It’s the end of month 6 and I’m about to leave Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. This month has felt more like a visit to the Big Apple than a foreign mission. It’s the first time that our squad has been downright spoiled rotten as far as living conditions go. Vietnam has treated us to hot showers, real beds, nice meals, and AC– all for under $12/day1
Needless to say it’s been a different kind of month. I remember daydreaming last summer about what life would be like on the Race. I braced myself for cold showers, unidentifiable food, scorching hot weather, strenuous manual labor, and tenting in the bush. I’ve definitely experienced a good amount of all of those things, but I think it’s safe to say that I am enjoying this short break from them.
Vietnam is a communist country where religion is strictly regulated by the government. For the first time, I am meeting people who have never heard the name Jesus. I’ve had the opportunity to share The Gospel with the unreached, and they are hungry for it. But I’m realizing how difficult it is to tell the greatest story ever told from start to finish during one precious encounter. I’m feeling the weight of the News that is being shared with them for the first, and possibly only, time in their life. Perhaps to feel completely prepared to share such crucial News is an unattainable, and somewhat selfish, longing of mine. But, I am certainly recognizing the importance of having an intelligible, extensive, and passion-fueled knowledge of The Gospel.
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” – 1 Peter 3:15
Even in America, we need to stop assuming that the Gospel is known. Perhaps even the Gospel that you bought into yourself is not a Biblical one. In the words of my pastor,
“We desperately need to explore how much of our understanding of the gospel is American and how much is Biblical. Should it not concern us that the Bible never calls us to ask Jesus into our hearts? Should it not concern us that the Bible never mentions such a superstitious sinner’s prayer, and yet that is exactly what we have sold to so many as salvation.”- David Platt
This month has sparked a fire in me to dig deep into the depths of the Gospel, in all its scandal, offense, conviction and grace. It’s a story that continues to stretch wider and deeper, and the most intriguing aspect of it all is that we’ll never know it entirely, at least not in this lifetime.
May we always stand in awe of the infinite beauty of Christ!
-Hanna
