#14

"Hello! I hope that you are having a good new year!

We spent the weekend in Dà Nẵng visiting the teachers and meeting again with the administrator from the university that we are hoping to send teachers to. We invited the administrator out fo

r dinner, and it went really well. It’s hard to tell with Vietnamese people if they really like you or not because they are so polite. I thought it was a good sign, though, that she invited us to stay at her home overnight whenever we come to town. While that might be a little too much pressure for me, however, it really meant a lot to hear.

While we were eating dinner, she asked about our rel*gious beliefs. I felt nervous, wondering if that would make her leary. She got excited, and said that although she isn’t a Believer, she often used to go to ch*rch with her foreign friends when she lived in Ho Chi Minh City. I breathed a huge sigh of relief! We also met with the other ESI teachers who are living in Dà Nẵng. One of them is really struggling with teaching, and they are all struggling financially. Please pr*y for Andrea, my boss in California, and me as we seek to make changes so that the teachers will have a livable amount of money. We will start working on renegotiating with schools in February or March.

On Sunday night, I helped Hannah with her kids class. I took in chocolate cookies. The kids said that they had never tasted a dessert that was that good. Trust me, though. I’m not that great of a baker. Vietnam is just really short on sweets and desserts!

I also took in a gift of some new clothes for one of the students. Her father died, and her family can’t afford new clothes. In Vietnam, everyone, including adults, gets new clothes for the new year. When she opened the gift, she got teary eyed. The boy beside her, who is a good friend of hers, started screaming and jumping up and down when she opened it. He was so excited that she now had new clothes for the new year. It was really a blessing to me in many ways, but especially to see a child get that excited for another child in need.

After class, Hannah took us out to eat. She asked if we liked frog meat, and I told her I had never tried it. So, she ordered a big dish of spicy lemongrass frog stir fry. I have to hand it to Hannah. She has never led us astray with food. It was actually delicious. Susan and I both liked it. I included a picture. Sorry, it's a little bit blurry.

'

While we were at the table, Hannah’s son said that he knows who Je*sus is. I was surprised, because most people in Vietnam have never even heard of J*sus. Then, a few minutes later, he asked why J*sus had to die on the cross. I was thrilled to hear Hannah explain the plan of salv*tion to him. Although she hasn’t made a decision to accept Chr*st yet, she definitely has been listening to what I’ve talked about and also what she’s read in the Chr*stian fiction books. I am thrilled to see forward movement in her knowledge and acceptance of Him!

Please continue to lift up our friends, as well as the other American teachers in their homesickness and financial struggles. Also, please pr*y for me as I am still trying to learn more Vietnamese. It is quite a challenge for me, and sometimes I want to just throw in the towel. However, I know that it’s important, so I keep on studying. Thank you so much for your pr*yers and support! We appreciate it so very much! I hope that you have a blessed new year!

Love,

Yogi"