Sundays here in Nam

These past three Sundays that I have been here we have gone to church, and then had people over for lunch afterwards. It has been great to get to know more of the church members and other people who are visiting Hanoi. My first Sunday here, we had everyone in our small branch over, which consists of around 20 people. We had delicious hamburgers and great company.  It was nice to meet and be able to learn more about everyone. We have such amazing people and couples here. I really am learning how to become friends with people fast because I'm only here for a short period of time.

We had a family over from Utah, and they are awesome! They have been here for about eight months because of her job as a school administrator. And they are a lot of fun and love Disneyland so we are already friends. They also brought with them a young couple who is traveling around Hanoi.  I guess this couple's hotel fell through, so they are staying with them. They were super nice and it was fun to hear all about their travels. We had a lot of fun with them! I think it would be cool to travel around with a friend for a month to one country to really get to know it as much as possible.

This past week we had over the missionaries and two women for dinner. One girl runs a school here for disabled kids. She is 29, married, has two boys, runs a school and is getting her masters degree. Talk about being busy! Her family doesn't fully support her career decision in running this school. Some think that if she is with these disabled kids then she might pick up their disabilities. She is investigating the church but it is hard for her because of her husband and the culture here. It was really interesting to hear her talk about how much of an influence the government and years of culture has on her. A lot of people don't believe in God and it's looked down upon.  I really like her and the friend she brought. We are going to visit her school this week on Friday and I'm excited to see it!

Here are some photos from downtown Hanoi!