I recently returned from my first trip to Vietnam. We did not have large gatherings as we do in other countries, but it turned out to be a fruitful start.
My main reason for this trip was to see what God was doing in Vietnam and to see how we could best help the church there. This was also a perfect testing ground for a new project I have been working on to equip believers to become effective soul-winners.
I visited two locations; Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in the south and Hanoi in the north. …and during the trip, I became very accustomed to riding with Pastor Vinh on his motorcycle. (shown here)
In the south, I ministered to one church over the weekend and then spent three days equipping more than 30 church leaders from several different provinces in Vietnam. I addressed them on Spirit-led evangelism and challenged them to think more evangelistically. We found authorities had been “watching” which led to a narrow escape on the second day of training. However we were able to complete the training on the third day at an alternate location. We were able to pray for each attendee to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit before we departed.
In Hanoi, I was able to spend two full days teaching and ministering in a house church. Although it was a young church and the meetings were around 30 poeople (60 on Sunday morning), we saw God move. One new believer felt very convicted about being an effective witness and gave up his cigarettes. Also during the training sessions, five people received Jesus and were gloriously born again! Even more, just two hours after completing the training one of the church members led an entire family to Jesus! Glory to God. It works! …because Jesus saves.
Additionally, all of the feedback from the training was positive. “It is very easy for us to understand.” said one church member (who could speak some English).
The mission of The Nations Hope is to win the lost and equip others to do the same. I am more of a preacher than a teacher, but I believe this soul-winning material can help to increase the number of workers we have in Asia. This is the reason we develop and pursue this equipping effort. And I feel it was successful. It has started to achieve its purposes and will continue to do so as long as there is a believer in Vietnam who dares to share Christ with another lost soul.
I come away from this trip having great confidence that we will see a great thing happen in Vietnam. The crowds in Vietnam are not big right now, but there is a great hunger for God. This is the real story. It is a “really big deal.” God has plans for this country.
I hope to return this coming year. God is moving in Vietnam and I believe we will lead many to Christ and be a continued help to the Vietnamese church in the future.