“May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.”
Psalm 90:17
6 days into UH month and the Lord has established the work of our hands! He has been ever faithful. I wanted to share a glimpse of this from our first ministry contact meeting last night.
Backstory: One of my squad leaders served on Z-Squad last year (January-November 2014). Two of her teammates, Cicely and Ginna, have returned to Vietnam to serve in Ho Chi Minh City. They reunited during our training days in the city, and Cicely shared that she had some contacts for our team to meet up with as part of UH possibilities.
Cicely helped bridge her contact with meeting us. Cicely, along with her mom (who has come to serve in Vietnam with her this month) and Ginna, invited us to dinner before meeting with the pastors. It was neat to hear how the WR had impacted their lives and how the Lord is currently working in their futures in Vietnam.
We then walked to a coffee shop to meet up with the pastors. As our first ministry contact, I wasn’t sure what to expect or even how to begin. However, the Lord moved and showed up.
The pastor shared that the Gospel has been in Vietnam for only 100 years—but there has been such explosion of the church throughout the country. These pastors work with over 100 churches throughout Vietnam. They have so many connections and ministries throughout the country. They are hungry for leaders to help train and disciple the men and women of Vietnam. In the past year, they have gone from 500 graduates to 1000 graduates in their gospel teaching classes. They have had 100 graduates in their Bachelors and Masters Theological University. They have children’s ministries, youth ministries, and women’s ministries. Many of the provinces around Ho Chi Minh City are so hungry for pastor training as well. The pastor even said that people around the world view Vietnam as a closed country, and officially they might be, but the reality isn’t so. The people in Vietnam are ready for the Gospel, they are ready for a transformation.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 9:36-38
Lord, I pray for the laborers that you desire to rise up and bring to Vietnam (whether from Vietnam or other nations). I ask, as Your Word says, for you to send out workers in abundance into the plentiful harvest so evident in Vietnam! They are hungry for You, they desire to know more. Answer their calls. Bring Your light, Your hope, Your love.
Keep reading…the story doesn’t stop here.
In the midst of this meeting, Cicely and her mom asked about contacts with orphanages because Cicely had worked with one when she served in Vietnam on her race. One of the pastors immediately called another pastor who is over an orphanage, and this pastor spoke Korean. Guess what? Cicely’s mother is Korean. No need for a translator. Through this conversation, she set up an appointment for us to meet with this pastor today at 3pm!
Also, during our time with the pastors, Ginna shared that she is partnered with an American couple that could also be possible contacts for WR and could share more information with us about ministries in Vietnam.
3 contacts, 30 minutes. I stand in awe. I stand in amazement of His sovereignty and provision. His Hand is at work.
Along with the work that God did to allow us to meet several contacts, He worked within our team. Huong, the World Race’s first Exposure team member, was able to translate the meeting for us (to clarify understanding and share the heart of World Race). Jen, another teammate, is trusting in God to restore her hearing abilities. She was able to hear the entire conversation and persevere to stay engaged in the two-hour conversation.
His hand is at work. In Vietnam. In Team Overcome.
Prayers:
*Pray for wisdom and guidance for our team.
*Pray for His hand to continue to guide us as we seek out Unsung Heroes in Vietnam.
*Pray blessings on the kingdom work of each ministry we meet, whether they become partnered with Adventures or not.
