I have cried a lot this month. Tears of desperation for salvation & tears of joy from new salvation. But mainly tears of my heart being truly touched by the Vietnamese people.
I don’t care what the government says about this being a Buddhist country because God lives here and he lives in the people.
I am struggling to write in words how meaningful this month was to me in regards to the relationships I built.
Our ministry consisted of going to Coffee shops to teach English and build hang out with college kids.
Over the past couple weeks I have been able to bond with different students through broken English but nothing short of a broken heart. I have been able to share stories about Jesus and who He is but I believe these people already know him in their hearts because they were able to share with me the friendship and love that Jesus talks about.
The students here have taken hours, days and weekends out of their exam month to come be my friend. But this was not just a chance to speak to a foreign person this was a chance for them to speak into my heart.
To any of my students who might be reading this, please translate this into Vietnamese because this post is for you.
Thank you for the little things. There was not an action that went unnoticed. From the rides on your mottos, to taking us dancing under the bridge, the trip to Ha Noi, helping me find cheap chicken, driving me around town to do errands, dancing with me in cafes, late night street food dinners, hosting us at your home, teaching us games, worshiping with us, trying our nasty American Mac n cheese, laughing at my attempt to speak Vietnamese, laughing at my attempt to teach you English, introducing me to G-dragon, making me obsessed with Korea, buying me birthday cakes upon birthday cakes, cooking for me, singing and serenading me, making me feel so special, for listening to me and for all your prayers. Thank you for your questions and curiosity. Thank you for encouraging me in my faith. Your friendship has meant the world to me.
I have felt so at peace during the holidays this month. You made my birthday the most special day I could have asked for. You made our Christmas parties feel like home.
I feel at home here with you all because you are my brothers and sisters. You have treated me like a family member, a sister in Christ who you sacrifice your time for. You never made me feel like I didn’t belong or that I didn’t fit in with you or your friends. You invited me in and you took time to get to know me and my culture. You didn’t judge or complain, you loved me where I was at.
My heart is for you and your country. I pray that you all accept Jesus into your lives because He is our father and he is a good good father. I will always call you brothers & sisters, I will always be here for you. I pray that the Holy Spirit fills Da Nang so that you are not the minority. I pray that God gives you strength to keep fighting the persecution of Christians because freedom is on the other side and I could taste it. Someday that Lady Buddha will be brought down and Jesus face will overlook the ocean and city.
Whether you believe it or not, Jesus lives inside of you and I saw it this month with your love and friendship. I love you all so so much. Thank you for making this month a time in my life I will never forget.
This month 27 students came to Christ through Campus Crusades the organization we partnered with. They were not all my students but I was blessed enough to pray with multiple students during our Christmas party to accept Jesus into their hearts. This was truly the greatest Christmas gift I could have ever received.
Most months we share the gospel and leave hoping that seeds were planted. This month we got to be the last watering of seeds that were planted a long time ago from other World Races and the Campus Crusades team. Salvation has never felt so real and tangible this month. I am so so grateful for my time here in Vietnam. I hope this post can encourage anyone and everyone to keep fighting and praying for the people of Vietnam but also any students or friends you are sharing your faith with. I pray that Jesus can touch their hearts this Christmas too.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!
