Before heading to Vietnam, I was warned about being treated harshly by the Vietnamese people because of being an American. I braced myself for cold interactions, unwelcoming expressions, and frigid exchanges. These warnings couldn’t have been more unnecessary or untrue, as I was greeted with warm smiles and eager conversations throughout the entire month of my stay. You see, after the war, many Vietnamese were hurt, both physically and emotionally. Whether fair or not, Americans got a bad name here. People saw Americans as the ones that brought all that pain and destruction to their country. Now nearly 40 years later, there is an amazing story of redemption taking place in Vietnam.
My team has worked quite extensively with a wonderful family that has a Vietnamese father and an American mother. This family has beautiful children that are avid learners of both Vietnamese and English, an exciting blend of the two cultures. The family runs an English school, and their work there is providing students with a quality education that will boost their English speaking and writing skills. While speaking with the father of this family, he told us about the pain and sadness that the Vietnam War brought to his country. He said, Americans came for very different reasons during that time as compared to now. He had no bitterness or hatred towards the military, but an understandable sadness that his country was involved in such a difficult war.
His sadness immediately gave way to warmth and optimism when he talked about our team. This is by no means a bragging session on the work we were doing, but to see this excitement was very encouraging. He told us about the redemptive work of Christ through the relationships between the US and Vietnam, specifically through the people and not just the governments. He told us of the ways God was sending people now to share the love of Christ, to repair the broken relationships, and to celebrate and experience the Vietnamese culture. The arrival of Americans now means something so much more promising.
He spoke passionately about his country and his desire to see our countries work together. I think that this is such a beautiful picture of Christ’s love. You look at relationships in our world, and sometimes it’s easy to see lives broken by pain and heartache, yet when Jesus shows up on the scene, things change! Things are changing in Vietnam for the better. Vietnamese people are anxious to speak with Americans and eager to know about our lives. While walking to the grocery store one day, a girl approached my teammates and I. Her mother had sent her to speak to us, and we walked for several blocks just sharing a warm conversation while her mom rode next to us on the street on her motorbike. She was so grateful for the few blocks we walked and the words we shared, but I was more excited that she was brave enough to come and chat. I was elated that her mom trusted us enough to encourage her daughter to come talk to us, complete strangers! Instead of seeing us as a sign of a painful past and living reminders of our country’s history, she saw us as friendly, warm, and welcoming.
Like I said, things change when Jesus shows up on the scene. And for a second, though we didn’t explicitly say it, we got to be Jesus to our new friend. When we leave our comfort zones and make the trek around the world to go share His love with people, things change! Who knows what is in store for the political relationship between these two countries, but I know one thing, Christ is still very much working and moving. He is certainly in the business of redemption! He could’ve left the relationship between our countries in disrepair. He could’ve left the people with hatred in their hearts towards Americans. But He didn’t. He is performing a mighty work of redeeming this once tragic relationship, opening of doors for people to understand His love and forgiveness! It’s been an amazing month in Vietnam, filled with a partnership between an international church and watching in amazement at the mighty redemptive work of the Father! Next up, Uganda!!!
