Leadership development weekend is supposed to be a time of rest, relaxation, and refueling after a long month of nonstop ministry. I was definitely more intentional about resting and spending time with God than I did at our last debrief. See Tyler Oldham’s blog for more details on why it wasn’t restful and what steps I have taken to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
I have been learning how to play the guitar since week two of India so I have been looking for a good, yet affordable one to purchase. While meandering the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, former Saigon, Vietnam, I stumbled across a guitar shop. While looking at all of them I found the one, it was like she was calling my name. She had a beautiful dark wood grain, dark fretboard, a striking matte finish, and flat black tuners. I was in love. I negotiated with the shop keeper for a minute and decided to pray about the purchase and return the next day.
After a day of thought and prayer, I returned to procure my new baby. The elderly gentleman didn’t know how to properly operate his credit card machine, so he charged me twice. Trying to figure out what happened over the language barrier was incredibly frustrating. After a while of hand motions, grabbing neighboring shop owners who didn’t speak english eiither, and a hefty dose of Google translate, I left the store with my guitar and the equivalent of what the guitar cost in cash, about 4 million dong ($175). The next day I checked my bank balance to look at the pending charge and I was minus a thousand dollars. After checking my wallet I realized I didn’t have my debit card. Evidence shows, I must have either dropped it in the store, or not gotten it back from the shop keeper. I know this because the first fraudulent purchase was at the same shop I bought the guitar.
I found the nearest leader and used her phone to call my bank. Due to a lack of international minutes on the phone, I was kicked off the line about 4 minutes in. The same thing happened with the next two phones I used. At this point you could guess the average temperature of my blood was roughly 300 degrees Fahrenheit. After a nice walk around the city and buying minutes on one of the phones, I was finally able to talk to my bank. Due to my lack of cell phone service and wifi, they couldn’t confirm my identity so I couldn’t report fraudulent charges, and they wouldn’t cancel my card. Roughly an hour later, after I had some time to cool off, I checked my account and ANOTHER $1000 WAS SPENT.
Finally, after procuring steady wifi at the local smoothie joint, I was able to talk to my bank while enjoying a nice loganberry, ginger something or other. Long story long, they canceled my card and are looking into the fraudulent charges. Meanwhile, I am 10 days and $1,300 behind on my next to last financial deadline. The cash that was stolen was my extra money for snacks, any gear I needed or lost, to bless locals with, medical emergencies, or my cushion in case donations don’t come in in time. I called my bank and they said it would be three days before I heard anything back.
At this point, I have realized I have no other option but to trust God. He has never let me down before, so I’m kinda just sitting back and waiting for him to show off.
I trust my heavenly father
I can already see God working in the fact that the shop owner gave me back way more money in cash than I ever would have pulled out of the ATM. Therefore, if I am frugal, I should be able to make it until South Africa when my squad mentor can me another card. Meanwhile, I need y’all to pray for me and pray for the person who stole my card. They are in need of the Jesus that saved me from that life of theft. Pray that they are blessed so far beyond what they could ever imagine and that they would meet the one who gave them those blessings. Pray that God draws their heart to himself. Let’s go to war for this guys soul.
Also, since my cushion is gone, I need y’all to donate. If I don’t raise $1,300 by the end of the month we will have to talk about going home. Please consider even a $20 gift. Love y’all, thank you for investing in the Kingdom thorough me.
