President Lam's Letter

Scott and I got an airmail letter from Hong Kong.  It was a rare and exciting thing to see those red-and-blue-striped envelope edges peeking out of the mailbox.  President Lam wanted us to write a letter about our daughter, so that he and Sister Lam could get to know her a little bit.  Here's the letter.

April 19, 2016

Dear President and Sister Lam,

We are Golda Dopp’s parents, Scott and Circe, and we were thrilled to receive your letter.  We know Golda will be in good hands with you, and we are happy she has the opportunity to live and teach the gospel in Hong Kong.

When Golda opened her mission call and read “China, Hong Kong,” a great cheer went up from our friends and family.  It was truly the perfect call.  We have seven children, Golda being the oldest.  Our fifth child is a girl whom we adopted from China, Hunan Province, in May 2006.  She is eleven years old now, and has a special bond with Golda.  It is humbling and exciting that Golda will have this connection to her sister’s birth culture.  When we traveled to China to adopt our daughter, we spent several days in Hong Kong and truly fell in love with the place.  We loved the description you gave of Hong Kong in your letter.  It must be an exciting crossroads, with so many coming, as you mentioned, from mainland China and other parts of the world.

You will adore Golda, I’m sure.  She is totally devoted to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is her deepest desire to share her love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  She has a strong, abiding testimony, backed by a solid understanding of the gospel.  She is a rock of faith in our family.  The gospel is at the very core of who Golda is, and it shows in everything she does.

Golda is a ballet dancer who is finishing up her first year of college at Utah Valley University, majoring in ballet.  She has an extremely strong work ethic and is the most organized person you’ll ever meet.  If there is something to be done, she will have it written down on a list and accomplished before anyone else opens their eyes.  She has played the flute all her life, and loves music, all forms of dance, reading, studying, traveling and writing beautiful notes to her siblings and others.  She has spent two summers in Europe, living with friends of our family in France and Spain, so she is not afraid to get out into new cultures and find her way.  She has done quite well in school and on her own, learning French.  I know she will be determined and dogged in her efforts to learn and internalize Cantonese.  While her little sister would have heard Mandarin in her Hunan orphanage, Golda’s future fluency in Cantonese will still be a link between her and her sister’s heritage, one that she is grateful for.

There are many more things we could tell you about Golda, but we’ll trust you to get to know her as you direct her in her missionary service.  She is not fearless, but she is faithful.  She will tackle anything.  No trepidation she may feel will keep her from being brave.  Unless there is blood.  She faints at the sight of blood!  Just know that she will be willing and eager to do whatever is asked of her, and that she will do it prayerfully and with the help of the Lord and the support of her family.

With Love,

Scott and Circe Dopp,

Kaysville, Utah