Humble pie.

Day One:  Vietnam  (for real)

I soon realized I would feel a lot of uncomfortable emotions in Vietnam.  When you are in the presence of men who gladly go to prison, and face many hardships to help others know of a personal relationship with the Lord, you can't help but feel humbled and shame.

After a bus trip to the Mekong Delta, we met this awesome hero of the faith.  A man who told over 300 of his classmates in school about the Lord while he was studying to be an engineer.  He was put in prison with other "hardened criminals"  (rapists and murderers) .  When we asked if he was afraid in prison,  we just got his big smile.  He said "No, it gave me an opportunity to tell the rapist and murderers about the Lord".

This same man could no longer be an engineer, but, his parents knew all along, his true calling was in the pastorate  In 2004,  ICM gave this congreation a church  Today, this church has already started 4 daughter churches.  The red crosses on the chart in the picture, symbolize where they want to plant other churches

How do they fund such churches when the national average year's salary is a little more than $1,000?  One way is via old fashioned piggy banks.  The children of the congregation get piggy banks to save precious coins.   Children agree to give up one meal a day so that they can contribute to the building of new churches.  At the end of the year, there is a great celebration as the banks get smashed by the children, their coins collected.  This method of saving is replicated all over Vietnam.  As,  I said,  I have been greatly humbled.