Airplane ride and first day in Ho Chi Minh city

We left DFW Sunday morning at 10:15 which because of some mechanical issues with the plane wound up being 11:30 before we could take off. The airplane ride was quite an experience for me, needless to say comfort was not top priority. I have never been in a plane ride for 13 1/2 hours before or 6 1/2 either so I was challenged to do both in one 24 hour period. we were great, God really put together a great team of people for this trip. Bill met a young couple on the plane and immediately made conversation with them, they were travelling to Japan and had a small baby with them, he was a soldier. Needless to say Bill was holding their baby for them later. After I saw this young man who was a soldier, my thoughts on the plane immediately went to thinking about the thousand of soldiers who made this trip  some 40+years ago. I started to think what it must have felt like being 18, 19, 20 years old making this trip over the pacific ocean not knowing if you were ever coming home again. I realized that this trip gave you lots of time to think and evaluate your life along the way. I started thinking about how the mere mention of the word "Vietnam" brings alot of harsh, emotional, difficult feelings in alot of people in America still today. I began to be saddened by the loss of  some 58000+ Americans and 3,000,000 Vietnamese people during the 60's and 70's.  America has made up with alot of countries they have been in conflict with over the years, England, Germany, Japan, but in Vietnam this has been a slow process. Lets hope that changes soon.  God is doing some amazing things here in Vietnam, His presence is starting to spread more and more with the Churches and Missionaries doing wonderful things. Christine helped a lady on the plane who passed out, upon waking up she was so thankful to Christine for helping her translate to the flight staff she heard the story of the orphanage and donated money! Our team had lots of plane stories. I got to sit next to a lady from Beijing China who was going home for the holidays, she was amazed  that a group of people would travel all this way across the globe to help small orphans!

I met a man here in Vietnam from DFW who many from Lake Pointe church and around Mckinney area already know named Tim C. I have never met Tim before so this was a chance to get to know someone who is help leading this wonderful organization. Tim is a man who has a heart and passion for orphans around the world. When I say around the world the man has a vision. He is helping do some great things here and in Kenya Africa and is going to Romania soon. Be in prayer for this guy he is being used to do wonderful things for orphans globally. We definately have tired face in this picture. Thats what 20 hours on a plane does to you.

Today in HoChiMinh city (formerly Saigon) we had a day today to get our legs back under us, I have never experienced Jet Lag before but WOW it punched me in the head. I am greatful for this extra time to get my head back together. This is one amazing city. It is New York but with a million mopeds and bikes everywhere blending in with vans cars and trucks. Crossing the street was the big adventure for me! Dont know how they do it but it works here. We got to have lunch today with some of the nuns from the orphanage we leave for tomorrow. They brought some of the kids with them. These children are beautiful.



The little girl on the left in the lap of the nun has to have surgery in the morning for a cyst growing on her left neck/shoulder area. The little boy on the right is Phung (spelling?), he is saying the Lords prayer in Vietnamese for lunch. Sister Mai is in glasses, she runs the orphanage. Dedicated doesnt even begin to describe her commitment to the children.

If I haven't said this before, John and Christine, John on the right, are an amazing couple, they are our liasions and translators for the week. They are the ones who helped start the orphanage and you can see the love and compassion in their eyes for these children. Not to mention Christine is a great haggler at the marketplace. We leave for the orphanage in the morning, a 4 hour bus ride to the orphanage, I am looking forward to continuing the work that many men and women have put into the orphanage. Great things are happening here! Contiue the prayers.  To be continued...