Like I had previously noted, my team lived in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam for the month of January. This is in the very northern part of the country. We did not have a ministry host, as we were supposed to truly let the Lord guide us. The intention of an ATL, ask the lord, month is to plant seeds in a dry community, and find potential ministry hosts for future world race teams. We were not allowed to say the word, ‘missionary,’ as our occupation was illegal in the country.
It was hard for me at first. I laid awake in our hostel at night, on more than one occasion, letting the enemy distract my brain and grow fear of the, ‘what ifs,’ for my time here… “What if we accidentally slipped the forbidden word? What if the government found out? What if we were kidnapped? What if we were split up?” The list went on and on. We were more than an hour from another team on our squad, so the reaction for possible help, would have been long.
In those times of fear and anxiety I was not trusting God. I was not believing that He was fully capable of protecting me in times of danger, and that being obedient to His voice would produce so much fruit.
I often find that through my relationship with Jesus, I do not fully understand the purpose for various life happenings until they have passed. Upon reading Joshua 2 this morning, I sparked a connection with the spies that God instructed Joshua to send to the land of Jericho. God had promised the Israelites this land in hopes that they would spread His love to those that lived there. I cannot imagine what it was like for those two men, so scary!! A prostitute, who was in touch with the Lord’s voice knew that these men were sent here by the heavenly father, and needed her protection. She expressed to them in Joshua 2:9, “I know that God has given you the land. We’re all afraid. Everyone in the country feels hopeless. We heard how God dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt, and what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you pot under a holy curse and destroyed. We heard it and our hearts sank. We all had the wind knocked out of us. And all because of you, you and God, your God, God of the heavens above and God of the earth below.”
It is not always easy following the Lord’s plan for our lives, but then again, it is not always about us. Our purposes in life should be beneficial to His kingdom, and His truth. It wasn’t till I opened my eyes, and actually tuned into the voice of our father, that I started making connections in the community. This month was full of blessings!
We poured in a lot of love to our hostel owner, and his welcoming family!
We ate our weight in homemade dumplings from a woman who studied pharmacy in China.
I bought fresh fruit daily, from a local vendor after my runs.
We got to spend time with a public elementary school of 400 students.
We attended mass with local university Catholic students and grew in fellowship with several of them.
In a place that was marked dangerous and dry, I couldn’t have felt more loved and tuned into the spirit. This trip has not just shown fruit in those I’ve had the privilege to serve, but more so in the intimacy and obedience that I’ve grown in with the Lord. I feel so exceptionally lucky to have spent time in Northern Vietnam and am looking forward to all that is in store for the next 7 months!
