New Area and Pictures - Bình Dương, Vietnam

 Hello everyone!

Since I have last written, I have moved to a new area. I was in my previous area for 8 months, most recently was with Elder Khôi as my companion. We were MTC companions and it was so great to go with him again. He's probably the most efficient missionary I've ever served with, and incredibly fun at the same time. We got a lot of great work done, bought some awesome new suits, and finally found some more variety of good restaurants in that area. I will forever love Cơm Thập Cẩm 49. Elder Khôi is one of the best, most trustworthy people you'll ever meet, and he is my favorite person ever to go finding with.

I also loved the members in Ba Đình. What wonderful saints. They are proof that a life with the Gospel is always better than a life without it. There are far to many I could tell you about, just know that the Vietnamese members are probably the greatest group of people on the planet outside of my immediate family.

I am now in an area called Bình Dương. It is a blessed and promised land. I just love it. The branch is smaller than normal in Vietnam, but this place already feels like a home. It is outside of the main Saigon area. But there are still millions of people in our area. The food is cheap, delicious, and there's a lot of variety. My companion is Elder Blair and he is awesome.

I was blessed to have the chance to speak about Easter in Sacrament meeting on Sunday. In a buddhist focused country there is not much celebrating going on in Vietnam. The prophet Nephi taught of a Spiritual death (sin) and a Physical death. Both are unavoidable for every living person on earth. And the only way to overcome either of those deaths, and even both of them, is through the efforts, love, dedication, obedience, teachings, and power of Jesus Christ. Every struggle we are currently facing, He felt it. But the difference is, He overcame it already, and we haven't yet. So if we want to get over these sins and trials and even death, there is someone who's already done it. Someone who has the power to help you do it to. And someone with enough love that He wants to help us.

2 Nephi 25:13

13 Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name.

Happy Easter!

-Elder H. McConkie

Weekly Email! - Hanoi, Vietnam

I know the title says weekly email but it's more like Transferly email, here it is for the big group.

Hello everyone! I hope all is well and that everyone is healthy and happy! I certainly have both of those things as I continue to live in paradise. Vietnam is simply amazing. I have almost been in Hanoi (capital city, north Vietnam) as long as I was in Saigon (biggest city, south Vietnam) and I love them both! Far to many people ask me what place I like more and it's hard to answer. I would just barely rather live in Saigon than in Hanoi, but I would also just barely rather spend a tourist vacation in Hanoi. Hanoi really is traditional Vietnam. It has kept the Vietnamese culture very strong even though there are a lot of tourists. I love the food and the History. I get to bike past a huge lake in the middle of the city on the way to the church everyday and it's just a joy to live here. 

My companion and I both really love basketball and have found a great place to play in the mornings. It is a place called the new quarter and it has 3 hoops, 1 full court. It is such a great thing that my love for the Lord and His gospel can increase without losing any of my love for the greatest game on the planet!

Life isn't all easy however, we are working hard day in and day out and sometimes even after we have given it our all, we sit down at the end of the day and think that we did absolutely nothing to really contribute to the building of the Lords kingdom in the grand scheme of things. But we just go at it again the next day. But I am learning that the Lord remembers our efforts on those days, I know He does.

There is this Vietnamese dish called Bún Ch? and it is amazing. And this past week, a member took us to eat it at this great place downtown and it was amazing. It's pretty much really good smoked/grilled meats in a super delicious fish sauce. And then you also eat it with rice noodles and it can be eaten with fried eggrolls and lots of greens. It's amazing. I'm trying to learn how to cook Vietnamese food before I come home, there is SO MUCH to learn but luckily my companion knows it all. He is teaching me and I want to master it. But nothing is like the original stuff here. Delicious!

In the last month I got the chance to see some more people from my MTC group that I haven't seen since the MTC, almost a year went by but it was so great to see them.

The scriptures really are incredible and they are the Lords words for us. The living Prophets and Apostles are also able to describe Gods will for us. Lately I have been studying the lives of previous prophets of the church in this dispensation. They all have a different story and it's so interesting. But all of them are just great examples of consistently becoming more like the Savior. The duty of the Prophet to be help others come unto Christ is not his duty because of his calling, but because of his covenants. the same applies to me, I have less than a year left on my mission but I have a lifetime of sharing the Gospel ahead of me, just like the prophets and all those faithfully keeping covenants. The Gospel really is the greatest source of long lasting joy.

-Elder McConkie