Vietnam from start to end was nothing like what I expected. I imagined a war-ravaged country, then I got off the plane and found myself surprised at how different it was from my expectations (this seems to be a theme.) So what amazes me is that in this closed country – and one with so thick a heritage of pain – I had more opportunity to share the gospel than I have in any month prior. After hating the hot, dirty, crowded, chaos of Ho Chi Minh City more with each passing day, I realized by day 5 I was dreading this month in this country and that it would take a real attitude adjustment to love and serve well here. We then took a 19 hour sleeper bus north of Ho Chi Minh to Da Nang; this gloriously modern city on the beach that’s so beautiful you almost forget about the thousands that were clubbed to death here within my parents lifetime. Someone once mentioned that places where the Bible is suppressed are usually the places where it thrives the most; because that’s where the true believers are revealed. I found that to be true in Vietnam. Here are some of the stories.
My team was in Da Nang volunteering in a coffee shop teaching English every day. There are over 20 universities nearby and students would come from all over to sit in on free classes to practice with native speakers (us, in case you were wondering.) Our third day there we had a policeman come to our door and ask to see all of us, and we had to bring our passports. He wanted an in-depth schedule of where we were going each day, what we were doing there, how long we had been there, who we were volunteering with, and where else we had planned to visit – complete with an employee of the coffee shop to vouch for what we said. He kept saying, “it is for your safety” but we knew why he was really there. It was a very smooth, non-threatening time, but a harsh reality of what it must be like to be in a country where you can’t share the gospel: every motive questioned, proof required for everything, secrecy, prayer, compliance, and suppression. Yet in spite of this atmosphere, here are just a few of the stories we have to share.
My very first day teaching at the coffee shop I met a girl named Tina. Within about 30 minutes of small talk and conversation session (practicing pronunciation, listening, conversation, etc.) she asks me if I’m a Christian. Of course I say “yes!” And ask if she is too. Her reply? “Yes! I am. And I’m going to my friend’s birthday party tomorrow and I want to share the gospel with him. Will you help me practice witnessing?”
“Um… yes. I would love to.”
So we spent the next half hour or so practicing different methods of evangelizing and sharing the gospel so she could share it with her friend the next day. Rarely do such opportunities match themselves in front of you like that, but particularly in a country closed to talking about Jesus.
The next day three of my teammates were in the coffee shop before our shift and Tina came downstairs and saw them. She got really excited and asked if the girls wanted to come upstairs and join the birthday party (well, you know how World Racers are with free food…) so they went. They played a few games and then Tina asked them to share something (what are World Racers good at if not throwing stuff together at the last minute) One of my teammates shared a song she’d written and explained it, another shared her testimony, and the last one talked about the “saved by grace” tattoo on her wrist and used it as an opportunity to share the gospel. They had no idea she was the girl I had spoken with yesterday.
This one is my favorite story of the month. So this cafe has been open for many years and many World Race teams have come through and practiced English with these students. They know the owner is a Christian and the volunteers almost always are. This created a safe environment for the students to approach us with questions about Christianity. This is the case with Joseph. He asked one of my teammates, Brookie, if she could go with him for dinner at the market and she agreed. During their time together he told her, “you know, I think I am a half Christian.” Brooke asked what he meant and he replied, “I know a lot about God, but I’m waiting for Him to talk to me to prove if he is real or not.” Brookie said, “you know, I’ve been a Christian a long time and I’m still learning about how to hear God talk to me. We can learn together.” And she gives him an electronic copy of The Art of Listening Prayer by Seth Barnes, founder of The World Race. This is a book many of us have read/worked through and one that she in particular has wrestled with. Learning to hear God speak can carry a lot of uncertainty about the genuineness of where the thoughts are coming from. Choosing to step into the struggle with Joseph and wrestle through learning to hear God’s voice together just lights my soul on fire; and there’s now a copy of Seth Barnes’ listening prayer book floating around Vietnam. Go Jesus.
It’s been several months since these stories have happened (I know, I’m a terrible blogger. I’m trying to catch up) but we keep contact with these students and are hopefully able to nurture the seeds that have been planted. The gospel is thriving in Vietnam and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
His,
Meredith
