This is the miracle story you have all been waiting for!
We found ourselves on the back of a 45 minute tuk-tuk ride at 17:00, making our way to the border that closes at 18:00, praying that the Lord would slow down the clock and that our crossing would run smoothly. We arrived at the border, 10 minutes to spare, and after some whispered prayers, made it through Cambodia’s border. Next up, we were running to Vietnam’s border. Luckily Finn was able to stick his hand under the closing shutters and get the man’s attention before he closed it. He then said that he will allow 5 of us to pass through and the other 5 needs to stay in Cambodia. The Lord heard whispers cried out to Him. We had a bus that leaves at 11pm in Vietnam to the town of our hostel. We definitely could not afford to leave 5 team members behind. But by the grace of God, we were all able to get onto our bus to our hostel.
After meeting up with the Loas team, we all made our way to the Café where we would be serving for the next two and a half weeks. We were welcomed into their lovely space with open arms and blessed with some pizza for dinner. The café creates the space for locals to come and have English and German classes, and have mental health club meetings for free. We enjoyed sharing our stories and learning about their culture through people who are so eager to speak and learn English. It was a great time to sit and have conversations with someone who is so engaging.
The opportunities we had in Vietnam were amazing. We learned how to waiter, how to make local favourite drinks, facilitate games and play badminton or pickleballs with our new friends. We also had a guided city tour, hosted worship nights and a cultural evening where we could make dishes from South Africa, USA, and Oman, and try local Vietnamese dishes and desserts.
Some girls had the opportunity to go to a girls Bible study. There we could share our testimonies to new believers, while tasting some delicious home made meals. They blessed us abundantly, the dinner, the fruit, the company, as well as spiritual food. It is safe to say that we had a great time! We saw the generosity of the Lord in each person. They welcomed us and made us feel at home, like sisters in Christ. We prayed and encouraged each other before we had vanilla cookies that we baked together, as a reminder that we are all created by the hands of God. The same way we have to be intentional about what we add to the bowl for it to have a different outcome, likewise, the Lord was so intentional when He created us. He knew exactly what to add, the gifts, the talents, the qualities, and characteristics that make us all unique. You can’t rush baking, there are some moments where you pause and let the dough set, or put it in a warm space. We can’t rush the Lord’s work in us or how He is still creating us.
The cultural evening, or as we called it, the “Bye bye Barbecue” was such a great time to socialize and connect with the friends we’d made over the last two weeks. We had an awesome time, sharing how God has provided and protected us all year long, to seeing Him work in those around us, as well as hearing how they came to faith. This was a great time for divine appointments. Anne testified of this, saying, “The Lord’s appointments are always perfect and far above our comprehension! I can testify of that. At the Link we had a big barbecue gathering and played games…and I LOVE games. But something felt strange in my spirit and I felt I had to go talk with people down under at the Link building. How the Lord guides our steps is always perfect! I met up with a friend and she was alone in a room. I felt that Jesus wanted to just comfort her. He is a God who is with us and wants to comfort us. I didn’t realise it in the moment but later I was reminded that while we can plan our day, He directs our steps in order for His perfect will to happen. He has perfect appointments with specific people and we as willing vessels must listen when He tells us or places us in situations for Him to touch hearts.
We held a worship night where Ben had an awesome testimony. “I made a friend during the English classes and invited him to our worship night. I arrived with a very expecting heart and filled with excitement for God to touch the people in the room. While I was singing, I kept on feeling an alter call, I couldn’t get it off of my mind, and I soon found out why. While André was sharing his message, I sat next to my friend and he did not look okay. I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to speak with him outside and he soon opened up and told me what was happening. I led him in the sinners prayer and he gave his life to the Lord! As I was sitting across from Johnny, I remembered that the Lord had put a date on my heart in the beginning of the year, 28/08/2026, and after some thought, that was the day that I had met Johnny! I shared this with him and he slowly raised his hand to his mouth and said ‘You can’t make this stuff up.’ It was incredible.”
We went to an international church service on the first Sunday, and were soon invited to their youth group. We again had the opportunity to share and praise the Lord together, sharing testimonies and funny stories from the year. We all really enjoyed spending time with the youth, they were so easy to talk and connect with. We were also invited to dinner one evening by one of the youth leaders where she blessed us beyond words. Hearing her story and the provision the Lord has had for her was so encouraging! We all couldn’t thank her enough for the lovely food that she bought for us.
We were also taken out for dinner twice by our host. We listened to his story and it was so encouraging and inspiring to hear how he continues to point us to Jesus. He invited us to a park next to a famous landmark were we witnessed his continuous praise to the Lord in all the stories he shared. He is living Psalm 34:1 out so beautifully. “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Vietnam was amazing, it’s definitely become many of our favourites. Thank you to everyone who loved us well, may God bless you! It’s definitely a sad goodbye.
Much love, Eastbound♡