Vietnam

17 November 2019

Dear Phyllis,

This is an old story. I have written to you about this testimony before but last week the Lord reminded me of an incident that is directly connected that I had not thought of before.

In my early days working with providing Bibles to believers in Vietnam, I was on a trip with a group of Mennonites carrying Bibles into Hanoi. The run into Hanoi was successful. We deposited our Bibles at a safe half-way house and the Mennonites flew back to Chiang Mai. I was low budget and wanted to see Laos again. I opted to go overland by bus to get home. There is the main highway running north and south connecting Hanoi to Saigon. Very close to what was the DMZ there is a town of Dong Ha where I could take a bus to Laos. I took a night bus headed south and got to Dong Ha early afternoon, but the bus to Laos wasn't until the next day. That meant I had to wait over 24 hours. Dong Ha is only about 60 km from Hue where I had some friends that I had met on a previous visit. Why not go see them? Naka naka there wasn't a bike shop in that town but I did find a college boy who said he would rent me his Honda to go to Hue. Oh me, it was a piece of junk but he assured me he road it every day to Hue and there would be no problem. It was about an hour ride to Hue and I had a great time with my friends, but I wanted to get back to Dong Ha before it got too dark. I got about 10 km north of town when the bike gave up the ghost. Fortunately I was right in front of a bile repair shop who said he could fix it but couldn't do it until the next day. I called my friend, Tin, and asked him to come get me. I thought I would spend the night with them, but it is illegal for gaijins (foreigners) to stay with natives. But there was a missionary family living in Hue that I could stay with. He took me overs to the Hendersons and I spent the night with them. Then he came back early the next morning to take me back to the bike shop to get the bike and go back to Dong Ha.

Oh man, it was awful! The bike man had worked all night and wanted a fortune for fixing the college boy's motor bike. Tin got in a heated argument with him over the rip-off price, and we finally got it down to a negotiable price, and he guaranteed it would work. I wasn't sure. Okay, he said he would ride the bike back to Dong Ha, and Tin would take me there on his bike. We hadn't gone 5 ks before the bike gave it up again. Tin flagged down a truck. We loaded the bike on a truck and took it back to Dong Ha. I wound up pushing the bike back to the college boy. He was broken hearted but I gave him $25 to get his bike fixed, and finally wound up on a bus to go on my way back to Chiang Mai. I tell all this story because it was key to what happened after that.

A year or two later I was back in Vietnam, and was going through Hue. I wanted to see my friends there again. I saw Tin and called the Hendersons while I was in town. That was Saturday. Hendersons told me that there was a small English service for missionaries the next afternoon and invited me to attend.

That night I thought I would get a good meal and went to what looked like a pretty good restaurant. It was, but, man howdy, did I make a mistake! What I mean to say is; that was expensive. Had I known that I never would have gone there. But the food was good.

While I was eating, a charming young girl was going from table to table talking to guests. She came over to speak to me. In the conversation I asked her, “Would you like eternal life?” She laughed and said, “Oh no. I want a happy life.” I came back, “I'm happier than you.” She laughed and said, “What makes you think that you are happier than me?” “Because you have a lot of pain and sorrow in your heart.” She burst into tears. I said, “Please sit down.” “Oh no I can't. We are not allowed to sit down to speak with guests.” “Will you be here tomorrow?” “No, tomorrow is my day off.” “Will you be here on Monday.” “Yes, I will be here Monday morning.” “Can I see you at 9:00?” “Okay.”

The next day I was meeting with a gang of missionaries for a Sunday afternoon service and told them about my unusual meeting with this girl the night before at the restaurant. I asked John Henderson if he would be available Monday morning to be on stand by. He said he would. I told him if things worked out I would call him so he could come to the restaurant to meet this girl.

The next morning I went to the restaurant to have breakfast and Joy was waiting for me. We chatted for 15 minutes, and I asked Joy if I could borrow her cell phone. I called the Hendersons and said, “John, this is Bill. Get over here right away and bring a Bible.” I don't remember much of what happened after that. I do recall 15 minutes after I called, John showed up with a Bible. I introduced John to Joy and we had a nice chat. Later that day I got my bus and went on my way to return back to Chiang Mai via going through Laos.

A month after that I got an email from John Henderson telling me the sequel. Joy wound up going over to their house and fell in love with them and their family. They took her to church. Tin's church. She had never been in a church before in her life. She loved it. Within a month Joy was soundly saved. She fell in love with Jesus and in a couple of more months she was baptized. From time to time John would send me emails telling me what was going on in Hue. The last I heard, Joy had quit her job, moved to Saigon, and was working with a baptist missionary.

Oh, Jesus, Jesus, I can never thank You enough for using me to be a small link in a chain of events to bring one soul to yourself and making them to be a member of Your Body.

Phyllis, I know I have told you this story before, but the Lord reminded me that the key to this girl's salvation was the poor college boy's junk motor bike. Had it not been for that sick bike I never would have met the Hendersons. It was because I got stranded that night in Hue that I wound up staying with them. And it was because I made a mistake that night and went to a restaurant that was out of my budget that I met Joy.

You don't have to be Charles Finney for the Lord to use you. I am not a historic missionary. I am just a class C Christian walking through life. Watchman Nee said the greatest poverty in the Christian world is the lack of one talent Christians (Mt. 25:14-15) using what they have to serve the Lord.

Ten years ago I was visiting a church in southern Japan for the second time. A man that I did not recognize came up to me and asked, “Do you recall this 100 yen coin?” I didn't. He held it out and said, “Last year, when you were here, you gave it to me and said, 'Accepting this coin is the same way as we accept Jesus.' I did and He has changed my life.”.

There are just two things I would like to say. I am not a product of a seminary. My highest academic achievement has been a high school diploma. I am just an average Christian who has had an unusual privilege of traveling to a number of countries. It wasn't by persuasive theological argument, but just an off hand remark given to me by the Holy Spirit that turned a key to unlock a Vietnamese girl's heart. And secondly, it is amazing how the Lord takes some of the difficulties of life that we dislike so much at the time, to be the means of using them to weave together the fabric, with which He is building His Kingdom.

Oh, thank God.

                          bill