Vietnam Mission Trip Reflection
“I could already tell the place was going to be something special”
“There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.” - Donald Rumsfeld
Before I went to Vietnam in 2017 for a two week mission trip, I knew the country existed in a similar way to how I knew there was a giant rock floating out there called the Moon. What I didn’t know that I didn’t know was that on the other side of the world, there existed a nation with a vibrant culture, lifestyle, and people, full of life yet independent from the U.S. With zero expectations going in, I was shocked to say the least on the drive from the airport to our hotel. Everything that could be different was, and I was enamored with it.
I signed up to go that first time because my discipler, Andrew Ong, was leading the trip and invited me. I hadn’t been on a mission trip before. The only place outside of the country I’d been to were the treacherous all-inclusive resorts of Cabo. I was totally prepared for communist Vietnam.
Not having a clue what I was in for, I got on the plane and arrived after 20+ hours of travel. We arrived around midnight and people were still outside eating in the streets, noisy motorbikes were zooming everywhere, and the energy could be felt through the uber. It was like an Asian New York City. As connected as the world is thanks to the internet and cellphones, I was shocked to see a place so different from where I live. I could already tell the place was going to be something special.
“With all this fruit, it became clear that God was building a church”
The purpose of our trip was largely about discovering opportunities and meeting new people since we didn’t have many connections there. I was expecting to do lots of evangelism and for God to grow my heart for the lost. Little did I know, God would move me to consider moving there long-term.
The next day God had already begun to open huge doors for us. We went to promote Friends of Internationals at a high school that feeds students into UMKC. While there, the principal of the school extended an invitation for our team to come back the next summer for a teaching internship! I couldn’t believe it. It was only the first day and God was already giving us favor with people and opportunities to get our foot in the door to Vietnam as a church. We continued to experience this kind of favor throughout the rest of our time there and every trip since.
Throughout the trip, several people got saved in the span of the one week we were there. The people were so open to be friends, learn English, and even learn about Jesus! I had never seen anything like it. A people so curious and softened to the gospel. It’s like God had supernaturally prepared an entire country. Just like the Thessalonians in 1 Th 2:13, many Vietnamese received God’s Word as God’s Word indeed. It was so refreshing and awesome to see such a revival happening.
A lot of fruit came from a park we would frequent that was later nicknamed the “Magic Park.” It got its nickname because when we showed up, locals would instantly flock to us because they wanted to practice their English. They would hang out at the park all day waiting for foreigners to come. This created “magical” opportunities to build friendships and share the gospel.
With all this fruit, it became clear that God was building a church. Nam, who we met at Magic Park, and Yoomie became the first disciples in Vietnam. Today, there is even a third generation of disciples that Nam and Yoomie are helping to disciple. It is truly 2 Timothy 2:2 in action.
“God’s got us in a specific place, in a specific ministry, under a specific authority at this specific point in time”
This past summer, we went back to Ho Chi Minh City, marking our 4th trip as a church there. The purpose of the trip was the same: to evangelize, encourage, explore, and enterprise. It was so good to see the team again. It was good to laugh with them, hug them and encourage them in the Word. The 2 weeks we spent with them went by in a flash, and we continue to pray for them as they wait for the day Living Faith Saigon is planted.
Those who have gone to Vietnam could tell story after story about events unfolding in a way that could only be attributed to God. I’d be remiss if I didn’t close by acknowledging that it is only by God that the work in Vietnam is thriving. The people God has placed in our path, the opportunities he’s given us, the fruit, and the protection for the disciples there are all thanks to Him. God’s hand stretches across the whole world and is just as alive and at work in Vietnam as He is in KC.
I chuckle at a journal entry I wrote while on the first trip in 2017: “I’m going to seriously pray about joining the Vietnam team or taking the teaching job with APU. Andrew Best reminded me I’m not fully equipped yet and I should stay in KC and get a few years of LFBI.” I was a zealous kid who had been moved by what I saw God doing, but I needed to get equipped.
As I’ve been training and preparing to go wherever God would send me, an important lesson I’ve learned is on contentment. As exciting as the prospect of a future in Vietnam, Nairobi, Tokyo, etc. sounds, I ought not to let it rob my attention and energy from the work where God has me in the present. God’s got us in a specific place, in a specific ministry, under a specific authority at this specific point in time. Embrace it. Godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6).
Elijah Reneau is a member of Midtown Baptist Temple and is a part of C&YA. He serves on the MBT Hospitality team and is a part of a Friends of Internationals Bible study.
