Monday, May 5, 2014

I'm too lazy to write a full story

This week I got a little smarter. No incidents buying buffalo meet or anything. Mainly because all I eat is cereal and mangoes. Literally, that is all that I eat. I have decided to jump on the malnourished missionary bandwagon... That's a thing.
Yesterday Sister Hunsaker and I went to visit an investigator at her house. When we pulled up she was outside with her friends holding this giant piece of fabric under a tree while someone was hitting the branches making fruit fall. Apparently it was a game...I don't get it. Anyway, she said she didn't want to meet with us then started speaking Cambodian so we just awkwardly moon walked away.

We had a couple hours until our next appointment so we went over to a members house. Once we got there we looked back and this like herd of children was following us. They kept telling us that we wanted to learn about Jesus. We said we would teach them and they were so excited that they ran away so they could bring all of their friends. 10 minutes later they were back with a ton of other kids. Then after we told them who Jesus was they ran away and got more of their friends.
They came back 5 or 6 times so I told them if they wanted to learn about Jesus they had to take us to their parents. So we had this parade of 15 Vietnamese kids guiding us down the streets taking us to their houses. We met their grandmas and sisters and their other friends and every single person in that neighborhood. It was pretty sicky sick.

I'm too lazy to actually write a full story, but here are some photos of that adventure.



Saturday, May 3, 2014

Week one of the Trinh Twins.

April 27, 2014

This week was a real fun one! Sister Hunsaker and I had an interesting week of course. I mean, when you put two Americans together in Cambodia what do you expect? Here's a day-by-day recap starting on Thursday.

Thursday: Woke up bright and early in the morning and got on the bus to Cambam. Sister Vy and Sister Tien had to stay back and make arrangements for the investigators that got baptized on Sunday, so I had to go alone with the Elders. Super awkward. When we pulled up to the mission home everyone either thought that I was a sinner for losing my companion, or they thought I was a new sister. No I didn't ditch my companion, and NO I am not the newbie. I guess that's what happens when you're in Vietnam though. You become like a total outcast over there and no one knows who we are.
More fun with the Selfie Stick at the mission home during transfers.
Friday: Met with my new companion at the mission home and began the adventure. We had to take a tuk tuk to our new house and I filled the entire thing with my suitcases. Then we had to go pick up all of Sister Hunsaker's things...and again filled an entire tuk tuk with her suitcases. Something we have in common: We're shopaholics. That evening we went to the market to pick up some things so we wouldn't die of starvation. The elders who had previously lived in our apartment left for us some butter, syrup and lots of garbage...Grool. So we went to the market and realized not only do we not know how to cook anything, but we also don't know how to buy anything at the Khmer speaking market. We tried to wing it though and left with eggs, a cucumber, and some really expensive beef.
Tuk tuk selfies. Also I bought this thing that I like to call the 'Selfie Stick". It is a long stick that attaches to my camera making selfies so much easier! So be prepared for selfies more often.
 Saturday: We taught a lesson to an 80 year old investigator who has memory loss, and her blind son who only speaks English and Khmer. Her name is Ba Tro, and she is crazy. She said the opening prayer and begins by saying, "Heavenly Father, I don't know anything." Well okay then...She then proceeded to try and eat my companion and punch her. Old people are...funny.

That night we heard something fall outside of our room and automatically assumed that someone had broken into our house (a totally common thing here). After sitting in our beds like scared little girls we called the elders to save us. I'll give the elders a little credit and tell you they're pretty smart. They told us we had to go out and check the house first before they would call anyone to come and save us. After freaking out we walked in the hallway to find that nothing had happened. Better safe then sorry I suppose...The Elders also hate us now. For the record though, that house has been broken into before!

Sunday: Church...Well, President and Sister Moon came and announced that Cambodia will open it's first two stakes the end of May! Woohoo That is also the time of the twentieth year anniversary...SO ELDER HOLLAND IS COMING! This is one of those times that I am suuuuper grateful to be in Cambodia because Vietnam isn't going to get to see him, or so I've heard. So that was fun stuff. Then for the second and third hour the primary teacher didn't show up so Sister Hunsaker and I taught primary...Kids are also funny. We played red light green light for an hour then the kids wanted to play a game where they blindfolded themselves and had to find the other people in the room. I like to call that my daily exercise. Vietnamese kids are ruthless and they just attack you when you least expect it.
Kids playing their scary game in Primary class.
After church we had lunch with the other sisters in our house. They cooked the food that Sister Hunsaker and I bought at the market on Friday. Turns out the expensive beef we bought was actually buffalo...We really have no idea what we're doing here. Haha Things are great here! Serving in Vietnam and serving in Cambodia are COMPLETELY different. I never realized how nice V-nam was until I came here. There, I lived in a house with a receptionist, a cleaner and a security guy, here, our apartment has this old Cambodian man that just wears a skirt. There, I have a cute bike that is made for children, here, the entire pedal falls off my bike while I'm riding along. Over there, people understand what I am saying. Here, people just look at me like a boil is growing from my forehead or something. #TheGoodLife
That's it for this week, folks.
Be good and tell my siblings to write me emails or I will boycott you all like I did a few months ago.
Keep it real.
-Sister Egelund
Contacting at the zoo.

The last p-day in Saigon. I swear to you they just send the goofiest looking people to serve in this mission...


Kicking and Screaming

April 20, 2014

Like I said last week, this week is transfers.

Any guesses where I'm going?

Well there can't be too many guesses because there are only six Viet branches between the two countries. Most everyone thought I was going to go up to Hanoi though...jokes on us.

Cambo here I come!!!

Yep, I'm going over to Cambodia in Branch 6. And who's my companion? Sister Le Trinh/Sister Hunsaker - my missionary twin! Our names are basically the same, we're both from Utah, our first names are both Emily, we both have brothers named Eric, and our mom's are both from central Vietnam! Destiny.

Imagine. This is how the transfer call went:

Elder Tan and Elder Tran call for the weekly call in report. Then they tell us the transfer. First, Sister Vy will stay in the Than Son Nhat branch and will be with Sister Tra again. Sister Tien is staying in Thao Dien and Sister Van is coming back to Saigon. Okay, nothing too surprising with those two.
Now it's my turn. Everyone is ready to hear that I will be going up to Hanoi...

Together Elder Tan and Tran both shout "Cambodia! Branch 6!!"

Then there is screaming...lots of it.

"You're going to be with Le Trinh."

Then, even more screaming.

And it gets better! I was so in shock I stood up, jumped around in a circle, then fell on the ground screaming, laughing, and nearly crying.
Screaming because I'm sups excited to serve with Le Trinh.
Laughing because EVERYONE thought I would stay in Vietnam.
And nearly crying because Le Trinh just finished her training so of course isn't amazing at the language, and my Vietnamese is the whips. Fingers crossed we will understand what's going on...

Ayyy Eeeeyyyy Yaaaaa

I'm nervous.

Next story:
Yesterday I learned an important lesson about not judging others
based on their outward appearance.
At the super market we shop at there is a guy who works in the parking lot and we see him each time we go grocery shopping. It's pretty typical that people are scared when they first look at him. He's got like five piercings on his face and gauges and tattoos. He is always outside smoking and he has this funny gangster walk because his pants sag. Typical in America because everyone is a hood rat, but there aren't too many people like that here in Vietnam. I couple weeks ago as I was walking past him I regrettably thought "this is the type of person that will never come into one of our churches."

Well I sure felt like a goof while sitting at the church last night for the Easter program and here comes Mr. Tattoo Gauges into the sacrament room with the Elders. And he was so nice! We watched the Messiah, a three hour program, and he stayed for the whole thing! And he read the whole Restoration pamphlet during the program and he was just so smiley and great and I feel like a chump for judging him. #FeelinLike2Cents

So there's the greatest lesson of the week. Do not judge. Here's a talk that says it better than I can: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/ye-are-no-more-strangers?lang=eng

That's it for the final p-day in Saigon! Next week I'll be writing you from Cambam. I'm going to the zoo again this afternoon! Das right!

See ya around!

Love, Sister Trinh Ly
Easter! Let's play the game 'Where's Sister Egelund in the picture?'

This is a typical nightly planning session with Chi Vy - I've got a mug of Muscle Milk and Vy is about to kill me.

Bingo night!