There are approximately 8.5 million people living in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon, and hereafter referred to as HCMC), which means that about one in ten people in the entire country of Vietnam calls this city home.
The population is about 80% Buddhist, 11% Roman Catholic and 2% Protestant, which are divided into the legalized “open church” and the underground church, which is more evangelical/charismatic. Our ministry contacts are in the “open church,” and our ministry is going to include visiting churches to encourage the local believers, as well as visiting orphanages, AIDS patients and more.
In HCMC, adventure waits at every step–especially when crossing the street, because the primary form of transportation is motorbike. The vast number of them overwhelming the streets is a sight to behold! I do what the Vietnamese do. First, I take a deep breath and wait for a small break in the traffic flow. Stepping into the street and carefully watching to my left while holding my hand out to acknowledge the motorbike drivers, I inch forward between the bikes whizzing by. Slowly, step by step, as I cross, the motorbikes flow around me like water around a rock. Gaining the other side without getting hit is a small victory every time–it’s like winning a real live round of Frogger!
Other things I’ve enjoyed in HCMC are…
…eating pho (the Vietnamese staple food, a yummy beef noodle soup) with chopsticks (and a spoon for the broth only)
…riding on the back of a ministry contact’s motorbike (and deciding I’m buying one when I get home to the States)
…cooking a delicious lunch in a Vietnamese home, complete with several dishes and beverages that are strictly Vietnames
e (as opposed to Chinese, which has a lot of influence on Vietnamese culture, since China occupied Vietnam for 1,000 years)
e (as opposed to Chinese, which has a lot of influence on Vietnamese culture, since China occupied Vietnam for 1,000 years)…drinking Vietnamese coffee, a SUPER-strong brew mixed with sweetened condensed milk and served over ice. YUM!
…working the rusty math skills with the currency conversion rate ($1 = 16,500 Vietnamese “Dong”). My dinner today cost 25,000 Dong, approximately $1.75
Learning the culture of Vietnam has been an adventure already, but it’s only part of why I’m loving this month of the Race. As we’ve faced spiritual blocks and challenges together, I have seen our squad come together to BE the church, to BE the family, to BE the body of Christ on earth, in a new way.
read part 2 of this blog…
