One of the ministry team members from Brazil, ready for a performance! Hello, all--
It is Monday. We just finished lunch and I have a few minutes free before we start our afternoon class work. I wanted to write about yesterday.At church, we had special guests. A group with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) are travelling throughout Asia from their home country of Brazil. They began at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, then toured throughout China, now in Vietnam, then on to Cambodia, and Thailand before returning to South America. They presented pantomimed skits with a Gospel theme, danced to worship songs (In Portugese), and had an impressive exhibition of juggling. As you might imagine, it was quitely lively. The worship was...free...there was plenty of dancing, clapping, shouting, etc. Our pastor said it was the first time he could remembering worshiping God with "the juggle." :) After their presentation, the message was brought by a woman from Australia. She is a pastor there and was the first woman ordained in the Assemblies of God in Australia. She has been pastoring for 30 years. Her message was very encouraging as she exhorted us to hold on to our confidence in the Lord--despite circumstances, or other voices of discouragement. After church, we headed to Big C for lunch.
On the 2nd floor of the Big C center there is an enclosed play area. There is a ball pit, several colorful tunnels, slides and climbing areas. The girls had been playing for awhile, when a noticed a scuffle in the ball pit and I could see that Jillian and Anna Mei had someone cornered. At first, I thought they were just playing with someone until I saw Anna Mei point very emphatically and say, "You leave my sister alone!" I moved in quickly, calling their names, to divert their attention from their intended victim. It was a boy of 9 or 10 years old. Across the ball pit, I saw Faith, wiping away tears and watching wide-eyed. Apparently, the boy had either intentionally or unknowingly played "too rough" with Faith. Jillian said he pulled her backwards by the shirt, causing her to fall down a cushioned incline into the ball pit. Whatever happened, the boy was shocked that most of the other children in the play area were not just random kids, they were all part of the same clan--and the two oldest were ready to exact vengeance on behalf of their smallest member. Of course, the boy spoke no English, so I don't think he got the word "sister." But he clearly understood that the other little girls in the play area were off limits. After Jillian and Anna Mei sat out some penalty time when I gave them a lecture...I mean, instruction...I noticed the boy steered clear of all of them.
Just before we left Big C, Faith, Joy and Anna Mei announced they needed to visit the ladies' room before the ride home. Big C has four levels, but only two bathrooms. Neither the stores, nor the fastfood restaurant, or even the movie theater has its own bathroom. There are bathrooms on the first and fourth floors only. Since the firstfloor bathrooms are being rennovated right now (which they sorely need), the only usable bathrooms are on the fourth floor. Since a friend from church was with me (Tony had left to bring the motorbike home), she stayed with Elizabeth and Jillian at the play area while I took the other three girls upstairs. Each stall has walls from floor to ceiling and a full-length door with a knob. This little detail is important to the story, because no sooner had Faith entered her stall and shut the door than the outside doorknob fell off. Although she was doing her best, the inside knob would not catch the latch, so Faith was stuck.Usually, there is at least one attendant in the bathroom. Not yesterday. So, as Vietnamese ladies discovered our dilemma, the crowd in the ladies' room was growing with interested onlookers. Thankfully, Faith was not scared. She talked to me the whole time. Every time she would try the knob and fail, I would hear her sigh, "Oh dear!" Joy was getting a little anxious about it. She said, "Mommy, get my Faith out!" After several minutes, three attendants came, none with keys, and they looked as perplexed as anyone about what to do. I was ready to call Duc or Tony, when Faith jiggled the knob again and it released the latch. There was a collective gasp. The door opened slowly. Faith must have heard the crowd, because she stayed behind the door as it opened. I almost laughed out loud because I could see this multitude of Asian women peering curiously to see what size munchkin would emerge. A great sigh and giggle filled the room when Faith, stepped out...to an immediate embrace from Joy.
With Faith's release, we were able to make our way back to the 2nd floor, pick up the other girls, and then go down to hail a taxi. Even Faith and Joy tell the taxi drivers our address now: "Tran Hung Dao, va Kruc Hau" (loosely, "the corner of Tran Hung Dao and Kruc Hau"). The taxi drivers all get a big smile when the twins tell them the address.
So, now back to school. May you experience freedom in worship, and from every form of entrapment, in the name of Son who sets us free indeed!
Grace and peace!
