During the month of July I was pretty quiet on social media. But for a good reason! We were serving in Vietnam. Since we were in a closed country we had to be hush hush about our ministry for the month.
We were curious about what a month would look like when we could not openly talk about God nor share how He was using us. So the burning question…how did we serve in Vietnam?
Prayer Walks
We started most mornings with prayer on the beach. We had great, expectant prayers for what the Lord would do this month and who He would bring to us. We prayed for the community, the city, the beach, and our host family.This was an opportunity for us to trust God and watch how He would move.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalm 46:10
VBS
In the beginning of the month we served at VBS. What a humbling experience! It was fun to learn silly dances in Vietnamese to get the kids pumped up. We also got to wear animal hats as the theme of the week was the story of Noah.
The kids were amazing! They loved every moment and were super enthusiastic all week. My favorite part was the last day when every child traced a hand and cut out its image. On each finger they wrote the name of one person they could talk to about Jesus.
The photos above were taken by one of the girls we served with!
Coffee Talk with College Students
The main focus of our month was to meet with college students and help them practice English. In the afternoons we met students at local coffee shops. This was a great way to build relationships, ask them if they knew Jesus, and share His name and His love with them.
In the mornings and evenings we went to local English classes to practice conversation with students.
We built some great friendships through coffee dates and classes. One of my favorite moments was getting ice cream and singing karaoke with a big group of our new friends. One afternoon, Kayla and I were invited to go eat some Vietnamese pancakes! They were not what we expected (I’m talking squid, shrimp, and egg “pancakes”), but it was so much fun to venture into the city with our friends.
Sunday afternoons we visited a local church to attend the young adult ministry for worship and fellowship.
Beach Party
We ended our month with a big beach party right where we prayed so many mornings. On the same ground we worshipped our Father, declared our hope for the month, and asked for Him to do great things.
At the end of our party, we handed each of our friends a hand-written verse that we felt was so appropriate.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you. – Psalm 139:17-18
Sometimes we may feel limited in our ministry or how we can serve God. But our Father is sovereign to any obstacle or standstill we may encounter. Sometimes we are called to be still, believe, and know that God will move and do something AMAZING. How is God going to move through your ministry?
Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. -Habakkuk 1:5
