Just like texting!

Okay...so this week Elder Ly did NOT send his mother a nice long email!  However, I did "catch" him while he was online, and we emailed back and forth for a bit.  It was kind of like texting, and especially since he was asking about money, I really felt his closeness...LOL!  It went like this...

Hi mom!

I'll answer you in a longer email soon, but I have a couple of things that I need to bring up really quick: 1. Yes I did get a new camera, and it's actually a much better quality one (still canon brand), but it almost drained all of  the money that I had in debit card account. 2. I also think that I need to buy some new suitcases, because the ones that I have right now, the ones that Dad and Erin got for me, are not the best quality especially with the wheels. It gets dinged up really easily. I think I would be better off getting suitcases with hard covers like the little green one I have at home. Would that be okay? If so, I will need a lot of money in my debit card account.

Juliann Jeppsen <juliann.jeppsen@gmail.com>	Mar 26 (3 days ago)
to Justin

Hi Babe...I can put some more emergency funds in your account for you.  You need to remember to use that money wisely and try to stick within your missionary budget, okay?  As far as your luggage goes, I think you should continue to use what you have unless is breaks or is damaged in some way that makes it un-usable, okay?  Remember that I have not been working like I usually do, so our income is down a little and we need to save where we can, okay?

Did you like the photos I sent this week?

Justin Ly	Mar 26 (3 days ago)
to me

Yes I did. LOL I miss her so much!

Justin Ly	Mar 26 (3 days ago)
to me

Lisa finally emailed me back, so I am emailing her right now!

Juliann Jeppsen		Mar 26 (3 days ago)
Oh that's GREAT that Lisa emailed you!

Justin Ly		Mar 26 (3 days ago)
I know I was so excited!

Juliann Jeppsen <juliann.jeppsen@gmail.com>	Mar 26 (3 days ago)
to Justin

I'm sure you were!  It is going to be so fun to go to the ice show and see everyone on Thursday!

Justin Ly		Mar 26 (3 days ago)
Oh wow it's on Thursday? so soon

Juliann Jeppsen		Mar 26 (3 days ago)
I wish you were going to be there. I miss you SO MUCH!

Justin Ly	Mar 26 (3 days ago)
to me

I miss you so much too! 

Hey mom how much does it say that I have in my Debit Card Account right now?

Juliann Jeppsen		Mar 26 (3 days ago)
Hold on....i will look...

Juliann Jeppsen <juliann.jeppsen@gmail.com>	Mar 26 (3 days ago)
to Justin

It says your have $50.15 in there.  I will put $200 in there so you have a buffer. But be careful to live within your budget. 

Juliann Jeppsen <juliann.jeppsen@gmail.com>	Mar 26 (3 days ago)
to Justin

Okay I just transferred $200.00 but it won't be available for a couple of days.  So probably Wednesday for you. 

Justin Ly	Mar 26 (3 days ago)
to me

Ok thank you so much mom! I'm really sorry I've run out of time trying to email Lisa and some other people, so this will be quick since I've only got about 20 more minutes. I love you so much, and I'm glad that everything is going well! Goose sent me some great stuff as well, so I'm going to email her as well! How is the papa doing? I have been keeping you in my prayers about work with the Guard. Have you heard any news yet about it? Also, please keep me in your prayers right now. I am going through some tough stuff as well. I don't need to go into detail about it though. I think about you everyday, and I really miss Utsh. But, I know that Vietnam is where I'm supposed to be right now. I love you so much!

Juliann Jeppsen <juliann.jeppsen@gmail.com>	Mar 26 (3 days ago)
to Justin

I love you too baby!  I am praying for you every single day and I think about you ALL THE TIME!  You are such a good kid and I miss having your smiling face in my life.  Have a wonderful week and I will watch for your group email:-)  

SHE loves you and misses you, too!  

 _______________________________________________________________________________

So...here is a photo of Justin's district in Ho Chi Minh City...I pulled it off Facebook since he broke his camera and didn't send any photos this week!  

Until next time!!! 

The Missionary Mom

Elder Ly dropped and busted his new camera!

Hello Everyone! Xin Chao from Vietnam!

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.blogspot.com

I love you all!

Love,

Elder Ly (Anh Ca Dung)

Lovin' Ho Chi Minh City!

​Hello Everyone! Friends and family!

As promised last week, this week's group email will be much better, and much more detailed.

I will start by talking about the area I am in right now. The area I am in covers District 4, District 7, and Nhà Bè of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). My companion( Elder Vinh) and I live in an apartment complex in District 4. It's interesting how Ho Chi Minh City is divided up. It's basically divided up into Districts.

My companion is Elder Le. His Vietnamese name is Anh Ca Vinh. He is full Vietnamese, but is from Roy, Utah. He spoke a little bit of Vietnamese before his Mission, but not much. His Vietnamese is very good though, and he is a wonderful Trainer! 

I only have about two and a half weeks more of training, and then we have transfers! I might be staying with my Trainer, or I might move somewhere else. It's very exciting to not know where I will be going in the next two and a half weeks! Everything is a new adventure!

The Vietnamese language is a very hard language, because there are six tones. So, you can't just learn a new vocabulary word, and then start using it. You also have to know what "tone" it has. For example, the Vietnamese word "ma" with your voice going up in intonation means "mother." If you say it with your voice going down in intonation, it means "ghost." I have a really funny story to tell that goes with this. One of the Sisters in my MTC group is in Cambodia Vietnamese speaking. In her group email, she said that they had a branch missionary meeting, and she was taking the lead about talking about people in her and her companion's area. She meant to say "Less-Active," as in less active member, but said it with the wrong tone, and ended up saying "poop" instead. Man tonal languages are the best LOL! My Vietnamese has been going okay. My companion speaks really good Vietnamese, and is always correcting me, so my pronunciation has improved a lot! I can have simple conversations with people, teach a few simple Gospel Doctrines, and Testify. I have actually made it a goal on my Mission to bear my Testimony in Vietnamese every fast Sunday, and so far I have hit that goal with three Testimonies in Church!

Overall, Vietnam is such a beautiful country, the people are amazing, and the food here is amazing. We get to pass by the Saigon River all the time, and there was even a cruise ship on the River for a period of time (like a real cruise ship!). The people here work so hard, and they get so excited when they find out that you can even speak a little bit of their language. The food here is so flavorful and amazing! They use a lot of fish sauce here in their food, but surprisingly it doesn't taste super fishy!

Above all, some of the most incredible experiences thus far on my Mission, have been being able to meet my Vietnamese family for the first time! I just had dinner with my grandma's sister on Thursday, and it was amazing!

Testimony Time: (Carrying on the tradition!)

This last Sunday was fast and testimony Sunday, and one of the Senior Missionaries got up and bore her Testimony. She talked about how the Savior is always with us, "on our right hand and on our left." This statement just hit me, because to be honest these past nine weeks in Vietnam have been very tough. The language is really hard, it's tough to connect with the people, and I get homesick a lot. But, I take great comfort in the fact that the Savior is always with me to guide me and to lead me. The Savior knows us personally, and he knows our trials, because he suffered for all of our sins on the Cross. I would like to invite all of you to always remember that the Savior is with you through all that you do. You do not have to walk alone in this life, because there is always someone that understands and there is always someone who is there for you. I want to testify that our Savior knows each and everyone of us, and that he loves us more than we can even imagine, And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

It's not over yet! Now for pictures and a video of me bearing my Testimony in Vietnamese!

Attachments area

 A Vietnamese dessert with fruit and ice cream (Kem)

 A photo with family right in Vietnam!

Where we go to send emails.

 Another photo of the internet place.

And one more of the internet place. A lot of people go there to play games.

 A famous Vietnamese drink with a combination of soy milk and soda. So refreshing!

Famous Vietnamese market.

2 months in Vietnam already! February 28, 2017

Hello Everyone!

This will be a short group email, but still wanted to get something in! With my companion, Elder Vinh, we are currently experiencing the most success we have ever had while being on the Mission. We currently have four investigators, and hopefully some potential investigators on the way! This is a lot for Vietnam! The free english class that we teach is also doing very well, and we now have over 20 students in the beginning english class that we teach. That doesn't even include students in the Intermediate class! I will be meeting with my grandma's side of the family for dinner next week, so more to come on that soon hopefully!

Testimony Time: 

My 8 weeks so far in Vietnam have not been easy to be honest, and I have struggled a lot. I have seen many imperfections in myself, and it has made me feel very down on myself at times. But, my Mission President, President Hassell, has always told us that love drives this Mission. When we truly forget ourselves and focus on loving the people, that is when the Lord is able to take care of our imperfections and make it work. I have a strong Testimony that when we truly focus on others rather than ourselves, that the Lord in turn is able to bless us greatly.

I love you all so much, and I promise that next week's group email will be a lot longer and a lot more detailed than this!

Love,

Elder Ly (Anh Ca Dung)