It started with a Birthday (picture blog)

I would love to share with you about some amazing people I met in Vietnam last month. Thank you for all your love Family and friends It means so much to me.

 

 

A little about Vietnam: Vietnam is one of only five countries in the world that is still ruled by a Communist party and is closed country. We are not allowed to be missionaries or even say that word in Vietnam. We were to erase that word from our vocabulary and when we needed to use the word we simply  called it or people “M’s”. Although it is okay to be Christian they do not want to know about missionaries in the country and we could be in big trouble if heard “converting people” because we are foreigners and could face imprisonment. But you are totally allowed to share about Jesus with friends!😉 But we had to be careful and stay vigilant because there is undercover workers looking for missionaries.

*Names will be kept private for their own safety.

  

 In the day time the beach looks like the picture below but there isn’t that many people because the sun is very strong and theres not much shade unless you rent a chair. But at night or as early as 5:30 am, there is SO MANY people.In Vietnam it is common to see many elder people walking and doing group workouts very early in the morning or very late at night along the beach or near the Han River and there was many tourists walking along the beach as well from many parts of the world and even locals.

This happy story began one night while staying near the shore of Vietnam in a city called Da Nang, I invited my friend and teammate Nicole to go on a walk with me along the beach. At home Nicole and I both enjoy taking log strolls so I thought she would the perfect person to accompany me.

As we were walking I saw a cake surrounded by 5 girls and if you know me you know that I love singing happy birthday to anyone. So I saw my opportunity to sing to complete strangers and make everyone sing along to the birthday girl. The girls invited us to sit and have cake and snacks and even share their drinks with us. They were so kind to us and before we left I made sure that we got their contact info to hang out again. I thought to myself how I didn’t feel totally constricted about being in a closed country because I now have local friends.

Sometimes ministry looks like having fun with girls and making deep friendships. I am glad I had the opportunity to meet local students and talk about some of their life goals and be there for them to hear and even practice their english. All three are studying International Relations.

Our lovely friends picked us up days later to hangout and go get some vegetarian dinner and drinks. The brown drink was peanut milk, the yellow ones are soy bean milk and mine was coconut milk. It reminded me of “aquas frescas” that we have in Mexico and you get from a small vendor on the side of the road like we did in Vietnam. I was very comfortable in Vietnam now. 

And just when I thought how normal it was to hangout with locals like I would back home with others a man next to our table only kept looking at us. I was not scared but I stayed vigilant. As we were walking out he approached my friend and she later told me that he was asking where she met us and insi on knowing. She only replied “at the beach“. I’m not sure if he was a spy but that was my first and only encounter with someone following us and demanding answers.

 

And just when I thought about how normal I felt being in Vietnam felt because I was with these new friends and doing similar things with that I would do with others back home. I could feel that a man sitting nearby to our table kept staring at us and I stayed vigilant. As we were walking out followed us as we were getting situated on the motorbikes and he stood in front of the motorbike and I couldn’t understand what he was asking her but she later told me that he was asking where she met us and insi on knowing. She only replied “at the beach“. I’m not sure if he was a spy but that was my first and only encounter with someone following us and demanding answers.

 

While on the race I knew that I unfortunately because I was born in July I would not be celebrating my birthday on the race but one day my dear friends had a cake and said “happy birthday” at me and Nicole, they wanted to throw us a pretend birthday and since Nicole had her real birthday in Ukraine I accepted it to be my pretend birthday.

I was very sad the last day I was able to see my friends. We went to one of the busiest markets in Vietnam to and try something new. Nicole and I had prepared a little something to leave them with along with a heartfelt note. This new found friendship that I did not expect when it started at the beach with a simple cake is one I will remember and think about whenever I hear Vietnam. I am truly grateful for the girls and i am aware that even with the distance they will be my friends I will have living on the side of the world wherever I may be. And I continue to pray that they will find Jesus wherever they choose to go.

 

How to pray for Vietnam:

• Pray that they would come to faith in Christ through their Christian relatives/friends.

• As the Christian minority grows, the government works hard to monitor churches and curb the growth of Christianity. Pray for a loosening of restrictions and increased freedom.

 

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