I recently enjoyed meeting for coffee (actually a mango smoothie, I don't drink coffee) in a nearby restaurant with a local Vietnamese pastor. I had heard about a recent baptism in his small church, so asked about it. Eleven Vietnamese were baptized!
I thought I knew that answer to my next question, but asked it anyway. "How many of those baptized were from Christian families?" His reply: "None."
So we pray for these newly baptized Hanoi residents, all young in years (probably ages 15 - 30) and young in faith. Two of them visited our Expat fellowship a few months ago and we pointed them to my friend's church. So we had a small part in their coming to faith and being baptized. We also are doing a small part in supporting his church.
Now on a mundane but tasty note: why do I like living in Hanoi besides the privilege of involvement in what God is doing here?
In Canada I rarely ate as much fruit as the health guidelines recommended. I confess I just hated to pay the price of most fruit. Here I am happy to do so, because it is very tasty but also because it is so inexpensive. We have a Vietnamese helper who works for us just four hours a week. Among other things we ask her to shop for fruit because she finds better fruit, at great prices.
I happened to see today's hand written bill. 10 bananas; 2 pineapples, 2 mangoes and 600 g. of Nhan (a cherry size fruit with thin skin and large pit) - total cost only $3.35 US. Hmmm, I will keep eating at least as much fruit as the Canadian health guidelines say I should.
Random but worth sharing!
Just read the following on my sister Donna Jean's blog. (For reasons unknown to me I can only read the first paragraph of each of her postings! Strange?) Anyway I thought this wisdom from two little ones was worth a big smile if not a good laugh. I suspect that these are two of my sister's almost perfect grandchildren being referenced. Apparently they play very well together except when they fight.
"Both of them were regularly frustrated to the point of tears …and punches. One day recently, an arbitrating parent halted the violence yet again, and asked for negotiation. Parent, to Sibling #1 “What would you like him to do?” Sibling #1, “Stop being so *stupid*!” Sibling #2, in a moment of wisdom beyond his years, “How am I supposed to do that?”
Don't we all wish we knew how to do that? Since we don't, please forgive me the next time I do something stupid. And I will do my best to forgive you.
I thought I knew that answer to my next question, but asked it anyway. "How many of those baptized were from Christian families?" His reply: "None."
So we pray for these newly baptized Hanoi residents, all young in years (probably ages 15 - 30) and young in faith. Two of them visited our Expat fellowship a few months ago and we pointed them to my friend's church. So we had a small part in their coming to faith and being baptized. We also are doing a small part in supporting his church.
Now on a mundane but tasty note: why do I like living in Hanoi besides the privilege of involvement in what God is doing here?
In Canada I rarely ate as much fruit as the health guidelines recommended. I confess I just hated to pay the price of most fruit. Here I am happy to do so, because it is very tasty but also because it is so inexpensive. We have a Vietnamese helper who works for us just four hours a week. Among other things we ask her to shop for fruit because she finds better fruit, at great prices.
I happened to see today's hand written bill. 10 bananas; 2 pineapples, 2 mangoes and 600 g. of Nhan (a cherry size fruit with thin skin and large pit) - total cost only $3.35 US. Hmmm, I will keep eating at least as much fruit as the Canadian health guidelines say I should.
Random but worth sharing!
Just read the following on my sister Donna Jean's blog. (For reasons unknown to me I can only read the first paragraph of each of her postings! Strange?) Anyway I thought this wisdom from two little ones was worth a big smile if not a good laugh. I suspect that these are two of my sister's almost perfect grandchildren being referenced. Apparently they play very well together except when they fight.
"Both of them were regularly frustrated to the point of tears …and punches. One day recently, an arbitrating parent halted the violence yet again, and asked for negotiation. Parent, to Sibling #1 “What would you like him to do?” Sibling #1, “Stop being so *stupid*!” Sibling #2, in a moment of wisdom beyond his years, “How am I supposed to do that?”
Don't we all wish we knew how to do that? Since we don't, please forgive me the next time I do something stupid. And I will do my best to forgive you.
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