Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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We are not in Africa anymore.

In every sense of the phrase. 

After 3 months in the bush of Africa the mere sight of airplanes, paved roads, McDonalds, and air conditioning are almost too much to handle.  We are in a major city in Vietnam where we are able to hop in a taxi, grab a bite to eat a pizza hut, and buy a new Gucci bag on the way to a water park if we please. The opportunities are endless here, at least comparatively.  We all have beds and there are toilets and telephones and TVs. Quite the change.

So we are physically not in Africa anymore and…

We are also not in Africa anymore societally.  We on a whole different playing field.  We went from the continent that in my head symbolizes free worship and uninhibited praise for the Lord to a communist country where it is illegal to proselytize and religion is heavily monitored and persecuted. Upon arrival we were told we may be followed, that we shouldn’t mention any organization names, that we can’t use certain words in our emails and blogs…or we may be thrown out of the country. We aren’t talking detention or a slap on the wrist, no; we are talking escorted out of this place. That was enough to get me listening.

I feel like I have more or less spent the last 8 months getting to a place where I can effectively and confidently share my beliefs and ask people about theirs. So to get to Vietnam and be told that we can’t really do that seemed like hitting a brick wall. It seemed like we stopped the momentum. 

“Umm, God, why are we here? How will we do anything when we can’t even talk about you?”

Exactly. 

That’s the point. It doesn’t matter what words we use or if we are able to use any at all. It doesn’t matter what country we are in or what ministry we are a part of. It doesn’t matter if there is someone better suited for the job or more qualified. It doesn’t matter. Nothing that we are doing is about us. It’s all about the workings of God.

All over the Bible God makes things happen out of hopeless situations. Times when the odds are against people and there doesn’t seem to be a point…God showed up and He moved.

So that’s what I am praying for this month. That through the relationships we are making, that are void of the name Jesus, that the truth of Jesus will still be known. That people’s hearts are still touched, without the utterance of one word. That nothing that happens can be attributed in any way to us or the work we are doing.

So pray for Vietnam. Pray for us. Pray that we are protected here. Pray that we won’t get into any trouble. Pray for the kids, students, elderly, lepers, outcasts, and orphans that we are meeting with each week. Pray that despite the restrictions put over their country that they open their hearts to the love and hope of Jesus.  Pray that with us.