Eat. Pray. Love.

March 30, 2014

A couple months ago a recent convert asked me to describe Vietnam in one sentence.

I told him "Vietnam is a place that everyone takes care of one another." If I could choose two words to explain to you all what Vietnam is all about I would say LOVE and CHANGE.

Taylor Swift still rocks my world all the way over here in V-nam. Also, do you like my polka dot gloves? Gotta fight off the sun somehow. 

Love

To be honest, the way they show love is different than the way we are all used to, but the members here are so willing to help one another and do it with pure love. They don't go bake cookies for their neighbors. They don't go out on play dates with their kids. And for me, being so used to all of those things at home, I thought they were so important. I mean chocolate chip cookies and casserole are my favorite, but they're not how you show love. The intention behind those hours of baking and the monthly visits by home and visiting teachers is what is important. Are we visiting people for an hour to catch some gossip, out of obligation, or because we want to go on a tour of someones house? Or is our intention of visiting other members to help them feel the love of our Savior and to find out how they're spiritually and temporally doing so we can help them overcome challenges?

There's a little self reflection for you this week.

Change

Change change change....

Baptism!

First, Anh Dao got baptized and confirmed yesterday so she has become a member of the good ol' Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! The baptismal font here is a metal frame with a tarp lining thing filled with water. Every time we have baptisms the ordinance has to be performed at least twice because the font is so small and people can't always get their whole body in the water. I was not going to let that happen with my investigator though. So on Friday when we were preparing Anh Dao for her baptismal interview I specifically told her about this problem that always happens and I told her she had to try really hard to get her entire body in the water the first time around. And she did! And it was great.

Another very super duper amazing, exciting, wonderful change: Thanh has decided she wants to be baptized!

Four months of teaching that woman and lots of ups and downs. April 27 is the day! I have three people scheduled to be baptized that day.

...and it's three days after transfers. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that I'll be here for that.

Out of things to say.

Peace out girl scouts.

That little kid is the same kid who told me I was "same same a woman." The other day he played all of his favorite One Direction songs for us and danced around and told me about some song 'What Does the Fox Say?' or something like that.