Okay, okay…I admit it. Blogging is not my strong point. I know many of you have been waiting for an update on what Team Harmony has been doing the last few months, and I apologize for the delay. I am going to try to give an update on what we have done in the last few months through a summary of pictures. Enjoy…
Vietnam
Country #9 of the race presented us with an opportunity to “ATL” (“Ask the Lord”). Our team was given a list of possible countries in Southeast Asia to travel to, and asked to seek the Lords’ guidance on where He was leading us. After weeks of prayer, we unanimously decided that we were being led to Vietnam. Heading to Vietnam would present us with a couple of challenges that we had not yet faced. To begin with, Vietnam is a closed country- we would not be able to openly evangelize or share our faith in public. We would have to be much more careful with the way we spoke, the words we used, and the people we came in contact with. Furthermore, we did not have a ministry contact in Vietnam- this meant that we would have to be very intentional in finding ministry opportunities- much more so than any other month of the race. Thankfully, the Lord was so faithful to clearly lead us exactly where we were supposed to be…
We spent our first two weeks in Ho Chi Minh City, working with a brand new covert church that is geared to the Internationals living in the city. We learned how to use code language in our everyday conversation as we addressed each other as “M’s” (missionaries) working at a “C” (church) and often going on “P-walks” (prayer walks).
We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City just in time to experience preparations for “Tet”, the nations’ largest annual holiday. In celebration, there was a flower festival on just about every corner…
After spending a week in Ho Chi Minh City, we traveled to the capital city of Hanoi. Since we had no ministry set up in Hanoi, we made a “bucket list” of things we would like to accomplish while in the city. The first item on our list included offering to wash dishes at a local restaurant while asking nothing in return. Since most establishments were closed in honor of the Tet holiday, we quickly became friends with the staff at the one restaurant the was consistently open…the “Gecko”. We knew right away that this would be the spot for us to volunteer to do the dishes…
The staff at the “Gecko” was so thrilled with our offer that they immediately put us to work. We spent many days in the next two weeks working at the restaurant as waitresses, bartenders, and cooks. More than anything, we spent our time building relationships with the staff and many customers…
To complete the next item on our “bucket list” we planted rocks with scriptures written on them in the park in hopes of laying a foundation of truth in the city…
Our next “bucket list” item included playing worship songs in the city park, counteracting the spirit of oppression with a spirit of praise. As we sang to the Lord, Kris and Carrie painted beautiful pictures, which drew quite a crowd…
Finally, we made “Happy Valentines Day” cards and delivered them to the American Embassy to show a little love…
Our month in Vietnam was an incredible time for our team to daily listen to the Spirit’s guidance to lead us to exactly where we were supposed to be. I will never forget the relationships that I built that month and the ways that I saw the Spirit move, even in a country that openly denies God. God’s love is pursuing this country and He is moving even in spite of spiritual oppression.
My friend Son, who we worked with at “Gecko”, is one of the many people we met in Vietnam that will remain in my heart. I pray often for the love of God to continue pursuing Son and to break down walls in his heart. He has an incredibly precious spirit…
As always, thank you so much for your continued prayers. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog chronicling our adventures in Nicaragua…
With Love, Angela
