A Bit of Country

Farm pond with glimpses of homes beyond.

Last weekend we, and the young branch builders, traveled a couple of hours, taking a bus, and a taxi, and a small ferry, and another taxi to go to a small town south of Hanoi to visit the family of a member of the branch, H., who wanted us to meet her parents.

Young Branch Builders enjoying H.'s front yard.

It was a good visit.  Good for us because the family was lovely and was happy to show us around their organic farm, including a great glimpse of the daily feeding of the fish in the fish pond (we had one for lunch beforehand). 

And also good for the family to be able to meet firsthand and feel more familiar with some of the members of the church that their daughter had embraced in Hanoi.  In such cases familiarity doesn't "breed contempt", it tends to reassure.

And getting out of the hustle and traffic of the city after dealing with a particularly busy, non-stop week was lovely  too.

An Out of the Ordinary, Interesting and Informative Morning with Thoughtful People

http://btgcp.gov.vn/Plus.aspx/vi/News/38/0/254/0/7877/Ban_Ton_giao_Chinh_phu_tiep_doan_Giao_hoi_cac_Thanh_huu_Ngay_sau_cua_Chua_Gie_su_Ky_to

When the Generals visit the Front

It is safe to say that much of the excitement in life happens at the interface. Almost any interface. 

In the world of biology and oncology where I have lived much of my professional life, the most striking breakthroughs have been in understanding the signaling pathways that are mostly linked at the juncture of the cell with its environment. The intractions between receptors and ligands, blocking and imitating molecules (drugs, autoantibodies or whatever) have been the focus of tremendous research, and for many modern billion-dollar drugs, are the reason for their success and value. Coming to understand and demonstrate these molecules along cell surfaces using specific molecular markers like monoclonal antibodies has similarly been an exciting area of diagnostic advance.

In tornado forecasting and monitoring, such an essential skill in midwestern meterology, it is the activity along the interface between warm and cold air, humid and less humid air, or in macro terms, along the edge of a shelf cloud, that the eyes are attuned to look for tell tale marks of a hook associated with the development of a tornado. The same is true for earthquake monitoring-- the interface of the techtonic plates, even moving at less than glacial pace, is where the excitement is going to be, and where the wise watcher will be. 

The military generals of the past while worrying about their supply lines (or not in the case of those invading Russia in winter) still kept most of their attention focused forward on the interface between their forces and those in opposition. They searched for areas of opportunity, for where advances could be made, and listened to learn where reinforcements were needed to maintain gains. They sought also to strengthen and encourage those bearing the brunt of opposition. And often even the sight of them was enough to hearten their forces to greater effort and endurance.

It's not hard to draw inferrence from these biologic, physical and military interfaces to understand the purposes and part of the impact of the visit of Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland on the Latter Day Saints who gathered at #2 Trung Yen 9 on Monday night. Yes he came to build relationships with officials and leaders and to explore ways that the church and the gospel of Jesus Christ, as lived by the citizens of this land and the members of this church, could be a blessing to this country. But when it came down to it, he was here to sit provrbially around the campfires of these handcart pioneers who were blazing a trail of faith and observance that would be the freeways of faith for future saints, for throngs of future saints. He was here to strengthen the feeble knees, shore up the hopes of those who felt alone and isolated on the front lines of an epic battle and to rally this small force with the encouragement and vision of the sort that Elisha sought as he prayed to open the eyes of his young companion when the city of Dotham was beseiged. (2 Kings 6:17) I think for these young pioneers on the frontier, feeling surrounded on every side by conflicting voices and demands, by enticements and distractions, their eyes were opened to see the mountain of this church of which they are part "filled with horses and chariots of fire."

      

Elder Holland's message to them was also perfect. He emphasized two things-- first that they need to do things right from the beginning. There is no separate way, a "Vietnamese" way, that is acceptable to the Lord. They need to study the handbooks and the scriptures and do things the Lord's way, from the beginning. And secondly, they need to stick with this church and not even think about leaving. Yes, the ride may get rough at times, but the alternative is drowning in a wake of flotsam and jetsom of the world. "Betting" on the church is a sure thing, he said. This beach-head of a church is not going away, and the work of building up God's Kingdom here is worth every sacrifice to be part of. "So don't you dare leave it."

For those of us who are the guard-rails on this highway we're trying to build up, this translates into a number of priorities-- making sure handbooks and materials are available, translated and read often becomes a challenge. Keeping people connected to leaders and more especially to the wisdom of how to weather the changes in life circumstances that challenge that ability to hang on becomes important. That is one advantage of age-- we have perspective.

I should mention one tender mercy that brings tears to my eyes as I looked at this picture. One of the noble brothers who attends our English classes and who comes to church and other activities at times as well was really looking forward to Elder Holland's visit. He came early and he told me he really only wanted a picture with Elder Holland. Altough he shook hands with everyone he could as he came in and sat down, including this brother, there was not photo of that. After the meeting had ended, Elder Holland's escort ushered him pretty quickly back out of the building and into the van without any stops. But then someone asked if there could be just one picture, and the escort relented, "Just one." Look at who is standing next to Elder Holland and you will see witness of prayers being answered for just one.

Fruits in the Fridge and Other Miscellany

So here's a quick inventory of what delights lie waiting in the fridge:

  Five star fruits

  Four custard apples

  A kilo of Long An (aka Dragon Eyes)

  Five "beefsteak"-like bananas (the short and chunky ones)

  A pomelo, plus a few residual sections from the prior one

  A watermelon

  One mangosteen

  Five limes

  One passion-fruit flavored yogurt (OK, I know that's not a fruit, but it's at least a different fruit flavor!)

  A half kilo of red grapes

  Four tomatos (yes, they are fruits!)

  30 green plums

  Two Thi fruits (no English translation, but I did find the latin name) which are primarily for sweet smelling rather than eating

      

One might wonder if we had just gone crazy at the market, but although we might do that, this is a delightful complication of making some purchases for ourselves, and the very pleasant habit of visitors to bring along fruit to share with those they visit (source for the pomelo, star fruits, plums and custard apples,) and sometimes those who visit them (the source of the Thi fruits). On the other hand, my mother would be absolutely shocked to know that there is not a single variety of ice cream in the freezer at the present, (though we do admit to looking over the durrien, coconut and other exotic ice cream flavor options offered in the grocery on the first level of our building.

We had fun Wednesday evening challenging our students in English class to describe in words how to eat a LongAn with directions sufficiently clear that their partner could do it successfully by just doing what was said. Several had difficulty with words like "peel" and "pit" that lie between the outer brown covering and the sweet somewhat aromatic translucent flesh and the central hard seed. The custard apple also has very hard smooth seeds inside each segment that could probably break a tooth if one were not forwarned. The class was attended by a great array of students ranging in age from 14 to 55, and so many that we ran out of chairs in the room. I need to remember to speak slowly though as we have also a broad array of abilities in this "intermediate" level class. Teaching in this setting and in the family relationships class not infrequently presents us with the challenge of cultural translation as well. Just like these fruits which have no temperate counterparts, and often no temperate climate consumers (although we have been pleased to see more and more mangoes, pomelo and even rare dragonfruit of late) at times we find it difficult to transpose 

One cultural transposition we have yet to witness is anything close to "road rage." And yet, the traffic is much heavier than the "I had to wait through two light changes"-associated sense of extreme inconvenience one might find in OKC and that leads to hair-trigger horn soundings or muttered words of distain and disrespect. Wading through a narrow street awash in motorbikes, cars, buses, bicycles (electric and standard) along with occasional motorbike-drawn carts hauling construction materials, and the occasional sanitation worker pushing a cart filled with detritus, one would think that impatience and impertinence would soon surface. People make u-turns on busy streets, halting on-coming traffic in the process, cut across several lanes to make a left turn, jump out early on a light,or even run right through a light creating inconvenience or some accomodation for others. Yet horns are rarely interpretable as "That was dumb!"  or "You Jerk!" as they might be commonly interpreted in the US. Rather, they more often mean, "I'm here, did you know?" or "Hey! I'm a taxi, Need a ride?" 

We speculate that there are a couple of reasons for htis lack of traffic-associated emotional content. First of all, there is a fundamental level of respect for other persons in most interactions (though sadly this does not appl;y to cleanliness of the environment-- but that's another essay entirely.) People define themselves and others in speech and most interactions by pronouns of varying levels of respect and relatiionship- Uncle, Brother, Gentleman, Sir, Friend, child, grandson, etc. Secondly, there is very little sense of time-urgency when it comes to work, events, or most other things. This promotes a sense of understanding that "I don't need to speed to get there on time" that is accompanied by an implicit understanding that if someone is late, they got held up in traffic. (So should we be surprised when people wander into our classes anywhere from 10 minutes earlhy to 20 minutes late?)

Pioneers with selfies, Vicarious Adventures, and Distance Learning

Part of the secret of a joyful life is being where you are supposed to be, and doing the things you are supposed to be doing. Sometimes we refer to people who have this penchant as "lucky" and sometimes it may also appear they are "unlucky" as well, at least at the time, and depending on our perspective. By virtue of your reading this blog, we welcome you to join in our adventure vicariously, and recognize our obligation to reflect faithfully the truth of this experience "that ye be not deceived" as to either our heroics or our foibles. We write to the intent to uplift and bring you closer to Christ as we struggle to more fully follow him in our own lives, and through our own challenges, that perhaps you may be wiser than we have been, or at the least, have the strength to push through when the going is tough.

  The handcart pioneers didn't have cameras, and the concept of a "selfie" was many generations beyond their travails; they were not narcissistic I think, perhaps much more forward looking in their hardships than we even imagine. But they did take courage in recording some of their musings and some of their sufferings in ways that still of themselves speak loudly and profoundly. This of course is much more accessibly presented in a modern medium such as the film "Seventeen Miracles"  (https://youtu.be/SResQFe35S8) which our branch here watched together with subtitles, a few weeks ago (which is why I now also know the word for "handcart!".) I guess these thoughts come to mind as I have vicariously shared in the daily adventures of the fine young people of our former home in Bangor, Maine who participated in both a creative and fully faith-full re-enactment of the handcart trek of some of our forebears, travelling 50 miles with their gear in replica handcarts through fields, mud-stuck paths, over boulders, through puddles and streams often up to their waists, and were drenched by thunderstorms, scorched by sun (bonnet's and hats notwithstanding) and attacked by marauding mosquitoes (standing in for hostile tribes of Indians.)

       

Some even symbolically died before their journey's end, and others were rescued and welcomed into the valley (of safety, a new Zion) by loving fellow saints.

  Our adventures this week have been less public, and not particularly done in costume aside from that of the conventional missionary attire as those Bangor Trekkers did, but they are authentic, and they are pioneering as well. Hopefully they will be strengthening to your convictions and relationship to Christ, even if they never rise to the stature of being dramatically and heroically re-enacted as are the hardships of the companies of Martin and Willie. 

  The "rules of engagement" for our activities as church representatives are considerably more restrained here than they are elsewhere in the world, both out of respect for the culture and due to the still tenuous relationship with this government. That the church and its representatives choose to follow these constraints is testament to our article of faith that "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents [and people's committees] and in honoring, sustaining and following the law."  

   But there is no constraint on serving and loving these people. One young man appeared in our English class last week and noted that his brother had joined the Church in Korea and suggested he come. He came to class that day, appeared at church the following Sunday, and returned to the YSA family home evening the following Monday night, The joy in his eyes at what he had found was perfectly clear. I expect he is here to stay.

   Another young couple came to our parenting class, although they are just newly married and working on their own relationship more than on parenting at this point. We invited them to our home this past week to catch up on a couple of things they had missed when they were engaged with a family activity and could not come. They are bright, eager and capable people looking to make of their lives more than their soldiering, often separated parents were. And they are on the brink of the keys to do that in a profoundly significant way.

      

He came early to church to meet with the elders and find answers to his questions, but his smile came with him. Elders Thanh (Tran) from Utah, and Elder Khanh from HCM are smiling at his progress too.

When word "leaked" out that Mary Bliss had celebrated a birthday on Monday, almost all the students of her English class at K Hospital posted good wishes and "flowers" on the class Facebook page. But when she prepared for her class on Wednesday again, the flowers appeared no longer virtual reality, along with much good will, and many smiles.

                              

The yellow roses were fading by Saturday, but the orchids will last a longer time to remind her that it's nice to not yet be 60. While the arrangement appears lavish, flowers are such a meaningful token of recognition and appreciation at times such as birthdays and graduations, in addition to the conventional weddings and funerals, that the flower industry is robust and prices are quite reasonable. I'm pretty sure this won't be the only arrangement she will see while she's here.

   On Thursday I did my second tele-lecture by Skype for about a dozen colleagues in Ho Chi Minh City through our colleagues at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy there. Although the quality of the connection was occasionally challenging, and we had to reconnect almost a dozen times, I think it actually went pretty well. So if that trend continues, we'll continue to do weekly lectures for them, more or less in parallel with what we are doing at K Hospital in Hanoi. And hopefully we can also add a few in person appearances to that as well to enrich the experience. The nice thing is that the pathologists participating are not just working in HCM, but also have duties in places as far off as Da Nang as well. This is a tender mercy of the Lord in a way, as I can see it as further proof to me of his willingness to "grant unto the children of men according to their desire" (Alma 29:4). Some time ago I resolved that with my skills I could make a difference in the quality of diagnostic work being done in Vietnam if I consistently applied myself to it. Being given now the opportunity to extend my reach with my professional skills and knowledge in this way, and via the Phat Trien GPB VN Facebook group we launched to facilitate this as well, I see his hand allowing me to "make it so" and I am grateful I can be in the right place at the right time. It's a joy. (It's also a lot of work putting lectures and slide presentations together, so I am grateful for many collaborators and helpers in this who have shared lectures and photos or slides.)

Proof that we have been here a bit longer than it seems are the blossoms now appearing on our melon plants. (Hey, another answer to my life's quest to grow a melon in every place we have lived!) 

       

We're not sure what will come of this, but the mother melon sure was good, so we are hopeful. And the other seeds we have been nurturing in the lives of the saints here, and those hoping to be such, appear also full of promising blossoms. But of course, from blossom to fruit harvest is yet a long journey of faith, nurture and patience, much as it was for the handcart pullers who dreamed of being of one heart and mind with the Saints in Zion, but had to toil mightily, and not without losses, to reach that goal, learning in the process that it is the journey, the struggle, that is the refining and exalting reward to be desired, much more than the end of the trail. We are grateful to be on the trail, and thankful for you who join us in so many ways.

Urban Living August 2015

I think there are some universally experienced aspects of urban living in large metropolises.

For example:

Rush hour traffic jams.

Here's one on our street this week.

The fellow working in the center of the photo has a rebar business and is cutting rebar with a circular saw.  That effectively prevents cyclists from using the sidewalk as a passing lane (which they often do if it's not, as it usually is, occupied by parked motorcycles or sidewalk businesses).

If you look carefully up the street you can see one motorcyclist taking advantage of a bit of available sidewalk.

And if you look very carefully you can just barely see tall L., with his white shirt and tie, half hidden by a telephone pole, holding a canvas grocery bag waiting for me.  He had made it past the rebar guy just before the guy started up his saw and the sparks started flying.

We live in a nice apartment.  And we live in an urban setting. I had expected cockroaches.  They are regular denizens of urban living.  And we've encountered a couple of them in our apartment.  And since 28,600 households in Seattle reported rat sightings last year we were not too surprised to hear evidences of their existence in our urban life here. We can hear them occasionally in the walls and ceilings which made it less of a surprise when, one evening, a largish, furry, brown creature skittered along the baseboards in the kitchen.

Sorry, no photo.  He declined to stop long enough for that.

We figured out where he was coming in through a gap in the kitchen cupboard baseboard, did some research, and then stuffed the gap with steel wool scrubbing pads (they are inside the grocery bag in the photo above) held in place by the Vietnamese version of duct tape.  That plus meticulousness in storage of food, the discovery of which cupboards are tight and which drawers are not, and keeping all surfaces absolutely free of crumbs is all part of managing the frequency of rodent visits.  So far, so good.

And our kitchen has never looked so consistently clean.

No rat visits lately.  But just in case, I make sure we sleep with our bedroom door closed.  :-)

Life is good.  There is lots to do.  And we are well and blessed.