As the boat bobbed and weaved through the ocean's choppy swells, memories flooded the mind of Elder Tran Duc Hoa.

During a four-hour journey last October to a refugee camp on an outlying island in Indonesia, Elder Tran, a missionary in the Singapore Mission, reflected on his life. In just a few hours he would be reunited with his long lost sister who was living in the camp.Fifteen years earlier, this sister and the rest of his family lovingly sent the 5-year-old boy by boat out of his homeland in Vietnam to safety. The young woman wept as she sent her baby brother off on a voyage of hope.

She wondered if they would ever see him again, but in her mind, as in the minds of many others, this was the only way to give a younger member of the family a chance at a new life.

The life they knew as a family was shattered by years of war and the sudden collapse of their homeland, their government and the loss of individual freedoms.

"Farewell little brother," she whispered. "Maybe some day we will meet again in a better place."

The journey to the refugee camp gave Elder Tran a chance to think about his "adopted" family in Idaho and the times they shared together. He reflected on his testimony and how he came to believe in Christianity and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by living with this family. This had all culminated in his decision to serve a mission.

How strange, he thought, that he would be sent to a part of the world where so many people from his homeland were suffering in camps on islands with little hope of ever seeing loved ones again.

The trip to the refugee camp to see his sister seemed to take forever. Finally, though, the boat landed and Elder Tran and Pres. Robert W. Houghton of the Singapore Mission met with camp and government officials who had approved their visit. The officials sent for Elder Tran's sister.

Correspondence from relatives living in Vietnam helped Elder Tran locate his sister. With help from Pres. Houghton, a retired U.S. Air Force officer who had served in Vietnam, Elder Tran was able to arrange a visit with his sister.

Pres. Houghton, before he was called as a mission president, joined the Veterans Association for Service Activities Abroad, an organization founded by LDS veterans of the Vietnam War. The LDS veterans work to reunite families who have been separated by war or other circumstances. The veterans association provided Pres. Houghton with the proper channels for arranging the visit.

When Elder Tran's sister heard that someone wanted to interview her, she reported to the visiting area not knowing who she was to see or why she was singled out from the others.

After all, there were thousands of Vietnamese like her in camps throughout the nations of Southeast Asia hoping to someday leave their refugee camp. Those in the camps left their homeland years ago seeking a better future, one in which they could achieve their dreams or goals according to their own desires.

Elder Tran's sister was ushered into a room where an American businessman and a young Vietnamese man stood waiting. She recognized her baby brother immediately. Even though they could not converse in their native language, they enthusiastically talked to each other through an interpreter. Leaving the land of his birth at such a young age did not give Elder Tran much opportunity to retain his native language.

The visit "was the most touching thing you have ever seen when this sister saw her little brother whom she had launched 15 years ago from Saigon," Pres. Houghton said. "She didn't know she was going to see him until he was standing in front of her. All she knew was that she was to meet someone. It was a neat experience!"

In their short visit, brother and sister tried to explain what had happened in the past 15 years. Elder Tran shared how he had grown up, found Christianity and was now serving as a missionary. His sister also tried to explain what had happened to the family through the years of separation.

Time was too short to explain everything, but Elder Tran was excited to learn that a brother was also in another refugee camp within the mission boundaries.

Pres. Houghton again sought permission from government officials to visit the camp in Malaysia where Elder Tran's brother was located. Pres. Houghton's knowledge of the refugee camps and what it takes to arrange for a visit paid off again.

After the appropriate clearances and permits were obtained, the two LDS representatives made another long, tedious journey, this time flying to a major Malaysian city. Elder Tran's brother made the journey from his island refugee camp to the mainland by boat.

Once more, Elder Tran felt a sweet peace when he was reunited with his older brother on Nov. 20, 1990. Time disappeared for a brief period as the two men visited and tried to erase the years of separation and become acquainted again. But all too soon the visit was over.

Although the story is not yet complete, Elder Tran's experience has brought home the meaning of seeking out the lost lambs, especially when they are truly a blood brother and sister.

After returning home from his mission, Elder Tran looks forward to reuniting his family.