12/10/2012
Last month I had the opportunity to travel throughout Vietnam and work with various ministries. As many of you know, Vietnam is a closed country. Therefore, I can’t mention any of the names of the specific ministries or ministry contacts. But here is a brief breakdown of my month….
Weeks 1-2 (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
For the first couple weeks we were able to work in Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City is the capital of Vietnam and is a bustling, lively city. Most nights I could hear music blaring from the bars and clubs into all hours of the night from inside our hostel! Check out the traffic….
Motorbikes everywhere!
Helmets and Afro's don't mix well…
In Vietnam, the best way to encounter people is just by opening your mouth. Most people love to have conversations and practice their English. Because of this most of the outreach is through English language classes, various outings and relationship building. Thus, we spent most of the first two weeks building relationships and just talking with other 20-something’s about life, sports, everything! It was great to get to hear about life in Vietnam and to hear about different life perspectives. I was also blessed with the opportunity to explain the “why” behind my visiting Vietnam, and also to share a bit about my faith.
Week 3 (Da Nang,Vietnam)
After spending several weeks in Ho Chi Minh City, my fellow squad leader, Patrice, and I hopped on a flight and headed north to Da Nang, Vietnam, a northern coastal city. Unlike, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang was much less crowded and had a more peaceful feel. Similar to Ho Chi Minh City, most of the outreach was about building relationships and assisting different Christian-based outreaches. One of the primary ways that the teams did outreach was through visiting a home for the elderly and disabled. During our week in Da Nang, we were able to visit a large home that housed elderly men and women, as well as children with various mental and physical disabilities. The day was both heartbreaking and very rewarding. It was hard to see the tough living conditions, especially for some of the disabled children. Thankfully, the teams in Da Nang were able to visit a couple of times and bring joy and laughter to those living in the community. Here is a picture of me taking a walk with one of the disabled girls. She would constantly grab someone’s hand, walk for a couple minutes, and then find someone new to walk with.
All in all, Vietnam was a busy, travel-filled month. It is an extremely beautiful country, with beautiful people. In the next blog I’ll give y’all some details from my final month squad leading in Cambodia! Stay tuned…
