Vietnam

One of my Cambodian friends, Dah-Line asked me if I wanted to go on a tour of Vietnam with her for the week that we are off for Khmer New Year. She also invited her mom and older sister. One of Dah-Line's main goals was for us to share the gospel with them.



SHARING
On the third night, I shared with them and Dah-Line translated. Their mom does not know English. Her sister, Dite, has been going to church for a couple months, and know a lot so she helped translate a few times, which I think is kind of funny ... she doesn't believe, but she helped us to share the gospel with her mom! After we shared, her mom said she believes and Dah-Line prayed with her!!! Praise the Lord!!! I pray that she not only believes that it is true, but that she genuinely has decided to follow Christ, and either way, that God will continue to work in her life and in that family to bring them all to Him!

On the fourth day of this six days, five nights trip, I realized that I had made no attempt at sharing any part of the gospel with the other 25ish people on the tour with us. I don't know of an opportunity that I had, but I wasn't praying for opportunities either.

Everybody on the tour


This is the group we ate lunch and dinner with every day!(Left) . . Girl pic (Right)


... As I thought about all of this, I felt obligated ... it's my job to tell people of the hope I have in Christ. Yes, it is "my job" (as followers of Christ, it is all of our "jobs"), but it's not about doing it because we HAVE to ... IT'S ABOUT LOVE!

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ~ Deuteronomy 6:5

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'This is the great and foremost commandment.39The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." ~ Matthew 22:36-40

>> What does that mean to "love God" with EVERYTHING? to "love your neighbor"? There will always be so much to learn about this ...

... when we love something, we can't help but talk about it ... sports, sales, TV, movies, a video on YouTube...etc. I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone say "You have to see ______ movie," or "you have to see this video, it's hilarious"... Loving God involves telling others about Him! YOU HAVE TO KNOW MY GOD! READ ABOUT HIM. PRAY TO HIM. PRAISE HIM. LISTEN TO HIM. THERE IS NO OTHER!

...if we truly loved someone, our greatest desire for them, is for them to have an abundant life now and forever with the One True God! "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!" ~ Romans 10:9-15

Look on YouTube for "Atheist on sharing Christ" - He said, "If you believe there is a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life ... How much do you have to hate somebody and not proselytize [to induce someone to convert to one's faith]? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mf5f_8kdI0


I kept waiting and waiting for the right time, and before I knew it we were home. Even now, thinking back, I'm not sure when would've been a good time. While we were on the bus between cities, maybe. Is there such a thing as the right time? Is there a wrong time? I want to say yes ... for a full gospel presentation ... For example: you work at McDonald's and it's lunch time, you don't ask your co-worker or a customer to sit down with you so you can share with them (unless God is straight up telling you to, in which case, God is higher than your boss) ... I think sometimes, we think that is the only way to share. It's not! The Spirit of Christ lives in all who follow Christ, our goal is to die to our self and live in the Spirit. If sharing is all about love then it does come up naturally, and sometimes with a little guidance, but ultimately it's who we are ... children on God!

FOOD
As always, this is one of the biggest things I stuggled with! It was difficult because a lot of the time I felt like I had no control over what I was eating, and a lot of it were things I didn't want to eat. For example: I have not had a hotdog since 3rd grade and had no intentions of eating one for the rest of my life ... on the first night, Dah-Line's mom gave me what was basically a hotdog on a stick :-(  Nearly every meal, somebody put something on my plate. They were so helpful, taking care of me, and making sure I didn't miss out on good food!

I have grown from it! Before, I didn't like sea food (and I still won't choose it for my self), but I can eat it without much difficulty! Praise the Lord! I ate a lot of catfish, squid, octupus, shrimp!




The first meal, I had my bowl of rice and got a couple spoon fulls of beef ... then I noticed that they all only got a little at a time, so I started doing the same. Even when I had a few pieces of meat, they'd give me more. After coming back home and talking to my roommate, I learned that I should have kept my plate full, and they probably wouldn't have given me as much food. They see that I don't have much meat so they may think I'm too shy to get it, or I'm being polite, or can't reach it ... so they help! :-) I was trying to be like them, but I'm American, so they expect me to fill our plate, because that's what we do. Because I'm a foreigner, they have to make sure I'm taken care of! (Sometimes I really appreciate that, but sometimes it's difficult.)

FUN
We visited three cities, went to: the market, amusement parks, temples ...
I have now been in three countries (USA, Cambodia, and Vietnam)!  I got to build my relationship with Dah-Line, as well as get to know her mom and sister! We did a lot of fun things, viewed many places, rode the bus a lot :-) ... It was a fun trip!

HO CHI MINH CITY / SAIGON


NHA TRANG


DALAT




CATHOLIC CHURCHES
Apparently, in southern Vietnam, there are a lot of Catholic churches. When we were driving between Dalat and Ho Chi Minh City, I saw three Catholic churches within 5-10 minutes. An hour later, I counted 7 Catholic churches within 15-20 minutes. I also saw a few places that sold statues of Mary and others, and several homes had statues of Mary lit up on their balcony. There was even what looked like a spirit house, with a small Mary, where Buddha normally is. I know several Catholics in the states who I truly belive are Christians, and know that Jesus Christ is the Only Way; however, I also know many who see Jesus as just a man. :-(

It looks as if many of these people worship Mary. I also know that I can't completely think that, because to Cambodians, it looks as if Christians worship the cross. They see movies where people are in a church at the altar, bowing before a cross ... Also, in many ways the cross has become mere decoration. Many non-Christians where clothing and jewelry with a cross on it. --> You can't judge a book by it's cover!

Khmer New Year Party ...

On the last day of class for this term we had a Khmer New Year Party. We played many traditional Khmer New Year games, danced a little, had snack, and finished it off with a water and powder fight! The water and powder fight is always girls verses guys. It's messy. It's crazy. It's loud. It's freezing cold (ice water was used). It's loads of fun! ... that's why we played two more times! Pictures below!

For the actual Khmer New Year (April 14-16 ish) I will be in Vietnam. A Cambodian friend of mine asked me to go on this tour with her. Her mom and sister will also be joining us! We will leave in the morning (12th) and return on the 17th. This is vacation, and it will also be an opportunity to spend a lot of time with Cambodians, two of which are not believers. Please be in prayer for this time ... for our safety and that my friend and I would glorify God in all that we do, and that this would be an opportunity for us to not only share the love of Christ, but also the message of Truth! It will be a trying time, and I am excited for all that God has in store for us!


GAMES


AND THE WATER BEGINS

Who knew it snowed in Cambodia?!? ... or maybe that's baby powder!

DANCING


FOOD

It was one of the girls' birthday, so she brought food to share. I was not too excited to try it :-( After trying many things a few weeks ago, I thought I wouldn't really have any more problems with trying food. From this I learned that this is something I will have to constantly be in prayer about, and in dependence upon God to eat and enjoy! I don't want to just be able to eat because I feel obligated to, but I hope to really want to because I am filled with Christ's love!

2ND WATER FIGHT

You can see that the stategy is to hold someone down, while another person throws water, water balloons, or powder on them! In the second picture, the guys locked me in the bathroom for several minutes then opened the door and threw several bowls of water at me! :-)

3RD WATER FIGHT
>Preparation

We put ice in the chests to make the balloons cold. We ended up making a lot more with normal sized balloons and with tiny clear bags! We even had some with jellies in them ... we're still not sure if that was a good idea or not!

This game ended with the girls using the last little bit of freezing water and pouring it on five different guys!

Rainbows ...

After class today I was talking to Tear-E. It rained today! Praise the Lord! That brought up the rainbow, and she's read the story about Noah, but she said she doesn't remember anything about the rainbow. I was telling her it was in Genesis so she can read about it. I LOVE this story, because before I became a Christian, I read the Bible in secret, and read about the rainbow. I thought it was SO AMAZING that it's not just some random thing that happens, but it is a sign from God! WOW!

Gen. 9:11 "I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth."

Gen 9:13 "I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth."

...

For some reason, she told me that she only has an English Bible. Of course, I asked "why?"
- The main translation of the Khmer Bible is old Khmer ... I think it is basically like the King James Version of the Khmer Bible, so it's harder to understand.
- Her parents don't know English, so she can read the Bible without them knowing that she is reading the Bible.

She went on to explain about this, and it helped me a lot to understand a lot of the difficulties that our Christian students face here. If she has a Khmer Bible then her parents may find out that she is reading the Bible, and therefore make her stop. She made a comment that she is a crazy child because she is "secretly" reading the Bible, knowing that her parents would disapprove. Also, her parents don't know that she is a Christian. She has told them a lot about Jesus before she even believed, but she hasn't told them that now she believes. She said she thinks her mom might know, but she's not sure. Then she told me how after she believed, God changed her heart (2 Cor. 5:17) and she became a better child. We would think this is great. Her mom noticed and asked Tear-E about it, so she told her mom it is because of God. Her mom actually got a little angry because before she would fight with her brothers ..., but now because of God she is a better child, and in her mom's eyes this shows that she doesn't respect her mom and that God is more important than her mom, which He IS, but everyone wants to be the most important, especially moms! WOW, who would've thought that being a better child could be used against us?

The main reason she doesn't want to tell her parents, especially her dad, that she now believes in Jesus is because if he doesn't agree, he will prevent her from going to church, going to the student center, reading the Bible ...

Tear-E has grown a lot in the past two months since she has become a Christian, but there are still many obstacles to being obedient to God!

>> Remember her, and so many other Cambodians who will deal with this every day, and for them while they go to their home land from the next few days until around the 20th of April. Our family are the people we WANT to share with the most, but they are definitely the HARDEST to share with! Pray that God would open eyes, ears, hearts, and doors to share! And that He would give His children strength and courage to be obedient as He opens doors!

>> Also, Tear-E will be sharing her testimony tomorrow night, which will be about 5:30am Friday (CST). She is SO excited to share, and nervous too. Pray for her and that God would use her story to reach other students. Even if you don't read this for several weeks, God can still remind them of what He did in Tear-E's life, so please pray!

Thank you all for taking the time to read these posts, for your prayers, and for all that God is doing though you to bring Cambodia to Him.

One last praise: As it was raining this afternoon, I was sitting outside under the porch. It was raining pretty consistently and I was praying that He would rain down on Cambodia and bring many people to believe and follow Him alone! Then I just asked that each drop that hit the ground would represent one Cambodian that would come to follow Him ... it started to rain more and more!!!!! :'-) God's vision is so much greater than mine!