Reaching out to Victims of Typhoon Haiyan

The Bible is clear about reaching out to help the poor and needy especially when it is in our ability to do so.

"Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them." (Proverbs 3:27)

The Lord has called us to be rescuers to those who are poor and helpless, especially since He has given us the ability to do so. Those of us living in the US cannot even begin to imagine what it is like to be one of the poorest of the poor in a Third World country like Vietnam.  They have areas of impoverished people groups that are unmatched in the world. One of those areas is found in Central Vietnam.  

As you know, Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines with such force and destruction that it simply ravaged the lower Islands. It was headed right for Central Vietnam at a high rate of speed but miraculously transitioned to a Northern direction which left the blunt of the wind off the shores of Central Vietnam. However the rains still fell in excess throughout the region. Any other time the rain would have been gladly welcomed, but at this time, flooding had already been a problem before the Typhoon came near. This left this poor region in a shambles. Made up of rice fields and poor farmers, Central Vietnam’s economy depends on the land, so when floods hit, severe famine results for those who live in the area.
 
This is where we step in as the Church to "Rescue the poor and Helpless."  We have been partnering with pastors in this region to send food through them to those most in need.  We also see this as an evangelism effort, as they will use this opportunity to share the Gospel and then invite them to a Christmas celebration in December.   Our goal is to not just rescue the people impacted by the typhoon, but from Satan himself and the grips of Hell. 

Christmas Care Package going to those in Central Vietnam impacted by the recent Typhoon.

Our goal is to be able to provide a Christmas Care Package containing food and a Holy Bible to every family who attends this event.  The food supply bags will include 10lbs of rice, nine bags of noodles, one bag of sugar, one bottle of oil and a Holy Bible. These supplies will be enough food to last a family of 4-5 a whole week, but the gospel and Holy Bible will last them an eternity. We are also putting together Christmas gift bags as a blessing to the children that will include a book, pens, pencils, stickers, and candy. The cost of the food care packages with the Bible is around $10 each and the children’s gift bags cost about $2.50 each.  Our goal is to have 100 families attend this Christmas celebration and hope to hand out 300 gift bags to the children.
 
Please pray for this effort and that everyone attending this special Christmas celebration truly hears the Gospel and sees God’s love in action with these care packages.

We thank you for your prayers and if you feel led to help us financially with the Christmas Outreach Packages or with our Transportation Fund, please visit the Get Involved/Support Our Work page here.

We love you all so much and we are so grateful to partner with you in bringing the gospel to this great land. We will be sending out an update on all we have experienced thus far real soon, so keep looking for it. God bless you each for your roles in "rescuing the poor and helpless" in this generation with the love of God and the good news of salvation. 

Learning the Vietnamese Language

When I was called to the mission field here in Vietnam I was told by a very dear friend that I did not need to learn the language. Well, that was probably one of the worst things that anyone could tell a missionary. For to show any care or love for the people or the culture in which one will be ministering, they must desire to learn the language. I have been back and forth here about 11 times over the past 5 ½ years and have picked up some phrases but I have never really been serious about learning the language until now

So upon my arrival, one of my goals for the time I was going to be in country was to learn Vietnamese. It is a musical language that requires the ability to hear pitches and tones. For most of you that know me, you know that I can not hear either a pitch or a tone. In fact, I am unable to properly speak my own native language let alone learn a foreign language. My friend that I grew up with came to listen to me preach a few months back and said, “Man you still have a way of redefining the English language.” So, this challenge of learning a hard foreign language will not be an easy one for me. 

However I can tell you that it will be well worth it. For once the language is learned, the people to whom I am ministering will recognize the effort that had to be put forth to learn their native tongue and they will realize my sincere love for them. It is not enough to tell someone that you love them, for true love usually is accompanied with a sacrificial act. Just listen to how the Lord describes His love, “God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son.” Once I learn the language I will be able to communicate with the people without a translator, which means it will become more personal. This also is true of the Gospel. Because of Christ's work on the cross, we do not need a translator to communicate our heart to God. Through Christ, we have become a priest who has direct access to God. It is personal. 

This young pastor is teaching me Vietnamese.

The young Pastor who is helping me learn the language has been a good friend of mind since the first time I arrived. I have spent hours upon hours with him and another young man teaching them English, and how to study the Bible. So this relationship that we have has now taken a little shift, where I am the one gleaning from him and he is the one depositing in me. It is a beautiful thing to be a part of, Where we both have something to offer to one another and without each other it would be nearly impossible to become what God has called us to become.  This is the picture of the body of Christ that each member is unique but without the other members it simply does not function well at all. 

Daily Prayer Meeting - 5:30 AM

The Body of Christ joining for daily prayer at 5:30 AM. 

Prayer is a fundamental practice for the believer and it should be the same for the Church. If it is the basic form for a Christian to hear from God, know God and have the ability to follow God, then why would it not be so for the whole Church? We know every powerful Church one could imagine has made it a collective effort to join together regularly in prayer. The Church here has this understanding of what it is going to take to penetrate this dark nation.   

Every morning we meet at 5:30 am to seek the face of God in worship, short devotion and time of prayer. When we were here at the start of the summer, there were around 15 people that showed up every morning. Now because the Church is growing at such a rate, the morning prayer meetings have nearly doubled in attendance. It is an amazing time that is also scriptural. Listen to this writer of the Psalm. 

I will awaken the dawn. I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. Psalm 57:8-9

The author of the Psalm said that the dawn would come to being with him being in the midst of others singing and giving thanks unto the Lord. I watch every morning as the sun breaks forth the dawn while we are gathered together singing and giving thanks to the Lord. The Lord has a way of giving you joy, and all of the other qualities that come with being with Him, when being with Him is your number one desire. The Church is seeing a powerful movement of God in a nation that has been closed and is still closed to the gospel. God has given us a open door that is not found anywhere else in the Nation. People are hearing the gospel and coming to know the Lord on a daily basis. It is a remarkable move of God. People are not just being saved, but they are tearing down the idols of foreign gods from their mist. It can all be contributed to the prayer meetings that empowers the Church of the Lord to impact the nation.

Our First Sunday Back In Vietnam

It took several days to adjust to the LONG flight and huge culture shock. After coming back to Vietnam for the 11th time I realized it is not as difficult to adjust as it had been the first couple of times. We were geared up and ready to get involved. Pastor Cuoc and Pastor Hai asked us to preach that first Sunday and we were so willing and ready to do it. After being gone for almost 6 months it was nice to be back. 

Preaching our first Sunday back in Vietnam

As I always do I laid my heart before the Lord concerning the message He would have us share and He said Matthew 11:1. After I read it, I really thought I had had incorrectly heard Him because it was a simple verse that is often overlooked. So, when I asked Him again I was surely expecting a different response, but to my dismay He said, Matthew 11:1 again. Let me share it with you, 

“Matthew 11:1”
When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities. 

Jesus had just meet with His disciples whom He had given authority to go and preach the good news, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons. The Bible said after He finished instructing them, He went out with them into their cities to preach and teach. He was with them and gave them what they needed to go and when they went He went also. This is an underlying truth that is found throughout the New Testament. Being with Jesus is the first priority and going with Jesus is the result. 

That short verse that is usually skipped holds the keys to Kingdom living. I used Martha and Mary as an example of how being with Jesus should take priority over everything else. The Bible says, “Martha was distracted with all her preparations.” (Luke 10:40) The word distracted means she was pulled away from what was truly important. This happens in our life almost daily. I also referred to Jesus’s own words in Matthew 6 where He said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” I also referenced Acts 13:2 where it says, “While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Before they were able to go out with the Lord, they had to first be with Him. 

A powerful moving of the Holy Spirit

Well, I preached this message with Lien translating and as it drew to a close, I thought for sure it was a bust, but all of a sudden I felt the blanket of the Holy Spirit just cover the place. I can’t explain it but if you have ever preached and given an invitation, you know what I am talking about. It was the anointing of God calling people to repent from what was dragging them away from Him. It is important to understand that in the Vietnamese culture. They are a very private, very humble people, so coming in front of people and making public decisions is not high on their list. So for the most part, they don’t respond to a invitation on a regular basis. With that said, as I opened the invitation, people were coming down to the front to repent to the Lord and to be prayed over. Simply put, “They wanted to be with Jesus, so they could leave that building and go with Jesus.” The question must be asked, “What is dragging you away from being with the Lord, so you can go with the Lord to a world that screams the need for a Savior?”

Out of the Blue!

We had a very busy summer visiting wonderful Churches and meeting some very special people that desired to be involved in what the Lord has called us to do. However it was also very exhausting for we had traveled around a lot to visit these places and it seemed as though every weekend we were on the road and living out of our suitcases. We were more than ready to be back in Vietnam when the time to leave came around. 

As we were preparing to leave I had a preaching obligation at Emporia Baptist Church near Pierson, Fl. I had been there several times before and really enjoyed the people and loved preaching to them. While I had never met my father, I always knew he had lived in Pierson, so when I would visit Emporia, I would always inquire of him to see if anyone knew him. Well the Saturday before I was to go up there and preach, I was at my mom’s house looking through her phone book and I looked up his name. Much to my surprise it was in there. I asked my mom if his address and number sounded familiar and she said that it did. So, I thought to myself, “Why not give him a call?”

I called and a tender voice answered and I knew it must have been his wife. I asked if Mike (My dad’s name) was there and she stopped for a second and asked who it was that was calling. I paused and explained to her who I was. She knew of me and my sister but had never met us and with a broken voice began to tell me this. 

The dad I never met.

“I am so sorry Shaun, he died exactly a year ago today. He had a heart attack in April of 2012 and never really recovered. One night he went in to go to bed and never woke up. I miss him so much Shaun. It has been a really tough day.”

I was shocked to hear the news. After it all settled in I was even more shocked that a year to the day that he had passed I was on the phone with his grieving widow. They had been married for 54 years and despite the affair he had had with my mom, she stayed by him. Now after his passing, she was left mourning and missing her spouse. I had all of these feelings of rejection, pain, sorrow for never meeting him, and all kinds of weird things going through my mind. Then I realized that I am feeling these for a man I had never meet, but his wife is suffering the lost of him on the one year anniversary. I immediately began to comfort her through the words of our Lord and the promises of God. I shared with her that the Lord had not forgotten her and was using me as His instrument to encourage and strengthen her. 

We were able to set up a meeting a couple of days later with my half-sister who is my age. I was able to share my testimony with them, pray with them and even encourage them to seek the Lord during this time of sorrow. They gave me some pictures of him and told me all about him. She gave me a letter written by his grandpa to his dad when he was born. It spoke about extreme faith in an extremely faithful God. It also disclosed how he, as a young man, started in ministry as a Free-will Baptist Preacher. When I read that I could do nothing but laugh, for that is exactly how I began as a Senior Pastor. We spent the final week of my time in America having them tell me about a father that I never meet, as I, in return, shared with them about a Father that I always had. God has a way of working things out for the “Good for those who love Him and is called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28). To go from being rejected and pushed out as if you didn’t even exist to the one who would bring comfort and a word of salvation is tremendous. God has a way of making things right, even when they been wrong for a very long time. 

An Answer to Their Prayer

With the land purchased and work started on the Bible College construction, we sat down with the Pastors of the Vietnamese Baptist Church and really laid out what our vision was and how it could assist in their work in growing their church.  As we talked, it became clear that what the Lord had laid on our hearts – open a Bible College so pastors can be trained in His Word – was the same vision the Lord had place upon their hearts.  It soon became apparent that Lien and I are the Lord’s answer to their prayers. This left me with a since of AWE as we realized that if we are God’s answer to their prayers, He will provide for all that is yet to be accomplished.

We decided during this meeting that since the property was purchased and construction already begun, we would actually open to students beginning in January 2014. What a great sense of joy – but also a great deal of stress involved in meeting this timeline.  We still need to find a curriculum of study and a partnership with a Bible College or Seminary, among other things.  As I sat back and thought about the work in preparing all the material and the central course guide, I was getting overwhelmed, for it is a lot of preparation. Then I realized again that since Lien and I are God’s answer to their prayer, that these doors would be opened and all we will need will be provided.

It is estimated that the cost for monthly training for 20 students is $50 per student. This covers material, travel, food, lights, and other needed resources that may arise. Again $1000 a month to run or operate a Bible College is a big obstacle for two missionaries from Florida. I thought “there is no way we will be able to afford this every month.” Then I realized once more, “Lien and I are God’s answer to their prayers” and every door will be opened that needs to be opened and everything needing provision will be provided for. Listen to this great Bible verse the Lord used to confirm this within our heart. 

“God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed”

— 2 Corinthians 9:8

God is more than able to sufficiently and abundantly provide for every good work.

The Apostle Paul makes it very clear that God is more than able to sufficiently and abundantly provide for every good work. Offering a powerful yet conservative approach to Bible training for the next generation of Pastors that will ultimately shake this nation is surely a “GOOD WORK”.

Bible College Construction Begins

Finalizing the purchase of the land for the first Bible College in Southern Vietnam

The Lord has been so gracious to the ministry here. In a nation that is stricken with poverty it is so difficult for the believers to have anything to tithe and it is doubly difficult for a church or ministry to be able to be purchase land, but only through God’s great mercy were we able to purchase land that surrounds the current church property in order to build the first Bible College. Construction has begun on a central meeting area and an area for bathrooms and showers.  Funds are still needed to purchase an additional strip of land in order to build the dorms room necessary for the Bible College students. A grand estimate needed for land and construction and furnishing of all the buildings is roughly around $115,000 (USD). To the Vietnamese, this amount seems inconceivable, but we know that we serve an awesome God and He will provide in His time.

I stopped thinking “WHY ME?” and started saying, “WHY NOT ME?”

 

Because of my background in construction, I wanted to help with the building of the initial walls and foundation, thinking it would be a walk in the park and fun to be able to just labor. My job was to take the rocks and bring them throughout the property line. No problem right? Wrong, it was so hot that it tired me out after just one trip. Wheel barrel after wheel barrel I became more exhausted and started to wonder why in the world was I doing this. Here are some of the things I was thinking as I was working above.

“Why do I have to do this? I mean the Lord used me to help purchase this and supply the funds for this to be done, I mean come on I am an American Missionary with a Master Degree and working on another one, why am I carrying these rocks? I am going to be one of the Professors. No Professor is suppose to work like this!”

Work begins for the Bible College

All of these thoughts passed through my mind as I loaded and unloaded these heavy rocks in the scorching heat of this tropical nation. Then I realized I was grumbling, and complaining and realized that there was not a servant’s heart and attitude within me. Then I caught myself meditating on what the Lord had showed me weeks earlier on the plane, “Have God’s attitude within you”. I stopped thinking “WHY ME?” and started saying, “WHY NOT ME?” I started to be filled with great joy as my body tired out under the strenuous work and the scorching heat.

 

Travel to Central Vietnam

We were given to opportunity to meet with a church in central Vietnam and I really had to recall the Word the Lord had given me on the airplane about not grumbling and complaining.  We traveled by bus – not a recommended source of travel in Vietnam – and endured 20 hours of incredibly cramped and uncomfortable travel conditions.

Bus Ride to Central Vietnam

However the Lord really used it to encourage me to be thankful. During this trip, we were able to scout out some land and pastors who we would be more than likely partnering with us in the future to build the extension campuses of the Bible College. We had a chance to preach in one of the churches and it was a great experience. The church in this region has not yet been touched by the Lord in the way the church in the south has, but it is surely blessed and powerfully moving toward great things with God and for God. We had a chance to share from John 1 and the eternal nature of Jesus the Christ. It blessed our heart to be able to try to wrap our minds around this eternal God who created everything, and then came and “Dwelt amongst us” (John 1:14).

Preaching God's Word

Preaching at Sunday Worship

The Lord has opened up some wonderful doors for me to be able to serve Him here through preaching the Gospel. Every Sunday I have been able to preach the word of God during the Sunday morning worship services. In the past, the services lasted about an hour and thirty minutes, but when we left, services were lasting more than two and a half hours due to all the testimonies people were sharing, often accompanied by a song they wrote especially for the Lord. During these worship times, it feels as if the glory of Heaven was pressing down upon the room like water in a plastic bag. As we sing every song, worship and praise and share testimonies, it feels as if the glory is about to puncture the plastic bag and simply flood the place. Everyone feels His overwhelming presence and grace, due entirely to the fact that this Church is earnestly seeking His presence through daily prayer, Bible study and worship.  What a great lesson to us all!

Entire Families Coming to Know the Lord

We have seen how God has really blessed individual lives and families as a whole in miraculous ways. More often than not, we have seen that when one person comes to Christ, their entire family follows. Listen to the words of one of these families that were miraculously saved by the Lord Jesus Christ and how they are now on fire for their Savior.

“It was like what befell Job who lost everything! Our family lost almost everything. Father was found to suffer from diabetes, my brother from Leukemia. What terrible blows! Then all our pigs in our farm died – simply perished! We lost everything! We had about 1,000 pigs. Suddenly they were gone! All of them, like in the story of Job. Then God took Cong Tuan. It was ‘blow upon blow.’ But no – it was God’s hand of mercy! He was leading us to salvation. For during this time of treatment in Singapore we had the opportunity to be witnessed to and loved on by the Church in Singapore. God really used them to lead my brother to the Lord and then opened the door for me to make Jesus Lord of my life.”

— Tram's Testimony

 First Cong Tuan (The brother with leukemia) and his Sister believed!  Then their Mother followed (and gave up suicidal ideas).  Later, the Father also believed, followed by many relatives and friends.  The sowing of the Gospel continued day after day, week after week.  Relatives and friends received the Gospel – and believed!  Idols and ancestral spirits were given up.  Presently, the number of conversions is up to 50 and counting– praise the Lord! Three years ago, Lien and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with Tram (the writer of the above) but she was closed to the truth that Jesus was the only God and that He alone offered life, true life. We had not heard from her in almost two years before we read her report of how she and her entire family have been radically saved from Buddhism and Ancestry worship.

New Believers and Bible Studies

There have been so many people being saved over the past several months that they had to start offering New Believer’s classes four nights a week. After the new believers finish their classes, they are baptized at the beach as a witness to their faith. For the first time I was able to baptize three new believers and what a joy it was to have this opportunity. The day we were baptizing, the beach was especially crowded, and people everywhere were wondering what we were doing, baptizing these young people in the Name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Afterward we prayed and worshiped the Lord while they just watched. In addition to the New Believer’s classes and other weekly Bible study classes, there are Wednesday night House Church worship services.  This is a joyful time of worship when most of the church members not in other classes, cram into one family’s small home to praise God and ask the blessings of the Lord upon that home. What a powerful time.

Youth Group

The Youth Groups meet on Saturday nights to worship and have Bible study and fellowship. The youth have grown in number and in their spiritual maturity as well and it is so obvious that the Lord is rising and stirring the young generation to serve the Lord in a powerful way,  bringing revival to this nation. So many young people in this group are interested in going to Bible College, not only to learn more about God’s Word, but also about ways to serve Him through ministry. It is exciting to witness this move of God within the younger generation. 

5 AM Prayer Meetings - Filled to Overflowing!

Once arrived at our final destination, we got into the full routine of worship.  We attended a 5 AM prayer meeting, held daily at the Vietnamese Baptist Church and assumed that it would be just a couple of folks kneeling down silently praying. What we found was a church full of people – sometimes out the door – worshiping, studying the Bible and then pouring their hearts out in prayer to the Lord for a full hour of worship. We looked forward to this daily time of prayer and praise and saw what power there was in spending that time with the Lord – certainly a contributing factor to the revival that is happening in this area We were asked by the Pastor to teach every morning and we were able to do that almost daily. The first week or so we taught through the Gospel of  John and the “Role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer”,  and the following weeks we taught on “Spiritual gifts” as found in 1 Corinthians 11:7-11. The Lord really used these lessons to clarify some mis-understandings, but also to stir the hearts of those worshiping causing, all of us to seek more of Him.

God spoke to me on the plane. “No complaining!”

Over the skies of Hong Kong I began meditating on a word from The Lord about behavior. Our ATTITUDES should be Godly no matter what. I have a complaining spirit and it does not represent The Lord well. My attitude needs some ALTITUUDE and rise to height of Christ Jesus

Visiting a third-world county for an American is not an easy thing.  We have become accustomed to a certain level of comfort and having essential items readily available. Vietnam is no different and it is one of the hardest places to live for a foreigner because it does not have available most of the essentials Americans rely upon. I am fully aware of this and it causes so much difficulty within me. In addition to missing certain “luxuries” that are lacking in Vietnam, it often seems things are handled in this country in a way completely opposite of the way they would be handled in the US. It is hard not to try to impose the way we are used to getting things done when in a foreign country but as visitors, we have to respect they ways things work in the country we are in. At times I have caught myself mumbling and complaining about how different and even how difficult it was instead of being thankful. 

While we were on the plane on our way to Vietnam, the Lord spoke to me through His word:

“Have this attitude in you that which was in Christ Jesus our LORD.”

— Philippians 2:5

In the verses following verse 6, Paul describes this attitude. He writes, “Don’t think highly of yourself but serve, walk in obedience, don’t grumble or complain, and hold out to the Word of Life.” (Vrs. 6-13)  The one that penetrated my heart like a razor was the one about not complaining or grumbling. Think for a moment about the life and work of Jesus. He left Heaven where He was worshiped and adored, to come to earth where He was rejected and was murdered and yet He uttered not one complaint nor one moment of grumbling.

This was surely a prophetic word from God concerning what I would need for this trip. I began to see how important it was going to be for me to have God’s attitude within me in every situation if I was to be truly successful in carrying out God’s work in Vietnam.  I would face some serious tough situations concerning travel, food, sickness, heat, living conditions, and not understanding the language. However every time grumbling or a complaint would emerge from my heart toward my mouth I would remember what the Lord had told me. “Have this attitude in you that was also in Christ Jesus.”