Herb Hoefer
Update
February 11, 2006
Friends and Family,
I'm now in Hanoi. I was finally able to get the visa by stopping off in
Bangkok for a couple of days. It is striking how much cleaner Bangkok is
than the cities of India and Sri Lanka. The traffic is just as
aggressive and heavy, but the drivers don't honk at each other as in those
countries. It makes for a lot less stressful environment.
I met with the church people in Thailand while I was there. It was
interesting to discuss their faith/culture issues. They are very similar to
those in India. All over Asia the issue of "Christianity" is huge. We really
need to find a way to present the faith that sheds the colonial baggage. We
need to find new terminology for "Christian" and "church" so people can
follow Jesus without giving the impression that they are leaving their
culture and heritage.
Of course, it is the same issue here in Viet Nam. It's even more emotional
since the last two wars of liberation here have been fought against Western
nations, France and the USA. The major co-worker of our missionary here,
Rev. Ted Engelbrecht, is a former Viet Cong, and he's expressed a great deal
of interest in the faith now - after ten years of partnership.
However, for him also, the major issue is going to be how to interpret his
faith as distinct from the image of colonialism that Christianity has. I
suggested that this man may be able to lead a form of the faith that moves
beyond this baggage.
Steve Oliver and I got here early yesterday, and we had the privilege to
spend the day with this man and his wife, as they showed us around the city.
His father is quite a hero in the land because he managed the shipment of
food - by sea and river - to the VC troops in the south during the war. The
great general Siap who brilliantly mastered the wars of liberation still is
living, at age 95, in the city. There also is a great monument to Ho Chi
Minh. I asked that we first see their history museum. While there, I asked
him what of VN history he is most proud of. He immediately spoke of the war
that prevented the Mongol
invasion. The Vietnamese are the only ones to turn back Genghis Khan.
The city is very clean, no beggars, no gap between rich and poor as in much
of Asia. There are a lot of tourists, which surprised me. I also expected to
see a much heavier police presence, but it seems that they
have things so well under control that they don't need to make a show of
force. Safety certainly is a great benefit of a totalitarian government. The
economy also has made great progress, from bicycles to motorbikes and cars
within ten years.
Home soon! It's been another adventure, but I'm ready for some routine.
God bless.
Herb