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Bị Bệnh and Burger Bribes

 Xin chào mọi người! 

I hope you had a successful and enjoyable week. This past week has been quite a time. Let's get right into it: 

Korean BBQ and Landmark 81:

We started our P-Day off last week getting some haircuts and shopping. Then, we met up with the other Elders in our apartment and sisters to have some Korean BBQ! Afterwards, we went over to Landmark 81 (that big tall building outside my apartment complex, 81 stories tall) and took the elevator to the top! It was a spectacular view. We made some videos for the mission page and then returned home. It was a refreshing and fun P-Day. 

Cleaning for Tết:

The branch president of our ward asked us to help clean his house for the holiday. Cleaning your home for the holiday is a common tradition, as it gives your home more room for luck for the new year! When we arrived, he took us up to the third story of his home where we moved big metal bars up onto his roof and shoveled dirt that was full of cat poop. Not exactly what we were expecting to do - especially in our church clothes.

We came back the next day to help again, but we were more prepared. (Meaning, we weren't in our church clothes, haha). We eventually got all the dirt and bars moved. Overall - fun story to tell. Would I do it again? By choice? Probably not. 

The International Hospital:

Wednesday night as I went to bed, I started to feel a little sick. Long story short - I ended up being the sickest I have ever been that whole night. I'll spare you the details but it wasn't an enjoyable experience. That morning after running a fever of 102 °F I decided it was probably time to go to the hospital and doctor. 

We arrived at the hospital after a short Grab (like Uber) ride - where I quickly realized many of the staff in the hospital were from Israel. I began to fill out the paperwork for the appointment, where everything was written in Korean/Japanese/not great English. The nurses called me back and ran some quick tests, (they were Vietnamese) and then introduced me to the doctor - who was from Argentina and spoke little English. I told her I could speak a little Spanish, and explained some of the symptoms I was having to her. Even though I told her I spoke "un poco" Spanish she started speaking "mucho" Spanish to me. We eventually figured it out and got some medicine to help me out for the next few days. 

So: Went to the Israeli International Hospital in Vietnam where all the instructions were in Japanese and Korean and my doctor spoke Spanish from Argentina.

Burger Bribes:

After the hospital visit, we returned home where Elder Vassantachart and Le were making burgers. When we came up the elevator, we could certainly smell and see the burgers from the hallway. The security guards in the hallway could too. When we walked into the apartment we were joined by 2 maintenance workers and a security guard who came to see what the delicious smell/smoke/steam was all about. They came right in, sat on our chairs and made themselves at home. No third amendment here. They didn't get mad at us - they just sat there and watched the final burgers get made. 

I figured if they really were upset maybe the delicious burgers would help talk. Fortunately, they just left after a couple minutes and nothing has happened since. 

Tết Tết Tết!!!

This week was Tet and was super fun! We got to hear all of the fun music, see the amazing flowers and empty streets. We have had lots of member meals and opportunities to visit people in their homes. We also had the chance to find a Buddist temple which was beautifully decorated for the holiday. 

___________________________________________

Spiritual Thought:

This week I had to give a talk on Charity. I really like the idea of Charity and how it helps us be peacemakers and better followers of Christ. Go give "Peacemakers Wanted" a listen this week if you have some time, and try to listen to all the blessings we receive when we strive to be charitable and kind. There is no better time to be loving and charitable with Valentine's day coming up, too! 

The sky is blue here in Vietnam today. Love you all and miss you tons. Keep on keeping on! 

Anh Cả Reynolds 

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KXNEyuJ6epdKQtAq6








 




Looking out from Landmark 81




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