The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a closed country – well, at least it’s closed to Christianity. Churches are strictly controlled by the government. A foreigner (me) can go to church openly but locals are so restricted in their church activities that many resort to unlicensed, meaning underground, churches. And if discovered, church members could possibly go to jail.
But you would probably not even realize the truth if you were visiting the country.
Business is booming, literally! We walked by the first Starbucks coffee shop in Vietnam . . . just opened in August. McDonald’s is coming next year. International businesses are pouring into Vietnam & jobs are in high demand. So learning English, the world’s most widely used language, is now top priority for kids in school and professionals in the workplace.
So, who knew? Teaching English in a coffee shop was actually the perfect way for us to meet tons of different Vietnamese students and workers.
Basically, as a missionary, we weren’t wanted in Vietnam. But as an English speaker . . . um, that was a different story. People approached us all the time to practice their English. Walks in the park turned into impromptu English lessons on a park bench. Shopping in the city turned into scheduling English meetings with the shop workers. Everyone was all about English!
God gave us hundreds of conversations! It was so easy to make friends and love on people. We couldn’t be open about our faith, but if they asked us questions, we could share our experiences. Every once in a while, doors of opportunity were cracked open & we could speak into those moments. The smallest chance to communicate the truth became precious & invaluable.
So I’m learning. I’m learning to trust that God has a bigger picture in mind than I do. Every conversation, every opportunity I choose to take, is like a seed.
And every seed we plant has the potential to grow into something great.
