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My First Baptism

 Xin chào mọi người ạ! 

Hello everyone! Hoping you all had a great week and are staying healthy and happy. This past week has been pretty fun and productive. I am enjoying the Tân Sơn Nhất area and serving the members here. This week, I got to get more familiarized with the area and bike around lots!

Last P-Day:

Had a really nice P-day spending time with the district and doing the usual shopping and preparation for the week. Elder Tolley taught me how to play Pokémon and some other card games. The funny thing here is all the cards are knock-offs, so I guess I technically learned how to play "PocketMonster". They are literally the same names of the Pokémon, same pictures, abilities, etc... except wherever the name "Pokémon" would be is replaced with "PocketMonster". It’s pretty fun - I enjoy seeing the knock-off products and funny shirts here. 

Later that afternoon we met up with the district at a really good Korean BBQ place that isn't too expensive. My favorite part was the unlimited ice cream, and the Beard Papas that was just around the corner from the BBQ. At Beard Papa they sell really good cream puffs. They were delicious! Any other missionaries serving here in Asia, if you have a chance to visit one, try it!! Following Beard Papa we went to MUJI, (Japanese Ikea) and I looked at some expensive pens. 

Chronic Tummy Ache:

Although the Korean BBQ was tasty, it got a little raw for my companion Elder Tolley. After Korean BBQ Elder Tolley mentioned his stomach wasn't feeling too well. Tuesday morning, we decided to stay in the apartment and rest to see if things would get better. 

Wednesday came and we decided to go out, but his stomach was still not improving much. Stomach pain is the worst - I don't know how he managed it. He is stronger than me. By Friday things still hadn't improved, so we went to the hospital and got some drugs. I am getting very familiar with the hospitals here. 

FIRST BAPTISM ON THE MISSION:

This week I was so grateful to have the opportunity to baptize someone! Her name is Chị Hiền, and I briefly got to teach her while I served in Thảo Điền area. She chose me to do her baptism. She is super awesome and was prepared/taught by the sisters really well. Hearing her bear her testimony was special.

I was quite nervous to perform the baptism. We don't have a baptismal font here in the Vietnam church buildings - they are just little temporary ones you can set up. They get the job done and are really good - just a bit small. In addition to the small fonts, the friend told us she was quite nervous going under the water. I was also a bit worried about trying to say the baptismal prayer in Vietnamese, so I practiced and memorized it a lot! 

Fortunately, everything went smoothly. The service went well, I said the prayer and her name correctly, and only had to redo the ordinance once. (Felt kinda bad because I pretty much dunked her the second time because I didn't want to do it a third time- haha). Overall, it was a wonderful experience. I am honored and grateful to have been able to help her come closer to Christ. 

Random Stories:

-Anh Dung, a friend I was teaching in my previous area, gave me a Cessna 172 Skyhawk model airplane. It is so cool and I love it, it sits on my desk. 

-The security guard outside our apartment who controls the gate keeps giving me random fruit as I exit and leave. Today we dropped off some snacks for him. We will see what this new trade relation brings.

-I tried avocado smoothie this week and it was delicious. Just ignore the mystery particles in the smoothie and it’s perfect.

_________________________________________

Spiritual Thought: 

Here is a scripture I enjoyed this week:

"He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation" (2 Nephi 26:24). 

I know that God and Jesus Christ have done and continue to do all things for our benefit. So much so that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for us. His sacrifice has saved us and given us the opportunity to have joy. 

___________________________________________

The future is bright here in Vietnam. (I forgot to take pictures this week... so sorry. I WILL DO IT NEXT WEEK!!)

Love you all. Wishing you the best and lots of success,

Anh Cả Reynolds 

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



The park in my new area right across from our apartment building


Anh Dung and I


My desk 


My name on a Coke Can - ha ha ;)







 

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