Source: OMF Blog, February 2016
Hoa came to know Christ at age 17. Like many of her peers, she grew up in a Buddhist family. When school friends invited her to church, she met Christ and gave her life to the Lord. She eventually moved to Ho Chi Minh City to work in business.
Over time, however, Hoa’s fervor for the Lord diminished. She married a non-Christian man and was ridiculed by her mother-in-law who worshiped ancestors and wanted Hoa to do the same. After a bout of severe illness in her family, Hoa learned that her mother-in-law had asked a spirit doctor to curse them. When the spirit doctor died, the family’s health returned. Through these trials, Hoa was driven to the arms of her Savior once again.
Hoa’s story is not unlike many Christians in Vietnam. In fact, in a population of 93 million, less than two percent are evangelical Christians.While Buddhism and Confucianism are widely accepted, ancestor worship is the dominant religious practice, inciting a fear of spirits in many people. Introducing the good news of Jesus Christ to Vietnam’s people will require reaching entire families and communities, not just individuals, with God’s love.
Praise God that a small Christian population is steadily growing in Vietnam. A small number of Kinh believers (the majority group) follow Christ in the North and South, totaling around 447,000 believers.
» Read full story and download prayer materials for Vietnam. Throughout February, receive daily prayer points on weekdays by texting PRAYVIETNAM to 24587.
» For news about religious dynamics in another Buddhist-majority country, see Spiritual Battle Rages in Sri Lanka (Christian Aid Mission).