Does He walk where you labor?

Several moments have passed by without the snippets of a song or poem that passed through my brain getting properly captured as I might have done in an earlier day when the pace of life was more measured. Now it borders on frenetic- and I have pity on the saints who will follow us here- even if they are younger and fresh. The work worth doing seems endless, and the laborers are few indeed. But we have the awareness that unseen hands labor with us, and even while we sleep.

Christmas in the Hanoi Mission is unique. We have a few traditions, and they have meaning; some are long-standing from many sources, and others we have instituted. Among these are the sharing of Christmas songs, carols, funny poems and memorable times together in His service, as His servants.

Here then is this year's edition of a Christmas carol, now that a moment of reflection and quiet has come. May it bless your life and Christmas, as my gift to you. Christina Rossetti and Alfred Burt I am not, but a grateful soul for the mystery of a Savior born of a virgin and laid in a manger I can be and am. I see his footprints around me; I witness his hands touching the lives and hearts of those I love, giving healing and hope, and I know his wondrous love.

The Babe in the Manger

(Christmas 2017, Lewis Hassell)

Casting out the dark night- his birth brought  new light!

A daystar shone bright in the West and the East!

And blind eyes were opened receiving new sight.

The Babe in the manger, our King, yet the Least.

Hallelujah we sing with the angels above.

Hallelujah we praise the Babe King, born of Love!

In a world of sin where the wicked may reign,

His birth gives us hope for the future ahead.

In a world of sorrow, depression and pain,

This Babe in the manger brings life for the dead.

Hallelujah we sing with the angels above

Hallelujah we praise the Babe King, born of Love.

In a land where his name’s yet to sound in each ear

Yet his feet walk the paddy and toil in the Huyen*.

His hands show them mercy; His voice calls “Come near!”

The Babe in the manger will point them to Heaven.

Hallelujah we sing with the angels above

Hallelujah we praise the Babe King, born of Love.

*Vietnamese term for a village or small town.

Here is the music if you are inclined to want to sing.

Turning further towards our desires...

                                   

The things that motivate us are most often pretty universal, although also individual. In a country with a history of poverty and deprivation, the widespread yearning to build a better economic life for themselves and their children has been a dominant theme in Vietnam's psyche for a long time. The belief that by working more, working harder, they can lift themselves from their plight is prevalent. We often encounter people who work 15-17 hours a day to provide for their families. It is a habit born of the day when one's employment barely covered the costs of putting rice in the bowl for half the month. Lawyers and teachers take on extra work by driving an Uber or Grab ride-sharing vehicle in their off hours. Home businesses (from selling smoothies to hardware) supplement the office job or factory work, managed by the at-home grandparent or spouse, usually with opening hours that would make a convenience store jealous.  
Clearly related to this is the recognition that war and conflict poses a risk to that hope, just as it has imposed a heavy cost in the past. So a desire for peace has also been a celebrated theme here for a long time. 
Hanoi has proclaimed itself a "city of Peace" and the symbolism of the dove figures strongly in public iconography, right down to the public buses that feature an idealization in their exterior paint design. While maintaining a strong presence of a military, and often attracting recruits by means of the economic advantage of education and employment, the city is not one that has seen armed conflict for a long time now.

The drive for economic improvement is related perhaps to the thrust to become educated, and the desire to see one's children better educated than oneself so they have an advantage in the marketplace ahead. Schools in Vietnam are often crowded, with generally large classes, sometimes with two different sessions for different enrollments, a morning session from 7-12 and an afternoon enrollment from 1-5. In addition, the number of evening classes offered by private teachers and tutors, as well as institutes, academies, and such is protean. Walking by the ILA, or the VietMy Association, or Titan Education buildings at 8 pm is to see the upwardly hopeful parents awaiting their children's release from these enrichments.

Of course many of these enrichments are merely core capabilities like English, math and science as well. While suburban parents in the west escort their kids to soccer or gymnastics or music, the after school hours here are crammed with added study sessions in languages and STEM content.
These drives and desires carry over into times when we might rather they did not, such as Sunday mornings, when we would prefer that families were together and attending church services, and of course Monday evenings when we'd encourage families to strengthen their bonds with each other.
I think the challenge for families in this case, or individuals, is in understanding truly the ultimate costs, rather than just the marginal costs. With a bias towards seeking economic improvement, or educational benefit, or even peace and social harmony, we make most decisions to seek these things based only on the added incremental cost, the marginal cost- be that a couple of more hours of work at night, an extra class for an hour on Sunday morning, or an added social imposition of control to preserve peace. But in making these kinds of choices we often undervalue the alternatives, things which might also be strong values, but less urgent and more easily deferred to another time, or just relegated to someone else's duty.
What is the true value of a few hours each week for family time in the evenings? What kind of difference does it make for a father to hold and play with his children each day? How would one's life be different if one were together with one's family in church each Sunday? What kind of human values would develop if allowed to gather for social action without the need to register content details and the ID card numbers of each participant whether foreign or domestic? These are questions oft forgotten or left unanswered in the rush of humanity towards the elusive goals of a better more secure economic life, higher education and urban tranquility.
We are heartened however by the number of bright young single adults who are seeing the difference that a balance between these dominant drivers in society can make. They are bravely swimming against the stream in taking time to worship, time to serve, and time to integrate spirituality amid the press of the corporal concerns. The recent YSA conference in Hanoi centered around the theme that "Your Story Begins at Home" and helped many of them see the relationships with parents, siblings and friends as the starting point for happiness in the story they are writing to include a spouse, children and grandchildren. The inter-connectedness of choices in small and simple things now and the state of their lives decades from now became more clear as they heard the story of others further along the path, like Elder and Sister Peter Meurs, from the Asia Area Presidency.

Though we are not totally sure whether they come for the fruit and home-made cookies, or the chance to discuss the topics from the institute courses on preparing for an eternal and glorious marriage, we are grateful to welcome a varied group of these young people to our home on Sunday evenings. Even when the topic is as grave as how to confront and overcome problems like pornography, they seem eager to listen, ask insightful and probing questions, and linger after to visit. (And they are always keen to clean up the kitchen and such before they leave!)

We aren't going to turn the tide of Vietnamese society away from its yearning for a better economic future, nor will we have much impact on the private enrichment educational industry here through our branch-builder's English sessions, but we think there are a growing number of wondereful young Latter-day Saints who are seeing that fulfillment and joy in life is not measured in the size of a bank account, or the score on your IELTS exam. It is however found in the peace of mind and heart that comes from relationships made pure by the Atonement of Jesus Christ