My time in Vietnam has come to a close, and I have come on ahead of our squad with Brian and Stacy Alonzo to have some additional rest time and help them with logistics before the rest of the squad arrives on Thursday. We are currently in Sihanoukville, Cambodia staying at a place near the beach for debrief. We will leave here on Monday to return to Phnom Penh where my team will be working with a church there – helping disciple youth, teach English, and work with an orphanage.
I am currently taking some time to process Vietnam. Asia in general is quite outside of my comfort zone. There is constant noise, lots of lights, tons of motorbikes, many different religions, and a constant battle going on. Most days I go to bed exhausted not from the activities of the day, but from my spiritual armor constantly warding off the attacks of the enemy. The constant noise represents what is going on spiritually in this culture. It is chaotic and even frantic. This culture is ruled by fear, control, and anxiety. You can feel it in the air.
The culture is also very child like. Many people wear matching pajama outfits with different cartoon characters printed on them or other whimsical patterns. When ordering ice cream it is common for it to be served with umbrellas, candy rocks, and sometimes in various shapes, especially hearts. Hello Kitty, Winnie the Pooh, and other cartoon characters are everywhere. Even old ladies can be seen carrying purses with various cartoon characters on them.
As I’ve taken time to listen to some sermons and think about what God is teaching me, I am reminded of a verse in 2 Corinthians where Paul writes, “We are… sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” There is so much around me to be sorrowful about, indeed I am in a place where the sorrows increase. Women are sold into prostitution, children are exploited, men idolize money, and the enemy is ever-present, yet in the midst of this, I have reason to rejoice. God has saved me by his grace, of which I am most undeserving. I am learning also that life is full of sorrows, but He has still given me a song to sing in spite of it. What a picture of God’s grace this is. As I continue on the World Race, there will be many things to be sorrowful about, but God will use it to give me even more joy and thankfulness in the midst of these circumstances.
