We landed in Hanoi this morning and we were greeted by some workers in the unregistered church (underground church). We quickly checked into the hotel and then went out for lunch. The place that we went to was a culinary school that was run by a person who was open to Christianity. It was encouraging to see someone trying to help their own people find a career where they can succeed.
In the late afternoon, we stopped by a graduation service for students who were graduating from a bible training school. They were taught from a video curriculum. It was encouraging to see the joy on the faces of these students as they received their certificates. We are prayerfully considering a partnership with this school to help train up future leaders in Vietnam.
One thing I keep on forgetting is that Vietnam is still a Communist country. I think there was more religious freedom in Ho Chi Minh City, since it is more of a metropolitan area (similar to NYC). But in other places in Vietnam, there is still active persecution going on. I think they are even trying to block my website. Do they think it is too dangerous?! HA!
Anyways, there are other ways to get information out. I will show more generic pictures for now:
Preached at a revival meeting… I had to explain why I, as a pastor, had long hair.
Got a picture from the plane as we were able to land in Hanoi airport
Here are some of the graduates holding on to their certificates
This grandma was almost 80 years old and she humbled us by her passion for Jesus
Servers at the culinary school… Pastor Bruce jumped in at the last minute.