The border crossing consisted of us being called one by one and walking through past a desk, dropping off all of our luggage to be screen checked by a sleeping guard, picked up again and have our passports looked at by a guard and then loaded back up onto the bus?
Christmas signs, Christmas trees, tinsel, mistletoe, Christmas music and presents decorated the streets of Ho Chi Minh City?
We went to the Cu Chi Tunnels and saw the Vietnamese side of the Vietnam War?
We crawled through the tunnels that were expanded by 35% for the “fat Americans, I mean tourists” (thanks tour guide for offending us once again)?
Tyler was asked if he wanted his shoes shined 7 times one breakfast?
You would take 2 steps outside of the hotel and you would be asked if you wanted sunglasses, fans, bookmarks, bracelets, books, maps, fruit or anything else your heart desired?
Vietnamese dancers dressed in hip-hop clothes were country line dancing at the International Cuisine Festival Opening Ceremonies?
Bicyclists that rode down the alley would play Christmas carols in Vietnamese?
The nativity scene was created out of toilet paper rolls?
We discovered that buying a pack of Oreos and taking them to the smoothie stand lady was the best thing invented when she blended them in with ice, condensed milk and coffee?
Coffee and fries apparently are not 2 items that are eaten together even though the restaurant sign is called “Coffee and Fries”?
You, as a pedestrian, control the flow and pathways of traffic, unless if it’s a bus?
Disney Channel was a way of teaching English to Vietnamese students?
A French lady was teaching English to Vietnamese young adults?
An ice cream cone for 3,000 Dong, pack of Oreos for 7,500 Dong and a Coca-Cola Light for 7,500 Dong was one of the best ways to spend time with a teammate for a Buddy Date?
You were constantly reminding yourself of how little you were actually spending even though the numbers were always in the thousands (1 USD = 20,000 Dong)?
The donkey in the International Church’s Children’s Christmas Play was really grumpy and the star of the show?
You look around and see a truck in the middle of the road, construction workers with no hard hats, safety gear or shirts on, food stands all over, motos dodging around vehicles and people, a man walking across the street with a giant pot and you question where in the world you really are?
The sidewalk is another lane for the motos to drive on, especially during rush hour?
We had to give the police our passports because the Vietnamese government likes to know where we are at all times?
We spent the night in a hotel that had air conditioning, but couldn’t use it because it would cost extra money?
I ended up sleeping in the hallway of the hotel because it was cooler than the room?
Tyler had his FIRST coffee?
Chip dressed up as Santa Claus and danced around on stage in front of 500 people?
We had to sing “Joy to the World” and we only remembered the first verse and a few words to the other 3 verses?
We were told to dress nice for our Christmas performance, and what we were wearing were some of the nicest clothes we owned, so we looked into buying suits and nice dresses with team money for ministry purposes?
Tyler as Santa is the Santa that prepares for the flood?
The girls tried to sing, “Joy to the World” but all started on different notes, and they were all the wrong ones?
We used old socks for stockings?
We used sparklers for the Candlelight Christmas Eve Service?
We played “Where’s Waldo?” in the middle of the Christmas traffic?
We woke up Christmas Day and our socks that were hanging from the shelf were filled with surprises and fruit was placed all over the room?
When everyone was up early on Christmas Day, not from excitement of opening presents from Santa, but in eagerness of talking to family and loved ones at home?
