“Let’s remain suspicious that God is up to something good.” — Margaret Feinberg
In a closed country, where evangelism is prohibited, an odd place to be standing is in a crowded outdoor-style cafe, microphone in hand with Scripture projected on a screen, talking about Jesus and how He loves us. Yet, this is exactly where I found myself during my time in Vietnam.
About a week prior to this very moment, my teammates and I were discussing how strongly we were feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit moving in our cafe. Our usual customers (and new ones too) were coming in to speak English, as per usual, yet there was a sudden influx in the questions focused on Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity. Other than prayer in our quiet times, we had done nothing super different at the cafe. We continued in our English conversations, while sharing our hearts and lives through them. So, it was obvious that God was up to something in the hearts and souls of those who entered the cafe.
Every week a talk-show style program occurs at our cafe. It gives customers the opportunity to listen to a native English speaker and also learn something new about Western culture. One of the staff members approached us asking if we wouldn’t mind giving a talk on a topic. “How about Christianity? Or maybe how Jesus loves people?” She quickly suggested, as if it wasn’t a big deal. I was in a little bit of a shock when I heard her suggestion, but the fear of being deported came and went quickly as the Holy Spirit filled me with enthusiasm. I couldn’t wait to get back to the rest of my team and share about this insane opportunity the Lord had dished up for us.
We chose the topic of “Love” and discussed the ways in which we wanted to present it. We landed on a What, Why, How and Who-style set up. Together, we huddled around a computer screen, putting the finishing touches on the PowerPoint, which would display Scripture, and essentially the Gospel, to all those who would see it. We wanted the listeners to hear what the Bible says love is, why we as Christians believe we should unconditionally love others, and how we love everyone around us– friends and enemies, alike! We ended in prayer, thanking God for choosing us for this purpose, and guiding us through what He wanted the audience to hear.
The night came and one after the other, Vietnamese people flooded the cafe. It was an added comfort to be greeted by another World Race team that came to support us. From the front of the room, it was a beautiful sight to see both teams of women spread out among the crowd, having conversations with customers and being Light in the room.
Our fellow staff member, and friend, gave me the words, “Just go for it!” One last prayer to be filled with the Spirit’s words, not my own, and it was time! I had mentally prepared myself for all possibilities– people getting up and walking away at the name of “Jesus”, or even potentially people addressing me mid-presentation, but I felt the Lord’s hands resting on my shoulders and peace overwhelm me. At this point, I was just plain excited.
I was actually pleasantly surprised to see the amount of engaging eyes looking at the screen and myself. The audience was answering all questions presented, getting involved, and a few people even had their phones out to take photos of the slides! As anticipated, once I displayed the Gospel on one of the slides, a man got up and I tried not to be disappointed and continued on. My eyes watched him as he went over to his motorbike, grabbed his jacket, and then turned around and sat down intently listening again. Praise to the Father, not a single person left and all remained engaged.
The best part of this evening came once my mouth shut. Immediately after I finished, conversation seemed to explode across the room. People were asking my fellow teammates about their beliefs and questions that stirred their hearts. Michaela even had a chance to share her testimony with a woman!
Another Vietnamese friend looked at me and said, “So, if I want my heart to change, and I want to love other people better, I can’t do it on my own, can I? I need Jesus to do that.” Our conversation flowed easily from that point and my heart was bursting with joy.
The name of Jesus was proclaimed boldly that evening. I absolutely love that we serve a Father, who loves His people so much, that He doesn’t let the term “closed country” stop Him from desperately seeking after their hearts. Oh, how He loves us so.
“They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.”
— Isaiah 62:12
