I can’t believe that we’ve been in Vietnam for almost two weeks now! The time is just flying by! I had read somewhere that after month four of the World Race, time speeds up, and I am finally buying into it. Wow! In three days, I will be halfway done with the World Race.
I just realized that even though I’ve been here almost two weeks, I haven’t really told you about my ministry this month yet. I told you some cool stories about what God’s doing here, but I haven’t given you any background information about our month.
This month, my team is ministering to the residents (and tourists) of Ho Chi Minh City. We have such a diverse ministry this month. Every week is different, and each day could change without warning. We have different opportunities to work alongside local churches and faith-based organizations. For example, yesterday we partnered with a local church that sponsors a rehab center. We went to the home and worshipped God with recovering heroin addicts. We heard their stories and shared ours. We led worship and played games. Last week, we went to a leper hospital where we sang songs and shared the gospel. A lady who had just been admitted to the hospital came and accepted Christ that night. There have been some really amazing opportunities that we have had the chance to take part in!
Unlike the last few months, I have been blessed with fantastic living conditions! My team and two other teams are living in a hotel this month! Our hotel is nestled in the backpacker’s district. We have hot showers, a powerfully cold AC unit, a porch, beds, and a laundry service downstairs. We also have access to a kitchen in the hotel. We are right downtown in the city, so we are constantly bombarded by hawkers. I can’t even count how many people have harassed us on the street to buy Ray Ban sunglasses, pirated books, videos, and CDs. We are definitely in a tourist area. I have an array of foods to choose from for meals, but I’ve found that fresh fruit smoothies make the best and healthiest choice. There are so many healthy-living incentives around my hotel. There is a park located right across the street with work out machines and a running path. A few girls from the teams here have even been doing Insanity on the roof of the hotel. We are truly blessed this month.
Even though Vietnam is a closed country, I haven’t felt like I was in danger because of my faith. There were a few regulations at our cultural training that we were asked to respect. We were asked to build relationships with people before talking about Jesus, just for our safety. We are also to avoid talking to any officers. This month has been a lot about building relationships and loving on people. It has been so cool how each person on my team has found a niche here in Vietnam.
A lot of ministry is done during the later hours of the day. We have the opportunity to reach out to people in bar ministry, coffee shop ministry, sports ministry, and tourist ministry. Some people have built relationships with prostitutes that hang out at the bars; others know bartenders by name and love on them through encouraging words. Still others have been chatting with baristas and tourists at coffee shops. I’ve found a great ministry at the park, where I know four people who love to play badminton. Man, I really just love Vietnam!
