Goodbye - Hello!

This past week was a fun one. On Monday, we had the opportunity to go to the mission home to say goodbye to the departing missionaries because 2 of them had worked with us in the Hai Ba Trung Branch; the third missionary had worked in Hai Ba Trung but he had come and gone before we arrived last year, so we didn't get to work with him.

This blackboard is in our kitchen, and some of our departing (sister) missionaries write us messages when they are transferred out. I don't have the heart to erase them, because I love the missionaries.

We even got to join the departing missionaries for their farewell dinner, which we felt was an honor.

We've already got a party planned in California for quite a few missionaries after our mission is over...

On Tuesday, we had some free time because transfers had changed the schedule for the week and the District Council that we usually have ended up being canceled because one of our sisters went to the south and the other sister would be training a new missionary who wouldn't arrive until Thursday, so Allen and I were able to go exploring near West Lake.

We took a Grab car to the lake and started walking to some pagodas that Allen found on the map, and we hoped to find them in person; we were partially successful.

This pagoda was very close to the lake; we've seen this one before.

These pomelos (buoi) were covered and we weren't sure if it was to protect them from the sun or what. It was a lot of work to go to; each one was protected.

We left the first pagoda and began to walk toward the next one, around West Lake, which is a LARGE lake in the middle of Hanoi.

We found the next one, but we weren't sure it was still a pagoda; it looked like it might have been made into a market or a seaside attraction of some kind. There were LOTS of people, and it was right next to the lake, with views looking out across the lake. It turned out to be a cool pagoda in a really nice location. This was Tay Ho Palace: West Lake Palace.

We entered the compound at one entrance, Tay Ho Palace, and walked to the other entrance, Kim Nguu Temple. And along the way were shops and shops set up to sell you offerings to the gods or ancestors or Buddha.

Kim Nguu Temple entrance

This golden bull played a big part in the formation of West Lake.

Here is the temple itself.

The view from the top of the bell tower.

This tree was pretty incredible looking; if you can see it, the trunk is waaaay up there, and the roots are reaching waaaay down there.

We left the pagoda complex and went out on the street which, again, was lined with shops to sell you offerings to take into the temple.

A lot of street vendors had this popular food item: Shrimp Cake. Hmmm... not for me.

This monument was erected because Ho Chi Minh stopped in this part of the city and sat on the bench to rest. They revere him, and so what better thing than to memorialize the spot? "Forever grateful to the President Ho Chi Minh. Here President Ho Chi Minh rested when he visited the people of Quang Khanh Village."

This was the next pagoda we walked to, only to find that it wasn't open today! It only opens twice a month, and we missed it by one day.

Our favorite thing to do September 24 (which we did September 23) was to wish our son Kyle a happy birthday, and to puzzle how we can be old enough that our youngest child is 29 years old now. It's a conundrum.

Thursday was a fun day for us. We were invited to help welcome and orient the incoming missionaries to the Vietnam Hanoi Mission! There were 12 coming in that day, and there was also a typhoon that was supposed to be hitting this week. People were concerned that the plane might be delayed or the flight canceled, but the weather turned out not to be as bad as was forecast. We planned ahead and got to the district office well before the appointed time of 1:30 pm, as Allen had some reimbursement papers to drop off at the mission office, which is within about 1/4 mile of the district office, where the orientation was to take place.

We were there when the missionaries arrived and were able to help take pictures and then direct them into the building where we all got to eat lunch together. There are 9 Elders and 3 Sisters for this transfer. Once lunch was eaten, orientation began, and the missionaries were given the rules and regulations of Vietnam, and the information they would need to know to live here for the next 1 1/2-2 years. My part was a quick run-down on health items, and Allen's part was a quick review of bicycle safety and necessary items.

We had a good time meeting the newbies, and hearing of their first impressions of the country, the food, the traffic, the weather, etc. All too soon, the new missionaries who were to stay in the north were introduced to their new companions, and the missionaries who would be flying to Ho Chi Minh City were ushered off to the mission home for the night, to catch their flight the next day. Our Hai Ba Trung Branch has a new Sister, Sister Monica Mayberry, and she already fits right in.

What fun it is to be a missionary, and to help with the new missionaries! What fun it is to be a part of this great work in Vietnam!

Thursday night was English activity, and we had a few new people come, which is always fun.

(There's a crazy man in the back.)

Friday was YSA (Young Single Adults), and after a game of Pictionary, one of the young men who was visiting pulled out his flute and played some Vietnamese music for us. It was really fun.

Saturday was another busy day with meetings, piano class, and English activity. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures. We hurried home afterwards, where I spent the evening preparing a lesson for Relief Society the next day.

Sunday was a good day, as Sundays always are. My lesson went pretty well--I think. The hard part is always the interpreting, and wondering if the correct message is getting across. Our district missionaries gathered afterwards for a picture together because... why not?

We have Elder Nguyen (District Leader), Elder Romans, Sister Mayberry, Sister Duong, and Ong Ba Adams.

Sunday evening, we had the opportunity to accompany the Sisters when they taught a lesson to a sister who hasn't been able to come to church very often. It was an adventure finding her house, and it was a delight to visit with her and encourage her to do her best to come to church more often. Life's challenges may not be taken away when we go to church, but our ability to carry those challenges is increased when we have the Lord's help because we are keeping our covenants. Of this I am sure.