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We had an interesting
weekend when we were back in
Đalạt ( we used to be here.
It is 300 km far from
Saigon) where we had
fellowship full of memories
with friends throughout 25
years.
God’s people were very few
after we left there. It was
about 5 or 6 people. After
that there has been a
married couple from Hŕ Nội
coming there to live. They
have become elders there. We
have valued each other and
support each other about
spirituality and
materiality…until the
overseer and young workers
cooperated to cause the mess
in Vietnam.
The workers sowed in this
couple’s heart many things
that caused them had a
different perspective on the
native workers, the two
sister friends and us than
formerly and many
doubts…Their fellowship
meetings had only 6 people,
but when the two sister
friends went to visit golden
friends with us, immediately
this new elder had them give
a choice…
One of the two sister
friends answered: “We had
chosen in our hearts since
long time that we still kept
our faithful heart to God, a
true fellowship with our
friends as usual with love
and unity. Now you ask me to
give a choice and I have
chosen as in my heart. If I
continued communicating with
you all, it is because I
want to keep the love and
the support of each other’s
spitituality.”
It is sad because they still
have the love among them but
because the elder must obey
the workers, they were
forced to seperated.
I will tell you our visit
and fellowship with these
two sister friends. |
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Before being forced to give
a choice, the fellowship
meetings at the new elder's
house had 6 people. Apart
from the two senior sisters,
there were a grandmother and
an aunt of a young sister
worker. (but they seldom
attended because the
grandmother was old and
sick, the aunt had two
little babies). We felt sad
because it was only a very
small group but they were
divided although their
hearts didn’t agree. Now in
a small town there are two
seperated fellowship
meetings…Every place only 2
people!...
One
friend retold the story of
the visit in Long Thanh to
the two senior sisters who
asked us again that story.
After listening it, one of
them sighed: “one more time
causing division”.
That
sister thought of the pain
of the elder brother and his
younger sister (their mother
is the elderly lady in the
picture). The elder brother
was the man having stroke
and sitting in the
wheelchair in our recent
visit in Long Thanh . Whose
little sister was the wife
of the elder that the party
of Collin, Peter and a
native worker coming to
seperate them from the
meeting.
Chị
Tâm saw it similarly to her
case two years ago. She had
a grandson attending an
English class at the elder’s
house in Dalat. Her grandson
didn’t understand why the
grandmother didn’t come to
the elder’s house (his
teacher) to have fellowship
any more. The same question
was in her son’s mind… it’
hard for her to explain,
because she still keep good
relationship with the
elder’s family (but not in
faith)
I
thought of the verse in the
Bible: “Blessed
are the peacemakers, for
they will be called children
of God.” And
feeling sad for the people
who caused the division in
our country.
Today is Wednesday, we are
studying in Acts 13:36 38 “Therefore,
my friends, I want you to
know that through Jesus the
forgiveness of sins is
proclaimed to you. 39
Through him everyone who
believes is set free from
every sin, a justification
you were not able to obtain
under the law of Moses." Let
me see that the salvation
comes from the faith in our
Lord, not from the law.
I
like another verse that our
Lord reserved to disciples: “For
this is what the Lord has
commanded us:
I have made you a light for
the Gentiles, that you may
bring salvation to the ends
of the earth.”
May the workers nowaday
continue to respond this,
being a light to people and
bringing the salvation to
the ends of the earth.
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