Update from Vietnam

The wonder of the Lord Jesus continues to overwhelm us while we are in Vietnam! Even in the midst of the Buddhist Temple we were able to witness the marvelous grace of our Savior!

After the completion of our Pastors' Conference we had the opportunity to do a bit of sightseeing in Ho Chi Min City and found our way to the largest temple in the city. The inside of the place, while ornate and impressive, was filled with a deep spirit of oppression. In the midst of all the religion it was obvious to the Christian the spiritual deadness of the form and fashion of the place.

As we walked around the building, the Spirit of God impressed our team to pray for the people in the temple. We gathered together and prayed specifically that:

God would frustrate the minds of the people in the temple, and create in each of them a hunger for His truth.
God would open the hearts and minds of the people in that place to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God would place a hedge of protection around our team and that
God would give our team the opportunity to share the gospel with someone near that place.

When we were leaving the temple we were met by three college students who (through our interpreter) asked if they might be able to interview us. (They were students studying for the tourism industry in HCMC.) We agreed. While I do not remember many of the questions, I do remember this one...

"Did you find the temple satisfying to you in every way?"

To which I responded,

"No, I did not find anything satisfying inside that temple,
but my heart IS completely satisfied!"

The young girl looked at us with a most inquisitive expression, and I asked her if she would like for me to share with her the source of my satisfaction.

This student said yes, and from that point I shared JESUS with her (and her friends) while the rest of our team prayed and watched (for authorities) intently.

Over the next half-an-hour or so we talked with the three students, listened to their questions and responded with the scriptures to all they asked. These girls were all practicing Buddhists, but admittedly had found no satisfaction or real meaning inside the iconic religion. It was fascinating to see the expressions change on there faces as they heard the Good News of Jesus Christ! VN Gospel

Within a short amount of time the three young ladies were ready to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ!

Right there, on the steps of the temple and shrine for Buddha -- by the marvelous power of the Holy Spirit of the Living God, three lives were transformed and set free from the bondage of sin.

As the Psalmist wrote ... "Some trust in horses and some trust in chariots, but we trust in the Name of the Lord our God."

Leadership Training and Evangelistic Rally
Early on Thursday morning two of our team members returned home to the USA. Both Tim Fowler and Andy Poe had commitments back home that could not be avoided. Jeff Andler and I left Ho Chi Min City and traveled about three hours to the seaside city of Vung Tau for a two-day leadership training and one evening evangelistic crusade.

VN Crusade

The men and women had come from the entire region and many had traveled hours to be in attendance. It encouraged my heart to see that so many people understood the need for evangelism.

The training was well attended and a large group of men and woman made a visible commitment to go back to their villages with a renewed commitment in their responsibility to share the gospel with the family, friends, and neighbors. They also pledged to be more faithful in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ without fear to everyone they encountered.

VN Crusade

It was thrilling to witness these people come from their seats to stand and make this public commitment. Only time will tell if the commitments had lasting results, but our prayer is that we will hear of a great revival fire beginning to sweep the country of Vietnam!

The evening crusade was successful in that it gave the church members there an opportunity to lead in music, creative dance, and fellowship with one another. Brother Jeff Andler shared the gospel message in power and we witnessed thirty-six people express publicly their decision to receive Jesus Christ. The next day, at the conclusion of the conference, I shared the Gospel with the gathered crowd (mostly professing Christians) and we saw an additional fifteen people indicated their decision to receive Jesus Christ. All in all during this project to Vietnam we have seen over 400 decisions for Jesus Christ! By the power of God we will continue to ...