Vietnam has made its way into the depths of my heart!
This month ministry was very fruitful. Countless seeds were planted, watered, and grown. How amazing is it that God included the 6 of us in going after the heart of Vietnam.
We had the opportunity to serve along Ron and his wife Amy from Wisconsin as well as their partner Hai. They are some of the most hard-working, generous people I have ever met. I was honored to work with them at the Grace Café.
Ministry this month was one of my favorites on the race. We spent the mornings teaching English at a highly impoverished orphanage. The evenings were spent teaching English and hanging out with our new friends at the coffee shop. We played games and had long, deep conversations. We were able to openly talk about God and the gospel in a closed country. We were blessed to see many experience the Lord for the first time. AMAZING!
We have built strong friendships….
Meet David….
A living testimony of God’s majesty. David is an 18 year old who is on fire for the Lord. Eight months ago David couldn’t speak English. He heard about Grace Café and that you could receive English lessons free of charge. He received more than he ever could have hoped for. David discovered God and invited Him into his heart. As soon as David dedicated his life to Christ he could speak English. We saw God perform a miracle through David. David translated at church for us, he didn’t know many of the words before the church service but spoke fluent sentences as the Lord placed the words on his tongue. God is doing incredible things in and through David! He is however being persecuted by his Buddhist family, so please keep him in your prayers.
Meet Peter Parker, (yes after spiderman, his favorite superhero)…
Vietnam would not have been the same without him. He is one of the most kind, generous people I have met. He sacrificed much of his time showing us around Ho Chi Minh City. He would come with us to teach English at the orphanage and drove us home from the café every night. We have been filled with joy seeing Peter Parker grow in curiosity for the Lord. God has been planting and watering many seeds in his heart. There is not a doubt in my mind that he will be a warrior of God’s.
Motorbikes…
David and Peter are only a couple of many of the awesome people we have become friends with. The Vietnamese people are so eager to learn. They are kind and open minded. Their generosity is admirable. Students from the café offered to drive us 40 minutes home each night on their motorbikes. They refused gas money even though money isn’t plentiful. Riding on motorbikes in the busy, traffic-filled streets and spending the whole ride in conversation with our friends was one of the highlights of my month.
Invasion of lice….
The small eggs began multiplying at a fast rate. The little soldiers had the upper hand. They seemed to know exactly where to hide on my team’s heads. We weren’t going to go down without a fight. We hit the streets at nearly midnight and geared up with special shampoo in one hand and combs in the other for the war that was about to take place.
Surprisingly lice was in a weird way a blessing. Although it was very time consuming it brought our team a little closer together. Getting lice required us all to pick nits and bugs out of each other’s hair for hours each day for two weeks; we looked and felt like monkeys. We all discovered how much we have grown this year by being able to find so much joy, peace and humor in the situation.
Mekong River
Kristy and I spent one of our off days visiting the Mekong River. The river is known for its floating market and village. It is incredible how simply the people live here. We were able to see their agriculture and how they make rice paper and various items made out of coconuts. We also held a snake!
We love you Vietnam!
We are leaving Vietnam empowered by everything God is doing here. He clearly has favor on this wonderful country. We are sad to leave but so thankful for each and every moment we shared with everyone God placed in our path.
