We are finally back in the U.S. As I type this blog, it is around 1 p.m. here in San Francisco as we wait to board our flight to Dallas and then to Jackson.
I want to share just a bit of what happened Sunday in Southeast Asia and wrap up the trip. We got up early Sunday morning and went to share with the English speaking church (made up of Indian and Chinese believers). Then, we ate lunch with them aftewards (some type of shrimp porridge). I have gotten wise! It has taken me all week, but I finally learned. I ate very, very, very slowly and left an unoffensive amount in the bottom of the bowl because I just knew the Vietnamese were cooking for us upstairs.
Sure enough, before we finished the porridge, a Vietnamese lady came down and beckoned us upstairs for lunch AGAIN. We all sat cross-legged style in a circle on the floor. Many varieties of food were in the center of us. Once again, I have learned! I sat far away from the ladies because they see you getting low and start throwing stuff on your plate with their chop sticks. I guess they think because we are all fat Americans, that we never get full... well, I can tell you one thing for certain. Vietnamese people eat twice as much as any American I know. They are literally bottomless pits. Anyway, I sat far away from all the ladies, planned to eat very slow (which chop sticks aid when I use them) and be okay. I turned to put some cabbage and "something" in my bowl, sat back upright and there to my right was a Vietnamese girl. She had decided, I guess, that I might need some meal assistance after all. I ate slow, and when I got a little low, she would throw something in my bowl, but eating slowly helped. At least she didn't throw the chicken head in my bowl... that might have caused a problem.
Anyway, they were extremely gracious to us and more than hospitable. After a brief rest, busses,taxis, and vans began pulling up. The busses held a limit of 44 people, but there were as many as 58 on some of them, traveling up to 2 hours sitting in the floor. Around 200 Vietnamese packed the English speaking church. After about 2 hours of singing and sharing, I preached on the cost of following Christ (which is very real for them). There were a few dozen recommit themselves fully to following Christ in spite of the cost and 3 professed to come to Christ.
Then there was about an hour and a half of picture taking and good-byes before we left to eat (yes EAT AGAIN) and return to the room. We got in bed again around midnight, woke up at 4:00 a.m. and headed to the airport. We have crossed time zones and been in the air for so long we don't know which way is up. We have operated on less sleep than I though possible and have stayed extremely busy. No time was wasted and the time that was invested has the potential to reach into the remotest areas of South, Central, and North Vietnam.
God has gathered together people from all over Vietnam (a seriously restricted nation) and as we learned on this trip, God has also brought the Nepalise fromthe country of Nepal as well. He has brought them to a place in East Asia that is also restricted, but apathetic about them as transmigrant workers. This has opened the door for us to openly share and train them and then send them back to their homeland to impact their world. The investments in this work seem to promise fruitful returns in the Kingdom. Now, we must let the fog clear, seek God in prayer, and determine what type of role he wants us to play in the long term efforts of this work.
Until next time...
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