Primary in VN

 Dear Family and Friends,

 

We love you! We miss you! We also love Vietnam and feel blessed to be among so many pioneers, They are faithful and so young the gospel. They are also very young in age. Each branch has very few to no married couples, mostly young single adults. They have very few older people. I love how much the members love and honor the older members. They are anchors and strength to the  branches that they are in. The area had questions about how primary is going in Vietnam. I thought you would be interested in some of my answers:

 

There are no wards, and there are 11 branches. 1 Branch is the mission branch and it encompasses all of Vietnam except our 2 Centers of Strength: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Hanoi has 4 Branches and Ho Chi Minh has 6.

Everyone is a convert. No one has attended primary or seen it function unless they lived in another country or served a mission somewhere else and saw primary there. We have leaders who have been members less than a year up to 6 years or so. We have the following primary songs translated: Families can be together forever, I am a child of God, I know my Father lives, Keep the commandments, Teach me to walk in the Light, and Love one Another. That’s it. As far as I know , Primary songs are not being translated for us. (yet)

The Mission Branch

• Primary President only
• They will be spread between 3 groups and the rest of the country. The Branch meets on line. They gather in homes and groups and watch over zoom. They meet in person once a year.

 

• The Hanoi District : They do not have a district Primary presidency. They only a district RS presidency. One counselor is over primary and one is over YW. It was changed May 21st. 

Branches in Hanoi:

• Ba Dinh:
• 7  primary children, 2 nursery children
• 2 teachers, one is a recent convert and is a YSA. She has never taught children. She does not know primary songs but is trying. She is on the verge of tears each week. She has a sister who does music with the children. The music leader is Japanese, and a long time member and does not know Vietnamese.
• The other leader is an expat. She has lived in Vietnam for a long time. She is a business woman and has not been married. During covid she prepared Ba Dinh’s first primary program, it was  over zoom with one child participating. The branch joined in the singing parts. 

• Cau Giay:

• They have 0 Primary children
• Ha Dong:
• It says 0 primary children. We know the branch president has one child who should go to primary but is still not listed on the records, a mom and her 2 children have just joined the church. May 28th A  father was baptized and he brings 2 children to church so potential of 5 children. 
• There has not been a primary program. A. convert of 5 months has been called to teach. She is also in tears and overwhelmed. I have also seen the district leader’s wife teach occasionally  with missionaries joining her when children are there.
• Hai Ba Trung:
• 0 children listed on records and 1 potential listed 

Ho Chi Minh District: There is a District Primary Presidency 

• Binh Duong:
• 4 children listed 5 attend

• Phu My Hung: 3 children
• Thu Duc: 7 children, I have seen a primary program in this branch and there were more than 7 children participating
• Quan Sau or (Q6): 8, 4 attend.
• Tan Son Nha (TSN)t: 8 children
• Thao DIen: 9 children

• I am quite sure there are Primary leaders in Thao Dien, TSN and Q6. But I am not positive. I have not attended primary when I visited the branches. 
• The general condition of primaries in Vietnam
• Do they typically have a full presidency? no
• Do they divide into individual classes? no
• Are all church resources translated into the appropriate languages? They have CFM but no music. They also have 1-2 issues of the friend translated a year

• Are units preparing a Sacrament Meeting Program? I know some are. 
• What resources they are using I do not know, I will be training on this.
• Are they having Priesthood Preview or preparing 8-year-old children for baptism? I don’t think so, but I have no idea. 
• Are units following through with two adults in classrooms? Yes as far as I have seen.
• Are they taking the Protecting Children and Youth training ? It is only in English. Most cannot do it. So about 6 months ago with an interpreter I showed each video, and walked through each question as a training. I invited all the women leaders, RS, YW and Primary. It took much longer because of the starting and stopping. But we did it!
• What have your been doing to help? For a year and a half I did monthly training over zoom, with the sisters of all organizations. Trying to help them. This year I am meeting quarterly. Last month I covered how to make an attendance roll on LCR and the importance of keeping records, I also covered a lot of YW items. In May I will be teaching about Primary: What is it’s purpose, Where to find the suggested outline for the sacrament program, Sing primary songs( I had some missionaries translate 4 songs for me, and one sister even recorded her song for children to watch)I showed them the CTR ring for little children and the CTR ring and picture of the temple and temple recommend holder for older children, and when children should get these and who should give them to the children.  
• This year we have one issue of the friend translated (March) and 2 articles. One about easter and one about Jesus heals a woman.
• I would love to go into primary and model how to teach or  understand when I listen to what is going on but I do not know the language. 

This gives me so much more empathy for the early saints in Christ’s time, in the Book of Mormon and during the restoration. When Christ called his apostles children, They truly were just little children in the gospel. They were still learning how to serve in their callings, how to live the gospel and be more like Him.  He taught them how  “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little.”And when they hearken to what he taught them, he gave them more. 2 Nephi 28:30. We are trying to love and help the members along the gospel path. We hope at each training we do they take away something they can try to do in their callings and homes. 

Have a great week!

Love you,
Sister Hughes

Pictures: Our AP's, New member (future RS Pres) notice no personal space here😉, Priesthood delivering flowers on mother's day in Thu Duc, Ho Chi MInh city, Hanoi park, Cute shop in Hanoi, Us with Sister Nhan (She goes home in a week) Hanoi, THis is big fish form a small lake!, The Sisters squealed with excitement to get a rose and I couldn't help but laugh at their genuine outburst, I have always wondered if they caught anything in this lake, 12 new elders arrived, Sister Nhung has been a member about 5 months (again no personal space😁), Beautiful garden by our church in Hai Ba Trung, Branch president of Hai ba Trung, New sister missionary, Sister Quynh, My miracle from the last letter home..went to church!, Take a close look at this picture. our car mirrors are maybe 3 inches from the houses our driver is impressive