May 15, 2005

Our trip to Vietnam April 9-17 was wonderful. It is impossible to give you all the details. But we will share a few pictures. Here are a few of the highlights. Hanoi is a beautiful city-much more progressive than Phnom Penh. We met with two LDSC couples who are there on assignment. There used to be 12 senior couples but the church fell out of favor a few years ago when a couple of over zealous senior sisters tried to talk about the church. There was also a problem of someone attending the English classes that LDSC taught charging a fee for students to attend. LDSC did not know but we lost our NGO status and are trying to get it back. The two couples in Hanoi work with a private organization to teach English. They were thrilled to have us there so we did a lot with them. Found a restaurant where we had all you can eat buffet for $1.50 and for an extra 60 cents all you can eat ice cream. We loved the ice cream and Gordon had five helpings. We visited some of the local sights. We enjoyed the "Hanoi Hilton" where the POWs were kept. The propaganda on the wall is amazing as they outline the wonderful treatment of American POWs. Most of the facility has been torn down and turned into a wonderful hotel but one corner was kept for historical purposes. This prison was used by the French for many years before the VN War with the US.

We spent two nights on a train going and coming from Sapa which is a village high in the mountains. There are over 250,000 people in Sapa spread among 7 different minority groups. We were able to see a couple of the minority groups in their native costumes. We trekked up and down the mountains and into the valleys and saw the layered rice paddy fields. The irrigation system is amazing and Gordon loved studying it. The pictures were right out of National Geographic. One day was pretty foggy so the hike to the top of the mountain did not provide the view that we wanted to see but it was a Garden of Eden up there. There were beautiful fields of flowers everywhere.

The most relaxing part of the trip was the "Junk" boat on Halong Bay. We had a boat to ourselves (seven couples went) and it was so peaceful and quiet. We slept on the boat one night as well. The waters were perfectly calm and there was no movement of the boat that we felt. The food was incredible with fresh fish for lunch and dinner, including enormous shrimp, crab, clams and other fish. Halong Bay is a World Heritage Site and it is beautiful. We explored some caves-very large and went in a much smaller boat into enclosed recesses of the bay. There are 1969 formations in the Bay-remind you of lava rock but not sure how they were formed. We really were able to find strength in these beautiful surroundings. We returned to Hanoi and the Zephyer hotel where we had a two-room suite with a king size bed. (The hotel was full so we were upgraded.)

The highlight of the trip was the visit to Ho Chi Min City (HCMC) or Saigon as you might call it. The city itself is more modern than Hanoi but both cities have a very strong French European influence in the architecture of the buildings. Buildings were tall-3-4 stories-and very narrow and painted bright colors. Four of the couples rented a boat and went up and down the Saigon River for two hours. We think the boat was illegal since we had to climb over a padlocked fence and hurry on and off the boat. Our hotel said we would only get a boat at night but one couple walked to the river and there was someone there offering us a boat ride. Before we knew it we were on the boat and enjoying the scenery. We saw very humble homes as well as magnificent homes. We saw gun turrets and asked to go up and down a couple of the channels off the river. You could just picture the thick trees full of soldiers.

The best part of HCMC was our meeting Saturday night with the Vietnamese Saints. There were 120 there to include all of us and the ex-pats as well. Only a very few of the Vietnamese are baptized as we cannot baptize in country yet. The members cannot meet or have Sacrament meeting. They do meet once a month socially. Many have wanted to be baptized for years and asked us over and over when they could have that blessing. After the social the branch was officially organized again when President Towers set apart the Vietnamese branch president. Pres. Tower asked Gordon to set apart his counselor. (This man was baptized by his father in 1973 and has lived in the city all his life waiting for the Church to return.) These two men are to shepherd the flock and to try and work with the government to gain recognition for the church. We are trying to rent a building to meet in which will help in the recognition. During the Vietnam War there was a Vietnamese branch and a building but that has long been gone. Thirty years later we are trying to start over. The two leaders came to our hotel where they were set apart in one of our rooms. The senior couples were privileged to witness this event. Susan was touched by the inspired blessing Gordon gave the first counselor. What marvelous blessings we have enjoyed on this mission.

Sunday we met with the ex-pats in one of the homes. It was wonderful to sing the hymns in English. There truly is a powerful spirit when you hear the message of the gospel in your own language. We have missed that. These American families who are working in this country are a great strength to the Vietnamese members. They cannot meet together in a religious service but they do get together and they love each other as brothers and sisters in the Gospel. Our trip over we returned home with renewed energy and determination to carry on. We so appreciate the opportunity to serve in Cambodia. The missionaries will soon be in Vietnam, but we must be patient and do things the right way. Be patient but be anxious is how President Towers put it.

We just completed budget training for all the 20 units in Cambodia and need to work on final details of creating a new district before we return home on May 26th. Susan was involved with Public Affairs work with a dance team that came here from BYU Provo the 10-12th of May. They took 5 months supply of rice to an orphanage. Both groups sang for each other and then played together another highlight.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you. We understand that we are to give a brief report in the Heather Ridge Ward of the Church on 19 June with our son Kurtis who will return from his mission in Wisconsin on 17 June. We are looking forward to a wonderful summer with family and friends. But we will miss Cambodia and these wonderful people whom we have learned to loved.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ changes the lives of people for good. It is amazing the sacrifice of many that hold on for years and boldly remain faithful in spite of everything men can inflict on them. It has been wonderful to watch and ponder - one new member from a family and two from a city. We will have over 50% of the missionary force in this country be natives by September with a little over 7500 members. God's in charge we just need to try and keep up.

Love you all

Elder and Sister Taylor