Sopa: Day 1: The Waterfall and Back up the Mountain

At the bottom of the rock trail we were greeted with this beautiful waterfall.






By this waterfall is a little theatre where the local youth put on a cultural dance program. 

It's all about the harvest, rains, relationships.  Scott was a little exhausted and was going, going, gone! 


Back up the moutain we go. We crossed this little bridge very carefully because we didn't want to fall down the mountainside.


It didn't look too appealing to fall down there from that little bridge.

Q

We made it back to town with time to spare.  As we ate supper the clouds rolled in so much so that you couldn't see the building next door and within minutes to an hour the clouds were back out. 

Sopa: Day 1, Going down the Mountain-Hmong peoples.

Our little guide took us with several other women down a rock path.  Many people live on this path and make their living from the tourists.  The cloth above is woven out of a local plant, jute, dyed with another local plant, indigo, or combination, and then woven.  Many wear clothes out of this material. The woman in red is weaving. The goats came down the rock trail and we moved, the local wares are on display with the hopes that you buy something. Scott bought a local knife that could be used to cut the crops.

The women below are dying the material. Many of them that do the dyeing end up with very blue hands and fingers.

Our cute tour guide at the waterfall where we were heading.  I put the picture in a little ahead of where we really were. Scenes from walking down the path.




A farmer looking out at his crops being watered.


Roofs of some of the homes on the moutain.

Rice growing on one of the terraces.

Rice.  More scenic pictures.


The pathway.  This worker was chipping away at the roots and dirt to make a wider pathway.


We are almost there.

Catching the runoff water. This is similar to how they irrigate the terraces. They have cement little ditches and they branch off to the different terraces and the water flows down from tubes or ditches similar to this.

Cultural Experience to and In Sopa with the Hmong

After all the conferences we took a side trip with the sisters and Elder and Sister Jones to Sopa. This is an all night train ride to the mountains in Northern Vietnam.  After the train ride it is an 1 1/2 hour bus trip up the mountain.  It is stunningly beautiful with it's terraced farms and ethnic Vietnamse people.  While we were waiting for the train we walked through some streets to find a place to eat and then went back to the tour place which at first wasn't too impressive, but the people were great and all turned out very well.  We waited in this narrow hall and got on our rain gear because it really started to pour.  I saw a few rats running back and forth, but waited until they were out of sight to go upstairs to the tour office! 

Waiting at the train was a wet experience.

We had very nice berths and shared our little room with the sisters. They took the top which we were very appreciative of.

Some of the sights and scenes from the train in the early morning hours and the bus ride up to Sopa.

Once we got there, we changed clothes because you sleep in your clothing on the train, and off we went to our first tour. We met our little Hmong guide who was 19 years old and had a baby.  Her husband and sister would meet her when we stopped for a break, and she would feed the baby.

As we were walking down the street to get on a little trail, the people were waiting for customers.

Look closely and you will see a little hand sticking out behind this woman's back.  Many carry their babies in pouches on their backs.  Most people who dress in the native clothing are tour guides, but some people still wear this clothing because it is all they have. We are at the bottom of the street getting ready to go on a path down the bottom of a ravine.

Final Trip to Vietnam-Hanoi

Sisters Bayles and Sparks pose in our Hotel, the Grand Plaza, before they go stay with the Hanoi Sister Branch Builders.  Some greeter at the hotel took the picture and didn't know how to work with my camera. So a blurry picture is the result. Ths was the 18th of June.

The wonderful Moyer Family of Dave and Audrey and their boys invited us to a terrific Lasagne dinner with homemade pie afterwards, and an FHE.  We enjoyed time in their home. They have been a strength to the Hanoi branch and also the Vietnam District.  They are preparing for service in Mexico next with the US Government.  We also had a Zone Conference with our terrific branch builders and a dinner afterward.  AS we went into the Restaurant, the owners have a pet chicken that gets to sit outside the restaurant on his special perch on a tree. 

Elders LeNgyuen and Phan and Elder and Sister Jones, the new LDSC couple in Hanoi.

Here is the whole group after the luncheon. Sisters Pham and Hai (wrong name--I will get it corrected.)We feel the same great spirit with these Elders and Sisters as we do with the ones in Ho Chi Minh.  They have been prepared to serve here.

A new member likes his picture taken and a good look at the special branch builders and sisters that we have. Sisters Bayles and Sparks returned to Cambodia as we finished our trip to Vietnam.

Final Trip to Vietnam-Ho Chi Minh

We embarked on June 14, 2012 with Sisters Bayles and Sparks in tow to help with Zone Conference and other translating and also to give them an opportunity to work with the sisters there and see Vietnam. Upon our arrival, I took the Sisters to see the Bin Than Market near our Hotel before we took them to stay with the other sister missionaries.  The people in the market were enthralled with both sisters because they could speak Vietnamse so well and were so friendly.  I think they sensed something special there!  We also saw all of these different kind of noodles.

We had a great final Zone Conference and as always we feel such a strong spirit with those missionaries (branch builders) who serve there inVietnam.  They certainly have been prepared for a "day such as this". Sister Blinn, one of our senior couple LDSC missionaries, loves the dessert that has the 3 kinds of mousse (sp?) : vanilla, chocolate and the other?  I do not remember.  Except she says it is delicious.

We were anxious to see the new building that has been approved for a new branch.  It is big and beautiful and can be adapted to the needs of the church.  Hopefully, soon, the Vietnamese government will approve this change.

We also had a District Conference while we were there after the Zone conference. Elder Gong came over to preside for that and his wife accompanied him.  The sister in the plaid is the branch president's wife. She embroidered Scott and I a picture that they put into a clock. They presented it to us framed and with the clock. This took time and money.  They are not a wealthy, by an means, family except in spirit!  And to give us something that took some money to frame, etc. was very touching to us.  He is a dear branch president.  They lived over one hour away, but moved to a little home 1/2 hour closer.  Sister Gong poses with a sister who is one of the oldest members of the branch. She was baptized during the time of the Vietnam War and was in the first branch to be formed in Vietnam.  She is faithful and a wonderful woman.

I love this dear sister. She is a very special person and has suffered persecution from family and loved ones since she joined the church and believes in Jesus Christ.  She has had special dreams and has a fervent and abiding testimony of the Book of Mormon. She told me with all the persecution that "I know the truth, and I will move forward."  My heroine!  The other cute sister translated for me. I am terrible with all the names, so sorry!

The Relief Society President made this arrangement of flowers for the Conference.  I thought they were beautiful. The little sister in pink is the daughter of the new member I described.  The rest of the pictures are with many that we love.


Our missionaries in front (oops, branch builders) along with our two sisters who are serving, Sister Gong and me along with other sisters in the branch.

The sister in purple was set apart as a missionary.  She went to Atlanta.  She is Sister Buu, and her brother who is a returned missionary is standing by her.   

From branch 3 in Cambodia, Sister Trung is/was in Ho Chi Minh to receive her training from Sister Huong (big).  She is an outstanding young woman and her brother back in Branch 3 in Cambodia just got baptized last week!  A blessing already from her service.





We made another trip over to the "new" building for Elder Gong to check it and I just ook some pictures on what is seen nearby and across the street.
We had a wonderful last visit there and we are forever grateful for the branch builders, members, and investigators that we have loved and worked with.  Thank you for your love and kindness to us.