Aid to Vietnam
By Editorial Staff
Published December 2007
PHOENIX, AZ (EP) – America is headed back into Vietnam. But this time it will be with medical help and Bibles. Vietnam’s increasing openness is giving Christian ministries a chance to help heal the wounds of war, not only in Vietnam, but also in the U.S.
“A great division has existed all these years in the U.S., with the right on one side, the left on the other, and bewildered masses in between,” explains Dr. Larry Ward, who is coordinating private aid to Vietnam and working as a volunteer with NEED, a Phoenix-based ministry focusing on Vietnam. “There’s nothing that will close the gap for the American people except doing something together. Rhetoric won’t do it. We can do something positive to help.
Foreign missions work in Vietnam came to a halt in 1975 when Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. Ward escorted some 1300 people out of Vietnam and helped them find new lives in America. He also ran a rescue operation for Vietnam’s “boat people” who fled the country after the fall.
When he returned to Vietnam in 1979, it was with apprehension. “I expected hostility,” he admits. “It had been over four years since I had left Vietnam in the big wild rush with the others. When I went back I confess to wondering, ‘How will the people respond – the people left behind?’ My very first experience was this: I walked around a corner and there were 30 or 40 guys sitting outside what used to be the Bank of America, in an outside cafe drinking beer and coffee. I stopped in front of them and said ‘Good morning, how are you?’”
The men asked Ward where he was from, and he told them he hailed from the United States. “They started clapping, because I was from the United States of America. The only dirty looks I ever had in 31 trips since August of 1979 were when they thought I was a Russian. Especially on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, people are very friendly and will come up and say ‘Thank you.’”
The church in Vietnam has grown under oppression, says Ward. “I don’t think the pressure on the church has let up. It’s estimated that the church may be three times bigger than when we left it in April of 1975. People like myself helped much of the leadership escape, but we’re grateful for the ones who stayed behind with incredible courage.”
The communist government of Vietnam has only recently released South Vietnamese military chaplains, who were held in “re-education” camps for 13 years. The chief of chaplains is still being held. “I think in the minds of the Vietnamese this was the real enemy,” explains Ward. “Here were the guys whose faith – even in the prison camps – helped people find the Lord.”
The Vietnamese government welcomes the private aid provided by Christian organizations but turns its back on the religious goals of the relief workers. “We identify ourselves as Christians,” explains Ward. “We don’t play games. It appears the government is just going to close their eyes to that. It’s carefully ignored in all of the official discussions, but we’ve been totally upfront.”
A war fought with bombs, grenades and landmines left behind an estimated 60,000 amputees, including perhaps 16,000 crippled children. Many of the groups whose efforts Ward coordinates are providing wheelchairs, crutches, and artificial limbs.
“It is a beautiful significance in that we’re coming full circle,” observes Ward. “What became great evangelistic opportunities in Vietnam began in the late ’60s when an Alliance missionary begged for help for the disabled. I was World Vision’s overseas director then and began sending in wheelchairs and crutches. That opened the door, the church earned the right to be heard. We saw incredible things happen in evangelism during the dark days of the war. Thousands were won for Christ.”
Those kind of evangelistic opportunities may be opening up again, but Ward’s advice is to go slow. “The phone rings every day with people who want to go, but cautions need to be sounded for people going in. We have been totally upfront in announcing ourselves as Christians. We always check with churches to be sure we will not put them in danger by attending their services.
“One thing people have to be awfully careful about is taking official permission to see church leaders and then taking in Bibles without permission. When we were there in December the screws were being tightened. Someone had come in and brought hundreds of Bibles, bringing the church under new scrutiny. This is still a communist regime that sets people against other people. I tell people to exercise great caution; we come and go but the church has to stay there.”
The lack of diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Vietnam makes official government aid impossible, so the private sector aid which Ward is coordinating (with the government’s encouragement) is vital. A number of Christian organizations are beginning work in Vietnam, though none have established a full-time presence there.
Forerunner - Home » The Forerunner Newspaper » World Events
Your comments are welcome!
Martin Luther (DVD) 1953 Classic
Niall MacGinnis – Digitally Remastered
The dramatic classic film of Martin Luther’s life was released in theaters worldwide in the 1950s and was nominated for two Oscars. A magnificent depiction of Luther and the forces at work in the surrounding society that resulted in his historic reforming efforts, this film traces Luther’s life from a guilt-burdened monk to his eventual break with the Roman Catholic Church.
In spite of its age, this film continues to be a popular resource to introduce Luther’s life. This historical epic captures the life and times of the greatest figure of the Protestant Reformation with depth and clarity, while giving a glimpse at the private man in the eye of the storm. Luther’s protest against the established order of the Church gave birth to one of the largest religious and cultural movements history and serves as a prime example of how one man’s spiritual convictions can change the course of human events.
Running Time: 105 minutes
$9.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
A Revival Account: Asbury 1970 (DVD)
What is true Revival and Spiritual Awakening?
Discover the answer in this eyewitness account by Dennis Kinlaw, President of Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky, who recounts the story of a visitation of the Holy Spirit in 1970. This is the presentation that has continued to spark the flames of Revival in the hearts of people around the world. Contains eyewitness footage from the Revival at Asbury College in 1970 in Wilmore, Kentucky.
Certain to challenge you to greater holiness and a deeper commitment to full-scale revival. Original news and private footage has been included. If you are a student who longs to see a spiritual awakening at your school, you must see this video!
“This simple video does a wonderful job of conveying something of God’s heart and power, Everyone we have ever shown this to has received an immediate impartation of faith for revival and the power of prayer.”
— Bob and Rose Weiner, Weiner Ministries Int’l
Running Time: 40 minutes
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
God's Law and Society (DVD)
Download the Free on-line Study Guide!
God’s Law and Society powerfully presents a comprehensive worldview based upon the ethical system found in the Law of God.
Speakers include: R.J. Rushdoony, George Grant, Howard Phillips, R.C. Sproul Jr., Ken Gentry, Gary DeMar, Jay Grimstead, Steven Schlissel, Andrew Sandlin, Eric Holmberg, and more!
Sixteen Christian leaders and scholars answer some of the most common questions and misconceptions related to this volatile issue:
1. Are we under Law or under Grace?
2. Does the Old Testament Law apply today?
3. Can we legislate morality?
4. What are the biblical foundations of government?
5. Was America founded as a Christian nation?
6. What about the separation of Church and State?
7. Is neutrality a myth?
8. What about non-Christians and the Law of God?
9. Would there be “freedom” in a Christian republic?
10. What would a “Christian America” look like?
Perfect for group instruction as well as personal Bible study.
Ten parts, over four hours of instruction!
Running Time: 240 minutes
Watch over 60 on-line video interviews from God’s Law and Society.
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
Dr. Francis Schaeffer - A Christian Manifesto (DVD)
That Swiss Hermit Strikes Again!
Dr. Schaeffer, who was one of the most influential Christian thinkers in the twentieth century, shows that secular humanism has displaced the Judeo-Christian consensus that once defined our nation’s moral boundaries. Law, education, and medicine have all been reshaped for the worse as a consequence. America’s dominant worldview changed, Schaeffer charges, when Christians weren’t looking.
Schaeffer lists two reasons for evangelical indifference: a false concept of spirituality and fear. He calls on believers to stand against the tyranny and moral chaos that come when humanism reigns-and warns that believers may, at some point, be forced to make the hard choice between obeying God or Caesar. A Christian Manifesto is a thought-provoking and bracing Christian analysis of American culture and the obligation Christians have to engage the culture with the claims of Christ.
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
The Beast of Revelation: Identified (DVD)
Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation?
Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry’s insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation — and even more importantly — amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview!
Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue — but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today.
Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study — for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John’s famous letter “… to the seven churches which are in Asia.” (Revelation 1:4)
Running Time: 145 minutes
$17.95 — ORDER NOW!
