I asked David Low to share three things he learnt while in Vietnam with Thirteen Three’s Ambassadors. Here is his response.

1. They appreciate our support!

The work that we do here in Australia to support our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ has a massive impact!

I know we hear how our support is helping them, but to go over there and actually see it makes me understand better how much of an impact it really makes. Even just ten or twenty dollars makes such a difference, and I can only imagine how many hundreds or thousands of lives will be changed from the money and support that Thirteen Three raises through your help.

Our prayers also mean so much to the persecuted church, and they will always appreciate your prayers and support.

2. Passion to serve God and reach the lost

Another thing I learned in Vietnam is just how passionate the Vietnamese Christians are to serve God and to spread His word.

We interviewed quite a few pastors who had all faced persecution at one time or another, and they were all still so willing to follow God. Prison wasn’t a deterrent to them, and we even heard one story of a pastor who was not allowed in prison since if he went he would just share the Gospel with the other prisoners!

3. Family-centred culture

In Australia, basically everything focuses on what you can get out of something, how something will serve you, or benefit you.

My experience of Vietnam was that people’s focus there was more on how to help their family. They have so much respect for their elders, and will often consult their opinion on something. Families in Vietnam are a lot closer than Australian or western culture families.

It was amazing to see how the different parts of the families all worked together and helped each other.

There were some things in Vietnam that I didn’t like (like most of the food, which is another story in itself!!), but I really loved the Vietnamese people that we met, and the family culture that they have.