Important Preface to this Blog… it is coded because of where I am.
What a first day in Vietnam…
I want to fill you all in. Our first day in Vietnam was a wake up call. First off it was Chinese New Year… aka Tet… so 1,000s of people were all over Ho Chi Minh City. It was crazy. When we first arrived we were definitely spotted as tourists by the local cab company. The taxi ride we had (which should have cost $2) ended up costing us $15. Our taxi driver said Happy New Years and drove off with our money.
We settled into our hostel and decided to go out to dinner. Dinner was great and people were everywhere celebrating the New Year. Flowers, music, and people galore. After dinner we decided to explore the city and see the New Years festivities. Cars were literally bumper to bumper and people were crawling over them. We couldn’t move. I took a picture, put my camera away, and two minutes later after not being able to move, my bag was unzipped and my camera was gone. It’s true… I was pick pocketed. Physically I was completely fine; I honestly did not even notice.
Overall, you all know how much I love and desire to capture this year through photographs. But now that I got camera number 2 stolen I am deciding to keep my joy. Walking around this year without a camera would be really hard for me. But I cannot afford to purchase a new one while out on the race this year. My heart is sad because of this loss, but I know I am not ruled by material things. I am hanging on loosely to the things of this world.
This year is shaping my character and I am so excited for where I am headed. P ray for me as JC continues to shape my character through trials of removal in my life. I am blessed to be surrounded by an amazing community of like minded people. We are serving and loving throughout the world. We love because he first loved us, even if that means being sent out only with a backpack and having everything stolen from you, thank goodness for me it was just a camera. If that is what it takes to love, I am willing. I have trust that JC will provide for me.
