GlocalNet

It isn’t a short trip from Istanbul to Hanoi - 3 stops and 19 hours later I made it yesterday.  I wish I could have been here for all the different events.  Nikki was here with the water team, and now is leading the special education team.  They got to see Ti - maybe I’ll get to see him this week - he now lives in Ho Chi Minh City.  This morning, I just went around and visited all my old spots.  I love this place.  It is hot - but that’s good for me.  Very humid - I ran around lake Hoa Kiem this morning and really enjoyed it.  I’ve seen a lot of things happen here since I first came in ‘95.  Hard to believe all the changes, but I can honestly say the place is booming and things are always better everytime I come. 

I will write more about my trip to Gaza and people I met with in Istanbul when I get home - I’m still gathering my thoughts and am trying to make sense of all of it.  There are opportunities there to serve people and make a difference like never before - I think there are some people who want to tackle it.  It would be a radically different coalition of the UN, Churches, Mosques, and I’d even welcome a Synogogue or two - we’ll see.  And oh yes, for those “secularist”  I was with, you too are welcome if you love people and want to serve them.  If you love people and want to serve them Regardless of your position on all the Palestinian-Israeli issues, one thing is for certain - there are millions of people suffering who deserve, food, water, and health services.

Tonight we go out and eat with the education team.  I remember when we first started working in Vietnam with the government - who had ever heard of a church in the West having a good relationship with the government - well we did, and we still do and as much as I hope we have helped them, I know they have helped us and impacted our thinking about the world.  The world is wide open - it’s us who want to tie the knots in the pipes.