Elder Reynolds in Hanoi

Alo, This past week Elder Trường and I finished our trip down South and are now returning our way back to Hanoi. This week we will finish the Hanoi Zone Conference and have orientation for two new senior missionaries. We are excited to meet them!  After returning from the Mission Branch Sunday night, we spent our Preparation Day with the Thủ Đức district. We went to an amusement park which had some fun rides, and an "ice room", which was actually pretty cold,  even with my experience in Bemidji.  The room was just this giant freezer that had massive statues and sculptures made of ice, which was impressive. We had fun taking lots of pictures and having a fun "summer trip".  Tuesday we got right back to work hosting a devotional with President Lund from the Young Men Presidency and Elder Tai from the Asia Area. They gave a wonderful devotional regarding the power of our callings and prayer. Following the devotional we held our missionary Zone Conference. It was great ...

 Alo -  This will probably be the longest email I have written.  The Vietnam Hanoi Mission Branch is a branch that covers the entire country. Any individual living outside of the boundaries of Hanoi, Saigon, or Bình Dương, are all part of this branch. They join church online weekly, and if possible have their own sacrament services during the stream. As assistants, Elder Trường and I are assigned to the branch supporting members and helping individuals learn the gospel virtually. Every year in July, an event called "Mission Branch Conference " occurs, where members from around the country drive to the physical branch location in Long Xuyên. Elder Trường and I were fortunate enough to be invited and had the opportunity to attend this last week.  Last Thursday, Elder Trường and I departed Hanoi to fly to Saigon. Friday morning, we met up with President and Sister Howell, the mission branch President and his wife, the first counselor, and began our drive to visit member...

 Alo - This week was eventful! We had two exchanges with our Zone Leaders and our monthly MLC meeting. It has been great to see the new leadership come in and how they will influence the future of the mission.  Saturday was a "Mini-Mission" event which was super fun. Mini-Mission is an opportunity for members to experience the day in the life of a missionary by joining a companionship. We had two members from our branch join us, anh Châu and em Lâm. They did a fantastic job with our busy schedule and taught like pro missionaries already. We look forward to them serving missions in the future! Story behind the title of the email:  On exchanges with one of the Zone Leaders, we stopped by one of the most prestigious hotels in Hanoi, the "French Metropolitan" to pickup a package. Despite wearing missionary attire, we felt underdressed. I tried opening one of the doors, which was not a "pull" door and all the doormen laughed. I think they figured out we weren...

  Alo, Happy 4th of July and summer vacations! This week was eventful - we started with our transfers which went smoothly. Then, we picked up our two newest missionaries Sister Taylor and Elder Romans. They are awesome and their language skills are already fantastic! Sunday we had a visit from Sister Spannaus, Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency. She spoke while my group was in the MTC in 2023, so it was fun to talk with her. For dinner, we utilized our new kitchen to cook steaks and potatoes for a faraway fourth of July celebration.  One aspect of missionary work that I enjoy in Vietnam is the "church culture", best put. I feel so grateful to be here at such a developing time, it is inspiring. Members, friends, and leaders have such genuine faith and desires to serve. It's interesting to observe how despite our differences in language/culture we can be unified in our desire to serve God and help others.  I am doing well!  Love you, Anh Cả Reynolds...