In August 2006, I took off with nine other Americans to conduct a medical/dental mission trip in Vietnam. The trip lasted two weeks; we made nine stops from the north end to the south end of the country. In over 1,200 miles, we touched the lives of more than 1,000 people, including at least 600 children. We visited people in leper colonies, poor communities, and orphanages.
The Leprosy Colony outside of Hanoi was unbelievable. This community of less than 100 people is way out in the middle of nowhere, northwest of Hanoi. Before reaching the colony on overgrown roads, I really wondered if this was an actual community. We finally saw some “homes” and I realized that the drivers were not lost. To call them “homes” was not really accurate; these were rooms to isolate the diseased. These people are not treated with any form of respect. The 12 by 20 rooms had no running water, no doors, no screens, and no furniture. Some people had received support from someone outside, but most were isolated to themselves with nothing to their name.
I visited with one child and he showed me to his home. His room had a bamboo mat bed in the corner, no pictures, no other furniture. The only other thing in the room were a few toys at the foot of the bed - these toys were gifts that we brought and handed out earlier in the day.
God was so good to me on this trip. I had asked for Him to make my purpose on this trip known to me. I believe it occurred in Quy Nhon. God put a set of circumstances together that I could not have planned if I tried. He brought to me a 19-year-old young man named Phoung, who was going to the university in town. Phoung spoke great English and we were able to hold a long conversation. Over 90 minutes later, and I had had the opportunity to talk about my Lord and Savior with Phoung.
I have regrets; I was not prepared for my Lord’s assignment. I was unable to get Phoung’s email address, and keep in touch. Maybe that was God’s plan, but I resolve to be more prepared in the future when God asks me to help introduce someone to his Son.
Anyway, I believe that everyone should step outside of his or her comfort zone at some point. This reinforces our dependence on God and helps us develop a relationship with Jesus. A short-term mission trip may be to a foreign country, to a poor area of your own community, or perhaps a prison ministry. It just needs to take you outside of your comfort zone, so that you step into another reality and share it with the people you find there. You will begin walking more like a Christian than you perhaps ever have.
I put together this video with pictures from my trip to Vietnam. I hope you enjoy it. It shows many of the faces that we saw during the trip. Most everyone welcomed us with open arms. The children were excited to see us. Okay, so they weren’t so thrilled to see the dentists, but they loved the gifts and crafts that we brought to them. It was a blessed trip, and I believe that God has plans for this trip to be made every year for many years to come.
If you are interested in a future trip, give me a call, I can talk about the mission work in Vietnam for hours.
Dale Miller
423-238-4526
