First off I would like to thank my family and supporters who have generously given money to my mission trip. Through your donations I has witnessed the kingdom of God growing and seen the power of the Holy Spirit. Last month I was in Vietnam doing ministry and living life with a wonderful group of followers. To protect our friends and host in Vietnam I will be changing the names of them and calling the organization The Fellowship. Due to Vietnam being a closed country we could not be open about our faith and openly minister to people. However, I never felt like I was a part of a more authentic Christian community then in Vietnam. The wonderful group of believers is on fire for Christ and are from every corner of the world. It is an international congregation
Leader Jonah and his wife Martha have done an amazing job leading The Fellowship. Every Sunday the first part of the service was worship and the second part was the sermon. But in between the worship and the sermon there is a 10-15 minute coffee and tea break, which is how it should be, it’s what Jesus would have wanted.
Apart from meeting members of the fellowship we were able to befriend the delegation from Hong Kong. They are amazing group of people and I can’t wait for the day when I will see them again. It’s remarkable that in a few short days you can form relationships and friendships with people that just happened to be there the same time as you. This is God working in wonderous ways. I could just go on and on about all the people I met but that would be a really long blog and I don’t like writing (tounge in cheek people).
Last month was my favorite month and I greatly enjoyed the ministry. My favorite thing we did was participate in small groups. There is something special about meeting with a small group of people to study the word of the Lord. The intimacy and common desire of the group provides me with a picture of the old church and church’s original design. We also had the fortune of going to an orphanage while in Vietnam. I have never been the biggest fan of children and their germs creep me out.
When I was in the Philippines I would inwardly cringe at times when the children would hug me. All I could think of was I am getting dirty and they probably don’t wash their hands but I would play with them, throw them in the air, and care for them. I now cherish those experiences and every child needs to feel loved. As I have formed a deeper relationship with Jesus my heart has changed. At the orphanage, how clean the children were mattered little to me. Even though my actions were the same in Vietnam at the Philippines the Lord positioned my heart to see the children with only his eyes.
Another ministry we were involved in was teaching English to children every Friday night and Saturday morning. Although I don’t enjoy teaching I had a blast during the life skills classes. I taught the class with Ben, who moved to Vietnam with his family, and he did an amazing job with the children.
I never thought I would say this but I can’t wait to go back to Vietnam. The Lord taught me so much while I was there, but the most important lesson was obedience. Leader Jonah and his wife Martha are the two most obedient followers of Christ I have ever met. Obeying the Lord can be a very difficult task and often seem impossible. People seem to forget that nothing is impossible for the Lord. When we remain obedient the Lord will come through. One thing we must always remember, He works on his own time, not ours.
