Thoughts from a journey

Today I'm incredibly grateful to be home in Australia with my family. I know this is where God has called me to be for now. It is the place of my birth and my country. Many generations of my family before me have lived here and many generations will after me. But something changed when I went to Vietnam for the second time in a year last year. Vietnam has a hold of my heart in a way I cannot really describe. 

I knew when we first looked at community work in Vietnam that first year 2012 that I was to be a part of it. I had been to China the previous year for the same reason. I loved China and her people but Vietnam took a hold of me like never before and this year, my 7th trip, something deeper again has happened.

I love Vietnam, I love her people and I love her beautiful countryside and crowded cities. This year there has been enormous breakthrough in many areas with the follow up of the Community Development Workshop and also in the people of the village. We have become partners and friends over the years and we know we belong. This year we were welcomed home by the team in Vietnam and Da Nang is now so familiar that  we navigate it like it is home. 

This year we visited our friend in Ha Noi and learned to navigate the centre of this amazing city. Familiar yet different. The sounds are similar, horns honking in a constant cacophany. People are everywhere. The buildings similar, yet different too. Narrow crowded streets, pavements you cannot walk on because bikes are parked and people sit in the walkways.

The traffic is crazy. The air was hot and humid and yet I loved every minute. When it was time to leave I felt sad in a way had never felt before when leaving. I wanted to stay. Tonight in bed I cried becauseI can't get Ha Noi out of my mind. I'm carrying a picture of its streets and buildings, the people, three sights and sounds and I know that Ha Noi has captured my heart in a way I never expected it to.  

I have carried Vietnam in my heart know for many years but going back to do Flourish last year and our community work this year, the connection with people, the relationships formed have gone to a new level. Not just with the team in Vietnam but with those who were part of our team from Australia this year. Something has gone deeper in our spirits and I knowI will never be the same. 

I don't know what it is that is in store re Ha Noi  and Vietnam but I know that this city  has been placed in my heart for a reason. Perhaps because it is the capital, it is in many ways the centre of Vietnam and of what happens in Vietnam politically and spiritually. I will pray for her and her people.

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