Our Arrival Home
/
On the plan coming back to the States after three months in Vietnam.
We were in Vietnam for over 3 very productive months. Here are some of the highlights in terms of events and milestones while we were there:
• Three Christmas Outreaches
• A New Years Day Youth Rally
• The Bible Institute opened and completed the first class
• Nine Baptisms
• Over 44 new believers in all
We also had a chance to celebrate the TET Holiday before we left for home to raise our support in the middle of February. Let me share a little about TET. For most, the memory of the TET Offensive during the Vietnam War is still fresh in your mind and for some TET Holiday is an unknown. TET Holiday is basically the lunar calendar New Year or in other terms, Chinese New Year. It is the largest holiday in Vietnam. Everything shuts down two weeks before and about a week and a half after. It is an incredible time of cleaning, eating, celebrating, and fellowship with family and dear friends. Also, there is exchange of MONEY! If you are younger than another person that person has to give you what is called in English “Lucky Money”. It is just a symbolic gift to start off the New Year with blessing and hopes it leads to a very prosperous remaining year. We went with the Church to visit families and pray with them and their families. It was a wonderful time.
We left just a couple days following the holiday and our hearts were heavy with the thought of leaving all our family and friends in Vietnam, but knew we needed to get back to the States to raise the support we needed to continue the word we have been called to do. As we were preparing to leave I was having some health issues that seemed to be an attack from the Enemy. So I locked the door in our little room and started to pray and ask God to remove it and strengthen me. As I prayed, He spoke to me a Bible verse - Philippians 4:19 - which says “My God shall supply all of your needs.” I read it and began to weep as I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Paul’s God is your God, and it is your God who will meet all of your needs.” I erupted in worship and prayer and called for Lien to come in and pray with me as I shared with her what the Lord had just spoke to my heart. With all of the uncertainty as we were leaving swirling around our hearts and minds one thing we were assured of, “Our God will meet all of our needs.”
“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ”
