Our First Trip to Vietnam
In 1997, I had the privilege to go to the country of Vietnam with Evangelist Dave Roever and some special friends from Twin Falls, Idaho. This would be my first time in a 3rd world country and I really didn't know what to expect.
The first day was spent in Ho Chi Minh City; I must have shot two full tapes of video just in that one day. Everything was so different than the way we lived back at home. People were everywhere walking, riding on bicycles or on motorcycles. Even the smells were new to my senses. Street children were everywhere trying to make some money off of us foreigners, "one dollar sir, one dollar." I wanted to give every one of them something but there were so many; they just kept coming!
Visiting the Hospital
One of our first stops was a hospital to visit the children. Many children there were born with birth defects, cleft palates, blind, and deaf among many other physical handicaps. Dave Roever, a burned and disfigured veteran who fought in the Vietnam War, wanted to visit the burn victims at the Burn Ward on the third floor. Many children in Vietnam fall into open fires because a lot of families still cook that way.
To this day, I will always remember my next sight. Dave walked into the room to see a six year old boy who had one side of his face disfigured from falling into a fire. Dave walked over to him, sat down on the bed and showed the little boy his scars. As I was filming all of this, tears began to stream down my cheeks. The boy reached up and touched Dave's face as if to say, "Hey! You have scars just like me!" A common bond was forged that day in that hospital room without a single word spoken. Dave was planting seeds of love in a child’s broken heart with just a touch and a smile. That night the Lord gave me the words and music to "Plant a Seed".
The Journey Back
In 1998, Dave Roever and his team began a missions trip called the "The Journey Back." Since then, they have taken well over 200 of our US Veterans back to the place where they fought a devastating war. I have seen the healing take place in many of our men and women. Dave has said, "I took an M-16 over to Vietnam and now we return with a John 3:16."
Today we are still doing Mission Vietnam trips and the Lord is opening door after door for the gospel to be preached there. Churches are being built and Pastors are being trained; thousands of people are giving their life to Christ. Blastoff Music Ministries has teamed up with Mission Vietnam to reach out to a country that needs the saving love of Jesus Christ.
To find out more about Mission Vietnam and how you can support or get involved with a life-changing ministry, contact Wayne & Joanne Wright at Mission Vietnam.