Ripples and Waves beyond the Hong

One of the sweet experiences of serving as representatives of Jesus Christ is discovering those who labor along side you, and enjoying their company, talents and sharing their joys and their sorrows. There is hardly another whom we have met so far with whom we don't feel that comfortable feeling of unity in a noble, divine cause. But undoubtedly this is all the more the case with those one has loved and known for a lengthy time, and when their service impacts those who are family or loved ones akin to such. Here are a couple of delights that reminded me of the delicious fruits of the tree of life.

A letter we received from my cousin and his wife serving in Norway this week included pictures and stories of some joyful times of late with my second cousin Norwegians occasioned by the visit of my cousin Lee Allphin and his 10 children. In seeing the loving connections which we enjoyed working on over the last decade, beginning with our daughter Margrethe's decision to study Norwegian for a semester at BYU, now further strengthened by on-site service and fun with the older and younger generation of Hassel's, Skarra's and others still making the Drammen-Kongsberg-Oslo area their homes, I could not help but find a tear of tenderness that those noble Hassel forebears must also have felt with their offspring in view.

Another choice reminder of this joy of oneness was our reunion with Tam Le and his wife in Ho Chi Minh city this past weekend. Elder and Sister Le are now serving as church representatives just as we are, and have had a powerful impact in shaping the church in Vietnam over the last decade. This is their second mission to Vietnam, and third overall, but it is less for that work that we know them. Indeed, when we were first married, one of our first assignments was to help support the developing small branch of Vietnamese speaking people in SLC who gathered in a chapel not far from Temple Square to share the gospel and learn from each other how to put Jesus' teachings into practice in their new environment. Among those who attended this branch were Tam Le and his family of five children, but at the time we first met, he was coming as an unbaptized investigator, while his children were already miles ahead of him in adopting and adapting to the new culture. We grew to love them and appreciated their sacrifices to embrace Christ's teachings. As we stayed with them and looked over the family pictures in their albums, clearly displaying an immigrant success story, as well as a gospel-applied saga, it was evident what their lives and sacrifice had meant to their children. Elder Le filled us with good food all weekend, brought by from friends and family until the leftovers could barely fit into their refrigerator. He also related stories of his interactions with the Religious Affairs leadership in Hanoi that was part of the backdrop for recognition of the church last year. When his children come to help take them home at the completion of this assignment, it should be as much a triumphal return as any ancient Vietnamese conquering hero. (We'll get into those with a later post however.)

Our excuse to come to HCM City was to participate in the baptismal ceremony of a good friend whom we have known for just a few years, but whose heart could not be more pure, giving and joyful in what has been discovered in the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we have watched the miraculous transformation of a conversion occur in this family, albeit only with short glimpses from afar, we have been humbled and grateful again for our own covenants. Accepting the gospel in their case comes with no small sacrifice, indeed the very clear potential to lose place in society, in employment and friendships that have been important in the past. But in the newly discovered light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the blessings of membership in God's Kingdom, and the promised blessings of truly enduring family relationships make all else pale in importance. As this perspective was conveyed as we talked on Saturday afternoon, I couldn't help but feel I was in the presence of one of the truly "noble and great ones" like those of my own progenitors or others whose stories I have read and listened to, who left behind family, country, homeland, jobs, or the honors of the world, to embrace the new and joyful covenants of the gospel of Christ.

I guess you could say it's been a joyful week for us.

At the same time, we feel like there is so much to be done, and so few hands to help out. We met with the lay leaders of the two congregations here and listened to their feelings for their work, for the people they had in their congregations, and the efforts of the members to serve one another. We heard also of their concerns for the young single adult members of the church here who are faithful and hopeful for better lives, but need companionship, mentors, instruction, indeed the very kinds of support being rendered by my sister and her husband to the same population in New Haven or my cousins now serving in Bergen, Norway or Menechlen, Belgium. We heard also of the need for experienced, mature members to model and teach principles of strong marriages and effective parenting skills for the newly founded families beginning to populate the congregations, and for the desires for training in leadership in how to lead and operate a church unit that is staffed by novices with little prior experience in seeing the church work.

We heard also of the desires and willingness to launch new small shoots of the church in cities and towns distant from HCM, held back yet by sufficient leadership organization to support and sustain them. In some ways this is not too different from some of the experiments we undertook with small church units while we lived in the much colder climate of Maine a few years back. The initial eagerness for new growth needs to be tempered sometimes by the supply line to the main trunk. Anyone looking for a beach-front assignment in branch building?

We visited with some of our pathology friends here as well at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of HCM, and Cho Ray hospital, hoping to devise meaningful ways to make the efforts we are putting into our hospital lectures/classes in Hanoi of value to the people in HCM as well. The tools exist to do it, but getting the distance learning model to work will be no small miracle we suspect.

Celebrating a first week

It's been a good week.

We started teaching classes at K hospital.  Lewis is reviewing slides with residents and teaching a pathology course.  I'm teaching an English class.  The first ones were on Friday.

Also Lewis was able to spend some time going over slides with his good friend (and excellent pathologist) Dr. Roanh who is now semi-retired but still works in his small clinic.

One of the young sister missionaries here was transferred to Phnom Penh.  That involved a flight to Ho Chi Minh City and then a 6 hour bus ride to Phnom Penh.  So her companion came to stay with us for a few days.  Sister T. is a gentle soul and a thoughtful one too.  She turns 30 soon.  Having her here meant that we were her companions for the visits she set up.  Doing the preparation for those visits, discussing the needs and concerns of the individuals and then seeking to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit both in the preparation and the actual time together was good.

L and I also made visits to and contacts with members of the branch at the request of the Branch president, again seeking to find out their sense of well-being, concerns and to do what we could to assist.  Again, the thought and prayer and counseling together beforehand and the seeking to understand while there was good.  There is much more good done when one takes the time to listen and seek to understand before one does anything else, both in relationship to individuals and to God.  We are certainly not perfect at it and have plenty of room to improve, but even in our own imperfect efforts the difference it makes is remarkable.

There was further good news from the Gatherums this week.  The project proposed to install sanitation facilities and latrines at 13 rural schools has been approved and can be started soon.  Today they are at a meeting where NGOs are gathered to discuss the drought in the central coastal areas that has been declared a national disaster.  They are hoping that the well-drilling resources they have may be put into play, perhaps not soon enough to immediately solve the current drought crisis, but in time for people to be better prepared for the next one, which will certainly come.

Traffic here is crazy on the main roads.  I hold tight to Lewis as we inch our way across busy streets. The method is to start out at a slow pace as you sense a slight space in the traffic and to continue at that same pace all the way across the road.  Changes in pace or quick dodges will catch drivers off guard and increase the risk of collision, but if they can see you and see what pace you are maintaining they can gauge your progress and move around you.  I hold tight to Lewis because I know he's remarkably more visible than I am.

Fortunately, one of the major thoroughfares nearby has a pedestrian walkway over the multi-lane divided street.  That's helpful.

And fortunately, many of the streets are too narrow for anything other than motorbikes, so they are not as tricky to cross, though you do have to be careful to hug the edges.  Those quiet streets are where you will find much of the really interesting architecture, both traditional and traditional with a modern twist.

Praying for Rain, by David C. Moon

Parched soil, cracked, hardened by unrelenting daily heat

Swirling clouds of dust fill my soul, choking the light

Tender shoots springing from my heart wither, collapsed, gasping

Clasped hands, bowed head, the priest on bended knee

Gives voice to my soul, pierced through with many sorrows¹

To thee I witness my heart, imprinted with His name

My mind, to always remember Him

My life, bound by covenant to keep thy law

Please, Father, send rain.

I thirst.²

Then came there forth both blood and water.³

This is my blood which is shed for the remission of sins.⁴

I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground.⁵

Great drops falling down,⁶ slowly at first

Splattering in the dust, softening the thirsty soil

The drizzle turns to downpour

Soaking, soothing, healing, filling my soul

How can a small plastic cup hold such a flood?

Drenched in Spirit, poured out from heaven, my cup runneth over⁷

Living Water refreshes, renews, as I recommit

Tender shoots springing up unto everlasting life.⁸

11st Timothy 6:10

2 John 19:28

3 John 19:34

4 Matthew 26:28

5 Isaiah 44:3

6 Luke 22:44

7 Psalm 23:5

8 Doctrine and Covenants 63:23

Photos from the past week

The view from the patio

Tackling the language

Discussing pathology

Teaching residents

Entering the Promised Land

The first time I came to Hanoi in 1991 was just after the completion of a new airport, with a lengthy connecting road to the city. The airport though seemingly large still required one to deplane onto a sometimes rickety bus to get from the Tarmac to the terminal. Then once the immigration formalities were satisfied one still faced the challenge of getting to the city. It seemed so far away, as we jostled our way amid the lorries, motorbikes and an occasional ox-cart carrying supplies to market in the city. The vast majority of produce arrives at the market carried on bicycles, modified motorbikes, or perhaps in a cart drawn by one of these, rather than by larger capacity vehicles. But on this Thursday evening, we arrived at a new terminal, with modern ramps from plane to terminal, moving sidewalks, and capacious, well-lit, comfortably air conditioned spaces. As we turned to get our new visa, the counter offered a view into a workspace of perhaps 2000 square feet, with three agents, two desks and a copy machine and a few computer terminals. The process was pretty fast, given that our visa had been approved by security and the religious affairs commission. They asked for a hefty sum for the two one year visas (though not proportional to the fees for a month's tourist visa) and we moved on to pass through immigration. As we were doing so, we noticed our friend Tung standing nearby and he quickly summoned a friend and INS supervisor who took our visa receipt and soon returned with our cash. I'm not sure if that was connections, or justice, but we were pleased. We were soon on the road, but surprised by a delightful, cars only through way that took us across the Hong River on a newly completed suspension bridge and well into the city. It was raining pretty well, so at each underpass there were a gathering of motorcyclists paused waiting for the storm to pass. Others pressed on with ponchos in place. Vietnam has pioneered the development of the tandem model with serial openings for driver and passenger. I have not yet seen the family model with three to five head holes, so if you are looking for something to patent, get your prototypes going!
Our arrival at the Trung Yen Tower 1A brought our neighbors Dawn and Eloise Gatherum down to meet us and escort us to our new apartment on the forth floor. It is very comfortable, with three bedrooms, two baths and a very spacious garden patio looking north towards the river (though not visible) but with several trees and other plants, and space for many more, my gardening skills just might get some practice. And at the least, we have refuge for birds.
Surprisingly, the traffic noise is pretty minimal and we have slept well with the doors closed and the AC on. But of course one thing that distinguishes a large Vietnamese city from a large U.S. or European one is the ubiquitous presence of domestic roosters who are eager to make their presence known wherever you are in the city. We. opted that there may be an added reason for that in our area as we saw a collection of caged cocks apparently still in use for entertainment purposes on our way to the market this morning.
Being immersed in the language will be the key to improving fluency for me no doubt, but it is also fun to be able to continuously encourage and watch the progress of my wife in this regard. Her ears are still sharp enough to distinguish the different vowels, and catch the tones, so I suspect her pronunciation will be good. And her systematic study is already paying dividends. Plus she is not unwilling to try, to occasionally sound funny or say a wrong word. That is made endlessly more comfortable by the obvious joy and patience the people afford anyone who attempts to speak their language, whether that be just a few Words of greeting, or the numbers in the exchange of money in the market. The flash cards are in use and the brain cells are firing into the language cortex, trying to build new connections between ear and eye and tongue. It is going to be fun. We've been asked to speak again in church this Sunday for a moment or two, to explain why we are here and what we hope to accomplish.
I should probably say that it (learning this language) is likely to be a challenge to any close relationship to embark on a learning-teaching endeavor of this sort, so I don't expect it to be all roses and triumphs. Rather it is likely to test our patience with one another, stress understanding, shatter egos, and generally be a test of whether our love is sufficiently strong to meet the challenge of a new mode of communication. Thankfully we also have the perspective that the gift of tongues is a spiritual gift from God, so we do not face this alone. Additionally, the missionary training center has advised us that she will have a tutor available by Skype as soon as we get the internet up and running in our apartment, and we have a good number of helpers here, and back in OKC.

Phnom Penh

We headed west on Friday morning, had a hugely long layover in Los Angeles that was made much sweeter by some lovely time with BrieAnn who took the time to come and talk and enjoy the huge space which is LAX's international terminal.

On the way we stopped in Kita Konabalu, Malaysia.  It's lovely.  Lush, green, with islands off the coast.  I can see why it is a popular destination for vacationers on this side of the world.  Our friends, the Kanes, arrived there a day later, starting their next stint as directors of LDScharities work (they previously worked at that in Indonesia).  They are marvelously upbeat and adventurous people (they met 30+ years ago on a beach in Goa, India: he was backpacking around the continent and she had come south after spending a couple of weeks trekking with friends in Pakistan)  .I think they will be perfect for the job.

We arrived in Phnom Penh and were greeted by a good group of fellow volunteer mission workers, some doing humanitarian projects, others managing the Perpetual Education Fund (a loan program for post-secondary vocational and technical education that you can read about here), handling clerical work or working on community service and relations.  They are a cheerful, friendly bunch.

With the welcoming group at the airport
Pres. Moon, L and MB, the Meinsers (humanitarian projects), E. Hollenzer (clerk), 
the Ovesons (Perpetual Education Fund), the Van Broklens (community service and  relations)

We are currently perched in an apartment on the 3rd floor of a building near the middle of the city.  Perched, because we're transient, waiting for final word on our visas (Good News today!  They've been approved and after a final look over by the government's security department, should arrive next week) and this apartment was available for a few days before the next set of mission workers arrive.  They arrive tomorrow, so we're packing up again and will settle on another perch for a few more days until we have visas in hand.

Jet lag means we're awake quite early, which means we've been out and walking before the traffic gets crazy busy.  Some photos from some of those walks:

The next day we headed to the mission office where there was some leader-training going on with some of the young missionaries.  This was what we found at the front door:

Cambodia is a shoes-off-in-the-house country.

To keep ourselves busy while visa-waiting we've spent some time on the east side of the city with a couple of fine young Vietnamese speaking missionaries (young men) and a couple of open-hearted Khmer speaking missionaries (young women) who had visits to make and have met some really good-hearted people in that process. And we took Ngoc's sweet friend Kimlen out for dinner one evening.  Kimlen invited us to see the palace complex and the National Museum (an amazing array of archaeological artifacts and ancient sculpture) with her and her sister and cousin this morning.  So we did.  

While planning our time together we'd invited her to visit with two of our Cambodian sister missionaries and tour the south stake center. Ngoc had told her about missionaries and about the changes in her life after listening to what they had to say so she was interested.

So after her sister and cousin headed back to their studies we took a tuk-tuk to the stake center and sat through a very lovely teaching time unable to understand a word of what was said but thoroughly enjoying watching the interest, laughter, kindness, and sympathy that moved across all three of their faces at different times during the conversation. They are three very good young women.

I wish I had a photo of the south stake center to show you. It is a big, airy, three story building with high, high ceilings, big open spaces like terraces and classrooms that you enter from large open-ended, shady corridors that the breeze moves through. The conversation we had we held on the ground floor shaded foyer, a huge, open (no doors anywhere, just high, see-through metal gates that are closed at night) entryway that took up the middle third of the building with views of the expansive entryway and beyond to the street, the broad stairs leading up to the second floor, and the wide corridors on either side. It was really the perfect kind of architecture for the climate and setting. I was really impressed at what the architects had created and very much enjoyed the shade and the breeze and the expansive feel that resulted from their work.