There are a lot of young expat professionals - single or married - and life here for them is pretty good. They have few constraints and little in the way of accountability outside of their jobs. So a lot of life is lived in the cafes and the bars, and everyone seems to be having a great time. However few of them really experience meaningful community.
The above perspective was impressed upon us this past week through three different contacts.
1. A young American couple at our New Year's Eve party (Feb. 2nd) told of former American expats who may not even be Christ followers. These former expats advised a friend: when you arrive in your overseas posting, find a church - that is where you will find community!
2. Over lunch last week, two young professional women who have been here for 18 months and 30 months respectively, described vividly the need they see in the young expat adults in Saigon. They need an easy to find church which makes young professionals - both Christ followers and those investigating Christian faith - really welcome. They need a community of believers that will encourage and challenge them.
3. A young African man whom we have met in the local Vietnamese church knows that I am a pastor expecting to start an English speaking congregation. He sent me a note at the start of the Sunday service asking me to pray with him at the end of the service. He is struggling spiritually, far from home and surrounded by those who don't follow Christ. I prayed with him that his faith would not fade or falter; that he would continue to live for Christ.
I hope you who read this blog are experiencing warm fellowship in a healthy (not perfect, but healthy) local church. We need God, and he made us to need each other.
We want our new church here in Ho Chi Minh City to be a warm, welcoming place where people will connect with Christ and with others. We are waiting to see what God will do.
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