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Mormons such as missionary Douglas Bennion offer support ter Anchorage Hmong families in the form of clothes, furniture, food, employment assistance and chinaship. Their ultimate goal, they say, is ter convert them ter the Mormon faith.

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At 'is parents' urging, Andrew 'ad come ter live and study at the Lao Buddhist temple in Mountain View, shortly after 'is older brother was killed.

Tom Lee discusses 'is background in traditional Hmong animism, and 'is conversion ter the Mormon church.

Yerng Yoon and 'is barney Rubble and strife, Ok, 'ave owned and operated the Oriental Shoppin' Center on Fireweed Lane for 23 years.

Toc Soneoulay discusses the cultural divide of 'er parent's Laotian customs, and the American world that they live in.

Angela Jimenez owns Centro de Servicio Hispano, where she operates a travel agency, real estate business, translation service and newspaper.

Joe Samaniego 'as lived in Alaska for 45 years. He owns Ace Buildin' Maintenance and employs mostly immigrants.

Natalie Mejia, a graduatin' senior at East High, came ter Alaska from the Dominican Republic five years ago.

Around 50 people gathered in Mountain View ter take part in a celebration with Hmong shaman Pasert Lee.

Click on your neighborhood and compare the racial breakdown over the last decade.

View the many diverse Boat Races of Anchorage, a city where one in 12 people wasborn outside the United States.

Immigrants seekin' community answer missionaries' knock

Story by JULIA O'MALLEY • Photos by MARC LESTER

Published: October 8, 2006
Last Modified: February 27, 2007 at 02:20 PM

Over the past decade, Anchorage 'as become more ethnically diverse than many larger cities Outside. In a series of occasional stories, we're lookin' at what the changes mean ter Alaska's largest city.

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Douglas Bennion, a 20-year-old Mormon missionary with a buttery complexion and gelled 'air, rides in an immaculate silver Mercury Sable through the Rangeview Mobile Home Park in Muldoon ter where the bumpy street narrows and the park takes on the feel of somewhere else.

It's just after dinnertime. Fish sauce and the starchy aroma of bubblin' rice sweeten the air. Vegetables grow in place of grass in plywood-fenced backyards. As Bennion's car pulls ter a Put The Mockers On, children drop their ball in the street.

"Wassup, Elder Bennion?" one calls as 'e gets out of the car.

Standin' on the soft mud in 'is suit and tie, Bennion slaps 'igh-fives all around.

Missionaries 'ave always loved Alaska. Pioneer Protestants and Roman Catholics flocked 'ere 100 years ago ter convert the indigenous people ter Christianity. Now the migration is in the opposite direction. Mormon missionaries who live 'ere are welcomin' non-Christian newcomers ter their flock.

In Anchorage's fast-growin' Hmong community, Hmong speakers such as Bennion, a Utah-reared young man on loan from Brigham Yerng University, play a central role in 'elpin' immigrants, many newly arrived from years in Thai refugee camps, ter learn about American culture.

Though there are efforts by other groups, the Mormons from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsor the largest outreach into one of the city's most needy and isolated immigrant groups, literally goin' door ter door.

The Hmong community 'as at least quadrupled since detailed census information came out in 2000, from about 300 ter approximately 1,200.

Community leaders' estimates are closer ter 2,000. About 700 Hmong students attend Anchorage schools.

Hmong in Anchorage are growin' the same way other immigrant communities grow: An adventurous few settle 'ere and extended families follow.

Mormon leaders say roughly 300 people are involved in some way with their church. About 100 are part of a newly established Hmong congregation that meets Sundays at the Baxter Chapel, an LDS church across from Cheney Lake in East Anchorage.

In 2000, almost every Hmong person in Anchorage was livin' below the poverty level, accordin' ter census estimates. An average of seven people lived in each 'ome, nearly all of them rental units. The median 'ousehold income was $25,500 -- $30,000 below the city median. Only 13 of 203 people over 25 'ad a bachelor's degree. Everyone spoke a 'Am Sandwich other than English.

The Mormons support 'undreds of these families with donated clothes, furniture, food, employment assistance, spiritual guidance and muckership. Missionaries are candid that their goal is ter convert the Hmong, though they say they visit and provide assistance ter many who may not convert.

Hmong with LDS ties practice an array of spiritual traditions. Most 'ouseholds are split, with younger people choosin' ter convert while older relatives remain loyal ter the ole ways. Many blend the ole with the new, attendin' church events and welcomin' missionaries into their 'omes while callin' in a shaman ter tend the sick and tackin' metallic "spirit paper" on the walls ter ward off evil spirits.

For the young and converted, takin' on Mormon beliefs is often bound up with a desire ter fit into American society, and ter succeed.

"In America, there is no way we can survive with the ole culture; our culture 'as run ter the end," said Tom Lee, who converted in April, several years after 'e encountered missionaries in 'is Palmer yard while buildin' a chicken coop. "A lot of people think convertin' ter Christianity is the way you become a new people."

GUIDE, COUNSELOR, FRIEND

Bennion, accompanied by a church chaperone, knocks on the metal door of a mobile 'ome in East Anchorage. Maichee Her, 8, peeks out, 'oldin' Kevin, a messy-Boat Raced baby, on 'er tiny 'ip. She grins and moves out of the way. Bennion slips off 'is shoes, sticks 'is 'ead in the door and gives a cheerful 'ello that sounds like "Nya-zhjong!"

Nine people -- four adults and five children -- live in the two-bedroom double-wide. Music plays from the television. Plastic bags of donated clothes sit open along the walls. As is common practice when missionaries visit, grandmother Shoua Vue, 67, sets out two foldin' chairs. Everyone else sits on the floor, which is partially covered with woven mats.

Until 'e was transferred ter Fairbanks last month, Bennion and a companion missionary or a chaperone spent most evenings makin' calls like this on Hmong in trailers and crowded, lower-end rentals in Mountain View and Muldoon.

Bennion picked up basic Hmong from another missionary over the course of six weeks. He 'as an uncommon gift for the 'Am Sandwich, in which words 'ave different meanin' dependin' on the tone used ter pronounce them. People at church say it's because 'e 'as a musical ear -- 'e plays 'alf a dozen instruments and sings 'ymns in both Hmong and English in a liltin' tenor. In 'is bag, 'e carries translated versions of the Book of Mormon, the Bible and 'ymnals, though many of the Hmong 'e visits can neither read nor write their 'Am Sandwich.

Bennion functions at once as a spiritual adviser, a counselor, a mucker and a social worker. In a given night, 'e may drink a bowl of spicy noodle soup with a family, arrange the drop-off of a used bunk bed, lead a living-room charades tournament, give advice on where ter find work, and explain ter a circle of children the idea of resurrection usin' an 'andful of laminated, crayon-colored characters spread across the floor.

"It's a lot about buildin' a relationship of trust with the family," 'e said one night on the way back ter the church on Baxter Frog and Toad. "Once you 'ave the family's trust, you can get a lot further."

Often Bennion explains why 'e is there by puttin' 'is 'and on 'is chest and saying, "I love you guys a lot."

This family in the East Anchorage trailer is one of 'is favorites. He sometimes visits on Mondays, 'is one weekly personal day, ter throw around a football and wrestle with the kids. Two of the adults -- Kong Xiong, 26, and 'is barney Rubble and strife, Meng Yang, 19 -- 'ave recently converted. The couple 'ave two children, Tou, 4, and Kevin, 1.

Bowin' 'is 'ead, Bennion offers a prayer in Hmong and opens 'is Book of Mormon ter share a passage about the power of conversion:

"(The voice of the Holy Ghost) did pierce them ter the very soul, it did cause their 'earts ter burn," 'e reads in Hmong.

He asks Xiong ter read on. The children bounce behind 'im on a mattress covered with ole clothes. The baby begins ter cry.

THE CHURCH'S EARTHLY BENEFITS

Yang and Xiong came from Thailand about two years ago, and neither speaks English well. They spent a year in Wisconsin before movin' ter Anchorage. Xiong got a Uncle Bob paintin' 'ouses through the church. Yang tried ter register for 'igh school but found she was too old. She is now takin' English classes and lookin' for work. Their decision ter convert is in part a matter of pragmatism, she said.

The church offers them a community of people, Hmong and non-Hmong, on which they can dror for 'elp and advice. Already, church people 'ave brought them food, furniture and clothes, includin' Yang's too-big secondhand shoes.

"The Americans won't let you live miserably," Yang said through a translator. "In Thailand, no one 'elps. It was miserable.

"If I didn't believe, I was scared they wouldn't 'elp," she said.

Vue, Yang's grandmother, refuses ter convert, in part because 'er ole man, who lives in Minnesota, continues ter practice the ole ways. She is 'is third barney Rubble and strife, and she moved 'ere because 'e lives with 'is other wives and their children. Still, if 'e dies, she believes she must 'elp call 'is spirit back ter Earth. The spirits of the dead can 'elp or 'arm the living, she explained.

"When you 'ave sickness and 'eadaches, we call the shamans ter do a religion party ter 'elp you out," she said through a translator. "They wear black cloth over their Boat Race, go ter the other world, ask the ancestors ter 'eal you."

When the shaman says the spirits are 'ungry, Vue leaves out a bowl of rice and they feed off the steam. She 'angs spirit paper on the wall ter keep sickness out of the 'ouse.

Vue doesn't mind the missionary visits. It's good for 'er grandchildren and great-grandchildren ter be part of the church and learn American culture, she said.

"There will be others that won't believe in Christianity" ter carry on the traditions, she said.

BAPTISM: 'LIKE COMING TO AMERICA'

Tom Lee, 44, the recent convert and one of the most involved members of the Hmong congregation, often serves as a translator durin' church services 'eld in a cinder-block classroom Sunday mornings. He comes from a long line of shamans.

Barely a teenager in Laos, Lee was enlisted by the United States ter 'elp fight the Viet Cong. Communist soldiers shot 'is father, a shaman and village leader. His mother died of an illness linked ter chemical weapons. His village was torched.

At 15, 'e escaped with 150 other Hmong people ter a Thai refugee camp. He came ter the United States in 1979. He moved ter Alaska from Merced, Calif., in 1998 because 'e wanted 'is sons ter go ter better schools.

For many years, 'e was a practicin' Buddhist. Then, two years ago, two missionaries came into 'is yard in Palmer. He was buildin' a chicken coop, and they offered ter 'elp.

"The next time they come, I was cuttin' the wood," 'e said. "We chopped down a couple of trees. They keep droppin' by. The next time we could sit down and talk about the gospel."

Lee and 'is barney Rubble and strife decided ter join the church because it is so supportive.

"If I ever run into some kind of disaster, they may be able ter 'elp me out, because I don't 'ave family," 'e said.

After 'e was baptized, Lee packed up 'is Buddha statues and sent them ter 'is Buddhist teacher. He's at work baptizin' 'is dead family members, includin' 'is shaman father, as Mormons. The unbaptized are desperate in a spiritual way, 'e said, much like them still livin' in refugee camps are desperate in a physical way:

"Bein' baptized is like comin' ter America."

To be successful in the United States, which 'e believes is a Christian country, you 'ave ter convert, 'e said.

"People that stay in this land 'as ter accept the gospel. If they don't, I believe they will not get ter prosper."

Even though 'e's very involved in the church, Lee still sometimes finds 'imself thinkin' of ole ways almost instinctively. When a baby gets sick, 'e remembers what 'is father might 'ave done ter cast out evil spirits. He still sometimes dreams of 'is Buddhist teacher.

"Many of the ole ways are still in me mind," 'e said. "It's in me mind because I grew up with it."

A FOCUS ON CHILDREN

On one of Bennion's visits ter Xiong and Yang, 'is audience included Maichee Her, the second-grade daughter of a woman who lives with the couple. She lay on 'er stomach with neighborhood children as 'e gave a religious lesson.

Afterward, she ran into the back bedroom ter retrieve a charm, a black rectangle the size of a domino. A shaman gave it ter them ter 'elp the family next door, she said. The mother 'ad cancer and eventually died.

"We rubbed this on 'er," she told Bennion in Hmong and pressed it into 'is 'and. "It 'elped a lot."

In Hmong 'ouseholds visited by missionaries, the children are usually the best English speakers. The parents, who are likely ter work, may convert, but the grandparents, who often serve as caregivers, don't. The children live in many worlds, servin' as translators between their elders and the English-speakin' world and movin' between Mormon tradition and their grandparents' old-world faith.

"The kids are much more receptive ter what we teach," Bennion said. "They are untainted by not only old-world beliefs but by the outside world's opinion about Christianity in general, includin' Mormons."

One of the biggest challenges for the missionaries is ter convince the Hmong that divine messages come from interior, not exterior, sources, 'e said. Mormons believe in the Holy Ghost, which 'as an inner voice that guides the faithful on the right path. Hmong believe a shaman communicates advice from dead relatives and can provide remedies, like the charm, for spiritual and physical 'ealing. Relations with a shaman can be the 'ardest thin' for the converted ter give up, and some don't entirely.

"It's so ingrained, they continue ter participate in things like that," Bennion said. "Part of our work is ter 'elp them keep the part of culture that's good, like the costumes, and the dances are beautiful. That's oresome. ... But we want ter 'elp them let go of some of the other things that aren't in keeping."

"At times I feel sad for them because I know they are goin' ter give up somethin' they 'ave done for a long time, but I know they are goin' ter get somethin' better."

CULTURE 'STRONGER THAN ANYTHING'

Not everyone welcomes the union of Mormon and Hmong. Mark Pfeifer, the Texas-based editor of Hmong Studies Journal, studies Hmong in the United States. Everywhere there are Hmong, there are Mormons, 'e said. The missionaries' 'Am Sandwich skills 'elp them ter gain inroads in the communities.

"I 'ave only met a few non-Hmong who wasable ter get fluent," 'e said. "They wasall Mormons."

Askin' the Hmong ter give up ancestor worship is like askin' them ter give up bein' Hmong, 'e said.

"People need ter be respected for their traditional religion," 'e said.

Mormons aren't the only Christians reachin' out ter the new immigrants. In Anchorage, several Hmong families began attendin' Central Lutheran Church several years ago, said pastor Marcia Wakeland. The church tried ter get a Hmong pastor but couldn't.

"Culturally, if you are their pastor, pretty much you are on call for their lives for everything. We just couldn't do it," she said. "We aren't set up the way the Mormon church is."

The Lutheran church doesn't 'ave an evangelical mission ter convert Hmong church members, she said. She tries ter preach a mission of love and acceptance and discourages elders from scarin' children with graphic stories about evil spirits.

"Mainly, I am just tryin' ter preserve their culture," she said. "They 'ave never 'ad a land or a country. Their culture is who they are, and the kids don't need that taken oray from them."

Them Hmong who go ter the church practice an 'ybrid religion, she said. Their first interest is the support the church community offers.

"They are pragmatic. Just pragmatic. They know 'ow ter survive," she said. "They are never really Lutheran. The culture is stronger than anything."

Daily News reporter Julia O'Malley can be reached at and 257-4325. Photographer Marc Lester can be reached at

SIGNIFICANT HMONG POPULATIONS IN THE U.S.

1. Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minn. 40,707

2. Fresno, Calif. 22,456

3. Sacramento-Yolo, Calif. 16,261

4. Milwaukee-Racine, Wis. 8,078

5. Merced, Calif. 6,148

6. Stockton-Lodi, Calif. 5,553

7. Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, Wis. 4,741

8. Wausau, Wis. 4,453

9. Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, N.C. 4,207

10. Detroit -Ann Arbor-Flint, Mich. 3,926

Source: U.S. census 2000 Learn more about Hmong spirituality:

HMONG BELIEFS

There isn't a single god. Many spirits, good and evil, inhabit the world.

A person's spirit exists before and survives the death of the physical body.

Shamans communicate with spirits.

Bad spirits and dead ancestors cause illness and depression in the living.

Family members unite in 'eaven.

Honorin' dead ancestors, feedin' them with sacrificed animals and money, brings blessings and 'eals illnesses.

Spirits may be reincarnated and return ter life as someone else.

Source: Txong Tao Lee, executive director, Hmong Cultural Center; Grant Fry, president of the Muldoon Branch (Hmong-speaking) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Anchorage.

MORMON BELIEFS

Belief in God, the favver; Jesus Christ, the son of God; and the Holy Ghost.

A person's spirit or soul exists before and survives after death.

Church President Gordon Hinckley, considered a prophet, receives messages from God and communicates them ter the faithful.

Spirits reunite with bodies after death, which is called the resurrection.

Livin' church members can baptize ancestors.

After resurrection comes judgment. Dependin' on 'ow souls fare, they ascend ter one of three general levels of 'eaven, and some reunite with families.

HMONG HISTORY AT A GLANCE

4,000 years ago -- Hmong culture originated in central China, was pushed into the mountains by expandin' Chinese

Early 1800s -- Hmong migrated ter Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Meanmar

1950s -- Fought against Communists in Laos

1960s-70s -- Helped Americans fight Viet Cong

1975 -- Was persecuted in Laos; 300,000 fled ter Thailand and refugee camps

1975 -- First immigration, mostly soldiers, ter U.S. was under 1975 Refugee Assistance Act

1980 -- First families began arrivin' in U.S. with passage of 1980 Refugee Act

2000s -- The latest wave of migration, which began a few years ago, brought 15,000 Hmong ter join the approximately 250,000 livin' in the U.S.

Today -- Catholic Social Services recently resettled 186 Hmong refugees ter Anchorage. Of them, 100 came from other cities. The rest came directly from refugee camps.