Vietnam is a study in contrasts. Yesterday, as we left Saigon, drove past endless rice paddies, and crossed the muddy Mekong Delta by ferry to visit another church partner, the vivid imagery brought us back to scenes that bombarded our television screens in the sixties and seventies. When we visited an orphanage and heard the testimony and fearless commitment of the director, whose family was once among the nation's upper echelon but was plunged into poverty after the conflict began, we wept.

But then there was the beauty of the bonsai gardens, the amazing manicured foliage lining the roundabouts, and the quiet peacefulness of a people who have endured horrors we'll never know; and the hope of a church congregation building a parsonage and learning center with their own money. Praise God for all that He is doing in this country!

Today we're off to a church dedication, and then back to Ho Chi Minh City. Blessings, loved ones!

Carla