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Well, I am halfway through the final leg of this long trip. Before I know it, it’ll be time to head for home.

I am thoroughly enjoying the experience of teaching through the book of Nehemiah at this conference. I have never had a group of people take so many notes throughout the classes. One woman excitedly came up to me during a break and did her best to let me know how much she is getting from the sessions. She showed me her book of notes and I was pretty amazed at how extensive they were. She said that she is a missionary throughout Southeast Asian countries. What a great blessing to meet her.

We were invited to have lunch with the leader and executive council of the denomination. It was a truly wonderful experience. And, the homemade Vietnamese cuisine for lunch each day continues to exceed my expectations!

The pastor here with me from Texas has been to Vietnam once before: that was back in 1970, so you can probably correctly guess why he was here. It is a real adventure each evening as we head out to find a place to eat dinner. It really is impossible for me to describe what it is like to experience the sensory overload of the thousands of motorbikes, people from all over the world, aromas from all the open-air restaurants, and the challenge of crossing the boulevards. Every time we make it to the other side, I feel an exhilaration that must be similar to how people feel who successfully walk across a bed of hot coals! Wild!

I will not be posting any photos of the people at the conference. I’ll show some when I return.

Keep praying, please.

Love to you all.

Had a great day today! We were picked up at 8 AM and driven to the site of the pastor’s school. It was about 20-30 minutes from the hotel. It is a church building/denominational headquarters, and we had our sessions in a small lecture hall, with about 45 men and women in attendance. I taught the first 55-minute session, an introduction to the book of Nehemiah, and the young lady who translated was very easy to work with.

As I did at the conference in Nepal, I asked a few of them to tell about themselves. I did learn that the biggest challenge they do face is no longer persecution, though it was at a time not that long ago. There are other issues they face that have to do with being unable to do all they need to do as pastors. Anyway, the lecture hall was very comfortable (air conditioned!) and all 3 of my teaching sessions went very smoothly. I felt great and really enjoyed the experience. They fed us a delicious lunch of Vietnamese food and also gave us fresh papaya  and other fruit between sessions. They were all very kind and gracious. I am looking forward to the rest of the week.

On the ride back, we learned that the pastor who drove us was once jailed for a year because of his Christian faith. That was 20 years ago. He continues to pastor a couple of churches where he lives.

We walked down the street and found a place for dinner, sitting outside and enjoying the bustling activity of the city. The food here is so inexpensive. Like yesterday’s dinner, it cost us each about $3.00. I had skewered beef and vegetables and a beverage. Very nice!

Thanks for the prayers!

love to you all.

OK, I am now here in Saigon. When I was in the Delhi airport on Friday night, a Chinese guy, probably in his mid 30’s, came up to me and struck up a conversation about the large carved elephants in the terminal. He asked if I would take a picture of him in front of the elephants, so I was glad to accommodate him. He was a very friendly guy and lives in Guangzhou, China, where I was headed for the connection to Saigon. He told me all about his family and business and that his daughter was born in Los Angeles. I asked where and he said Monterey Park. I told him that I lived in that city all through high school. When he said that his daughter was born at Garfield Hospital, I was further surprised, as that is where my younger brother was born! We had a good conversation about what we each do for a living. Small world! He took a pic of me by the elephants, which I have included. I was met at the airport on Saturday morning by a young woman named Trinh, who is her 5th year of studying architecture, and driven to the small tourist-type hotel in the middle of the city. There are hundreds like it throughout Saigon. It is hot and humid, but I love the tropical climate. After checking in and getting settled in the room, I got out and took a walk and found a small pizza place for lunch. An individual pizza and a diet coke cost me only 160,000 Vietnam currency. That’s right, one hundred sixty thousand! Seemed like a lot to pay for pizza. But, in US currency, $7.50. On the walk back, I saw a bakery. Who can resist a bakery?? So, like a swallow returning to Capistrano, I instinctively walked in and enjoyed a pastry and a delicious espresso. I think I dropped about 40k in that place! At 6 PM, I was picked up at the hotel by Pastor Sang. Staying at the same hotel is Pastor Mike from Texas who will be teaching next week as well. The 3 of us walked to a small local restaurant for a dinner of Pho. It was delicious, the real deal! Then, back to the hotel. I slept about 7 hours, waking up at 5:20 to the noise of what sounded like a high school band loudly playing next to the hotel. I thought a parade was going by! I found out later that it was a funeral service. They often go all night. Wow. We were picked up at 7:20 this morning and driven by motor scooter to Pastor Sang’s church. It was only 5 minutes away, but fun being on the back of the bike (see earlier post regarding Kathmandu!). It was a nice service and I was glad to go. I was invited to take a few minutes to introduce myself. I have included some shots of the church, and the pastor and his wife and son. We walked back to the hotel, accompanied by the young lady who translated for us. So, now in the room preparing for the next 4 days. Thanks for all the prayers. I’ll keep you posted.