Day 3/4 SE Asia Trip

9:00 am Monday

Today, we had a big bite of the religious pie served in Asia, which we would learn was actually more of a small taste. We visited two seminaries, United Methodist and Christian Missionary Alliance (CMA) by denomination. The denominational designations mean relatively little here in Asia, except as "vehicles" for Christianity and a direct relationship to others to provide funding. At both seminaries, we were blessed to share conversation with seminary leaders who graciously fielded our questions. We talked about the experiences of living in a socialist country that sometimes limits religious practices, while seminaries do not have the space for all those who want to go to seminary. We learned that seminarians must get permission from the government to move from their district and then must return to their home after seminary to serve. Each of us is harvesting many thoughts, but as the blogger for the day, I'll share with you one of the things floating around my mind, since there was so much food for thought today. I was amazed to hear that in North Vietnam, a place that sees much persecution against Christians, the church is thriving and growing. This was the situation of the early church, too, in which the Gospel was shared and took root in many places, even though things didn't look promising.

We spent a lot of time seeing Ho Chi Minh City from the van, going over the Saigon River, watching more people creatively build and successfully drive full mopeds, with anything and everything, and witnessing people living life in many different ways. We enjoyed more delicious Vietnamese food (I'm not sure there's any other kind) and then split to walk and explore the city, doing some shopping along the way.

Day Two in Vietnam (and in this time zone) is hitting many of us with the tiring effects of jet lag, so this is a short blog so we may rest up for a full day tomorrow.

Here's a few pictures to feast on from the day. (Will be uploaded later)
-Amanda