China/Vietnam Trip Report Feb 2010
Wednesday 3 Feb
It's 6 AM and I am at the home of Pastor Joe and his wife Lauren in Beijing China. Joe picked me up at the airport. I arrived at 3 PM yesterday. Let me begin back on Sunday the 31st of January. After an awesome morning service I went home and again checked on my flight leaving on Monday morning at 6 AM to Newark connection with the flight to Beijing leaving at noon. I am flying stand by with a Continental pass rider ticket thanks to Dean Lang a member of San Leon Community Church. The flight was way overbooked with 23 standbys and no open seats. So I had to change plans. How do I get to Newark to catch the flight tomorrow? Solution, fly to the east coast on Sunday. I checked the flights and flew to Boston on Sunday evening arriving at midnight. A brief stay at a hotel 5 hours and back to the airport to catch a flight to Newark on Monday morning. I arrived in Newark at 8:30 AM. I checked the flight to China and there was still room on it. At 11:30 I was given my boarding pass. FIRST CLASS! Wow, what a trip! 15 hours sitting in a seat that took me 3 hours to figure out all the buttons. Over 300 movies, tons of music and the screen right there at my seat. Steak, salad, hot peanuts, deserts, even hot fudge sundaes. Everyone should have an opportunity to fly first class on a flight like this. I arrived on time. Beijing is a city of over 13 million people. An excellent train system. I spent last night just getting to know Joe and Lauren and a friend from their church named Joe, A Canadian serving the Lord here in China. Beijing Baptist Church which Joe pastors is an English speaking church with a membership of mostly Americans and Canadians working here in Beijing. I look forward to returning here on the 17 to serve for 6 days with Joe getting to know his people. About 60 members from all over Beijing. They travel by public transportation to get to church which is held in a hotel. I am prayed up and waiting to fly to Vietnam today at 3:30 PM arriving about 2 hours later in Hanoi. It is difficult for me to describe my emotions. I am looking forward to seeing Mr. Nhi who will meet me at the airport tomorrow where we are meeting with Jack Gleason from Faith Comes by Hearing. Then on to Nhi's family home about 4 hours out of Hanoi. Oh, Lord "here I am, use me".
Friday 5 Feb 6:30 AM
I am here in my bedroom in the home of Mr. Nhi's brother-in-law Ka. I was met at the airport yesterday morning and we met Jim Gleason from Faith Comes by Hearing Ministries. We gave him a ride into Hanoi. He is meeting with some pastors and then returning to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) this afternoon. My journey on Wednesday night into Hanoi was an adventure. I was quoted $25 for the trip. After about an hour we arrived at my hotel. Man oh man, I am right in the middle "old Hanoi". Narrow streets the taxi couldn't drive down the street it's on. We had to drag the suit cases about ˝ block. The hotel didn't look anything like the internet photos but I'm tired and we're here. I checked in and the room wasn't bad. Tony, the manager, and Jenny the sales lady both spoke very good English. They are young, Tony is 26 and Jenny 21. I sat at a table and had dinner with them. I shared that I was a Christian and wondered if they may do a favor for me? I said I have some Bible tracts I would like to share in Vietnam but didn't want to offend the Vietnamese people. Would they mind reading them for me and giving me their opinion. They agreed and I went up to my room praying. Oh God, please save Tony and Jenny. When I was checking out yesterday morning they said that there was nothing offensive and they felt it's ok to distribute them. They did not get saved but wanted to keep them and I gave them each a chick tract in English. My trip back to the airport was only 250,000 dong (about 16 dollars). Last night the cab driver hustled me and took $40 instead of the $25 he quoted. I'm still learning how to convert to dollars. After dropping off Jim Gleason in Hanoi we drove to our final destination. Located on the coast about 3 hours southeast from Hanoi. We drove across to Hai Phong and the south for ˝ hour to where I am staying. My problem is I don't know the name yet. This is a very Communist area according to Mr. Nhi. He had to pay a $50 "Protection Fee" to the local authorities. Hanoi and Hai Phong are more tolerant of Christianity than here. Nhi's mother-in-law is very, very Buddhist. I prayed up and ready to serve. I know God has sent me here and I am waiting to serve.
5:30 pm and I went with Nhi to get a haircut and beard trim. OOPS. Miscommunication and my beard is gone! Oh, well it'll grow back again. I know now why I keep my beard. It hides 2 of my 3 chins. We went to an internet café and I called home and spoke with Carol. I am receiving her emails on my phone with no problem. So we have a good channel of communication. This afternoon Xua (Nhi's wife) took me behind the home to see the cave her mother dug out of the mountain side to protect her and her 7 children. The war from the other side. Every day the bombers would come and they would run and hide in the cave. Xua's mother would carry her two youngest children under her arms and shoo the older children into the cave ahead of her. All along this mountain side there are caves which the people dug out and then hid in during the daily bombing.
I am supposed to travel with Nhi tomorrow (Saturday) to Haiphong and meet with a pastor there. I am patiently praying and waiting.
Saturday 2:15 PM
We have been gone for 6 hours to visit with Nhi and Xua's relatives. We were really in the country. Very, very poor areas, where Nhi and I walked around the market area passing out envelopes with about 3 - 5 dollars in them to old women and children. We ate in a shop where the owner invited us in and his wife made some noodle soup for us. I even had a Pepsi.
Every home we visited had the Buddhist altar in it with the ancestral worship pictures and the incense sticks. I am heartbroken because this area is still so communistic and Nhi says I can be in great trouble if I share Christianity here. Hanoi and Haiphong the larger cities it is ok. God is speaking to me about our church in San Leon. I know there are many unsaved people in our area but I also know there are saved people. Here I believe there is not one saved person in this providence. It was the first time for an American to visit this village according to Nhi. Nhi is waiting until tomorrow to take me to meet the pastor. Anyway as I watched Nhi and Xua and Ka enter each home and go up to the altar and light the incense sticks and bow to the photos of their ancestors it made me cry inside. Every home here has their altar to a false god. But what the Holy Spirit is revealing to me is that in our homes in America we too have our altars to false gods but they are not as evident. Oh how I pray that I will be a stronger preacher of the Word of God. Too many false gods in the lives of Christians. We need purification, sanctification and destroy the idols in our lives.
Sunday 7 Feb 10 11am
Drove to Haiphong this morning and attended a church service at a CMA (Christian Missionary Alliance) church. Solid service, the church is 70 years old and has about 200 members. Evangelism and Discipleship training is their biggest need. They post the giving records on the wall much like Nicaragua. Madame treasurer gave the report. Great choir, with video projections. I hope to talk with the pastor later this week. How do you reach the lost in the difficult places? They have over 2,000 churches in houses throughout the south. The north is the problem. Still very anti-Christian.
Monday 8 February 2010
I called and spoke with Nathan at the evening service. I than called and spoke with David, Elizabeth and Josh. I called and spoke to Randy and then called Heather and spoke with her a Ronnie. I am like a hermit in my room today. I know that God has me here but when God when will you use me. I know I need to learn how to do this. "Be still and know that I am God." Each day I see so many people bound for hell. Here am I Lord use me! Last night at about 4 AM I began writing my auto-biography. I decided it would be something I could leave my children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. I pray a generational blessing to future generations. May we be a family that loves, honors, believes, trusts, and obeys God.
Tuesday 9 February 2010
Yesterday I pretty much just stayed in my room and prayed. I listened to Matthew and Mark streaming down from a radio station on my computer. At dinner last night there was more than 20 family members. They all sit on the floor and eat and talk and eat and talk. About 2 hours long visiting with much laughter. The family ties are strong here. I followed the Super Bowl on Fox Sports Game Trax page on the internet. I really didn't care who won so it really was no big deal for me. I wrote my article for the Eagle Point Press and sent it to Marie. I hope it gets in this week's paper. I am waiting for my passport with a visa for China to return from Saigon. It was sent on Saturday and I am waiting for its return. I am praying it will be here by Friday and my plan is to travel to Hanoi on Saturday and stay there until my flight out on Wednesday. I have only spent 4 hours in one week where I could fellowship with Christians and have the freedom to share my faith. God is teaching me here but it's hard for me. I see Nhi's family all trapped in a false religion bound for hell and yet he will not permit me to say anything because it will cause problems for him and his wife also. He says that religious freedom will come here also but not now. I am trapped between "we ought to obey God rather than men" and "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's". The leader from the church I spoke with on Sunday shared pretty much that they plant and sow where permitted and the time will come when God will open the door in Do San province and they will come here with the gospel message. I am truly experiencing trusting God here. The good news is that I know in order to trust God I must believe Him. God is stretching me. OUCH!
Wednesday 10 February 2010
Today we went to breakfast at 7 and then on to the school at 8. I keep eating with Nhi in these little hole in the wall places. $1.00 for breakfast for both of us. I don't know what I ate but it was dipping something like noodles into some hot broth. Any way today at the school I had the opportunity to speak to two English classes. About 100 students who will graduate in June. I was miserable wanting to tell them about Jesus but only allowed to speak about anything but Jesus. Finally a break through when the principle the communist leader said I could share my business cards with them so that they could e-mail me. Thank you Jesus! I am confident many will e-mail me and from the safety of my home and office I will share the love of Christ with them over the internet. They slaughtered a pig this morning and are cutting it up and cooking it for a big meal today. This Tet holiday is huge here. But now God has given me the peace to know my time here was not wasted and His will will be accomplished here.
Thursday 11 February 2010
I called home and spoke with Dana, Carol, Dr. Larry, John Keith, and Craig & Chris. How wonderful to hear their voices and expressions of love and prayers for me. I asked for prayer for Than who is Xua's sister. She is 46 years old and has cancer. No hope for survival, sent home to die with pain pills. I asked Nhi if he would ask her if I could pray for her and anoint her with oil. She agreed so later today or tomorrow I'll ask the true God and Divine Healer Jehovah Rapha to heal her. Craig and Chris prayed for me for about 20 minutes it was special. They reminded me of the shadow of Peter healing folks, of touching the hem of Jesus' garment and the power given to us for healing. A divine miracle could be used by God to show these blinded people that He is the only God. Not Buhdda. We went to a celebration this afternoon and turned into a drunken brawl with people throwing beer on one another. I suppose it's not much different in many of the bars and or parties that go on in our location. The difference as I see it is the folks in San Leon and Galveston county have the gospel light there. Here there is no light only darkness. Oh God, Oh God please shine your gospel light through me. I walked down to the temple with Phan and her mother. Elaborate shrine to a false God. Oh God, please heal Phan and reveal yourself to these people.
Friday 12 February 2010
This morning after breakfast I prayed for Phan, Xua's sister who has a cancerous tumor on the back of her neck. Nhi and Xua and Phan were in my bedroom. Xua was sitting on the bed next to her sister Phan. Mr. Nhi translated for me. I explained to Phan that I was going to pray to a God that she doesn't know yet. He is the one true God. I told her that I would pray that God would heal her totally of her cancer. I would anoint her with oil symbolic of the Holy Spirit. I told her that I believe that God brought me to Vietnam to pray for her. That was not my plan. I wanted to come here and share Jesus Christ with many people. But I am restricted by local authorities from doing that. Her family is very large and well known in Do Son. I am asking God to heal her so that she will become a testimony of the healing power of Jesus Christ. So that she would commit to serving Him and continually telling others that God sent a man, Pastor Bob from America to her to reveal Himself to her through His healing power. I than to a clean white handkerchief and placed oil on it. I told her to wear it daily and ask Jesus Christ to heal her every day. I shared with Mr. Nhi that I believe that God had revealed to me that his cousin who hosted the party yesterday would die before Tet next year. Wow, God is using me and I know it is supernatural because He is supernatural. Later on we traveled to down town Haiphong where I bought a map of Vietnam. I see myriads of people, lost and on their way to hell with no hope. No gospel light here. I suppose I see the people because the Holy Spirit is showing them to me but also I realize that in America in our cars with the tinted windows you don't see the people inside. But here you see, hundreds, and even thousands on their motorcycles.
It is 10:30am and I will have lunch and then meet with the leader from the CMA church again at 1pm.
Saturday 13 February 2010
Yesterday afternoon I met with Mr. Vu and he took us to another church and I visited with the pastor. Then we went to Vu's home and I met his son Daniel who speaks English as well if not better than I do. I met another man a missionary and he took us to a house church in Do Son about 2 miles from Nhi's brothers house where we are staying. Nhi was amazed that there were Christians meeting here in Do Son province. I am going to attend a meeting there tonight. Vu shared that he had driven last week to the China/Vietnam border. The Nung people up there have a church of about 200 believers. They are very very poor but rich in Christ. Vu said when he left he left them a 1,000,000 dong offering and they gave him an offering in an envelope. When he opened it he discovered they had given him 2.8 million dong. Vu is a successful business man here and he shared with Nhi that he is able to tithe 50% of his earnings to the Lord now. When his son Daniel was in South Korea for 5 years attending college he visited there many times and was able to pray on "prayer mountain". He is a 4th generation Christian. Oh God I pray that my grandchildren, great grandchildren, great great grandchildren will worship you.
It is Saturday evening at about 10PM. I just spent an awesome 3 hours with Do Son Church. It is also a Christian Missionary Alliance Church. I have not been able to find any Baptist Churches in this area. The pastor of this church has been in jail more than 50 times. But he keeps on preaching. His son is studying at the only Seminary in Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon). He was home for Tet and his English was good so we communicated well. Mr. Nhi translated for me a very powerful message. We prayed for the pastor's wife who has breast cancer. The pastor asked me to return and teach them. I would like to come back with a team next year. I am sitting on the edge of my bed truly contented that I have glorified God in my body today and accomplished all He had given me to do. What an awesome feeling.
Sunday 14 February 2010
Nhi's wife Xua praying with her mother and 3 sisters. Today is the Vietnamese New Year. They begin by gathering before the shrine and inviting their dead ancestors to return for several days. Oh, God how I pray that you open their eyes. Nhi told me it is confusing because there is a part of Buddhism that believes a person is re-incarnated so how can they come back? I continue to pray for this family. I pray that God will send angels to battle the god of this world that is blinding their eyes to the truth. Nhi today perfectly fits the description of Agrippa in the book of Acts when Agrippa said "almost Paul you persuade me to be a Christian."
Monday 15 February 2010
Today I travelled with Nhi and Xua, and her sisters, and Chinaman to 10 temples for them to go in and pray. They buy money and burn it to transfer it to their ancesestors. The temples were packed with people. How blind they are. But I do realize it is demonic and we truly are engaged in spiritual warfare. Nhi says most of the temples are just businesses and take the money from the people. He sees that it is not true but refuses to accept the truth. Oh God please please save Mr. Nhi and his family. I gave Phan the rest of my anointing oil today and a 4 spiritual laws tract. I had one left and at the last temple Nhi allowed for me to give it to a group of young men there. Holy Spirit please save someone here in Do Son. We were at one location taking pictures when Xua's sister from Hong Kong found a wallet. It had over $300 in it and identification. They called the man when we got home here and he is travelling from Haiphong to retrieve his billfold. We went to dinner tonight at the assistant principal's home. She will be the principle of the school next year and Vu will be assistant principle.
Tuesday 16 February 2010
I am preparing to travel to Hanoi today. As I look back at the last two weeks it was nothing like I planned but God had another plan. I know that I know that I know that this family and all who I met know that I am a man of God, a priest for Jesus Christ. The problem is they don't know Jesus. The concept of a God is new for them. I believe that God brought me here to strengthen the church in Haiphong and here is Do Son. Especially here in Do Son. I see on my computer its 10 degrees in Beijing. It has been cold here for 1 week every day in the high 40's and low 50's.
We left Do Son at 9 am and arrived at the airport hotel at 1130. I said goodbye to Nhi and Xua. I will continue to love this couple to Christ, for Christ, with Christ.
Wednesday 17 February 2010
I went to the airport at 7 am. Got checked in and paid $150 for excess baggage. Had an omelet for breakfast and then went and got a 1 hour foot and hand massage. Best $20 I spent in a while. The flight was a good one. I had an exit row seat with plenty of room. Pastor Joe picked me up at the airport. I am looking forward to the next 4 days sharing with Joe and Lauren and their church members at Beijing Baptist Church.
Thursday 18 February 2010
This morning I visited Tineman Square and the Forbidden City. Bruce, a friend of PastorJoe's was my tour guide. He really is an expert on Chinese History. I spent 6 hours with him as we walked from the south gate to exit at the north gate of the forbidden city. It is a marvelous complex of buildings built for the emperors of the Ming and other dynasties.
It is 4 pm and I have been given an hour for a nap. Thank you Jesus. I walked father today than I've walked in years. At 6 PM I attended a bible study with 4 other men. Demetrius from Russia,(who was the teacher), Pastor Joe from Ohio, John from Canada, and David from Malaysia along with me from SLCC. What a blessing it was to study God's word and then pray. I thank God for this special time together with my brothers from around the world.
Friday 19 February 2010
This morning is free time for me. I will continue to write my auto-biography. After lunch we will go shopping. Tonight we are meeting for dinner at a Chinese restaurant (of course) with some members from Pastor Joe's church.
Dinner was a good meeting with John, Nicky (teaches ESL at Christian School), Richard an attorney and "Go Blue" man. Undergraduate at Michigan and he is from Dallas. Pastor Joe and Lauren and I all enjoyed the time of fellowship together.
Saturday 20 February 2010
I met with the English corner at the Christian book store this morning at 9 am. John was there with 2 of his students. Two ladies were there. Their names were Ruth and Michelle We spent two hours together praying, Bible Study, and sharing our testimonies. It was really a blessing to hear how God saved Michelle and Ruth. I spent about 3 hours after with John my new Canadian friend and co-laborer in God's kingdom work.
God has put the icing on the cake. Tonight I spent a wonderful evening in a house church meeting. Chinese, Fillipino, Malaysian, Canadian, and American all gathered to sing praises, pray and study the word of God together. I am packed and ready to leave tomorrow after church. It is almost 11 at night and I am experiencing the "No High like the Most High" euphoria. I pray I will have a safe flight home tomorrow to my dear loved ones in Texas. Thank you God for a wonderful time serving you here in Beijing and in Vietnam.
Sunday 21 February 2010
Wrong, God may have put the icing on the cake last night but today he put cherries and whip cream on the icing. Our time at Beijing Baptist was great. More than 60 people there. Internationals from Russia, Ukraine, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and U.S. Wow, what a picture of heaven before my eyes. I shared my testimony and some stories from my autobiography and then the Holy Spirit really gave me an awesome message from God for them. As Peter writes I surely stirred their hearts to serve God. John the Canadian who really took me to the 2 house meetings brought me to the airport. I got on CO88 first class no problem. There are 18 seats in this section of first class and only 5 passengers. I also already have my boarding pass first class seat 3A from Newark to Houston. Thank you Jesus, thank you Dean Lange. And now for the whip cream. I had to wait for 2 hours to see if I would get on the plane. I had to check back at 4 PM one hour before takeoff. John and I went to Starbucks and sat down by a young Chinese man. John and I introduced ourselves and the man could speak English. His English name was William. Anyway he and John conversed for a while and then John had to leave. For one hour I talked with William and he had an interest in Christianity because he had some friends from college who were Christians. At 3:45PM William a 32 year old Chinaman prayed to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Wow God! Wow God! Wow God! I went to the counter picked up my boarding passes and am writing this at 35,000 feet travelling 600 miles per hour truly "nearer to God".
I only led 1 soul to Christ. I only visited 3 churches in Vietnam and 1 in China BUT I must say this trip was a tremendous blessing for me. Let me tell you why I say this. I met Christians in Vietnam and China who are threatened. The pastor in Do Son province who has been placed in jail more than 50 times was an inspiration to me. God used me as I stayed in the very Communistic home to portray to those there a man of God. My being there was a great blessing to those there. There had never been an American Christian in the 2 house churches and English Corner meeting in China and at the 2 churches and 1 house church in Vietnam.
I want to thank all of you who prayed for me while I was gone. I want to thank all of you who paid funds to pay for this journey. The Bible translators, tracts, Bibles, Jesus DVD's, and financial support were delivered. You all have a part in supporting the Pastors and leaders at Beijing Baptist Church, Haiphong and Do Son Churches, and 4 house churches.
May God richly bless you. Pastor Bob Gibson
