I am so sorry it has been a while since I have actually gotten out a good group email! Everything is going great here in Vietnam, and I just got my first transfer call in the Mission! I will actually be staying with my same companion in the same area, but it is actually a huge blessing, because we have an investigator with a baptismal date of April 23, and now I will get to continue to teach her and watch her be baptized, because I will be staying in the same area with the same companion!
I was just up in Hanoi, Vietnam for a Mission Conference with all of the Missionaries, and the Area Presidency, and let me tell you it was so nice to escape the heat in Saigon! Hanoi (North Vietnam) has all four seasons, but Saigon (South Vietnam) only has two seasons. That was really fun though, and we got a picture with our MTC group that was reunited (because we had one elder go up North, while us three came down South).
We currently have 1 investigator with a baptismal date, 2 progressing investigators, 1 potential investigator, and 1 new investigator, so the work is really moving along and it is wonderful to see!
Hopefully I will have more pictures next week, and some videos of me speaking Vietnamese. I'm getting a new camera today, because the other one broke [yeah...he dropped it, that's why it broke!]
I wish to share one experience in particular that really touched my heart for this week: I am just about finished with my 12 week training period, but I am not quite finished until Thursday when the transfers actually kick into place. So, for training time yesterday, my companion and I watched "The District 2" videos. For those of you who are not familiar with The District videos, they are basically real life videos of Missionaries and their daily lives. They are really great training tools and learning opportunities. "The District 2" follows a Ddstrict of missionaries serving in San Diego, California. One of the sisters in The District (Sister Vogel is her name I believe), lost her brother while she was serving. Of course, she was devastated. but, she knew that the work of the Lord had to continue, and that she needed to continue to be able to function as a missionary. So, she relied completely on Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. She spent much time on her knees in prayer to her Heavenly Father. Later in the video, she talks about how there will always come a point in everyone's life where things will go wrong, and where God and Jesus Christ are the only ones that we have to rely on. She said that it was so important to teach the people in our missions about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because people needed to know that they could have someone to rely on when all else seemed lost, just like she had to with dealing with the death of her brother. I really take this message to heart, because my mission has been a very tough experience thus far. I have learned more about my weaknesses than my strengths, I struggle to talk to and connect with the Vietnamese people, and my companion and I have had some rough patches. I have also really struggled with homesickness while being out here. But, I take great comfort in the fact that I can rely on the Lord and His grace and mercy. When all else has seemed lost, I know that I can rely on Him, because He suffered for my sins, and He knows how I feel. I testify that the Lord is our Light. He is our everything, and Christ and our Heavenly Father are the only ones we may have when things get tough. I testify that as we put the Lord first in our life, and rely on Him through those hard times, that we will truly come to know Him and what He has done for us as children of God! I invite all of you to put the Lord first in your life, and to truly rely on Him, because Christ and Heavenly father are all we have sometimes. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I have some fun pictures that I will hopefully get to send soon of bowling for zone P-Day, a 3-D art museum in Vietnam, Mission Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, etc. Also, please send me a quick email if you ever get the chance. I'd love to hear from all of you! Don't forget to visit my mission blog at: justinsvietnammission.
I love you all!
Love,
Elder Ly (Anh Ca Dung)
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