Good morning Vietnam!

Many journeys in our lives don’t end where you expect them to end.  You have a certain plan and purpose in mind, but for some reason, no matter how hard you try, it just doesn’t seem to work out.  This is not about one those times…

When we, as Yellow team, prayed about our Luke 10 journey a few months ago, God told us to go to Vietnam.  We were really set on going there, no matter all the challenges that came our way.  Nothing is impossible for God and we’re sure we heard His voice clearly.  So through-out our amazing time in Singapore, we kept our eyes on Vietnam, because that’s where God called us to go.  And then our time ran out.  We needed to be in Cambodia, our next country of ministry.  But remember now, I said this is not one of those times.

By the grace of God, we had a week in-between Cambodia and China – and since we already have visas for Vietnam, and we were blessed with extra finances – in faith, we booked a flight from Vietnam to join the rest of South Bound in Malaysia, in time to fly to China.  Our India visas took longer than expected, giving us, after an overnight bus from Phom Penh (Cambodia) to Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), only 3 days for our Pioneer journey.  Luckily, with our God, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like one day.  This proved to be true!  All that God needs is a willing heart and He’ll do the rest.  Quality is better than quantity.

Vietnam is an incredibly beautiful country!  I’ve been there before, when I worked on the ships, but something in it always drew my heart back.  It faced brutal wars and the scars caused by the war still remain in the local’s eyes.  Still, people love spending time with people, so if you walk through any park around sunset, you’ll find everyone playing games and just enjoying each other.  They are under Socialist rule (according to the visa – but being there you see it’s all Communist).  Christians are being prosecuted severely.

Not really knowing what specifically to do there, God told me that He’ll show us His heart for Vietnam, what He wants us to do there, but first , we need to focus on Him, encourage our team and the rest will be revealed in due time.  Not Vietnam first – God first!  And then you need to love the people before you can love the country.

We spent our first 2 days in Vietnam dodging scooters (there’s millions of them!) and supporting Sozo café.  They bring people from the streets and create jobs for them – Restoring hope – Changing lives. 

This was a good time for us as Yellow team to regroup and spend specific time together, not being distracted by internet or even journaling.  One of the many things God taught us is that an idol is anything you defend when God asks you to get rid of it.  Sjoe, I have to let so many things in my life go…

Joshua 7:11-13 “I (God) will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.  You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.”  One guy’s sin caused God’s anger to burn against the whole Israel!  Things that I hold on to, when God asked me to destroy it, has an effect on people around me too.  Even if you don’t even use it, but you just have it.  Do you realize how strongly God feels about our sin??  He’ll destroy us, it and all that belongs to us, by fire because of it.  I’m so grateful for the grace that covers and protects us through Jesus’ blood.  But that shouldn’t cause me to keep sinning and holding on.

I even got to drink Avocado smoothie!  Yummy!!

Our third day, we met some fellow believers who run an amazing ministry, taking care of orphans and sharing the love of Christ in the community.  All our hearts felt at complete peace, this is what God has been preparing us for ever since we started praying about Luke 10.  They showed us around and invited us for an amazing, traditional Vietnamese dinner.  And then to put the cherry on the cake, we even got lifts on scooters back to our hotel.  The full Vietnam experience!

I want to encourage you not to give up or doubt God’s voice, just because you sometimes face more challenges than you think you can handle.  He might be testing your faith.  Because when He calls you for a specific purpose or to a specific place, He’ll provide in every need you have or encounter along the way.  No matter what the world or your logic might say.  I have the t-shirt to prove it!