When we heard we have the opportunity to go to Vietnam, our team was thrilled. It’s a country of such rich culture, amazing food, and humble people. But we also knew the Church of Vietnam is under great persecution. Over the past year the scrutiny of government observation of Christians has increased in some areas of Vietnam. God’s people are facing rejection from their communities, pastors are being thrown into prison and their religious materials are being confiscated.

However, that doesn’t stop the hearts of the people in their hunger for the Holy Spirit and His presence. They persist in sharing faith in their close circles and inviting people to homegroup meetings. I was so inspired by how it seems like they just cannot keep their faith to themselves – they want to share it and grow it! In the love of Christ they have found their lives’ meaning and they keep burning for Him against all odds. They continually seek the presence of God and are thirsty for the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

We were once invited by a family for a home-cooked dinner. They simply wanted to host us and express their gratitude for foreigners coming to meet them. We were expecting a regular meal and enjoying some fellowship. But the Lord had other plans. There was a woman there, who wanted to share her testimony with us. The moment she started to speak, the presence of God came and was clearly tangible. She shared how after receiving Christ she was the only Christian in her workplace and there was a mandatory meeting every Sunday. She asked if she could skip it because she wants to worship her God that day. She was not allowed to, but after evangelising for a few months, almost that whole department was saved. They changed the day of the meeting to Saturday, because now Sunday was a day for Jesus. Against that victory, her marriage started to collapse. Her husband did not allow her to speak about Jesus to their son. He even refused to step into a car that his wife received as a blessing from another Christian.

But she was still quietly sharing the love of Jesus to her son when her husband wasn’t home.Now, when the 7-year old boy is asked who he loves most in the world, his answer is “Jesus”. The devotion of this woman to Christ was a vessel for Him to speak and change so many lives. And on that dinner, we all experienced the manifest presence of God simply because of her heart that was faithful to Him. Our team was so blessed to see how the Holy Spirit is moving among His people. Let’s keep praying for our brothers and sisters in Vietnam, who are fighting to boldly be the salt and light of the Earth.