Elder Reynolds in Hanoi

  Alo- Today is going to be a bit of a crazy day, so please forgive me for the short email. Life is busy and everything is going great as always.  This last week we had MLC and then directly following was an exchange with our Assistants. We participated in a baptism, of two people I actually knew when I was serving in Ba Đình. Then, we went to Chops for dinner and had an enjoyable meal with a member. Then, due to traffic I had a 3hr car ride back to Hà Đông which was crazy. Transfer news came - I'll be going back to Ba Đình, the area I was serving in from last April - July. Pretty sad to be leaving this district and branch. Throughout my mission I've never felt too sad to leave or transfer, but this one I certainly am. Everything is for a time and a season though -- both good and bad. I'm grateful for the people and  experiences I've had here and look forward to what else the Lord has in store for us.  The Sisters from my MTC group leave this week -- we will miss the...

 Alo, This week was an adventure - filled with good stories and blessings. I'm a little tired, but I'd rather be a tired missionary than a bored missionary.  Monday - Trains, Planes, and Automobiles Monday afternoon while enjoying  Preparation Day in the Old Quarter District, we got a call from the Elders who help our Mission President, the Assistants. The Assistants were flying down later in the evening to Hồ Chí Minh City to do a mission presentation -- but unfortunately one of them became very ill and would be unable to fly. They asked if I would be willing to pack and head down to help. Certainly wasn't what we expected, but we were ready to help. Elder McBride and I traveled back to Hà Đông, packed, and headed over. Elder McBride stayed with the ill missionary, while the other Assistant and I went down South.  We left at 7:15pm and landed in Hồ Chí Minh at 9:30pm. We got a taxi and stayed the night in Thảo Điền- the very first area I served in Vietnam, one year ...

  Alo, Title of the email this week is a random Russian quote Cô Thanh says all the time.  This week was pretty productive. We had our Zone Conference and talked about how missionaries could improve working with members. The future of the church in Vietnam will continue to develop consistently with missionaries, but will grow even more as the members open up and share as well. Elder Trường and I did a training which was fun. It was enjoyable to see all the missionaries and visit with President Howell.  Other than that, nothing too special happened this week. We have been staying busy working hard. I had an exchange with my trainer, Elder Luan, and we served together a year ago. It was fun because now we could actually communicate with each other and I could now understand his conversion story, which was sweet.  _____________________ Spiritual Thought: This week I invite you to read the general conference talk: " The Past Way of Facing The Future " by Elder Tom Perry....

  Alo- Happy February! I hope this month brings you good health, happiness, and success in all your endeavors.  [This was an AI-recommended introduction when I started writing my email, so there you go. Maybe I'll just start having Google Gemini start writing my emails].  This week was really enjoyable. Despite all of our friends being gone for the New Year, we were able to stay productive and busy. We were grateful to be invited over to lots of members' homes to celebrate and eat together. So, so much eating and food. Vietnam takes #1 for food and meal prep and volume in food in my experience.  Everyday we had a meal with a member or a lovely lunch/dinner from the one and only Richard Pico, Cô Thanh. We are grateful for her service and all she does to feed the missionaries and her massive potluck on Sunday. She goes above and beyond to always ensure everyone is fed and healthy, and when someone is not, it is her top priority to serve them and help them. Although som...