In Vietnam, we spent the month working along side a Vietnamese man by the name of Mr. Minh.
He, along with his wife and two children, felt called by God a few years ago to open their home to the orphans and the less fortunate, and so they did. The four of them share ONE BEDROOM in what was once their home so that they can love and minister to the children and parents in their community.
They made their home a school / daycare. They provide free day care services Monday-Saturday so that parents can work and save money to better the lives of their family. All that the parents have to pay is a small fee that helps cover the costs of the food that they prepare for the children daily. Mr. Minh also teaches three English classes in his home every evening Monday-Saturday at no cost for children that could never afford it.
If I have learned ANYTHING about Asia, it is that the English language is a HUGE deal and is highly valued, its a common thread in every Asian country I have been to. If you can speak English, your opportunities for better jobs double. So because of Mr. Minh’s obedience and willingness to sacrifice so much, children that otherwise wouldn’t be able to have this opportunity, are now being invited into it freely with open arms.
He also allows orphans to come live with them, and has become a father to many orphans throughout the years, including one of his daughters, whom he adopted several years ago. She is now a teacher at his school, she is serving God faithfully, and is married with two daughters of her own.
Mr. Minh currently has two young men living with him that have no where else to go. He has become a father and spiritual leader to them, and he is helping them go to Bible School.
This is just a small glimpse of what all Mr. Minh is doing. I am still mind blown, encouraged, and inspired when I think of all that Mr. Minh is doing for the Kingdom of God.
After our first day of meeting Mr. Minh, and hearing all about his ministry and his heart, we were all in and ready to serve in whatever way he needed us to!
In order to give him and the staff a break, the women on the team helped in the day care all day Monday-Friday. Chelsea and Rebekah were with the older children in one class, and Holly and I were in another class with the babies and toddlers.
My daily views consisted of a little one wrapped around my leg, little arms stretched out towards me desperately wanting to be held, endless giggles that a heart could never forget, little fingers playing with my hair, tears that needed to be wiped, ouchies that needed to be kissed, and.. I won’t sugar coat it all.. my daily views also consisted of pee that needed to be cleaned up, and yes even poo. It consisted of being thrown up on a few times, wiping snotty noses all day, and cleaning up a huge mess after every meal. Lol. And sometimes the constant reliance on me from 15 little ones all day long got overwhelming, BUT I wouldn’t have had it any other way…
“For Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”” -Matthew 19:14
So as days got long, and sometime hard, I remembered Jesus earnestly reminding me to let them come…
“Let them laugh loudly. Let them cry. Let them cling to you. Let them play with your hair. Let them need you. Let them love you. Let them come to you. For in you, there is also ME.”
For Jesus loves the little children, so how could we not? They are innocent and pure in heart, and they have a faith like no other.
We are even told to be more like them!
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” -Matthew 18:3
I am grateful for my time in Vietnam.
I can only hope that I taught these little ones half of what they taught me.
I may never know if I did, but there is one thing I am sure of…
The children taught me patience, freedom, faith, pure and undefiled love, loyalty, gentleness, resilience, joy, and trust.
And Mr. Minh taught me how to “let them come”, no matter the cost and no matter the circumstances.
He opened up about how tired he is. He wakes up before 5am to prepare for the arrival of 30+ children. He stays up late teaching 3 English classes with NO pay. He has no personal space to just be and rest alone, as his home is always filled with children and staff, and even when they aren’t there, he shares a small bedroom with his family. He even allows some of the children to stay the night there when their parents work late.
He shared about how hard it is to answer the call of God sometimes.
He wept.
But, he quickly dried his tears, picked up his guitar, and began to sing praises to our God. He then began to reflect on all that God had done for him. Mr. Minh shared about how he lived a hard life of abandonment as a child after his mother left him, he began to cry again, and said that if he could just help these children the way that God helped him, then it was ALL worth it. Jesus is worth it. The children are worth it. Their bright futures are worth it. The seeds that are being sown, that will flourish one day, are worth it …NO MATTER THE COST.
My jaw dropped.
Mr. Minh reminds me of a man named Jesus.
He is selfless, passionate, loving, understanding, tender, merciful, strong, joyful, and kind.
May we learn from people like Mr. Minh.
May we be willing to sacrifice all for the sake of children, the lost, hurting, broken, the orphans, the widows, the lost cause… for the sake of the gospel, no matter the cost. Isn’t that what Jesus did?
May we be willing to LET THEM COME.
Thank you for following our journey of learning, teaching, serving, and growing.
Love, Tess.
“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”
-1 Peter 2:21
Meet Mr. Minh ^
Mr. Minh’s adopted daughter and now granddaughter.
Can you tell she’s loved by all? 😉
Our team with Mr. Minh and Han, one of the young men staying with him.
Missing this… ^^^
Us praying over Mr. Minh before we left.
P.S.- I will share in the next blog specifics on what else we all did in Vietnam ministry wise, I just had to share what I learned from my time there first. Also, a “Vietnam Recap” video will be posted with the next blog on Vietnam! Woohoo! Yes, recap videos are back! So stay tuned!
