Study Abroad

If one has lived or travelled in developing countries one is often struck by the amount of trash that seems to be everywhere. City governments around the world are overwhelmed by the natural waste, much less the non-biodegradeable waste that piles up every day. Traveling through a country like India can often be a depressing experience, simply seeing the amount of plastic rubbish on the side of every street. Vietnam seems different. The government puts a huge effort into cleaning up trash as a public health campaign. Every night neighbors bring out their waste to the curb when they hear a bell ring. A trash collector, often a woman, comes by with a cart and collects the trash, separating out the biodegradable and recyclable from the non-recyleable. The carts go around every neighborhood in every major city; when they are full they are dumped into garbage trucks and taken out of the city. Another woman comes and sweeps the street clean - every morning. A bit of propaganda doesn't hurt either. In the neighborhood in which we are staying I saw the following sign.      A rough translation is that "Hai Chau District actively implements the 'Clean Green Sunday' movement." I'm not sure exactly what that is, but it sounds like a government attempt to convince the people that they must all participate in keeping their neighborhoods looking nice.  Things could be worse.                      

One of the most surprising and often unexpected things of living in Vietnam is the enormous entrepreneurial spirit among the population.  One might think that since the government is officially communist there would be a dearth of interest in private enterprise and initiative. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Today, walking down a sidewalk towards the English center where we hold our afternoon FPU classes on Vietnamese history and culture, I was pressed by a young gentleman for a 'cat toc' - a haircut. He wisked me inside his shop and sat me down on a saggy barbershop chair full of rips and tears. The full length mirror was clean but obviously old and cracked in places. The floors were swept but looked like they seen many customers. He proceeded to give me a quick trim, asking me in Vietnamese where I was from, how old I was, how many children I had, what I did for a living, how long I was staying in Danang, and what I thought of Vietnam. His friends or colleagues sat relaxed  in the next chairs hearing and commenting on all my answers. Meanwhile in the next chair was the real action - the 'barber' was also a ear wax removal technician. He had a headlamp on, wired around his ear down to a 220v outlet, and was busy de-waxing the ears of his customer.  Quite sharp looking instruments were inserted and twisted into the man's ears as he sat patiently. After 5 minutes he turned the customer's head and proceeded with the other ear, giving the man's head a good whack at the end to make sure all was clear. As he finished the customer sat up and told me in good English that he was sending his kids to an English-speaking school so that he could then send them to college in Ottawa, where his cousin lived. And the price for the haircut? $2. For earwax removal? $1.50.  Service economy at its best.

After a week of Vietnamese language and culture study it was time for a break from the relative hustle and bustle of Danang.  On most weekends while we are in Danang we will be visiting important historical sites - from My Lai to Hue to My Son to Hoi An.  But on this first weekend we wanted to have the group 'bond' a bit so we got ourselves a boat to Cham Island.  We first discovered some of the history and politics of the island. Many centuries ago the Cham people controlled the island, part of a large empire that extended to modern-day southern Vietnam. The Vietnamese now have a museum on the island to, in part, remind Vietnamese and international visitors that China's reach into the East Sea (known in China as the South China Sea) contravenes both international law and historical norms. Maps displayed China's historical claims to the area - much more limited then what China now claims is rightfully theirs.   The reality of vast amounts of natural gas and oil in the region, combined with China's increasing need for resources, is turning the area into a powder keg.  China is building airstrips on tiny islands, seeking to 'prove' that the surrounding sea and its resources belongs to them.  Six countries now claim jurisdiction over various parts of the South China Sea, with China conceivably ready to play a trump card over the other with its much larger military strength. It also turns out Cham Island is a virtual paradise.  'Firsts' abounded for many of the students: first time on a boat skimming across the East Sea, first time snorkeling, first time para-sailing, first time sleeping in a tent on a beach, first time on an island in southeast Asia!  Yes, it was fun, but also educational : >   From now on we promise it will be more educational and less fun  : }  

September 2 for the Vietnamese is their equivalent of our July 4.  On that day in 1945 Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam's "George Washington," stood up in Ba Dinh square in Hanoi and declared Vietnam independent from 80 years of French rule. In his speech he quoted the U.S. declaration to make his case: "All men are created equal; they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights; among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." It didn't go over so well with the French, who said Vietnam could not possibly be independent. This started a nine year long struggle for independence from the French, which lasted till 1954, at which time the French left Vietnam and the Americans decided it was their turn...  Today the Vietnamese celebrate the event with fireworks and with a ton of families out on motorbikes enjoying the festive occasion. 

We're here!  After a rather long journey of almost 48 hours, including a 24 hour layover in Seoul, South Korea, we touched down in Danang and were spirited by bus to the Magnolia Hotel, which we will call home for the next five weeks. Students will be studying Vietnamese language, along with the history, religion, and culture of Vietnam. In addition we'll be teaching a class on the "American War in Vietnam" -  a chance to reflect on the conflict that cost the lives of 56,000 Americans and more than 2,000,000 Vietnamese.  For now, in these first days of being in Vietnam, we're just adjusting to a world very different than our own - the sounds of thousands of motorbikes constantly whizzing past, the delicious smell of bun cha suon (grilled pork) sold on the street, sold by a man who loves Americans and wears a cowboy hat, the sight of many cranes on the Danang skyline as the city is transformed into a modern Southeast Asian city.  And the students got a cyclo (rickshaw) tour of the city, carried in style by some older gentlemen, some of whom fought alongside the Americans more than 40 years ago and now are carrying around the American soldiers' grandchildren.  

We're off to Vietnam! 10 students and two faculty from FPU (Ken and Fran Martens Friesen, along with their teenage daughter) are off to experience a world very different than their own - full of the mystery of Asia along with the reminders of a world of U.S. foreign policy that some might want to forget. For some, Vietnam is simply a war; one purpose of this trip is to reveal that Vietnam is a country and a people - very proud of their history and struggling to deal with what it means to be developing in a rapidly changing world.  We hope you enjoy reading as we all write about what we see, smell, hear, taste, and feel. 

blog post by Courtney King As the kickoff off for the Thailand mission trip began, we were asked one specific question. What is missions? This question has been the center focus of the FPU team as we serve in Northern Thailand. What is the mission of God? What is our mission? And what is the mission here in the country of Thailand? Our journey has brought us all together, from many walks of life, to join in a common goal: to serve the people here in Northern Thailand and spread the good news of Jesus Christ. One should take note that God is already here and working. There is great evidence of his work and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to see that first hand. I believe our mission to serve Christ has remained the same, but our overall mission has changed to: serving where we are asked, encouraging the church here and providing extra hands around the Changed Life Center. This now brings me to my next point. There are different pieces to the ministry of the Gospel. These faces include many different work projects and people. (On a side note: We are using the  Changed Life Center (CLC) as our main hub to conduct our ministry work.) 1. Prayer. This face to ministry may be one of the most important part, if not the most important part. There are hundreds of people praying for our team at home, while also praying for the church here in Thailand. Without prayer, there is almost no support of God. To be in-tune with God's will we must be diving into what the scriptures say, praying about what God would want us to do and then listening to his voice. I heard once that "God's voice can either be as loud and clear as thunder or as soft and quite as the winds that rustles the trees." Our mission must start with the will of God. 2. Teaching & Sharing. On the weekends we go out into the neighboring Khmu villages and run a children's program, complete with games, crafts, music, and a bible story. On Sundays we have the opportunity to share testimonies with our fellow believers in the church and teach a Sunday School lesson. Understanding how to interact with the children in their culture has been a learning experience and an impactful one. There is great joy in singing and teaching the children about the love and grace of Christ. The staff meeting here at the CLC on Wednesdays, allowed us the chance to study the scripture with people from many different ethnic backgrounds and who spoke several languages. These experiences can be some of the most impactful experiences. We also have the opportunity to help the students who come to the CLC with homework and games.Sharing our knowledge of English is fun and sometimes challenging, but rewarding to see the smile and cheer when they understand the menaing of an english word. 5 days during the week, we are able to wake up early and eat breakfast with the students before they leave or school and resume talking with them at dinner. Community is one very special part of the goodness of Christ. We are able to share something as simple as a meal to be in fellowship. It is almost an appointed time that can be uniquely set apart for fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. 2. Dirty Hands-On Work. Throughout the week days, we remain here at the Changed Life Center, taking care of some maintanince  work. As a team we have painted the celling of the boys dorm (damaged due to water leaks), planted trees (both fruit and palm trees), and deep clean the kitchen. If the place where ministries are being conducted is not maintained then it cannot be as effective. Being apart of preparing dinner has also taught us to be stewards of time, as well as giving us an opportunity to bless the things that we eat in community with each other. It also has given a insight and appreciation for the ladies who prepare meals every week for the students here at the Changed Life Center. 3. Music & Dancing. Music is also a universal language, just as the game of soccer is. Everyone, however comfortable with it, can relate to the sun Through music we have taught the students here at the center some line dances and then just to have fun messing around. Singing songs in two languages simultaneously ha also touched my heart. We can worship the God of the universe through dancing and singing, just as King David did. I think that this is part of showing our praise to the Lord for his blessings and continual love.  

blog post by Brian Davis The staff at the Changed Life Center in the Wiang Kaen province of Northern Thailand welcomed our team to their weekly meeting this Wednesday. Pastors from all over this province, including a Pastor from Laos that works with many churches in that region, also come. After a brief time of sharing about how God is working in the various villages and towns of Northern Thailand and Northern Laos, I was asked to lead a brief devotional. After having visited the area in October in preparation for this trip with students, I was prepared this time, though it didn't stop me from utilizing the "canned-devo-roladex" (I had to explain what a 'roladex' is, or was, to our young millenneals. For shame.)  Though I shared from Exodus 33, I really had Peter's vision in Joppa (Acts 10) on my mind since we had just read it as a team early that morning. You remember the story... "Peter, kill and eat. Don't call anything impure that God has made clean" (v. 13, 15). This, of course, is about far more than some new Christian dietary rules, and had a profound effect on the mission of the early Church in a Mediterranean world filled with people from different tribes, cultures, languages -- and by extension, it has a profound impact on the way we conduct ourselves as Christians in 2015 in Thailand. It means we are now free to dine with folks that we previously would not. Free to hang out with people that we normally would not, because we are different from them. For Peter, he was now free to hang out with the "dirty" Gentiles. For us, we can study the scriptures (in the same room!) with people who speak English, Lao, Khmu, Thai, and Japanese. We can eat with them! There is something magical about hanging out with, sharing a meal with, and studying the scriptures with people(s) that look different than you, speak a different language than you, eat different food than you, and even experience God in a different way than you. You might say it's like experiencing God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Lao, Thai, Khmu, Japanese, North Americans... Many languages, one table.