Good to be home.

June 8, 2014

Sister Egelund coming to you straight from Vietnaaaaaam.

This past week was pretty nuts trying to say goodbye to everyone in Cambodia, then making our way over and getting settled in Vietnam. It's really weird to be back here and see all of the familiar faces. It kind of felt like coming home. I love Vietnam a lot. A year and a half ago I was at home preparing for a mission and telling everyone that my dream was to serve in Vietnam. Look at me now! 

I get to serve in Vietnam at a really historic time for the progress of the church. Plus, I get to serve in a branch where my cousin is the second counselor in the branch presidency. It's a good time here in the mission life of Sister Egelund.

The last week in Cambodia was really sad though. Despite the...craziness...of everything and everyone in Cambam, I really loved being there. Oh well,it's good to be back here in the homeland.

Sorry my emails are getting blander and blander as the weeks go on. You should expect a crazy email next week though - wer're white washing in a city of 19 million people...it should be fun.

Love you all like a fat kid loves cake!

-Sister Egelund/Chi Trinh Ly

Line of the week:

*saying goodbye to the senior couple at the mission home*

Me: "You're invited to my wedding. It'll probably be in 2 thousand...30!"

*I turned around and President Moon was right behind me*

President: "You're wedding better be sooner than that."

Me: "Oh yeah. Sorry I meant to say next year right after I get home..."

Awkward interactions with President. My specialty. 

The Trinh Twins Takeover

June 1, 2014

I'm coming home, to the place where I belong...

Another sunny place. I'm lucky I know but I wanna come home...

Ahh home, let me come home. Home is wherever I'm with you...

Sorry, I am not coming home to Tooele for about 9 months, but I am going back to the homeland - Vietnam! And guess who my companion is? Sister Hunsaker/Chi Trinh! That's right, I'm staying with the same companion, just moving over to a new area. Actually not just a new area...a different country!

Season 2: The Trinh Twins Take Over Vietnam

So here's the rundown of the past week:

On Friday President Moon went to Vietnam to sign papers to continue the progress of the church in Vietnam. Apparently you have all heard of it already because it was in the news or something. Maybe everyone at home finally realizes how cool my mission is? Who knows.

Oh yeah, the missionaries got to sign in the 20th year thing. That was neato.

Saturday was the big celebration for the 20th anniversary of the church in Cambodia. It was cool. The AP's put me in charge of rallying up 40 or so missionaries against 3,000 or so Cambodian people to distribute food after the program. Well I did it and it was a 10. I also lost my voice, but the AP's said they would put in the good word to President Moon to make me an AP if I passed the test. They're liars. My dream of being a sister AP or sister district leader may never come to pass. Whatevs.

The food rally thing...Yeah, that's me down there yelling at people. Probably yelling at Elders who won't stand in their assigned spots.

 So for the past six weeks of this transfer I have been missing Saigon a lot, but everyone told me I would probably be returning after I serve in Cambo for a few transfers. But, they say I'm a dreamer, so I told everyone that not only was I going to go back this transfer, but I was also going to take the other Trinh with me. And look at what happened...Personal revelation, positive thinking and energy, plain ol' crazy. Call it what you will, but this is the craziest transfer EVER.

Oh hey, did I mention that this is the first time that two mixed people are going to be serving together in Vietnam, and the first time there has been a sister companionship in Vietnam with two Americans. Yeah, I'm pumped.

Saiiiii Goonnnnnnn

This is my best friend, Ba Tu. She's one of the oldest members and she has a hunchback. To say she's a million times cooler than all of you would be a definite understatement.

So yeah, wish me lots of luck next transfer. We're heading over on Friday, who knows when we'll see the good land of Cambodia again.

Egelund, out.

Sincerely, all sisters in the world

May 25, 2014

Nothing too exciting to report on this week.

In celebration for serving nearly 10 months...and having to deal with Elders for 10 months I have put together a list of The Do's and The Don'ts for Elders. I have been designated as the advocate for all the sister missionaries that have head aches from the foolish things Elders do.

So here's the list:

The Do's for Elders - 

Do bleach your shirts so they are not disgustingly yellow. I can look at an Elder and be able to tell how long he has been in the field based on the yellow tint of his shirt.

Do cut your hair so you do not look like a father gorilla from behind. #RealExperience

If a sister falls off her bike and is bleeding, ask how she is first before asking if the bicycle is damaged.

Please, try to actually be helpful to the sisters instead of being stubborn teenage boys.

Be on time.

Look presentable.

Try to just be normal and not socially awkward. There is a difference between obedience and being a robot.

DO shine your shoes.

Wear a watch.

The Don'ts for Elders:

Don't be assigned to bike home with the sisters at night to make sure they get home safely, BUT bike so quickly that we are just left in the dust. Yes, that happens. Yes, you get yelled at by Sister Egelund if you do it.

Do not tell sisters your biased opinion of our clothing or the way we look.

DO NOT EVER COMMENT ON THE WEIGHT OF THE SISTERS.

Do not say phrases like "what the freak" or anything remotely similar to inappropriate words.

Don't wear scarves.

Do not ever, ever, ever talk back to the sisters. It's just like in high school - you make one girl mad and every other girl will have a problem with you.

Don't forget to give a sister a Priesthood blessing.

Don't talk bad about other missionaries in front of everyone.

Don't shake a woman's hand for more than 3 seconds.

Do not make stupid irrelevant jokes. Really, they're not funny to anyone other than you.

Don't take stuff without asking.

Don't expect the sisters to always have food for you.

Don't tell someone they're immature just because they're an 18 or 19 year old missionary.

Don't volunteer the sisters to do stuff for other people.

Don't be a hypocrite.

So those are some of the Do's and Don'ts for Elders. I'm mostly writing this because my younger brother Eric should be beginning his mission in one year. And Eric, if you are like some of the people I have met, I will show up to your mission and punch you in the face. #PMITF

#rantover #Idolovemymission #noteventrunky #peoplearecool #thisismylife

The Viet district here in Cambo! I have a really cool stick for my camera. We call it the Selfie Stick. Obviously it comes in handy.

Jerry, Jerry!!!

May 18, 2014

Sorry I didn't email last week. If you have ever looked at InstaG or anything like that though you probably know that every missionary skyped home for Mother's Day. And all 80,000 of us were too lazy to write weekly emails home.

These past two weeks were intense. We ended this week with only teaching 5 full lessons. We managed to visit a good amount of people, but the heat is killing everyone. I have no idea how hot it actually is, all I know is that the minute you step outside all of your energy is gone and we legleglegit get sick after being out for a few hours. It's the worst. The people are lucky though because they just take a million showers in one day. A blind guy freaked out when I told him I only have time to take 2 showers a day...

This is called the 'Poop River'.

Anyway, here's the weekly recap:

Monday - Like I said, it was Skype time. I found out Joey the goldfish is dead. No worries. I just cried myself to sleep. Then we went to the grocery store where I bought instant noodles and cereal. #GetFit

Tuesday - The Young Ambassadors from BYU came and did a super cool show here in Phnom Penh. The coolest part wasn't the show though, the best part was that we were outside past curfew - 9 o'clock! AND IT WAS ALLOWED. Honestly it was really weird and Sister Hunsaker and I were exhausted. Haha at home I could stay up until 4 am without any problem. Look at me now.

Wednesday - I think that was the day that I walked outside of our bedroom and there was a cat there.

Thursday - Can't remember.

Friday - Sister Hunsaker and I went to an area down by the stinky river with the senior couples and helped them give out relief supplies to 30 + families that had their homes burned down.

The Scene of the fire...pretty scary.

Saturday - That night there was a branch activity so in the afternoon we biked over the bridge to go to a sisters home and help her cook for the activity. After cooking we left our bikes at her house and took a tuk tuk to the church. The activity was pretty fun other than the fact that our branch is incapable of playing games. Whatever though because we ate really good food. After the activity we took the tuk tuk back to the sisters house to get our bikes...but we were so full that we couldn't bike back home so we had to take a tuk tuk back to our house.

 

Sunday - Let's just say that going to church sometimes turns into a fight that's crazier than an episode of the Jerry Springer show.

Hula hooping because I wanted to show the kids how it's really done.

So that was my week.

Sorry not to many details, but this heat is exhausting. 

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.

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!