Elder Reynolds in Hanoi

 Hello everyone! Hope you have been doing well. Congratulations to those of you finishing up your semesters, and keep pushing on for those in the end game!  Remember in my last email I said "pray for some stories?". Well - I don't know who prayed for them, but Heavenly Father certainly answered your prayers. This week has been quite crazy, but fun.  Last Preparation Day: Last Preparation Day was a blast. We planned with our district to travel to a cool hike with a cave and Buddhist temple. So, we ordered our taxi and went on our way. Thirty minutes into the taxi ride and checking on the map we realized we were in fact not going to the correct Buddhist temple - we put in the wrong address, and were riding in the opposite direction. Being 10 minutes away from our new destination (and almost accidentally leaving the zone) we decided to see what the temple would be like.  Upon arrival, it was clear the temple was under major renovations and closed. We checked out the little p

 Hello everyone! Xin chào mọi người! I hope everyone is doing well! I saw from photos online that Spring is finally blooming in the states.  Get the Zyrtec ready!  This email is going to be pretty short and sweet - we are staying busy here in Cầu Giấy but I don't have a ton of stories. We have had a lot of progressing friends and seen so many miracles.  Preparation Day: Last Preparation Day I finally decided it was time for me to bulk up. With the guidance of Elder Thorsted and the motivation from people here telling me I am too skinny, I have committed to start bulking. I've already acquired the "Mass Gainer" and protein powder to start.  We went to a protein store and got all the essentials I need! Get ready  - I may look like the hulk in 3 weeks. Stay tuned to see what actually happens.  Last week, we also went to a member's house and celebrated her birthday. Her name is Cô Thanh but she goes by Richard Pico, the name of an American Man she used to date over 20

Hello everyone! Xin chào mọi người, 大家好 I hope everyone has had a fantastic start to April! I hope all the final projects are going smoothly and summer plans are getting ready :). This week was pretty standard - Elder Vassantachart and I have been biking everywhere and staying busy.  Preparation Day: Last Preparation Day our district went to... an escape room. Keeping it the same as it was in the South! It just so happens the same company that runs the escape rooms in Saigon is also in our area here - so we tried a new escape room.  The Attic.  I have to admit - it was pretty spooky. The murderer would come into the room and you had hide while he came in screaming and banging on everything. Unfortunately, we did not win this escape room... 0/4.  After the escape room we got some ice cream and then went to a random furniture store. It was interesting.  Ryan Reynolds: As I have been introducing myself here in the north, people always say "Oh, like, Ryan Reynolds" (the movie act

 Xin chào, 大家好, and hello!  Hoping you had a wonderful Easter and spent time with family and friends. My Easter here was pretty uneventful, but still special - I have to admit I am NOT missing all the Peep Candy ducks. Fortunately, they can't fly here to Vietnam so I am safe. This past week has had a lot of change, so there is plenty to write about!  Last Preparation Day in Ho Chi Minh City:   Last week our district met for the last time of the transfer. We tried to tackle the escape room one more time, but got stumped on the last room. After that, Elder Tolley and I returned to our apartment to continue preparing to move. I said bye to the south and hopped on my flight North!  Moved up North - How is Hanoi?: Hanoi is super awesome. It is very different from what I have been "used" to in the south. Everything that could be different is different - biking, food, the language, buildings, and roads - so it has been a bit of an adjustment period. Sometimes while I am biking I

 Hello, xin chào, 大家好! Happy Spring Break!! I have seen some photos of people going on trips and getting ready - be safe! I'd love to see what you are all up to and any photos you have. Just don't mention anything to me about Dune Part 2! ;)  It has been another great week here in Saigon in the Tân Sơn Nhất area. The week was pretty standard, but I have some good stories. Transfer News: Yesterday was the day we are notified of transfers (when missionaries change areas/change companions they are with). I was told I will be going up to Hanoi and serving with Elder Vassantachart, who I shared an apartment with when I was in Thảo Điền. I am excited for the new adventure and new people to meet! Preparation Day: The 30 Shine Experience Last Preparation Day, my companion Elder Tolley and I really needed some haircuts. So, we hopped on our bikes and headed to the nearby barber. On the way, my bike experienced tire deflation for the 3rd time this week. We slowly walked our bikes to the

 Xin chào mọi người, 大家好, and hello!  It has been yet another wonderful week here in the Vietnam Mission. Work was pretty productive this past week which made time fly. I don't really have many crazy stories to report as of now. Therefore, I am going to dedicate the majority of this email to answering common questions people have asked me about serving in Vietnam. Before that however, we can do a small weekly recap!  P-Day Fun:   Last P-Day our district met up at a mall to have some Texas Chicken (think of Raising Canes. Was pretty good) and then did... a horror escape room. It was really fun and not scary.  When the actor came out the first time to scare us, one of the Elders yelled "I don't speak Vietnamese" in Vietnamese. We couldn't tell if the actor was trying to play her part in doing a creepy laugh, or if she was genuinely trying to hold in her laughter. After that, the ghost never showed back up to try and scare us. We think she had a lunch break. Creepy g