This morning after teaching our Adult English class, I went to the coffee shop just a few steps from our home. Our home is picturesque. We are situated in the mountains in the providence of Kontum, Vietnam. It is beautiful to say the least. Think Rainforest Café without the yummy chicken fingers. I ordered what has become my regular- the Iced Saigon Coffee with milk…if you ever go to Vietnam you must have it. You’ll thank me later.
This coffee shop is different. It’s not your typical building, in fact there is only one wall. The outdoor café is made up of the sweetest workers, koi swimming in the pond surrounding the tables and for the month of November, seven crazy Americans seeking their outraged coffee fix.
I opened up my Bible and began spending time with the Lord as if he was sitting in the chair right across from me. I know, typical girl having her quiet time at a coffee shop. #basic.
The lady running the coffee shop approached me and proceeded to join me at my table. I had been to the coffee shop many times before so I recognized this friendly face. She grabbed my Bible. I was initially nervous. We are in a closed country. I might be breaking the law by reading my Bible in an open area. I don’t know if she is a believer. But she grabbed it and simply asked, “Where?”
I pointed her to 2 Corinthians 3 where I had been reading. In her broken English, she began to attempt to read with me. I was able to help her with her pronunciation as we managed to get through a few verses. She laughed and walked away.
But then she returned with a Vietnamese Bible in hand.
There are many things to thank the Lord for but today, I am thankful for Google Translate. As we passed my computer back and forth, I learned she owns the coffee shop. Her father-in-law is the Pastor of the Christian church in the village. He became a Christian during the Vietnam War, where he spent most of his time with the medical missionaries from the United States…wow.
She typed, “gia dinh toi muon hau viec chua dan toc minh co nhieu o day chua tin nhan”, which translated to, “My family serve the Lord our people many here had not accepted.”
In other words, being a Christian isn’t common. There are not churches meeting on every street corner on Sunday mornings. The amount of nonbelievers far outweighs those who do believe.
We spoke about the people of Vietnam. She told me how she loves to talk to people about Jesus but there are not a lot of people she is able to talk to. It was then I realized that if my purpose in Vietnam is to sit at a coffee shop to be a listening ear for an eager believer, then I am more than content to spend everyday here.
She opened her Bible to 2 Corinthians.
She read, “Va, Chúa toc là Thánh Linh, Thánh Linh cua Chúa a dâu, thì sa to do cung dó.”
I read, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
We talked about freedom in our personal lives even if her country does not allow her to freely worship Jesus. We talked about how Jesus died to set us free and release us of the chains that hold us down.
I have been experiencing many types of freedom since beginning this journey. Freedom of my past. Freedom of completely turning over my future. But today, I experienced a new freedom. Freedom that brings out boldness and casts out fear. Freedom that calls me to be loud even though the government says be quiet.
As I got up to leave she told me she wanted to pay for my coffee. She grabbed my phone and asked how long I will be in Vietnam, which I was able to tell her for the rest of the month. Smiling she replied, “See you tomorrow.”
Thank you Jesus for divine meetings. Thank you for love that is freely given. Thank you that true freedom has nothing to do with government.
That was easily the best conversation I have had over coffee even though there were very few words spoken.
