#11

More from Vietnam!

"Hello! Isn’t it hard to believe that Christmas is next week?! It rolled around so quickly this year. We are doing our best to make our room in Tam Ky feel like Christmas. We have a small tree with lights. We are on our second tree because the first one got eaten by rats, who also left other “presents” on our tree. We have some other decorations that my family sent last year. It helps make the season brighter!

Sometimes it’s hard living overseas at Christmas, especially in a small town that doesn’t really celebrate much. Even the students have to go to school on Christmas, unless it happens to fall on a Sunday. We’ve been struggling quite a bit lately with homesickness. We’ve been trying to come up with ways to make our Christmas here happy and bright. Today, I decided to bake Christmas cookies. It was a bit of a challenge with just a potato masher to cream the butter and sugar, but it really lifted my sp*rit.

I think of so many people right now who are dealing with far more difficult things than simply being apart from their family at Christmas. When I get emotional or feeling down, it helps remind me to pr*y for people who are going through really tough situations, like Nikki Sommersett’s family, who will spend their first Christmas without her. She is such an inspiration, and a reminder to keep the f*ith, even in difficult times.

I am truly blessed to be able to teach and serve in Vietnam, even during the holiday season. I went to visit Holly and her new baby in Hanoi last weekend. We had a really good time. He is such a sweet baby, and let me hold him and play with him. I was, however, thankful when I left Hanoi to not have to lug around a diaper bag and carrier anymore. Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief, I boarded the plane and got seated next to a crying baby. It’s nice to be back to quiet, calm MY CITY!

I had a “first” in Vietnam this week. I was at the ATM machine, when a university student came up and asked me, in Vietnamese, how to put her card into the machine. I was so happy to be asked for assistance, since in the past, I am always the one asking for help. I’ve never been quite so overjoyed to lend a helping hand.

Thanks for lifting up our friends! We also appreciate your pr*yers for us and for the other teachers, especially during the holidays! We appreciate the part that each of you play that enables us to serve here. Thanks so much! Merry Christmas!

Love, Yogi"

#10

More from our friends in Vietnam

"Hello! Well, it’s officially the Christmas season! December crept upon us so quickly! I hope that you are enjoying festive times with yourfriends and family.

Our five day conference in Ho Chi Minh City went very well. It was good to have the opportunity to talk with the teachers about both their joys and their struggles. We did a lot of w*rship, B*ble study,and just plain fun.

It was especially nice that our hotel was just a few doors down from The Coffee Bean, and American coffee shop. In Vietnam, they never make drip coffee like we have in the States. Although I like their coffee, it was nice to have some traditional, American style coffee. We also enjoyed Thanksgiving at a Brazilian BBQ restaurant. Strange for Thanksgiving, right? Well, not surprising for Vietnam!

We walked several miles only to find that the restaurant that served Thanksgiving dinner had moved to a new location. We were all so tired and hungry that we settled for BBQ. It was actually delicious!! We also took a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels, about 40 miles outside of the city. The tunnels were used by the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. They are small tunnels under the ground that were used to hide safely from the Americans. The tunnels are now a tourist attraction, and have been widened for tourists. Unfortunately, they still weren’t big enough to stand up in. I would have had to crawl through, and so I opted to climb right back out after I got inside.

We got back from Ho Chi Minh City late on Sunday afternoon. We’ve been having some problems with the schools in Da Nang, so Monday morning I took a mini bus back to Danang to meet Andrea, my boss, and the school administrators. I had called Hannah on Sunday night, and asked her where to catch a mini bus. She told me just to go out to the highwayand flag down a passing mini bus. Easy enough. Well, about five minutes later she called to tell me to make sure to stand on the correct side of the road so that I would go north, to Danang, instead of south, into another province.

About five minutes after that, she called for a third time, saying that her husband would drive me to the highway on his motorbike and help me catch one. Although I could have done it by myself, it was nice to have his help. The mini bus was actually a lot better than the big busses. They are very slow, and not dependable, but if we have a lot of time, it’s a good option. I knew how much the mini bus was supposed to cost, but when I got on, the money guy took my money and refused to give me change. I was very frustrated, as this kind of thing happens to us a lot since we are foreigners, and are perceived to be wealthy. So, I just reached over and took the correct change out of his hand.The whole mini bus erupted in laughter. Even the money guy laughed.

The meetings in Danang went well, although somewhat frustrating. I headed back to MY CITY, but was 15 minutes late for class. Thankfully,they were taking a test, so a man from the office sat in with my students while they took the test. I have never been late to class, so I was quite embarrassed, but the school didn’t seem bothered. They are very kind to us!

This past weekend, I helped Hannah teach her kids class, and went out for dinner with "Boo-Boo" and a bunch of Hannah’s friends. We ate spicy eel dip on rice crackers. It was honestly better than it sounds. I actually ate quite a bit of it. It’s one of those things that’s more enjoyable if you don’t know what it is until after you’ve eaten it. I also went out with David and some friends from fellowship. We ate hotpot, which was actually nice since the weather here has been cool.

Besides going out for coffee and such with students, life has been pretty consumed with Field Director work. There are some issues with schools that need some major changes for next year. I keep reminding myself that G()d will open the right doors at the right times, and thatI do not need to worry. I want so badly for teachers to come toVietnam and enjoy it here. I also hope that they will want to return for a second or third year. In order for this to happen, though, there are changes that need to be made, mostly because of the huge rate of inflation in Vietnam. Over the summer, prices went up by around 30%.It’s really surprising, and also frustrating. The teachers can barely afford to buy food, and if they get sick, they are really stuck. Please pr*y that G()d will give us wisdom as we attempt to make changes for next year, as well as helping teachers make it successfullythrough this year.I appreciate your support and pr*yers so much! I couldn’t be here without your help! It means so much to have friends and family who care about us!

Thank you very much for your continued pr*yers andsupport!! We feel so blessed by each of you!
Love, Yogi"