Back to Pottery Village - Bat Trang

 As I've said before, it's fun to take our new missionaries to places they've never been yet, even if we have been there already, and our latest spot is Bat Trang, or Pottery Village. This is somewhere we've been a couple of times, and we're still not tired of seeing the beautiful craftmanship of the Vietnamese people. This time, one of our Sister missionaries especially wanted to make some pottery herself, so we decided we'd look for just such a place at Bat Trang. We knew we could find somewhere to make pottery, and we didn't have far to look! As soon as the car door opened, a local craftswoman gave us the opportunity (accosted us?) to go to her shop and, for $4, we could make a piece of pottery, paint it, have it fired, and have it shipped to us. That was too good to pass up! We followed her to her shop where she had a dozen or so potter's wheels lined up and down the room, with bags of clay just waiting for new victims--I mean, new artisans like ourselves.

Thankfully, she helped us center our clay, because that makes or breaks you when making pottery!

We headed out to lunch to give our pots a chance to dry...

And stopped to see some merchandise...

Then we got ready to get creative! (This is NOT our lunch table...)

And let our colorful juices flow! (Not literally...)

Once we were finished painting, we had time to enjoy the shops and the stunning artistry of the people who knew what they were doing!

From little teapots (I need to see if my daughters would like these...)...

To gorgeous, colorful vases and pots...

And then we went to admire the village pagoda or temple.

The front doors were just beautiful.

The lotus blossoms were beautiful...

as were the plumeria...

Then here are the shops again, to give an idea of how filled they were with beautiful items!!

T

And the omnipresent cock-a-doodle-doo...

And these tea sets that I think are so pretty...

And this was our finished product! Allen's is on the left and mine on the right. At $4 each, a real bargain! High quality! One of a kind! You won't find another bowl like these no matter how hard you look! Made to last a lifetime! We won't part with them at any price! (What's your offer??)

It was a really fun experience.

Tuesday mornings are our District Planning meetings, when our missionaries come over and teach each other how to be better missionaries, and I figure out what treats they need to eat next. Banana muffins are a treat of choice, and it is part of my calling to keep the missionaries well fed.

Admittedly, the most exciting thing that happened Tuesday is that Teri, Joey's wife, gave birth to our #14 grandchild and #8 grandson, putting grandsons up 2 above granddaughters, at 8 boys to 6 girls. Samuel Robert Adams came in at just over 8 pounds and we are delighted that he and his mom (and the rest of the gang) are doing well.

Tuesday before game night, the missionaries invited many of their investigators and new converts to come over early and eat dinner together. Only a few could come, but they've begun doing that more often as a way for them all to fellowship together and build bonds, and we really like it. 

We especially like it because we're on the spot for any last-minute lessons where members are needed for extra testimonies or stories.

Our week was busy with lesson planning and studying and shopping and figuring out how the time is passing so quickly. Thursday was here before we knew it, with English activity bringing many new friends to meet each other at 7 pm. We had a good group, and many were new.

We figured out that one of our greatest contributions could be to keep the youngest people occupied and learning so their parents could have a more effective learning experience in the other part of the room. We actually had a good time playing games and learning about food!

Book of Mormon Reading Club on Friday always turns into a good discussion, and then Saturday is a busy day. 

But wait!! Friday, bright and early, Joyce Adams, Justin's wife--not to be confused with Allen's sister--brought the number of our granddaughters to 7 and the number of our grandchildren to 15! We are so very thrilled to have yet another healthy, adorable grandchild! Olivia Mae Adams weighed in at just over 6 1/2 pounds, a little squirt like her dad was! We are never happier than when our family is healthy and happy, and we never miss them more than when momentous things like this take place and we're so far from home. Our prayers have been even more heartfelt as we've prayed for our kids and their families while we've been gone, and we're so grateful that we can trust Heavenly Father to keep them safe and blessed for us.

This Saturday, I had special plans. We recently reorganized the Relief Society in our branch, and I was changed to be the 2nd counselor from the 1st counselor, and we have a new R.S. president. She is young and has a 1-year old daughter, and has been the Primary president for a little while, with no experience in R.S.  I invited the R.S. presidency over for lunch and to have our first R.S. presidency meeting--the first that the presidency has had in over 8 months. It was greatly needed, and our new president did a wonderful job planning and preparing for the meeting, and for all the things that our branch will be doing in the near future. I finally feel like I can be doing a good job helping the Relief Society!

After that I hurried to the church for my piano class, and was late! Too bad, because I had a new student today--someone from English activity on Thursday evening decided that it sounded very fun to learn to play the piano with such a fun woman! She wasn't wrong! (She was very sweet and fun herself.)

After music was English activity again at 4 pm, and then at 5 pm Allen and I hurried over to the Ba Dinh Branch for a baptism, because after the baptism there was to be a District choir rehearsal for District Conference (think Stake Conference) in 3 weeks; and I have been asked to play the piano for a special musical number for the Sunday session of District Conference.

My mother is very pleased up in heaven to know that my piano lessons are doing some good, and Barbara Elison is also (probably) pleased that her lessons have finally paid off. Barbara is probably saying something like, "See? I told you you should practice!" And my mom is probably saying something like, "See? I told you you would be glad you took lessons!"  And you know what? They are both right! And you know what else? In hindsight, I really wish I'd kept taking those lessons, even though they were a royal pain at the time.  Playing the piano has turned out to be something that has benefited me the most as a missionary in Vietnam, and something which has been the most appreciated by the Church members here. I am very grateful that I can play the piano, and I am admittedly not nearly as good as I wish I was! 

Okay, another Sunday evening has come and it's time for me to go to bed. Mondays always come early.

May you each have a wonderful week! And stay cooler than I'm going to!