Interludes and Inter-“missions”

 The story isn’t over for those who have followed the events and thoughts in “Along the Hong River” just as it isn’t for us in our renewed life along the Oklahoma River. It is now a full two years since we emptied the storage unit which held our earthly belongings, thinning again our possessions,  before reassembling the puzzle into the space of our home on Northwest 17th Street. A lot of the content of our daily activity is not terribly different than it was while we lived in Hanoi, while some things are decidedly different.

We still rise early (the 5:30 am alarm is mostly redundant since the biologic clock is quite firmly set it would seem) and engage in morning exercise and gospel study. We use that study period to seek guidance and revelatory ideas that will help us lift and serve those whom we may meet or connect with during that day and days ahead. My friend and missionary department proselyting guru David Weidman counseled me to inquire of the Lord each day as to which of our elders or sisters may need an emotional touch of some sort that day. More often than not, when I have done that, the resulting experience has been rich and tender. The lesson for me is that the endowment of love for our fellow missionaries, and for the saints and friends that came into our lives there, carries with it the responsibility and opportunity to continue to minister and grow with them.

It wasn’t very long after we had been home that I realized how treacherous the period of  life following a mission was for most returning missionaries. So many critical decisions were to be made, that would lock them into patterns and positions that would work powerfully for their good, or for ill. Selecting the right spouse seemed to me the most potent of these decisions. So for many months now, I have prayed and fasted for them in that regard, sometimes as a whole, and sometimes for particular ones. The readily obtained answers to these pleadings are beginning to accrue. This month, four new families were founded in the Holy Temples, and lives full of hope and anticipation have been launched together with able and worthy spouses. If the ultimate measure of our efforts is to be measured in the character and devotion of the grandchildren of those missionaries, then we have reason to hope for good inasmuch as so many have begun well, taking to heart the admonition to “do it right from the beginning.” We rejoice in their joy, and hope in their hope.

 

Similarly, as the number of offspring from these marriages begins to grow and these young fresh spirits make their entrance onto the stage of life, we feel great anticipation and excitement. Mission grandchildren, as we have come to refer to these offspring, are a big part of our joy as well. We only regret that limitations on time, resources, and the current travel restrictions have cut off direct contact with these joys, as well as our own biologic grandchildren. 

In another aspect of the heritage of these genealogies, we have the on-going opportunity to see many of the new converts and even former investigators of our time in Vietnam stepping forward to serve full-time missions. For many of these Pioneers, this is not a trivial decision, nor even entirely their own. Our dear friend L was baptized in 2017, the only member of her family, of course. As a young woman who had entered the workforce following school, her family’s next expectation was for her to marry and begin a family. But to make matters more complicated, a sibling was pursuing a career in the Public Security arm of the government. As is well known to all in that division, a primary responsibility is to oversee potentially seditious religious organizations, and therefore any officer with personal OR family connections to religious organizations is black-marked to not advance into increased duties. Hence that same sibling looked upon L as blocking their ability to move up in the security apparatus, and as the oldest child, he easily recruited both parents into opposing L’s participation, attendance, and support for the Church. 

But Wonder of Wonders, Miracle of Miracles, after much counsel, prayer, fasting, and gentle persuasion, God did make a wall fall down. What tremendous joy we felt when the text came from L detailing with ebullient joy that both parents had granted permission for L to serve a mission. To make matters even sweeter, we know a certain returned missionary who will be waiting for the completion of that service. So our fasting for L and L’s parents, also meant fasting for a future spouse of infinite worth and high commitment and faith. It was two for one!

And so the rivers flow and we shall both watch from the banks, and at times follow the currents.

Harvesting... and tools

                                

The culture of Vietnam has such a very strong tie to the “que huong” or home town. It persists over generations even for people born in the cities, who nevertheless still maintain a fondness for their village of origin. And it is not an idle passing nostalgia. Rather, it is an on-going vibrant relationship with the land, their ancestral homes and what has been built over generations. One manifestation of this is the regular exodus from the cities back to the countryside, most especially for holidays, such as the recently passed Ngay Quoc Khanh, or National Day (commemorating a declaration of independence from French colonial rule by the Viet Minh in Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi in 1945 following the defeat of the Japanese.) But depending on the distances involved, it is not unusual to find people who travel a hundred kilometers or further each weekend, or perhaps several times a month to reconnect with parents and family in the que.

     

We took the opportunity to enjoy some time with some friends recently on such a visit to their hometown in Ben Tre, located about 120 km from Ho Chi Minh City, normally about a two hour drive. But the holiday turned that into more than four hours. But that did however give us a pause on the bridge over one of the “Nine Dragons” as the translation of the Mekong would be from the Viet term “Cuu Long.” Pausing as we did (for what must have been 45 minutes) we were able to see the river traffic, a few floating houses, perhaps shepherding herds of fish, and enjoy an elevated perspective on this otherwise quite flat landscape.

      

Any visit to the delta of this massive river reminds one of the richness of this land. It is a veritable cornucopia of agricultural and aquatic richness. And that brings me to my topic of the harvest. In addition to the rice paddies which often yield three crops a year, there are also massive amounts of fruit produced- bananas, coconuts, mangos, jackfruit, citrus, and a host of others including lychee, longan or dragon eyes, and rambutan (cham cham.) One of our stops during this visit was at the orchard of a friend who had an acre or two of rambutan and lanzones (yup, I had never heard of them either!)

Rambutan trees often have braces between branches, and supports from the ground to keep the tree from breaking under the weight of a heavy harvest.

                                   

Lanzones or in Vietnamese "bon bon" grow from the trunk, hence the species name "parasiticum" I think.

                                   

Rambutans grow on a rather tall tree, which tends to spread out broadly, with the fruit at the ends of the branches. As a result, the boughs in the fruiting season can easily become too heavy for the main branches to bear. So they require bracing and props to support them. But with this spreading habit, harvesting fruit from the tops of the 20-30 foot trees, even when they are bowed down with ripe fruit, would be a challenge. Enter human ingenuity.

                                    

The tool of the harvest for these terminal branch fruits (rambutan, dragon eyes, longans, etc.) is a long bamboo pole, with a narrow gap, perhaps 20 cm long between the two sides at one end, braced from splitting further or breaking by a wrap with poly-ties or other material that reinforce the end at the base of the gap. The harvester simply extends the pole to engage the small fruit bearing branches into the gap and then twists the pole to break the branches off and lower the fruit to the ground. Each such action might easily yield up to a dozen of the fuzzy red to yellow fruits.

The bags are quickly filled when the harvesting rod brings down a few bunches.

                                   

This is an activity not without its likeness. We see the fruit ripening all around us- it is the sweetness in the lives of young and old, the growth of wisdom and meekness that comes to accept the light of Christ's life and message and desires to follow him. To follow his example in being baptized, to follow his example and teachings in loving and serving others, and to participate in the model of feeling his love (often through others ministration), changing for the better, and partaking in a covenant promise to live his commandments (most often by participating in the sacrament each week) that they may have his spirit to be with them on the next, and each subsequent leg of this "eternal round" journey back home, to the ultimate "que huong" above.

        

We were recently impressed by the assertion that the tool for this harvest, the harvest of souls, is the Book of Mormon. We have been thinking about that a lot, and have spent considerable time teaching our missionaries how to consider it as key to their efforts to solve the problems they face. 

                                 

It first helps them to sharpen their own lives, focus their own hopes and salvation in Jesus Christ. It witnesses of him, and brings hope and understanding to cope with their own personal journey to come closer to him. So many stories of young men and women, like unto them- Nephi, Enos, Alma, Corianton, Mormon and Moroni, speak these truths of how we can be changed by coming to Christ, and by serving others.

It helps them see the motive and the method in what they should be doing as they are sent to represent him before the world. The examples of Nephi and Jacob, who "spoke of Christ, rejoiced in Christ, taught of Christ, prophesied of Christ, and wrote of Christ" or of Ammon and his brothers among the Lamanites who said, "yea, I will be thy servant," reinforce the teachings and example of the Savior himself, whose message was pure and focused, and who "went about doing good."

We were particularly impressed with some of the lessons the Book of Mormon offers as we work with others in this cause to build Zion and overcome opposition. Here the story of Captain Moroni and his Commander in Chief, Pahoran, as detailed in Alma 59-62 is so highly instructive. I sometimes hear the young missionaries complain that they are not getting the support they wish they had from this branch leader or that member. Then I think of this story- of Captain Moroni's zeal, and his mis-judgement. And I think of Pahoran's humble and wise response to being severely censured. The lesson most pertinent however, is that once they had united in understanding and jointly worked to oppose those who were thwarting the righteous work they were trying to do, not only were they once again friends and united in spirit, but they were successful.

Finally, in the stories of the Book of Mormon we find examples and answers for so many of the challenges of life that someone investigating the doctrines of Christ and his Church might encounter. Disbelief, struggles with stubbornness, weak faith, sin and bad habits, dwindling valiance in good things, opposition from family or friends, inability to keep commitments, competing demands of work, friends and finances, and so on.

For all these reasons, it is the tool suited to the harvest, the harvest of souls in preparation for his second advent. And we are so blessed to have many new missionaries, and many capable missionaries wielding that tool with greater vigor, testimony and fervor. The sweetness of a "cham cham" or a "bon bon" is one thing, but the sweetness of a soul who has and is repenting and coming unto Christ is beyond all that is sweet.

     

As a Man Thinketh...

That title, drawn from I think Proverbs 23:7, and popularized a generation ago by a James Allen book by the same name, aptly describes the subtle, and not so subtle, messaging we see all around us that seeks to influence what we think. The elevators in every building we visit now have a fairly constant stream of advertising seeking to persuade us to invest in some resort property on Phu Quoc island, or to use the Koreno Korean noodles that come in delightful flavors and cook in only “4 phut,” or to just preserve every drop of fresh water possible. Thankfully, they do at least turn off the monitors in most places as night draws on, so we can occasionally leave early or return late enough to have a moment to reflect before entering the door. 

These posters highlighting the theme of Faith, Hope and Charity, prepared for the May 2016 Recognition Event, continue to remind us, and passers-by at the Mission Office, of key gospel virtues and values.

We use a lot of ride-sharing services here, as the mission does not yet find it suitable to own or operate a vehicle. We noted this past week that the Uber cars now often sport a wrap on the doors advertising some services or products- to which  I paid no attention obviously as I cannot recall much  other than the color scheme of the advertisement. I asked the driver about it, and he replied that the option had just begun, and allowed them an added 1.5 million a month, which in this economy might be the difference between school fees for a child or not. Buses, taxis, Ubers, and I guess even rooftops are now all advertising space, up for sale, to persuade us what to think, do, buy or use.

We have not eaten at the local eatery named “Propaganda” though likely we have ordered from a sister institution, which might have been termed “Mind Control.” For me, they might only have to sell good ice cream, as we are highly vulnerable to that staple of living. Although we do know, thanks to Sister Ha, about the weekly two for one special at Swensen’s, and have frequented it on our transposed date night for just such skin-flint reasons, we have not yet suffered ourselves to sample and catalog ALL the various options from Fanny, Trang Tien and so on, but we can speak very highly of the very high quality and niche flavors of 2Cream made and marketed by our own Sister Tan. (The name is a word play in Vietnamese- Hai Kem- 2 Cream, sounds the same as Hay Kem- Great Cream.) We adore the Passion Fruit, Cinnamon, and Salted Caramel- plus they deliver, though maybe not as far as Mount Vernon.

Even the artichoke flavor prompts delight.

But I digress. In walking about, it is hard to miss the banners, placards, billboards and other signage that proclaim the admonitions of the state, the party and related interests. Yet at the same time, these sometimes just seem to fade into the background as so much visual noise to be tuned out. As a young missionary, I found them a useful source of learning new vocabulary. “Nothing is more precious that liberty, independence and happiness” was the first one I decoded, and remains common to this day, though sometimes the last state is dropped. And many of the admonitions are noble and desired ends, like this one, “Help put an end to human trafficking.”

With no competition from commercial messaging, the public spaces can convey the official messages readily.

                                 

All should do something specific to contribute to the care for the families of Veterans

                              

                                 

Unlike the more subtle messaging that may underlay the elevator persuasion to take on the good life of wealth, or convenience or such, these are unmistakably state-sponsored propaganda. The style, the messages, the mode of presentation, all say, “Your government and leaders encourage you to be good citizens, do good and heroic deeds, and take responsibility for making society better.”

Entrance bas relief of a house that seems to have been prepared to become a new branch meeting place, though we may have to encourage a tad bit of Latin study...

I ask myself what the difference is between this kind of message, which to me seems to be largely ignored, and the admonitions we find on countless Facebook memes, in MormonAds for youth, or even in the scriptures, such as Deuteronomy 6, which commands us to keep his words “in thine heart…and bind them for a sign upon thine hand…and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” Is God just a different kind of mind-control operation than the ones with varying motivations that I have described and experienced here?

The message of the gospel has prompted countless platitudes, which may be just as easily ignored, and pushed into the backdrop “noise” or static of life, until we have those moments, when with the fire of the spirit, we allow them to enter into the fleshy tablets of our  heart. Those are the moments when the message resonates with a familiar and warmly reassuring surety that it is both true, and given out of a pure and undiluted love for us. Then it ceases to be propaganda or mind-control, and becomes part of who we are, who we hope to become, and also, whence we have come. “Did not I speak peace unto thy heart?” he will ask, and we shall all answer.

The task of bringing that message to the entrance into the heart, at such a time and moment when the heart is open, and when the spirit present such that that fire can be ignited, is the very challenge of parenthood, of teaching, of missionary effort, and of leadership. Because the truth is that he is not seeking to control our minds or thinking at all, but rather inviting us to yield our sullied motives and conflicted wants to a oneness with his, in virtuous, totally loving purity, such that "without compulsory means" we share in his virtues and life completely and of our own choosing. I want that, though an occasional reminder to "shape up" is still required!

Foundations

Find and shape the massive stones

Hewn from cliffs or mountain ledge

Then place them true aligned aright

To bear the weight of growth and glory. 

In the finding searching story

We must walk some lengthy paths

And then with eyes of faith see

Christ-like virtues 'neath the grime.

In the shaping work we labor

With the Master Mason guiding

Careful, patient, reassuring,

Penitence the surface smooths. 

Then with covenental sextant

Holding close to the Chief Corner

We put in place our stone we've brought

Uniting many into One. 

As the hours go onward quickly

Hast'd with urgency divine

Walls will rise and rest securely

On foundations firm and true

Hid from sight yet to the Master

Known and loved, esteemed higher

Than the jeweled parapets 

That crown his city Zion. 

Celestial glory that's seen and cherished 

Rests on the rock we've cut today

Shaped with love and hope and faith

For the future's Beautiful Day.