Vietnam is a closed country. Only government approved religious practices are permitted… and conversion to you know what is punishable to the degree of imprisonment… or worse.
Knowing that… imagine sitting in the living room of a house in Vietnam. All the curtains are closed, and a sweet young man stands guard at the front door as thirty or so people sing with arms raised high in the air and rejoice in the fact that they have found a safe place to express what they believe.
If you are like me, the sight of this beautiful expression would instantly bring you to tears. The idea that these precious people, who have a lot to lose, are willing to literally risk their lives because they believe in something so fervently is inspiring.
Being in a closed country has posed new challenges for our team. Our presence here must be careful and calculated. That being said, I cannot explicitly share what we get to do here. Stories will be vague and details will be left out… not for our own sake, but to protect our hosts and our dear new Vietnamese friends. What I can share is that we are living in Ho Chi Minh City. Picture a mixture of L.A. and Miami with French and South East Asian flair. The buildings are tall and modern, the people are friendly and highly educated, and the streets are packed with high-speed motos and fancy German cars. At least that is what it is like in the district of HCMC in which we are living this month.
It’s definitely brought upon culture shock and surprise. Coming from a simple Cambodian village to this lavish, sprawling metropolis has been quite a change. But in the short time that we have been here so far I have already started to adore this city and its people.
Along with spending time with new friends, as described above, we also have the opportunity to share our lives with a somewhat unreached people group in this city… the educated, upper middle class. This may sound strange, but as our host put it, the poor and weary in this nation are being loved and served. But educated young adults, people with stable jobs and comfortable living situations, don’t easily see their true needs… that life is missing something more. They are the forgotten… and are typically looked over by those searching to serve.
That is why this month will be so unique for our team. We get to meet with friendly people that have curious minds to engage in intelligent conversation about our cultures. Coming into an environment where we mutually know we have something to learn from each other fosters genuine discussions … and all the while, we are hoping to create friendships that lead to deeper conversations.
I ask that you ask for favor this month, that relationships can be made and that love can be exchanged through actions. Ask for truth to capture hearts. The people we are meeting have a lot to lose and stable lives that they would be risking if they started to believe. But the idea that they would be willing to risk missing out on worldly life in order to honor truth is something that even I need to have a better grasp on.
I want to learn from the people here… from the new people we get to meet and the friends we have made that already believe. They hunger for life in a risky way, and I want to truly take risks as they do.
