One Step Too Many

Construction work was on schedule and the house was almost complete. The owner arrived to make an inspection, as his family would be moving into the house in three days. He noticed immediately that the front entrance had four steps leading into the house. He asked to speak to the foreman and sternly explained that this was unacceptable.

In Vietnam there is a saying which means “Birth, old age, destiny, and death.”

1.     Sinh = Birth

2.  Lao = Old age

3.  Menh = Destiny

4.  Tu = Death

Numbers like one, five, and nine are good numbers, because they correspond to the first word, ‘birth’, on the list. Numbers like four and eight are not good, because they fall on the word 'death'.  A house with four steps could bring bad luck to the family, or even death.

The construction crew worked quickly to tear out the steps and replace them with an entrance that had only 3 steps.

Superstitions abound in Vietnam. Pray that God would free the Vietnamese people from bondage to these superstitions.

 

 

Thanh Minh

The father, mother, and son are on the side of the mountain where the grandfather was buried several years ago. The family is celebrating the spring worship ritual called "Thanh Minh" or the time of Pure Brightness". They rake the soil and remove all the surrounding grass and weeds, tidying up the grave to make it appear new. After placing three joss sticks into two clods of soil stacked on top of one another on top of the large cone-shaped mound of soil, the family begins a time of worship to the spirits of the grandfather, offering up flowers and a meal of rice, boiled chicken and fruit. Across the nearby hillsides and rice paddies there appear to be new graves all over.

Prayer request: Ask God, the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow, to show His pure brightness to the Vietnamese people.

(James 1:17) “Father, shed Your light on the people of Vietnam.” 

‘I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ John 8:12

God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

A Good Bowl of Pho

A Good Bowl of Pho

With a wide variety of meats, vegetables, and spices accompanying expertly cooked noodles or rice, Vietnamese cuisine is some of the best in the world.

One of the most famous Vietnamese dishes is pho (pronounced “fuh”), a traditional noodle soup that can be served with beef, chicken, fish, meatballs, veggies, and many other ways. Pho restaurants can be found all around cities, their customers dining on small plastic tables and chairs. Pho is a favorite for both Vietnamese and tourists alike.

The Revered Leader

The Revered Leader

Vietnam’s most honored leader is by far Ho Chi Minh who is responsible for leading Vietnam in fighting the Japanese during WWII, defeating French colonialists, and reunifying the country after the Vietnam War. After traveling abroad in France and the Soviet Union, Ho Chi Minh brought communist ideology back to Vietnam and began the communist party that endures today. Though he died in 1969 before the Vietnam War ended, his leadership during the war was a strong factor in victory for the north.

Bringing Home the Gospel, Part 2

Su, her two teenagers, and the five village children made a circle with colorful straw mats in the main room and sat cross-legged ready to begin their activities. Su’s sons began teaching the children a new song that Su had shared with them. The tune was a lot like songs the children had heard but with new words that told about the Creator God. As the children began to sing loudly, a woman’s voice interrupted the worship time.

Bringing Home the Gospel, Part 1

This is the first of a four-part, fictional story based off of real life events. It is not a true depiction of one person’s life, but intended to be an example of the types of persecution that Vietnamese people face in their home villages. 

Su wakes up to someone calling her name. The voice seems far off, more of an echo than a clear sound. She rises from bed and walks to the open window of her bamboo house and the sound gets louder.