Church in Vietnam...

N 21 deg 02.163'
E 105 deg 48.720'

As we arrived in Vietnam, the only thing on my mind was Anna. It had been weeks since I had seen her and soon wasn’t soon enough. After the annoying process of getting my Visa and paperwork done, then gathering luggage and finally leaving customs, I ran into her open arms. It felt so right to be there.

Anna’s parents were there as well. Her mom was at our Arizona wedding, so was acquainted with my parents. But my father-in-law hasn’t had any correspondence with my parents that I know of. Brief pleasantries were exchanged and we parted; me with Anna and her parents, the rest of our group with the tour guide van.

The first day in Vietnam my parents did all of the obligatory sights. I had already seen all of what they were to see when I was in Vietnam last year, so I spent the day with my in-laws instead. We just visited family for the most part. The following day was Sunday. We all went to the only LDS branch in Hanoi. Unfortunately, her parents didn’t want to come. We’ll have to try harder to get them converted.

Church was small. Since we are not a recognized religion there yet, we can’t even have a sign outside saying that this was the church meetinghouse. The meetinghouse is simply a regular house that’s been retrofitted for our needs. If you didn’t know, you’d never find it.

Everybody was happy to see new faces. There is a small turnout every week. Most of the people there were not members, but there are plenty of eternal investigators - people who have been learning about the church but for one reason or another won’t make that commitment to get baptized. In fact, after sacrament, I found out that two of the three speakers and the chorister are all non-members. And they seemed like stronger members than some I know in Guam.

There are actually two full time young missionaries there. They can only wear their nametags in the church building. They can walk around in suits and answer questions but they can’t proselyte or tract. They really have to rely on inquisitive people or referrals. Also, they are Vietnamese citizens. No foreigners are allowed to come in as preaching missionaries (we do have a couple humanitarian couples, though). The elders are from Ho Chi Minh City where the church is stronger. The two missionaries that were in church this Sunday were the second and third to ever be called on a mission in Hanoi. They didn’t even seem to realize what kind of pioneers of the gospel they were.

The spirit was just as strong in church there as it could be anywhere, perhaps even more so. It’s nice to live somewhere where it’s easier to live the gospel. Living there would really try the level of your faith. I bet they would be in shock if they knew that my home stake is just one square mile and has 8 full size wards in it.

If you ever want to gain a deeper appreciation of what the church is for you and what you have as a member of the church, try visiting in a place Hanoi. By comparison, even Guam’s branches seemed metropolitan. I hope that the next time I visit there, the church will be recognized by the government and the church can really start to grow. I have a feeling the gospel will do surprisingly well there.