Monday, March 12, 2018

Baptism Time! Rock On!

Xin Chào Mọi Người! Hello Everyone! 

This week definitely had some miracles that I am excited to share about!

Monday-Today we had the opportunity to meet with an investigator that we haven't met with in a while, Anh Quang. We taught him about the Plan of Salvation, and he is really awesome! He even takes notes when we have lessons!

Tuesday-Today was the first district meeting with the new missionary district since transfers happened. We had the zone leaders come and join in this meeting, and they talked about using the Book of Mormon to answer questions of the soul. It was really cool to learn more about this because that is a really effective way to introduce the Book of Mormon to others. Questions of the soul can include: Where did I come from? What is the purpose of my life? How can I achieve true peace and happiness in this life? Is there really a God? Where will I go after this life? The Book of Mormon really can answer these questions, and it's a wonderful way to get people interested in the Book of Mormon! Today we also had a lesson with our Investigators, Anh Mẫn and Cô Thanh. We taught them about the whole Plan of Salvation, and we taught them at their house. The spirit can definitely be very strong when teaching our fellow Brothers and Sisters about how they can see their loved ones again after this life! We also had a Lesson with our investigator who is getting baptized this week, Chị Nguyên! We invited a member, Chị Phương, to help with the Lesson. She actually lives in Australia, but she is from Vietnam and is visiting.

Wednesday-Our investigator Anh Quang invited us over to his house/family restaurant for breakfast to eat a dish called Bún Bò Huế. It is basically a beef noodle soup that originates from Huế,which is in central Vietnam (pretty much right in the middle of Vietnam). Huế is known as the Royal City, and was the capital of Vietnam in ancient times. We also had English class today, and for the spiritual message, we shared about how the Book of Mormon answers questions of the soul!

Thursday-Today we started preparing for Chị Nguyên's baptism by starting to make her baptismal program! We also had our in-service leadership meeting (this is the meeting where we talk about English class and how we can improve). I gave a short training on how we can help others come unto Christ while still teaching English at the same time. When I was preparing for this, I studied about how Christ taught others. I love reading the stories of Jesus Christ!

Friday-We had our last lesson with Chị Nguyên before her baptism tomorrow! She will learn with the sister missionaries for the recent-convert lessons, so we invited the sister missionaries to join in the lesson. We reviewed the baptismal program with her, and we all shared our testimonies. She had a great testimony to share about the Word of Wisdom!

Saturday-Today was Chị Nguyên's baptism!!! Everything came together so well! The members who participated in the program did great, and I felt joy to see her come unto Christ through entering the waters of baptism! The missionaries also did a special musical number "I Feel My Savior's Love." It was amazing! Chị Nguyên had only learned with us for about 2 months or so, and she was introduced to the church from a member who lives in America, but served a Vietnamese speaking mission in Houston, Texas. The cool thing is that I actually met him when I was serving in a church branch up in Hà Nội because he was visiting. The members here in Vietnam are so amazing, and they helped out so much with the baptism, and with bringing food to share afterwards! I had a chance to share with a recent convert about why I chose to serve a mission. Part of that answer included the joy that comes from seeing others come unto Christ like today with Chị Nguyên!

Sunday-I did some translating for Sacrament Meeting, and it was a good thing that I had a member right behind me who actually has a calling to be a translator, because there were times when I just had to hand the microphone to her for help. 😬😂 Hopefully I will get better at it though!

Testimony Time:
Today I would like to share my testimony on the joy that comes from missionary work. It is truly 
a joyful experience to see a person come unto Christ, and to feel of His love and mercy in their own lives. That is the greatest gift that we can give to someone, is to help them have the opportunity to come unto Christ. Through life's challenges and concerns, relying on Christ's grace and mercy is essential. This is the glad message that we bring to our brothers and sisters. There is always someone that understands, and there is always someone that is willing to help, and that person is Christ! When people come unto Him, they will come to feel of His love for them. That is what brings true happiness in missionary work!

Vietnamese Culture: 1. When you spell someone's last name in Vietnam, it actually goes last, middle, first, as opposed to first, middle, last in America.

Picture Time: 😎
All pictures at Chị Nguyên's Baptism!







Happy New Year (Year of the DOG)! This is from February.

Xin Chào Mọi Người! Hello Everyone! 😃

This has been a great week, and we had transfers this week! For those of you who aren't familiar with what a Transfer is, basically in the mission field, every 6 weeks is a transfer. So after those 6 weeks end, it starts a new transfer. With a new transfer, you can sometimes get a new companion, move to a new area, stay in the same area with the same companion, etc. So here are some highlights from this week for my missionary service in Vietnam:

Transfers-I have been called to be a trainer in the mission! 🤗This means that when a new missionary comes, I will be their first companion for normally the first 12 weeks of their mission. I will guide them and help them get used to missionary work. I am excited for this great opportunity to learn and to grow!

Wednesday-I taught English class today with another missionary in the district, Elder Hansen (Anh Cả Tuấn), and I stayed with him for the night, because our new companions weren't coming until the next morning. 

Thursday-Today, I met my new companion, Elder Kilpack! His Vietnamese name is Anh Cả Thịnh. He is from St. Louis, Missouri, he has 12 brothers and sisters (some of them are step siblings), he is a quarter Vietnamese, and his step brother is also serving here in Vietnam as well! The other elder that is staying in the same district and branch, Elder Hansen, got his companion as well. We also got two sister missionaries in the branch as well!

Friday-Today we had alLesson with our investigator, Chị Nguyên. We taught about Priesthood and auxiliaries, missionary work, eternal marriage, and temples. She has a baptismal date for this coming Saturday (March 3), and it will be really awesome to see her come unto Christ through entering the waters of baptism!🤗 One of my old companions, Elder Thoại, also returned back from his mission today.

Saturday-Today we got to a child of God, Cô Hiền, enter the waters of baptism. We also had a surprise party for a senior missionary couple, Elder and Sister Coffey, because they will be returning back to America on Tuesday! Elder and Sister Coffey have really done a lot for us, and we will miss them! When my previous companion,  Elder Taylor and I had to move apartments, they helped us out so much with getting everything set up and ready to move. They have served their mission here in Vietnam for 18 months! I am so grateful for those that come and serve the Lord and their fellow brothers and bisters!

Sunday-Today I had my first opportunity to translate in Sacrament Meeting for one of the speakers. 😬Elder Coffey (the senior missionary that will be leaving on Tuesday), gave his talk about miracles. He did his talk in English, and then I would speak into a microphone to Vietnamese. There were times when I had to look back and ask for words in Vietnamese, but I made it through! This reminds me of something very special that we know to be true as missionaries. It is called the Gift of Tongues. When someone is called to a mission, sometimes they will be called to a different country to learn a new language. This can be very challenging. But, as we put our effort forth to learn and struggle in the language, the Lord and the Spirit will help us. The Gift of Tongues is something that we continually need to work towards.

Testimony Time:
Today I would like to share about the Christ-like attribute of humility. In this life, we will have weaknesses, because we are human and imperfect. However, the Lord has a wonderful promise for us if we will be humble and accept His will. The scripture that I would like to share illustrates this very well. It's in the Book of Mormon in Ether 12:27: And if men come unto me will show unto them their weaknessgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will make weak things become 
strong unto them.
What a wonderful promise that is! If we truly humble ourselves to the Lord and His will for us, He will make our weaknesses turn into strengths! I know that this is true, because I have seen this as I have been on my mission. When I first came out on my mission, speaking Vietnamese was definitely a weakness. I was also not the greatest at talking with and socializing with new people, or even talking in front of a group of people.But, as I have humbled myself and realized my weaknesses (and have been pushed out of my comfort zone), the Lord has helped my weaknesses to be turned into strengths! I know that the Lord can do the same for you if you are humble, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Vietnamese Culture:1. One thing that is wonderful about the Vietnamese people is how much they honor and respect their Ancestors. The Plan of Salvation can really be huge for these people as we teach about how they can see their Ancestors again after this life! 2. When you go to someone's house for a meal, it is generally very polite to eat all of the food that is provided. There is a saying in Vietnamese, "Không No Không Về." It basically means you can't go home until you are full. Eating all the food that is provided is generally very important and polite.

Love,
Elder Justin Ly (Anh Cả Dũng)

Picture Time:😎
1.  With my Family for the Tết Holiday!
2. The Missionaries and Elder and Sister Coffey (thelast Sunday before they leave.
3. Me and my new companion, Elder Kilpack (Anh Cả Thịnh).
4. Happy New Year (Year of the Dog)!