will be happier. The family unit is so important to Heavenly Father, and I know that we have the families that we do for a reason. I don't believe in coincidences, and so I know that my parents & siblings were placed in my family so that I could learn from them and become a better person. In the church, we have this special thing called "The Family: A Proclamation to the World". This article talks about the importance of families, and more about why families are a central unit in the plan of happiness. As always, here's the link for everyone to go and read it:

 

https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng

Just a little update on my ethnicity tally:

Filipino: 3, Korean 2, Laos: 1, Russian:4 (When we went to the grocery store on Tuesday, I said hello to a vietnamese women and she replied to me in some weird language that I'm assuming was Russian. Definitely one of the weirdest experiences I've had so far.)

If there was one quote to describe this week, it would be this: "Anh phải đến đế hiểu nhiều hơn!" (Meaning: you have to come to understand more!) When Chi Thu Hong and I were trying to get to Ha Dong, this random guy stopped us to try to get our numbers, and didn't understand why we shared a phone and didn't have a personal number. He ended up coming to church on Sunday, and I had our elders swoop him up real quick.

Also, I had to give a prayer in English yesterday and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

GENERAL CONFERENCE & the Powerpuff Girls


This weekend I FINALLY had the chance to watch all of General Conference.. And how does the Powerpuff Girls relate to that? Well, this little 6 year old girl, Em Ha, decided to sit next to me during the Saturday Morning Session. For the whole 2 hours, she kept stealing my notebook and pens and drew about 50 pictures of the Powerpuff Girls. So, right in the middle of Elder Lynn G. Robbins' talk, I have a beautiful sketch of Bubbles (who just so happens to be my favorite Powerpuff Girl, so it's fine).

I wanted to share something from General Conference with everyone. During Elder Nelson's talk, he said, "we are meant to have joy." That's such a simple sentence, but it is so true! We really are meant to have joy in this life. Some of you may be wondering, "What? I've had plenty of experiences that are far from joy." I agree - I've been there, too. Most of these experiences for me have been when I realized that Walmart doesn't have any more Chunky Monkey Ben & Jerry's so I have to settle with Chocolate Fudge Brownie. No joy there. But in all reality, our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy. Yes, we will have some experiences where we will feel sad, disappointed, or angry. But it's so important for us to learn from these experiences so that we can have joy in our lives once again. I read a different conference talk this morning from President Uchtdorf about one way we can always have joy - by being grateful.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances?lang=eng

So this week was BUSY BUSY BUSY. On Tuesday, Chi Thu Hong and all the other missionaries from Ho Chi Minh came to Hanoi! We spent the whole day in meetings to prep for the new missionaries coming from the MTC. On Wednesday, our fresh batch of 18 year old children arrived! Another full day of training and orientation for them (such a good time too - right after 30 hours of traveling). Our Hanoi Zone has now gained 4 new elders: Anh Ca Khai, Viec, Luc, and Hung. They are going to be so great!

Thursday is when things get exciting. Chi Thu Hong and I had some time to go out on the town BY OURSELVES. Literally the day after our 12 weeks of training ends, we get sent out to go contacting together. You know that feeling when your mom sends you to go grocery shopping by yourself for the first time? You've gone with her before and know what you need to do, but when you don't have her right by your side you freak out and end up buying 2 red milks instead of 1 green and 1 red? This was basically the same. I didn't have my "mom" for the first time (Chi Man Nghi was at the office) so me and my MTC companion, Chi Thu Hong, were just biking around pretending like we knew what we were doing! But it all turned out well in the end and we had a great time together.

One miracle that came from this that I wanted to share with everyone - While Chi Thu Hong and I were walking around at Ho Thanh Cong, we smiled and said hi to this random girl that walked past us. Nothing unusual. We then got stopped by 3 older women who wanted to know who we were and why we looked so different. It was while we were talking to these women that the girl (who's name is Chi Hue) turned around and came back to talk to us! She asked us a lot about what we do here and what the gospel of Jesus Christ is. THIS NEVER HAPPENS. I have never had anyone come back and ask specifically about the gospel. Chi Hue wasn't even interested about coming to a free English class, she just wanted to learn more about our church! We've set up a time to meet with her this week, and I am so excited! MIRACLE.

If there was one quote to describe this week, it would be this: "Em ghet Viet Nam smells nhu the nao" (translated: "I hate the way Vietnam smells". I always forget what the word for "smells" is) This past week, so many people were burning fires outside so every night I came home smelling like a bonfire. LOVE IT.

Also, shoutout to my old teachers, Thay Long and Thay Hai, who translated for General Conference. I totally recognized your voices - especially when Thay Long said "Washington, Seattle" in a British accent.

Khong mau xanh nua


Why yes, the subject for this email would be my awful translation of "No longer green", meaning that I'm NO LONGER A GREENIE. As of this upcoming Wednesday, I will have officially finished me 12 week training period! Chi Man Nghi and I will be staying in Hanoi for another 12 weeks though, because there aren't very many sisters to shift around!

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to watch the General Conference session for all the women in the church. It was SO GOOD. One of my favorite things that was said was this, from Sister Jean B. Bingham, "We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." One of the biggest things that I've learned since being here in Vietnam is that attitude is everything. We are going to have trials no matter what we do - that's just a part of life. We'll have days where we don't feel like doing anything, days where we feel like nothing will ever get better. But, I know that when we face those days with a good, hopeful attitude, things always get better. If you didn't have a chance to watch the General Women's session (or general conference for that matter), here is a link:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference?cid=HP14GC&lang=eng

Another important lesson that I've learned since being here: how to toughen up. There have been so many days where people will say things about the way that I look, since I look COMPLETELY different from anyone here, and I just have to smile and laugh it off! This past week while in an elevator, this little old grandpa stepped in, pointed at me and said, "Why is she so tall? That's not normal." :))))))) THANKS. (I also ran into him later in the week and he said the same thing, so we've developed a really great friendship). I've also started what I call an "ethnicity tally", a little chart to keep track of all the guesses people make about where I come from! As of right now, the most common is Filipino or (for some weird reason) Russian. Coming in a tight second is Korean.

Chi Man Nghi and I had the opportunity to visit one of our favorite people, Bac Bon. I've had some interesting experiences with Bac Bon already, and every time we visit her something exciting happens. This time, we were trying to share a scripture with her and invite her to come back to church. Right as I was reading in Mosiah 2, verse 41 (about "happy are those that keep the commandments of God") a customer stepped up to her little stand and asked to buy some cigarettes. So we had to take a bit of a pause so Bac Bon could do her job, selling cigarettes. But all is well in Zion, I was able to finish up sharing the scripture.

If I had one quote to describe this week, it would be this: "GIOI QUA" (gioi = talented, qua = !!!!!!!!!!!!). This is in total sarcasm. Last Tuesday, Chi Man Nghi and I spent 20 straight minutes trying to figure out how to spell "gioi" so we could text it to one of our investigators. I thought I knew it all, and was trying to convince her that to spell it a certain way. She finally gave in and sent the text, only for us to be told by our investigator that our spelling was completely wrong. So, unfortunately, I am not "gioi qua". 

The next time you all hear from me, our mission will have DOUBLED IN SIZE. We are getting 8 NEW MISSIONARIES on Wednesday, for a whopping total of 20 MISSIONARIES!!!! This means we are big enough for ZONES!! (I can just see all my missionary friends laughing about this excitement). Big changes are coming for our baby Vietnam Mission!

Thanks for all the emails and updates! I hope everyone enjoyed General Conference. If you missed it, it's not too late to watch!

SURGERY, SPAGHETTI & SUSTAINING THE PROPHET


Let's go in order.

Surgery - Wednesday night after our English Class, Chi Man Nghi and I went to the home of Elder and Sister Noorda (one of the senior couples here) for some ingrown toenail surgery! So glamorous, I know. Chi Man Nghi has had this problem for a long time now, and we are just barely getting around to fixing it! We we got to their apartment, Elder and Sister Noorda were all decked out in scrubs with the kitchen dining table covered with  tableclothes, syringes, and blades of some sort. Best part of the whole procedure was that when it was over, Sister Noorda brought out rice krispie treats for us. So here we are, sitting around the same table that Chi Man Nghi just had surgery on, eating dessert. Totally normal.

Spaghetti - Chi Man Nghi and I live as if we are freshmen at BYU again. Except for I had the Cannon Center and could eat whatever I wanted, and she ate Nutella sandwiches for every meal. So I'd say our meals here are worse than when we were freshmen at BYU.. Anyways, our most exciting meal this week was our creatively-made spaghetti: eggplant, sauce, and then those dry noodles that come in Ramen noodle packets (we cooked them, don't worry). So, if you ever want to make spaghetti but don't have proper noodles for it, have no fear. Boil up some ramen noodles and you're good to go. My mom would also be proud - I made some "breadsticks" by cutting up 2 slices of bread and sticking it in the toaster oven. You learn so much on your mission :')

Sustaining the prophet - On Sunday, Chi Man Nghi and I had the opportunity to teach Relief Society about sustaining our prophet and other church leaders! This was in preparation for General Conference, which will take place in Salt Lake City this weekend! Our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, receives revelation from God to help guide and direct us - ultimately so that we can better our lives. There have been so many times that I have received things that I needed to hear through his talks given at General Conference, and I know that he truly is called of God. Everyone should tune in to General Conference on Saturday, October 1st, and Sunday, October 2nd! You can contact me or my parents for specific information (You're welcome for volunteering you, Parents). I'll also attach a link to lds.org where you can find out more :) General Conference isn't a blast of religious information that has no application to you if you aren't a member of the church. It really is a great time for you to receive advice and counsel on how you can strengthen your family's relationship, how you can feel better/more confident about yourself, how you can be more self-reliant. It's also a great time to bake lots of yummy food and pig-out in the living room while wearing your pajamas.

Viewing times/General Conference in general (hahaha, used general twice in one sentence, I'm sorry)-

https://www.lds.org/church/events/october-2016-general-conference?cid=HP_FR_16-9-2016_dCN_fEVT_xLIDyL1-C_&lang=eng

Link to a talk from last General Conference, April 2016, just so you can see General Conference can apply to those outside the church, too :) -

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/refuge-from-the-storm?lang=eng

The quote for this week would be.. "The xac cua em met qua!" This is literally translated into, "my body is tired." According to Chi Man Nghi, this isn't the proper way to say that. Because of all my little blunders such as this one, she has begun to compile a list called "KT PHRASES". You can tell that my Vietnamese is coming along great :')

Bowling in Vietnam!

Enjoying P (preparation) day and yes, wearing pants (as opposed to dresses and skirts)!

HELLO HO CHI MINH CITY!!  (9/18/2016)


This Thursday, Chi Man Nghi and I got to fly down to Ho Chi Minh for some exchanges! Unfortunately we were only able to spend about 7 hours in the city with the sisters down there, but it was still fun! I've noticed that Ho Chi Minh is a lot quiter, the food is really good, and the air is a bit cleaner.. Still love Hanoi, but I definitely will not have very many complaints if I get transferred down to Ho Chi Minh!

This week I want to share a scripture, D&C 122:5-9
(I would copy and paste the scripture on here but I really don't like the way it formatted in this email.. So you will just have to go look it up on www.lds.org!) This scripture talks about trials that we have in life, and that ultimately every trial that we are given is for our benefit. We have trials in life to improve and become the person that we are meant to be. We don't have trials because Heavenly Father thinks it's funny to watch us suffer. Trials truly do help us reach our full potential. Serving here in Vietnam has been rough - there are so many things to plan and think about, a lot of stuff that I didn't even know missionaries had to do! But I know that with every trial I have, I'm improving (maybe just a smidge, but improving) and hopefully by the end of my 18 months I'll be someone that people actually enjoy being around! 

Not much happened this week, except for that our investigator Chi Trang officially accepted 10/22 as her baptism date!!!! SO EXCITING. 

This Saturday, we were invited over to a member's house for lunch: Chi Tan. She is the relief society president here in Hanoi. She lives about an hour away, so we new it would be a LONG bike ride. Unfortunately, we forgot our cellphone at home.. So when we got lost we had to ask about 15 people for directions!! But we couldn't give up and go home because Chi Tan makes really good ice cream and we knew she would give us some when we got to her house. So we endured this bike ride pretty well. FUNNIEST PART of this whole experience though, was that her kitchen (where we ate lunch) is only about 5 feet 10 inches tall. I'm 5 foot 8/5 foot 9 (depending on who's measuring). So that's right, I had about 1 inch of space when I stood up. It was the funniest thing ever. I will be attaching a picture of it later on so that everyone can laugh about how ridiculous my life is here in Vietnam.

On Saturday night, we had a party for Le Trung Thu, the mid-autumn festival!! We had a lot of new people show up for it, so it was a great night for us! My least favorite part, however, was when my lovely, kind companion Chi Man Nghi volunteered me for the banana eating contest. I absolutely love the bananas here (they're so cute and little) but I don't love them when I have 2 minutes to eat as many as I can! Thank goodness I had a little helper, Em Ha (5 or 6 years old). She managed to eat 1 banana and I ate 4 more for a WHOPPING TOTAL OF FIVE MINI BANANAS. We place third... Out of 3 teams. Don't worry, I know that this is just one trial that's been given to me in my life, and (like I said before about trials) through it I will be able to improve to become the person I was meant to be. A person that can eat 10 mini bananas in 2 minutes.

The one quote to describe this week would be this: "Hai Chi Ca an thoai mai, nhe!" Which translates to "Oh, eat comfortably!" Meaning that we can eat as much or as little as we want. Unfortunately, people here say that and then expect you to change your definition of "comfortable" so that you eat everything they put on your plate. For example, Co Hang said that to us this week and then forced us to eat a huge platter of ban cuon, nep com, and papaya. Yum.

SHOTGUN BAPTISM (9/11/16)

The only 4 sister missionaries in the whole entire mission!

This time I'm going to start off with the quote of the week, because it pretty much summarizes what my whole email will be about: "SURPRISE!"

Surprise #1: I can't handle spicy food. Last Tuesday for lunch, Chi Man Nghi and I went to a Mi Cay restaurant - this Korean noodle restaurant that has 7 levels of spicy noodles. My whole family knows that I don't like spicy foods. I'm such a baby when it comes to that kind of stuff. And turns out, just because you live in Southeast Asia for 2 months doesn't mean that you can handle spicier foods. So, out of the 7 levels, I took the bold move of ordering level 1. Chi Man Nghi ordered level 3. Let me just tell you, this might have been the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. I felt like such a wimp for not being able to conquer level 1, but it's okay. It's fine, I'm fine, everything's fine. 2 girls behind us ordered level 4's and they went through 3 huge jugs of water and a box of Kleenex to wipe up their tears. 

Surprise #2: Right after Chi Man Nghi and I had finished up our daily planning session on Friday night (around 9pm) we got a call from Chi Hien, the wife of the branch president here. Turns out that her daughter, 8 year old Bong, is going to get baptized THIS UPCOMING SUNDAY RIGHT AFTER CHURCH. And she needed us to put the program together. So with that came the fastest baptism planning that I have ever been part of - calling people to give talks, arranging a special musical number, FINDING CLOTHES SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT AN 8 YEAR OLD VIETNAMESE CHILD. But no worries, the baptism was fantastic.

Surprise #3: Our investigators!!!!! We had three of our investigators attend church & the baptism this week: Chi Trang, Trung Anh, and Em Linh. All three of them are wanting to get baptized, but we only have a set date for Em Linh. In our last lesson with Chi Trang, we extended the date of October 22nd for her baptism, to which she replied that it was too soon. But, yesterday after the baptism, Chi Man Nghi was joking around with them and said, "Oh so you guys are next, right?" To which Chi Trang replied, "Yeah, on October 22nd." MIRACLE. In just 4 days she had completely changed her mind about that day! Mine & Chi Man Nghi's faces were definitely in shock.

Surprise #4: Banh Trung Thu. September is the month of the Moon Festival, so there are tons of outdoor stands selling Banh Trung Thu - these yummy, cute, little cakes. Chi Man Nghi and I are really scared to try the adventurous flavors (specifically the meat ones) so we stick to Dau Xanh - Mong Bean. It's the best kind. Anyways, after Bong's baptism yesterday, all of the members brought out food for everyone to eat (no surprise there). Someone had brought a big platter of Banh Trung Thu, so I decided to try one! There was this deep green colored one, which of course I thought "Oh, that has to be green tea. Can't eat that one." But then a member told us that the green one was some kind of fruit flavor... Of course I wanted to try it, but RIGHT before I put it in my mouth one of our elders said, "Chi Kim Thu, that's green tea!!!!" I almost caused the biggest scandal in all of missionary history. Xin loi.

Surprise #5: CHI MAN NGHI AND I ARE GOING TO HO CHI MINH ON THURSDAY. We were informed this last Wednesday and had our tickets booked that same day. We will be doing a 24 hour exchange with Chi Tam and Chi Thu Hong so that we can learn the area (just incase one of us gets transferred down there). Super excited to see them (especially Chi Thu Hong!!!) but also super nervous. We will see what happens.

Seeing as I spent the majority of this email talking about a baptismal service that we had, I want to spend some time to talk about why baptism is such a big deal for us. You always hear missionaries talking about baptisms, baptisms, and more baptisms. But why? I believe that baptism is the first step to live with our Heavenly Father again after this life. No one is perfect, and because of that we all make mistakes. I make millions of mistakes every single day, so thank goodness for repentance. But, when we are baptized, all of our sins and mistakes are completely wiped away. It's a brand new, fresh start. We make a covenant with Heavenly Father that we're willing to live the way that He wants us to live - to serve others, to be patient (or try to at least), to love one another. I'm attaching a link to a General Conference talk about baptism by Elder Robert D. Hales that will give more insight on baptism:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/the-covenant-of-baptism-to-be-in-the-kingdom-and-of-the-kingdom?lang=eng

Alright well, not much else has changed out here in Vietnam! Weather is still hot, it still rains off and on, the food is still delicious, and the people are still the nicest people I have ever met. The most patient, too, because I struggle a lot with the language and they still try to understand me.