Special Days

 We had some good days this week, beginning with last Sunday evening! We were invited by a very devout man in another branch to attend his family's baptismal remembrance day, which was April 27. He said they celebrate every year the day their family was baptized, and this year we were invited to be among their special guests. It was a very nice Family Home Evening, with the singing of hymns and bearing testimony of baptism and of Jesus Christ. Allen was asked to give the opening prayer, which he did in Vietnamese, and I was asked to share my testimony, which I did of Jesus Christ (not in Vietnamese). And then we feasted on very Vietnamese dishes--we passed on the chicken feet this time, but the squid was delicious!

The next day, p-day, was supposed to be very rainy so we were a bit worried about what we could fit in outdoors. We planned on visiting a sort of amusement park with a large slide that you ride down in tubes, and we were able to plan our visit before the rain hit. Good job, us! (It was $3 each to get in, and $2 each per ride; a far sight better than Disneyland!!)

What an unexpected treat this was!

The park also had it's own version of Hobbiton, although not in quite as good repair as the New Zealand version. This one was replete with bunnies running around, baby bunnies looking...oh, so cute, and even guinea pigs hiding out and running from place to place. It had it's own kind of magic.

We had to end with one last ride for everyone, our treat...

A great way to end a fun p-day.

Tuesday was Zone Conference in Hanoi, and that is always a good experience. A fun thing that day was that the father of a soon-to-be sister missionary had come to Vietnam for a visit, and he brought 2 large suitcases STUFFED with candy bars and granola bars as a treat for the missionaries. And what a treat that was! They loved it! He was very generous!

We love our missionaries in Hanoi! We wish we could also go visit with our missionaries in Saigon!

They're one big happy family--and make sure that lunch is done together!

Here's our Hai Ba Trung District.

Tuesday night was game night, and we went 1/2 hour early so I could help tutor a sister in our branch who is learning gospel English...maybe I've mentioned this before. She is sweet, and it's fun to read about the gospel with her.  And game night was fun, too! It's a bit challenging sometimes when little kids run wild and think they can play table tennis when...nope. But they have the cutest smiles and we love them all.

Wednesday was a national holiday: Reunification Day. In America we know it as the Fall of Saigon. Here, patriotism flourishes; most people are off from work for at least 2 days, and kids are out of school. Decorations are everywhere--red and gold maps of Vietnam and Vietnamese flags. We have a splash pad near our apartment complex that we saw in use for the first time, and LOADED with kids, as was the complex swimming pool.

Our apartment entrance...  and a store front below.

Can you see what this map is formed with??  Little conical hats--the Vietnamese hats. Very creative.

Thursday was English activity, which was well-attended. We had gone early to help with another lesson with an investigator, and then began the English activity with Allen and I leading a rousing rendition of "How Much is That Doggie in the Window" before we discussed pets and other animals. We stayed after for quite awhile, visiting with the friends who attended, and explaining why we don't drink matcha, a kind of tea here (they asked us and we answered). 

Friday marked the beginning of what may possibly be another missionary activity for new converts and investigators: we had a Book of Mormon reading night, complete with banana muffins to make the young adults happy. It was a successful evening where we discussed the stories of the broken bow and the Liahona in the Book of Mormon. It's always fun to explain and testify of the things we learn in the scriptures.

Allen and I are both struggling with coughs and colds, so we had to take Saturday off to rest. Lovely nap time...

And that led us to today--Sunday. Testimony meetings are always special, and we even had visitors from the U.S. today--a family of 7. We love to visit with members of our branch, and especially love to see the ordinance of the sacrament entirely presented by new Aaronic Priesthood holders, a very rare thing! Our little branch is growing!

We hope you all have a wonderful week! We plan to... and next week you'll hear all about it!

We love and miss you!

P.S. Here is how people stay cool on the sidewalks of Hanoi...