Memorandum of Understanding signing

Ministry of Education office building

They always have a banner for official signings.  This MoU was 8 months in the making and covers a 2-year commitment by DIC.

Mdme Chanthavone, Mr. Xampou and other officials from the Ministry of Education await signing.

Elders Vance, Xiong and Johnson were impressive as translators.  Sister Singley is on the left.

Elder Johnson's Lao was so good that the officals were always impressed as he translated Elder Singley's speech.

The signing made the papers adn TV station.

Lao Countryside and Branch lunch

Lao countryside is beautiful in the winter, especially where the farmers plant such orderly crops.

Rows of lettuce, morning glory (used for soups and boiled spinach.)

Successive crop planting allows harvesting all year round.

Farmers wash their lettuce to take to the market.

Couldn't resist the watermelons for 10,000 kip each. ($1.25)

Every Sunday the branch cooks a lunch for everyone (120) to eat after the 3-hour s of meetings.  Many come a long way to church, and this helps them and is a time for socializing.  Elder Vance is being helped by a young member.

The girl in pink (Na') was just baptized and the young man in salmon-colored shirt would be baptized one month later.

It takes a lot of food to feed the branch and cooking is done outside, along with fixing the rest of the food.

Farmers plant rice from plugs they grow in a smaler plot and then spread out in flooded fields.  Some of the farmers have irrigation to bring the water to the fields for 2 crops a year.  Those waiting for the rainy season get one crop a year.

Home-made noodles make a nice soup.

Most people ride motorbikes for transportation.

This school uses waste water to irrigate gardens and teach the students to raise crops.

Jacket & Blanket handover in Xaignabouri, Laos

DIC (Deseret International Charities) provided some emergency relief

to several very poor villages to assist the people to keep warm with unusual cold weather conditions. This was done by providing jackets for the adults, teenagers and children and blankets to be used in their homes. This is in fulfillment of a promise by Elder Gong to His Excellency Tong Yeu Tho, Vice Permanent President of the Lao Front for National Construction, that we would assist their country where possible.

Elder Singley and Elder Bush loaded bags of jackets into a van and brought them from Thailand into Laos, where they could be sorted for distribution.

A bale of blankets was purchased and delivered to the Church.

Bo and Sister Holmes helped bag up individual blankets .

Members of the branch also helped bag the blankets and stack them.

The blankets and jackets were taken to the home of Thong Yeu Thor, Vice Pres. of the Lao Front for transport to the mountain villages.  On left are members Onkeo, Thongkhan, Pres. Kompadith, Elders Harman & Vance, Elder Singley, Elder & Sister Bush.

Taking the jackets & blankets required us to go hours on roads through the mountains.  The truck ahead was stalled in the middle of the road on a hill.

When we got to the village, a lot of people were waiting for us from both villages.

The bags of supplies were officially turned over to the village officials for distribution later after they figured out a system to be fair to those who needed them. 

Thong Yeu Tho with his two brothers, who live in those villages.

Sisters Herr and Holmes accompanied us to make the handover.

A nice Lao meal was provided for us and the officials after the handover.

Khamphee enjoys everyone and everything.  He's a great help as driver, interpreter and general liaison.  He knows everyone.

  

These are the ladies that prepared and served the meal.

Chinese New Year 2015

Chinese New Year is celebrated in Lao with lots of red and gold!  It's not as big as Lao New Year, but it's another opportunity for some fun.

Lots of shops sell Chinese clothes for the new year, including for the little kids, complete with hats and little ques.

 We were invited to attend a special celebration at one of the international schools by one of our members.  The outside hallway was decorated with flags of the home countries of students there.  They learn English and Chinese, as well as other subjects.

Peter Curtis, the one in the center, is our Primary student in church and is the one who invited us to the performance.

Everyone was in a big room, with one end used for the performing area. 

 Peter above, and his brother Spencer below, enjoyed performing and Peter did well with one of his parts in Chinese.  Their parents Mandy & Sam Curtis are Malay and Australian, a very nice family.

Inside a nice hotel in Vientiane, they have a permanent display, but this lobby adornment is tailored for Chinese New Year at this time.

Staff at the hotel dressed in appropriate color for the event.

Enter the dragon!  Two men inside put on quite an energetic show. 

Dragon fight, with 2-tiered performers.  Val is on the balcony in the back, getting a video.

These talented performers were changed out several times, without missing a beat.  It gets hot under the dragon costume and they are constantly moving with a lot of energy.

The band, providing almost non-stop music, consisted of drums and cymbals.  The men with fringed pants are the relief dancers that go in to replace the other performers in the dragon suits.

Hotel staff with the dragon people.

After the 20 minute performance, the performers went to a waiting truck to take them to another venue to perform.  They did this for a couple of days.

Onkeo, one of the Branch presidency, invited us to his home for a nice dinner during the celebration and in honor of Gary and Loretta Nielsen's visit.  They were missionaries here from 2010-12 and were well-liked. 

This is Kek, Onkeo's daughter.  The picture on the wall is one of their ancestors.

Leilani is a granddaughter of the branch president.  She is a perky 4-year old and speaks both Lao and English.

 Gary and Loretta talk with Sone, the branch young women's president and a returned missionary who served in California.  

Sone really is only about as tall as Gary sitting down.

Onkeo and his wife, Khamnoi, were gracious hosts and had quite a spread of food.  They invite about 30 people for this special dinner every year. 

 Pres. Kompadith and his daughter, Koungnyang.  Although she looks like she is about 13, she is an accomplished mother of 3 and speaks English very well.  She is sometimes our interpreter.

Grandpa with one of his grandsons.

This was the group for dinner, all members of the Church.  And no, Gary and the elders in back are not standing on anything, although Elder Vance is on his tip toes.  Missionaries include Glenn & Susan Singley, Elder Ty Christian Harman, Sis. Jenny Her, Judy & Val, Elder Kendall Vance, Sister Samantha Holmes.