**Hi everyone! Please note: While I am here, my blog posts will look a little different and will be password protected for safety concerns since Vietnam is a closed country. Make sure to subscribe and enter the password “adventure” to access my posts!
[Bam! We’re in Nam!]
You know how most every state in the US tends to be “The Land of (Something)”? I tried to figure out what Vietnam was the “land of,” and I didn’t find anything (besides one photoshopped inspirational picture saying that it’s the land of butterflies), so I have a few proposed options for your reading pleasure.
- Vietnam: The Land of One Million Dongs
- Vietnam: The Land of Ferocious Fruits
- Vietnam: The Land of Tour Guides Singing Karaoke
- Vietnam: The Land of Copious Cups of Coffee
- Vietnam: The Land of Noods and Dumps (thanks Lo)
- Vietnam: The Land of a Phozillion Phos and a Bazillion Bubble Teas (thanks Dani)
Allow me one second to explain some of those potentially poorly created puns. (1) Dong is the Vietnamese currency, and 1 UDS is about 22,800 VND. Figuring out USD to VND conversions are real fun this month. Needless to say, all that algebra that I learned about six years ago is finally getting used (thanks Ms. Bruce). (2) When I say ferocious fruits, I’m specifically referencing a fruit called durian. Durian grows in large, football shaped spikey orbs, and since it grows on big trees, you have to be really careful when you’re walking in places where it grows. Durian smells like… rotting meat. That’s literally the only way to describe it. And sometimes you’d think, “Oh, well I bet that once you get past the smell, the taste it worth it.” Nope. Big fat nope. It tastes like stale onions. So I have absolutely no idea why everyone here is obsessed it with. Maybe it’s a learned taste. (3) Yesterday, our team went on a tour of the Mekong Delta (which just happens to be the 6th largest river in the world), and our tour guide brought along a golden microphone trophy and sang karaoke the whole tour; he actually hit most of the late 80’s to 90’s hits. I don’t remember the last time I laughed that hard while simultaneously having no idea what was going on. (4) Vietnam is the second largest producer of coffee in the world. Classic Vietnamese coffee consists of a class with ice, one or two strongly brewed espresso shots, and a slosh of sweetened condensed milk. Guys. Wow. Mind blown. To make matters even better, there are coffee shops on every block (usually two or three). I’m in literal heaven. (5) You know what else is on every street? Noodles + dumplings. Food to live by, my friends. Food to live by. (6) Just… prepare yourself for the amount of “pho” puns I’ll be making this month. I would genuinely come back to Vietnam just to eat my way around the country.
[Get Team Themleios Pho-nded!]
I need your help, and so does Team Themelios! Together, my team needs around 152,773,580 VND to stay on the field. Because I love all of you way more than I love math, I’ll do the conversion for you; as a team, we need just shy of $6,700 to all stay on the field. We have a team of 5, and 2 of us are fully funded! Praise H1M! But a few of us need a bit more to stay on the Race. Here’s the breakdown of who needs what:
I need (just) $215. Pho-nomenal!
Sarah Patty needs about $2,000. Pho-bulous!
Danielle Farina needs about $4,500. Pho the Win!
Friends, PLEASE help us get funded! Even though I’m really close to my goal, Danielle and Sarah need your help to be Fully Pho-nded! Wondering what to do with that tax return? Someone on my team could definitely put it to good use in bringing K1ngdom this year! Your gift would be un-Pho-gettable! Here’s how to give:
To help me get in my remaining $215, just click on the “Donate” tab at the top of the page! If you help me get Fully Pho-nded, I’ll give you a shout-out on my next blog! To access my blog, remember to use the password “adventure”.
To help Sarah Patty get in her remaining $2,000, go to SarahPatty.TheWorldRace.org and click on the “Donate” tab at the top of the page! Use the password “SarahsWorldRace”.
To help Danielle Farina get in her remaining $4,500, go to DanielleFarina.TheWorldRace.org and click on the “Donate” tab at the top of the page! Use the password “deemeetsworld”.
Thank you so much for your obedience in helping make sure that Team Themelios can stay on the field and continue to love H1M by loving and serving H1S people this year! If you can’t donate, please pray and share this post with your friends and family, and know that we are praying H1S blessings over you also! The quickest way for us to get funded is through word of mouth, so let’s spread this news like wildfire!
[M1N1STRY update]
Friends, I’m crazy stoked Pho all the cool stuff we get to be a part of this month! I’ll give you more of an in-depth update in a few days, but the people we get to interact with each and every day are so incredible. Our hosts here have some of the biggest hearts for H1M and H1S people and they are so good at loving the Vietnamese people into real relationships with H1M. I’m truly wowed by the way in which our hosts give their all to both their craft and this M1N1STRY. Our team works shifts during the day, and I have the evening shift, which means I get the majority of the day to spend in the W0RD, go for runs, eat cool things (like dragonfruit and sushi and avocado-coffee smoothies; not durian), and intentionally choose relationship and connection with the ladies on my team. This month is hard in terms of connection because at least one team member is working at the coffee shop from 8:00 am-10:00 pm, but H3 has clearly shown our team that we can either choose each other and choose connection and go 110 mph after this thing or decide that it doesn’t matter and it’s too hard and go 0 mph. There is no in-between this month. What a sweet lesson to learn; the lesson of choosing the good things, even when they’re hard. I’ll tell you more soon, so stay posted.
Good Pho you for making it through all the puns. I wrote them all just Pho you!
