GlocalNet

It’s been a wild 24 hours but a great 24 hours.  I met with the Prime Minister of Vietnam yesterday.  Since becoming Prime Minister, this was his first trip to the U.S.  He was a very sharp man.  There were about 9 of us that met with him and got to bring greetings.  We listened to each other and I think the meeting went really good. 

I told him that we had been coming to Vietnam since ’94 working with the government – that hundreds of our people have been there, I listed some of the projects, we talked about the exchange students (many of whom parents are diplomats with the Vietnamese State Department).  Dennis told him about Glocal Ventures.  I also thanked him for the progress being made in the area of religious freedom and asked that things continue to move in that direction.  I told him about our new worship center, the style of the hallways and all the Vietnamese art and architecture.  I explained to him that Vietnam had “made our church” what it is today.  Vietnam made me see the world . . . . . He seemed moved and his aides very excited about it – all of them smiling very big. 

Chris Seiple, with IGE, pulled several sharp people together for the meeting and I enjoyed all of them BUT ESPECIALLY Cardinal McCarrick.  He was the archbishop of Washington D.C.  He’s one of the warmest men I’ve ever met.  He’s been a lot of the same places I have, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Vietnam . . . . . . the list goes on.  There are some people you get around – and you can just sense God – he’s one of them.  I was told he did Tim Russert’s funeral last week.  He was an incredibly humble man.  He has a great sense of humor and a very shrewd, humorous way of addressing issues, that addresses them without putting everyone on edge.  I was learning a lot from him.  I asked him to set up a meeting with me and the Pope – I told him I was kidding, but he said I could get a group audience with him – so who knows . . .