For Linda

I wish I had been more intentional about taking pics of your beautiful boy. He's a sweet and happy little guy and seems to have adapted well in Malaysia and Vietnam.

Making Friends

It’s easy to make friends in Vietnam. We’ve made friends with Tuy, our hotel receptionist. Cong, our taxi driver in Phu Quoc. A street vendor, (didn’t get her name) that we spent a good chunk of time talking to last night as we ate what I call banana jerky from her stand. She starts working at 8 in the morning and ends around 10pm. She makes an average of $2 (USD) a day, and only sees her family (that lives in the central part of Vietnam) for one month a year during Tet.



Though we’ve only been on our own for a week in Vietnam, I’ve seen just how easy it is to talk to people. (Well, for Hieu to talk to people, I need to really get this language thing down). But it still hits me hard knowing that in just a short time, one can only really have a surface level conversation. It’d take a considerable amount of time to get deeper. To know their joys and struggles and to share our hope, the truly good news, with them.

This trip is truly eye opening. Though I feel like I cannot really make much of an eternal impact this trip, I see so many needs. I see so many ways to pray. And I definitely see Hieu and I returning again in the future, for a much longer stay.

Goodbye Montezuma!

Quick update-

I'm feeling a LOT better! Thnanks for your prayers. We're on the island of Phu Quoc right now. Don't have much time to update, but I just wanted to say thanks for your prayers. It feels so good to feel good!

-Katie

Montezuma's Revenge

Two days ago, the team and us (Katie and Hieu) parted ways. They are in Thailand now while we're still in Vietnam, exploring and experiencing the city. Parting ways has been harder than I imagined it would be.

I was showing beginning signs of "Montezuma's Revenge" (google that if you don't know what I'm talking about) the day the team left. I felt so wonderful physically in Malaysia and the first few days of Vietnam that I dropped my guard. I started drinking tea with ice, putting vegetables in my soups and eating everything put in front of me. I figured that since we're in District 1 (the touristy district of Vietnam) that pretty much all food is safe.

Its been a few days now since my friend Montezuma joined me, and I'm wiped. I have waves of gurgles in my tummy that keep me in fear, a headache that wont go away, and total exhaustion. I'm trying to drink more water to stay hydrated, but its hard to feel thirsty in such a humid environment.

Right now I'm feeling down. It feels like once we parted ways with the rest of the SEAM team, we lost purpose and intentionality. We no longer have a schedule, we aren't meeting up with any brothers and sisters and we haven't even continued the devotionals. This is me just being authentic right now. I'm frustrated at myself because I feel like we could be doing SO MUCH MORE- visiting the tunnels, the Mekong delta, the countryside, if I had more stamina. We could be having more intentional conversations with people. I viewed this part of the trip being the "vision" part- where I get to really experience and absorb Vietnam, but my brain feels fuzzy and detached.

Despite all this, I am really enjoying Vietnam, believe it or not. Though I'm discouraged a bit, I'm thrilled to be here. I just wish my body could be as thrilled as my mind. Not to mention, Hieu has been incredibly understanding and gracious with me not feeling up to speed.

So I'm asking you all for prayer. Please please pray that I'll get back to feeling 100%. Please pray that though we aren't "doing missions" that we can still be intentional in how we interact with each others and the locals. And of course, please continue to lift up the rest of the team in Thailand. Pray that they will continue to love each other and be unified, that they will encourage the Thai brothers and sisters, that they will also be intentional in all they say and do.

Love you all, and thanks for your prayers!

-Katie


(Waving goodbye to the SEAM Team)

Spirit Led...

Last night our group went out to a delicious restaurant that specializes in bun bo hue. Our server was quite possibly the best server we've ever experienced. He worked his butt off, making sure our drinks were always filled, bringing out dish after dish so quickly, smiling so much and making sure our large group had whatever we wanted. He was sweating and running and just... an awesome hard-working server. Like I said- quite possibly the best.



Our group tipped him generously- 200,000 dong (about $10 bucks U.S.) which is a lot- considering that A- most people don't tip waiters in Vietnam, and B- a nice paying wage in Ho Chi Minh is only about $200 a month ($6.50 a day.) He probably makes even less than that, since he's a server and not in a highly skilled position.

This afternoon we were thinking of a place to eat lunch with our Vietnamese brothers and sisters. Thinh didn't get to eat with us last night because he had a BBQ with his family, so he wanted to check out this bun bo hue restaurant. Though we had already gone there last night, we decided to go again- just for Thinh.

We went back to the restaurant and our server was THRILLED to see us again. Even the other servers and cooks peeked their heads out, surprised and happy. The server pulled Hieu aside and explained that last night, he rang up one of our tables, but forgot to ring up our other table. He had to pay his tip money to the restaurant and still owed $400,000 dong ($40 bucks- a LOT of money!) to the restaurant. What a roller coaster night he must have had- first happy that he got a very nice tip, and then devastated that he ended up in debt to his employers.

So when we came back, you can imagine the excitement not only from him, but every worker in the restaurant. They couldn't believe we came back! What are the odds when there are so many delicious restaurants all over Ho Chi Minh?! We ate another delicious meal, payed the money owed from last night, payed back his tip from last night, and gave him another tip for his once again amazing service.



We've never seen a happier kid. He ran back and forth serving us, almost dancing as he ran. His smile never once left his face. Hieu told him that is was Jesus that brought us back to the restaurant today. As we left, some of the cooks and servers and even the manager came out, smiling, bowing and shaking our hands.

It is no lie that the Holy Spirit brought us back to the restaurant. We could have gone to another place but for some reason we were drawn back to this particular restaurant. He could have not been working today, or had an evening shift, but he was there.

A seed has been planted. God's care and faithfulness has been displayed. We pray that our will notice and experience Jesus Christ's love and faithfulness even more in the days/weeks/months to come.



^ the girls and our happy server ^

Highlights of Vietnam

Here are a few visual highlights of our trip so far while in Vietnam:

1. Traffic. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?



2. Worship. Such passion, joy and excitement!


3. Our "hotel" at the beach (we like to call it a "Bed and Breakfast", minus the breakfast- so it was really just a Bed) Hanging out on the roof, where Hieu and I decided to sleep for the night.


4. Our brothers and sisters! Their testimonies are so powerful!


5. Food!!! We are definitely well fed on this trip!


6. Mom. She is awesome and is taking care of so many of us! Here is a picture with her sister and Oliver. Ollie is doing great by the way. Happy, exploring, and becoming more comfortable being passed around.


7. Praying over Mom's plot of land. We prayed and sang songs in Vietnamese as a dedication for this land to be used for God's purposes. She envisions this place to one day be a retreat center for Vietnamese Christians to deeper in their faith, fellowship with other Christians and be trained further in the gospel.



8. View from the roof of Mom's old house. Absolutely stunning.


9. Motor bikes. Fun and exciting way of transportation.



10. Meeting Sabastian's family. Awesome.


There's just so much more. We're having a great time, thanks again to all you that are praying!

what song is this in english?

TRANSFORMATION, is it possible???

TRANSFORMATION!!!!

In the early 1970s, Werner Erhard introduced the breakthrough notion of "transformation":

“A clear distinction between change within an existing world view or frame of reference, and creating an entirely new world view.”

How long does it take for “change/transformation” to happen? Is it gradually then suddenly? Is it in a blink of an eye?

I have learned to reframe my question on this trip! It’s no longer how long does it take. Its, “for who is the change/transformation for?”. Then timing is not the issues, it can happen in a blink of an eye, as were experiencing here in Asia. The issue then is will you invite personal transformation and the pain of it for someone, something, somebody, a purpose greater then yourself?

Transformation is painful because you will no longer be operating out of the same old system. You will be fumbling through a new system that is being created the deeper you go into the transformation. (more on this at another time).

I have seen this happen over and over with the team.

First, Thinh has broken through a challenge I have challenged him with for a while now. To be abandon and not care what others think? He made the “Kids” were serving bigger then himself and he abandoned himself for their sake. Thinh spoke in broken Vietnamese and wasn’t self-conscience about their thoughts of him. That gave him more intimacy with them as he broke through the simple, what’s your name, when are you going back to Vietnam from KL, how old are you, etc. Now Thinh, in his humility, through broken Vietnamese heard their pains, hope, dreams, he heard “them”. So much more….

Second, Hieu in a moment of trust and vulnerability shared how its easy for him to see the dark side of any situation. In fact, he had his “dream” come true and it turned into a “nightmare”, his words. He led a very creative bible study and it started going south as he asked dark questions that brought down the room’s energy. Vietnamese people like to play and laugh, Hieu got them to become more pessimistic and dark, what a gift he has!

I gave him feedback on my experience then another opportunity to share at the next speaking opportunity. Hieu made it about the Vietnamese “Kids” were sharing to and Hieu shifted to become this funny person with energy that captivated the group and they received his point with applause! It did take time for Hieu to shift, it took a commitment to others, something greater then himself for him to abandon comfortbility.

Third, Katie! Wow, so much transformation in such a short time. Leading worship with a bunch of off key, tone deaf, and lyrically challenged team members. I can write pages on Katie’s shift. Due to time, I’ll touch on one part. I’ve seen her shift from having to “know” what is going on, when its going on, how its going on, etc. she went to “He knows” and she surrendered. This is not an easy transformation, to give up control. And I saw Katie you this more each day as the team, “Kids”, and others become bigger then her.

Lastly, Kaleb has miraculously transformed in a blink of an eye. He is choosing to spend time with uncle Thinh, who he hasn’t ever desired to before. Kaleb would normally like to spend time with the “fun” uncles and play and make life about himself. I see he is choosing uncle Thinh because Thinh is our leader. Thinh is putting himself out there serving us and Kaleb’s natural leadership gifts are coming out. Kaleb is absorbing our bible studies like and adult would. Kaleb’s answers are profound and deep not for a 10yr old but for even adult to have! He is serving when opportunities arise and doing things for others that he normally ask he brothers to do for him. He is choosing to talk about others, the circumstance and what God is doing instead of himself and what he wants to do. It is frightening to see is instant maturity and still see they boyish characters in him.

One night I was crying as I shared my testimony in Vietnamese for the first time. Kaleb got up not caring what others thought, made his way through the crowd and stood by the stage ready… Uncle Thinh asked Kaleb what he was about to do, Kaleb said, “I felt my dad needed a hug” and he was standing at the bottom of the stage ready with all the peoples eyes on him and he not caring what others thought. This is big for Kaleb as he is a “socializer” and normally concerns about others approval.

Transformation can happen gradually then suddenly, immediately, over an extended amount of time. The length of time is not the issue; it’s the commitment to transformation. Commitment to make others, a vision, an opportunity, something to be bigger then your self, your self-preservation!

Then you will be able to experience:

“A clear distinction between change within an existing world view or frame of reference, and creating an entirely new world view.” Werner Erhard

sorry got to run, edit it later... SABASTIAN

everyone having a first experience! this time it is singing in Vietnamese, at least that is what they said they were doing?

i preached for the first time in Vietnamese, at least that is what came out of my mouth,i think? not sure if they were crying because the message was so powerful or my Vietnamese hurt their ears. the later is probably more realistic!

most incredible experiences when were willing to be vulnerable and dive into new opportunities as we serve others! sabastian

Owen's thoughts

I saw Jesus in my brother Thong. He is a man of God! God has blessed him with testimonies after testimonies to share with others and to bless others with them! I believe it's Thong's faith that makes others see Jesus in him. I can say that I was truly blessed by my brother! I 'll share how I saw Jesus in him @ report night and I want to share this with you before I sign off. He traveled 40+ hours by bus to come to see us from Hanoi and he'll make the same trip back after we leave! It touched me so much and I wondered when was the last time that I did that for a friend that I only met twice before? I don't think he makes $100 US a month and he wanted to pay $30 US for our taxi ride from airport to show appreciation for us to come to see him and the brothers and sisters in Saigon! He doesn't have much and he is giving all he has! Can't wait to spend more time with him today and get to know him even more!

Touchdown

We arrived with relatively smooth travels to Ho Chi Minh yesterday evening. We got to explore the cỉty a little today, and will be leaving for a service in just a few minutes. Don't have time to update much, but I thought I'd touch base with you all so you know we're safe and sound.

Praise God:

-Josh's rash is GONE!
-Vincent is able to make quite a few great connections at the conference he's attending- he's hoping these connections will help to serve the Vietnamese migrant workers in Malaysia looking for work when they return to Vietnam

Pray:
-Kaleb is starting to get a rash that looks similar to what Josh had
-We only had a short time in Vietnam, pray that in this short time, we can build relationships and encourage our brother's and sisters
-I (Katie) have been experiencing a little bit of anxiety since arriving in Vietnam. Not full blown anxiety attacks, but definitely a feeling of angst.

Will update more soon.

Photo Opportunity

Julie and I wanted a picture together outside of the restaurant we ate at for lunch. We were about to take the picture when we decided we needed something "Asian" in the picture... Our new friends! We grabbed a few and got in a group shot.




After that shot, a few more wanted in on the action...




Suddenly, everyone from every corner started running up, jumping out of their car and wanting to get in on this photo op...


Never has a group picture been so easy or so fun.

Joy

Today's theme word: JOY.

Since I last updated, we've participated in 3 church services. The pure joy, excitement and passion we've experienced is beyond the scope of what I can put into words. It's overwhelmingly fun to see and participate in the completely abandoned worship with these Vietnamese migrant believers. It'd take me way too long to detail each of the services, so I'll stick to one.

Last night was our first service. As I mentioned in our last post, I was asked to lead a few songs in English before I handed off the guitar. I chose songs that I assumed would be known in Vietnamese as well- Lord I lift Your Name on High, Awesome God, How Great Thou Art and Above All (Mom made us learn that song in Vietnamese while we were still preparing in the States.) As we began to worship, I was blown away by the joy and participation of everyone in the room. I sang in English, but the rest of the room overpowered me, singing and worshiping in Vietnamese at the same time. It was amazing. I could literally feel the presence of the Holy Spirit heavy in the room, and I even had a hard time singing the last song because I was filled with so much emotion. It was beautiful. I didn't think anything in the world could get much better than that moment... I had no idea what more was in store.

When I handed over the guitar to the Vietnamese worship leader, it felt like the room exploded. As he began to play and sing worship songs, the room filled with loud and passionate praise and dancing. People were singing at the very top of their lungs, jumping, dancing, clapping, raising hands in love for Jesus. Every face had the HUGEST smile I had ever seen. Although we didn't understand the words, we knew we were all worshiping Jesus together. It felt as though heaven had descended on earth for this time of worship. Every one of us on the SEAM team learned a little something about what it means to have childlike faith, and to "dance as David danced" last night. Never have I been so carefree, abandoned and excited in my worship. Never have I danced and sweat so much in worship. Their passion for worship transformed me, and I will forever cherish last night's experience.



After worship, Hieu practiced the "playground principle" by leading the study. (For non-"Convergers" that don't know our jargon, the playground principle is that we can experience and try something new, and even if we fall, we get back up and keep playing.) You could tell at first he had some jitters, but he did an excellent job and really got everyone involved. Julie and Vincent lead the way by sharing their testimonies. Others came up and shared stories of leaving Vietnam for Malaysia to work, missing their family, their disappointments, and also their gratitude for the opportunity to hear about Jesus and come to know him here. It was an awesome time of sharing.




Praise:
-In this evening's church service, Sabastian preached and several gave their life to Jesus for the first time!! Many other believers also decided to rededicate their lives.
-Many of us have had some wonderful conversations with these Vietnamese migrant workers- not only have we encouraged them, but they've really encouraged/enlightened us (I think Thinh may be blogging soon...)
-We've all stayed well! Josh's rash is continuing to run its course, but other than that, no major illnesses that have taken anyone out of commission
-No fighting! We're tired and sometimes irritable with each other, but thanks to your prayers, we are able to set this aside and respect and love each other. (On a side note, the first "fight" goes to Josh and Hieu! Haha. Hieu said Josh's Vietnamese middle name means pink, and started calling him "pinkie." Josh wasn't amused, and told Hieu he lost his rank as a favorite uncle. He kept falling lower and lower on the "list" until Josh exclaimed he wasn't even on the list anymore. Ouch! But, they made up and enjoyed some fun time in the pool and eating ice cream. Hieu's back on the list again. For now.)

Prayer
-Several people gave their life to Christ tonight! Pray they will stay connected with other believers and grow in their new faith
-Tomorrow evening we take off for Vietnam. Please pray for safe travels
-Josh's rash is continuing to run its course, but its still around, and the heat and humidity is making it particularly itchy and uncomfortable.
-Pray for continued unity and health. We're starting to see cracks of exhaustion creep in- which can affect both emotional and physical health.

Love you all! Thanks for reading, praying and commenting! (Eric and Ange, your comments have been super encouraging to us!)