In the details of the details...or divine "coincidence"

As a pathologist, I learned that often times the clues to understanding come from noticing a particular nuance that allows one to distinguish one disorder from others that may mimic it in almost every detail. In the days before molecular signatures, genotyping and immunohistochemical staining, these sorts of subtle details were all that we had to go on, and so often the pathologists of that day were exquisite in their examination of these kinds of subtle details. Having spanned both eras, I sometimes bemoan the new generation which is only eager to rush to the "brown stains" (immunohistochemistry relies most commonly on a color-producing reaction which produces a brown color when the particular antibody is present bound to the tissue) to make their diagnosis, almost without taking time to examine what the conventional stains show.

In a spiritual sense, that's like rushing to pick up the Urim and Thummin as Oliver Cowdery wanted to do, without first studying it out in his own mind. There are however, often countless evidences of divinity in the most minute details of the work.

       

Susan Gong, speaking to the Hanoi Branch last February, quoted Sam Wong (whom I later heard repeat this himself) as saying "God is in the details, of the details, of the details of this work." We often speak with derision of those who attempt to "micromanage" any process, which it might seem is what is to be inferred from such a level of Godly concern. And yet, it is remarkably liberating as a leader, or a worker, in this work to feel the sense of concern with the most minute of details we have when we witness his hand at work in such things. 

                                  

Surely the willingness with which a craftsman goes to work to attend to small architectural details would be dampened if we nor God had an appreciation for the creation of beauty on both the macro- and the micro-scale in a buiding, in the teaching of another person, or even the living of a life of purity and goodness. I think we can be assured that we care about some of these details because they matter, both in distinguishing the genuine article from the imitation, but also in reflecting the divine nature in the creator, one who cares as much about the molecular elegance of a protein as about the color spectrum of the Northern lights. So we pay attention to details, in part because he does as well.

                                 

In attending to these details in a building or in our lives, I cannot help but recall how delighted I am when I encounter in surprise, an unexpected detail that evidences the Master's hand here. Speaking in the Doctrine and Covenants, he said "Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power." Indeed we do see both his majesty, and his power manifest to do his work. 

Sometimes we are prone to just attribute something of this sort to "coincidence" but in reality it is his knowledge of the details of the details, and his concern for same, that seems to be operating, not in a controlling sense, but in a beautiful dance of the willing working with him. As an example, we went to 

       

Ho Chi Minh city for our visit this month thinking that we would be having zone conference on a Tuesday, the same Tuesday that we were planning to begin the first Happy Family (Strengthening Families) class there. But somehow along the way, two things had happened- we had messed up the details of the dates and the travel arrangements for those coming from Hanoi were for Wednesday, and secondly, we didn't realize how much preparation time we would need to carry out those two activities. But He knew that detail, and that we had timed our return to account for the additional time! The result was two wonderful and complete experiences, without the undoubted stress that would have come with trying to do them on top on one another. A small, tender mercy, coincidence.

                                  

Some of the small details that matter to him are in presentation (Oh, can I be heard justifying the 600 lb ice-sculpture center-piece or the thousand-hour hand stitched quilt Pres. Uchtdorf spoke of proclaiming the theme "Simplify"?- read on!) Certainly presentation matters here- our whole office was initially set up by the prior occupants to epitomize Feng Shui, and the recent YSA Master-Chef Cook-off rested heavily on presentation. (Note the delicate use of diced red peppers here for example to offset the abundance of green in the Goi Cuon.)

       

I think however, that again it is the details that evidence his concern, and those are ALWAYS directed towards accomplishing his singular purpose- to bring to pass man's eternal life and return to his presence. So it didn't surprise me when the presentations given by the sister training leaders and the zone leaders in the zone conference mentioned above seemed to perfectly preface and prepare the way for the message he had given me to share, the Lord's response to the Apostle's plea to "increase [their] faith." (Luke 17:5) The most minute details of their work did that again for me- his hand in the details again or coincidence?

The prophet Nehpi summarized it so well when he spoke of "all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him." I do not know all things from the beginning, but I know pretty well from this week, and many similar weeks past, that his hand is in the details of this work, in the details of the lives of these young (and old) missionaries, and that his purposes "fail not." They do not fail to delight me, to inspire me, and to humble me. As we began to learn the news of the coming of more missionaries for the months ahead, I again felt the very clear sense that the details will matter, for they were not called, nor to be sent here by chance or coincidence, but to fill their part in the beautiful details of this work, of which all things, even the ancient dragon symbol of 11th century origin, are symbolic. Where will you find him in the details of your life this week?

       

Some photos

Just a few photos.  The people we work with and meet are the real highlights of our time here.

Our cheerful, fearless, office couple, the Van Wagenens

Our very favorite (and only) fabulous sister branch builders. 

This good farm family and their friend live off the main road.  Getting to our good visit with them required a mile long ride down a dirt path on  the back of a motorbike. Whoo!

Stopping to buy pomelos at a roadside stand in the Delta.

Delicious.

There is some wonderful French, religious, architecture in some of these small cities.

Hailing down a motorbike driver to carry another friend and her boxes of food supplies back to her home. Two boxes in front of the driver.  She carried the third, largest box in her arms.

Meeting a sister and her father and son.  The fearless scout and navigator in our Delta travels, is the sister in the white shirt.

When we returned to Ho Chi Minh City, L. got to "release" Sister B. (center. with her brother and sister on either end) after she returned from her mission (the Cambodia Mission). 

She served with us in Hanoi last summer. Many fond memories.

Laying out the branch potluck lunch in between conference sessions in Ho Chi Minh City.

Great cooks!

Infrastructure

Infrastructure rarely sells cars, but yet none would be sold without it. It doesn't appear in the advertising for Walmart, but yet they would not be a global entity without it. It doesn't show up in the glitzy ads for the latest electronic connected device, and yet most certainly we would not hunger after them if there was none. 

For a people and a country like Vietnam, infrastructure is the reason for their development, and the barrier that holds things back at times. The linguistic infrastructure of a Romanized alphabet with a virtual one-to-one phonetic basis is a major reason why literacy runs at such a high rate in this country and allows it to lead many of its neighbors in that regard. One doesn't go very far into the delta before one sees the intense agricultural infrastructure of rivers and canals, or of hand-dug ditches or fish-ponds that allow the land or the waters to yield their richness. Today one also sees numerous bridges, ranging from narrow arches across a small watercourse to allow motorbikes and narrow carts to reach homes and hamlets, on up to magnificent 2+km bridges spanning the main channels of the Mekong itself while still allowing the major shipping traffic to pass below. It's all infrastructure. 

                                   

Part of the medical infrastructure- "Medical tests- Kieu Tien #2

                                   

Should anyone wonder why there is no doubt about whether to choose a land line or a cell phone?

       

Bridges of all sizes are critical in the waterway rich Mekong Delta. But so are canals and dikes, not to mention the locks that the French started over a century ago that help de-salinate the land sufficiently to open up agriculture (a shift which has been recently challenged by rather dry, low-flow years.)

                                

   

      

While there are no "dark huyens" or no-electricity villages that we've seen today as there were 27 years ago, there may be a number of villages that are "dark" to the internet. As we wandered the back-roads of Tra Vinh province this week however, I was actually amazed to see that I had cellular phone service throughout the day. I think that is called "leapfrogging." I am pretty sure there would have been similar areas of my home state or others that would be of comparable population that would not have gotten any bars from even the best provider networks. 

                                 

        (We were the most interesting thing in months for this member's neighbors who crowded onto her bed to see what we were about, way out in the grey roads areas of the delta. But they DID have light and cell service!)

So you can probably see where I'm going to come around with this train of thought already. In bringing a mission to life, in working with a new district, young branches, young or inexperienced leaders, a "new" language as far as many church materials are concerned, one becomes keenly aware of the limitations the lack of infrastructure imposes, and the opportunity to "leapfrong" some of the methods of yore, for the chance to "do it right from the beginning."

Culture is really a sort of infrastructure. It's the operating software that governs interactions between people in the organization, the lines of instruction that dictate when or if feedback is given, and how. We are keenly interested in setting up the right organizational culture among the wonderful young men and women we are blessed to serve with here. Although they bring with them some of these elements from home, other missions (yes we now have a missionary from a mission other than Cambodia, and will soon welcome a new companion for her from yet another mission!)

                                   

or their own wards or branches, we have the chance to "get it right." In that sense we are resisting the temptation to establish a long list of extra do's and don'ts beyond the "white handbook" that all missionaries receive. Yet at the same time we recognize that many of these young men and women are inexperienced or even naive so the Book of Mormon admonition we'd like to use "O be wise! what can I say more?" May require some more substantive examples of what is and isn't wise. (We're also wise enough ourselves to know that not everything they may do gets reported, until perhaps later, but that may be when the wisdom comes.)

I could go through a litany of the practical challenges we have been coping with- from running the mission affairs with no ability to pay bills directly, thus floating the entire operation for a while on our own good credit, to trying to figure out how to make new membership records without access to the church systems for such. It's not unlike having a bumper crop of pomelo in the williwacks of the delta and nothing but a garden tractor with a glorified wheelbarrow attachment to transport it to market over a dirt road. One quickly comes to wonder if there isn't a better way!

                                

We've spent some time also this month trying to help the leadership understand the "better way" to organize branches with varying numbers of people and varying needs. Each of our branches is different- one has a laarge primary while the others may have only one or two children under 12. Some have dozens of young adults, while others have fewer. All of them struggle to staff their organizations with people who can and will watch over the saints. We tried to instill in them the concept that the purpose of the church organization (stakes, wards, branches) to create safety and protection for the saints rests largely in being watched over by a functioning presidency or presidencies and their ability to counsel together. This was a common problem for our wards and branches in Maine as well, so again we see the wisdom and preparation of the Lord in giving us that (infrastructural) understanding.

       

A branch leader explains the basics of gospel infrastructure to a member living far from church (who could have used some additional auditory "infrastructure!")

I can't conclude withouot sharing a couple of highlights from the "natural infrastructure" of this environment, here to gladden the heart and lighten our minds. (The gardeners of the world are really the most important part of infrastructure, right?)