The mission team left early in the morning on October 18th, 2022 for missionary work in Vietnam. Most of the team left from Boston, with connections in Detroit and Tokyo, arriving in Ho Chi Minh City late in the evening on October 19th. We were greeted by Wendy (OTAN) at the airport and after a short drive, we arrived at our hotel.
Each morning, the team would meet for breakfast. We had two interpreters working with us during our visit (Peter and Esther). Thursday morning, October 20th we traveled to the orphanage to meet the staff and leadership and to better understand the work we would be doing. Pastor Jerry presented gifts to the women working at the orphanage and then the team met with Wendy, Blue Sky, and Dr. Nguyen as they shared their testimonies and how they became involved with the ministries. After returning to the hotel and spending some time touring the city, we prepared for the commissioning ceremony for Blue Sky. Blue Sky had been working for First Fruits Ministry and was selected to be the leader, the ceremony was to officially recognize her as the new leader. The ceremony included a meal with the entire team present, Pastor Jerry officiating, with the ministry leaders in the United States participating virtually. Barbara Ford shared her testimony and how she came to be involved with the Shephard’s Godparent Home through Crosspoint Church. Blue Sky’s family and friends spoke in support of Blue Sky and we all had an enjoyable evening.
Friday was our first day of work at the orphanage. A contractor crew had done a lot of work preparing several rooms for sanding, painting, scraping, and cleaning. In addition, Barbara and Hattie held training seminars with the women working at the orphanage. That evening, the team visited Celestial Crafts, a sewing, quilting, and craft store that is an outreach ministry for the community. After the team toured the facility and viewed the clothing and crafts, Pastor Jerry presented Bibles, instructional sewing books, and t-shirts to the Celestial Crafts group.
On Saturday the team traveled to a local park for a day with the children from the orphanage. There were twelve children ranging from five to fifteen years old, we played games, made crafts, and shared a meal together. It was a joy to spend time with the children. After the day with the children was complete, we traveled back to the hotel to clean up and get ready to attend one of the English clubs in the evening. The English club meets in a small room above a local café. There were twelve “students” and three leaders. The session included singing Christian songs in English, a short Bible lesson on Esther, a few fun games, and finally, mission team members breaking up into small groups with the students and reading a Bible passage in English and discussing what the passage meant. This time also allowed us to talk with the students about cultural differences and similarities. Another enjoyable and memorable day and evening.
The team traveled to Esther’s church for worship service Sunday morning. Esther’s father is the Pastor of this church, there were approximately sixty people in attendance including our group. The worship songs were sung in both Vietnamese and English. It is truly amazing to hear well-known hymns and choruses sung in a different language and to worship together with our brothers and sisters in Christ. After the service, the room was reset for lunch and we were invited to stay and fellowship with their church. The team traveled back to the hotel and we visited the local zoo with members from First Fruits Ministry and their families.
The team is back at the orphanage Monday through Wednesday. The temperature was much warmer than “home”, these are full days of work and we are tired but accomplished a lot. After our work days were complete, we returned to the hotel to clean up and eat dinner and/or shop at the local markets. The team attended a different English club Wednesday evening, it was a similar setup and structure as the previous English club. This club was led by Esther and included games and small group settings to practice English with the students.
There is no more work that can be done at the orphanage at this time, the team takes Thursday to wind down and get ready to return home. Some time is spent shopping at the local markets for last-minute gifts, a visit to a local Hindu island temple, and we took a boat tour on the Saigon River. The team had a final meal with the leaders and staff of First Fruit Ministry in the evening, it has been a joy getting to know everyone. After our meal, the team travels to the airport to get ready for our flight at 12:45 am Friday morning with connections in Seoul and New York City, arriving in Boston at 3 pm. This trip was not only a great opportunity to serve the ministries in Vietnam but also an opportunity for the team members to grow closer.