Blakes' Report on Vietnam
August 1997
LEONARD AND DONA BLAKE

INTERESTING!

Viet Nam ? Oh, yes. That little country where we had a war. Where is it anyway--somewhere on the other side of the world?

"Why go so far away when people in this country still do not know Jesus" "Those people really do not want our religion anyway, so we ought to just leave them alone!" We have received some very

interesting, and disturbing, comments as we have opportunity to talk to people about Viet Nam. Yet we read in the Apostle John's first letter, "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world" I Jn. 2:2 (NKJV).

Fortunately, most response to our appeal for assistance to go back to Viet Nam has been very positive. We are very grateful that fellow believers see fit to make it possible for someone to go and live among this people who have both suffered greatly for many years--and responded well to the idea of Jehovah as Creator, Jesus as Savior, and the Bible as God's written word for all men of every nation, and through all time.

People in our country generally do not have much real knowledge of or appreciation for the country of Viet Nam or its people. Even though we have over one million of its people living here in the U.S., we still have not paid very much attention.

VIET NAM IS 13th LARGEST

U.N. figures published in 1995 list VN just after Germany in population. They also show VN growing and Germany declining -- meaning that VN will pass Germany any year now! The only African nation larger than VN is Nigeria. The Philippines, the U.K., Thailand, and France all come after VN in the "top twenty" largest populations!

VIET NAM = CALIFORNIA

The land mass of VN is approximately equal to that of California. However, with that state's population at 27 million (one-tenth of the U.S. population), VN is about three times as densely populated with its 77 million residents. With its rapid growth rate, very soon VietNam's population will be one-third that of the United States.

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WIDOW HAS OUR OLD FURNITURE

It was on my second visit to their house that it happened. Our hostess suddenly asked me if I remembered the closet we had in our house in Trung My~ Ta^y village in 1967. Really! I had not thought about the

furniture from that house in years.

Nhan, as she said I should call her, is the mother of Tam. I talked about him in my story about Mrs. Minh last month. It turns out that his mother is the widow of the evangelist from the old days who was known as Dac or Hanh. Tam is one of four boys and two girls who were born to them.

On my first visit to her house, I was still trying to figure out if I could remember her, when she brought out a framed picture of her deceased husband. Immediately, I knew him! He was the Catholic priest who had studied Fausto Salvoni's writing and left the priesthood to be baptized for the remission of his sins. This dedicated Christian had become an evangelist with the churches of Christ in Viet Nam.

His wife, formerly a nun and trained as a nurse, had also left the Catholic church to follow simple New Testament Christianity. Together, they had worked with me in 1965 and 1966 in the care of orphan children. I remembered how much they were like Dona and me--helping to care for other children while giving birth to children.

Nhan still has her house in District 8 of HCMC. She says that her husband kept putting off

the new communist government officials as they insisted on his moving his family out into the countryside, as so many had to do. He managed to delay their departure to the point that they were either forgotten or the policy changed.

I was anxious, on the first visit, to see the other pictures which Tam told me were there. He brought out a box, a little bigger than a large Bible box, which was full of pictures--including combat pictures taken from helicopters, pictures of military aircraft and vehicles, etc. Nhan explained that they still had the pictures because her husband had found places to hide them. They were never found during the searches of their house which were conducted in those days following the "reunification" of VietNam.

Nhan reminded me that she and her husband had moved their family out to Trung My~ Ta^y village in 1967 to work with me and the church there. I had forgotten, but I have since seen a picture of

the congregation there in front of the church building--and there they were!

That discussion led to the question about the closet. Nhan took me to a bedroom to show me--and, again, it was instant recognition. Houses there usually do not have built-in closets, so one must purchase free-standing ones. When faced with the need, I bought this one with what seemed then a very modernistic design on the front.

Nhan then said that she had two other items to show me. We went upstairs to another room and there was the bed we bought new for Cao, the young man who had become my assistant and interpreter

(and a frequent sitter/companion for our two children). When we moved to the village, he went with us. It is now Tam's bed.

Back downstairs, through the living room area, and at the front door of the house was Nhan's neighborhood first-aid clinic area. I had walked right past, in coming in twice, the desk which I had

bought all those years ago. She showed me the locking section which she had to have rebuilt. Someone had broken into it after Gene Conner had abandoned our house in the wake of the Tet Offensive. Vie^.t Co^.ng ? Local people? She did not know, but they were definitely looking for something.

Last issue, I told you that Mrs. Minh and Nhan had told us about yet another widow. In our next newsletter, I will tell you about Mrs. Du---and her son and her daughter.

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ANOTHER MAN FINDS HIS "FAMILY"

He is a quiet and gracious man. Almost from the day I first met him, May 10, 1997, I felt confident that we would develop a great relationship. His name is Mr. Nghi .

Like so many from those days, Nghi was emotionally "displaced," if not physically, when the change of government happened in South VN in 1975. He had been involved with the church of Christ in

Saigon only since 1972. Even though he worked for the Americans, he was not one of those

who were able to leave the country. The church in Saigon lost its building--one purchased with funds

from Americans--when the communists took over the South. It was reportedly given to an army captain from the north who was reassigned to this southern location--recently renamed in honor of the deceased leader of the force which had now taken control of the whole country--Ho^` Chi' Minh City (HCMC).

With religious groups being outlawed, and the building taken away, the church of

Christ members who remained in VN had a very difficult time staying in touch with each other. Actually, most of those who remained were forced to leave the city and restart their lives in some rural setting. The church no longer met.

Nghi and Quy, also a former member of' the Saigon congregation and now the preacher for a small congregation which meets in his house, found each other sometime before we arrived in VN in

April. Nghi and his wife, however, were not around the city much. Therefore, Nghi had not yet assembled with that group for worship.

Nghi and his wife buy wristwatches wholesale in HCMC for 60,000 VN DDo^`ng each about (US$5.15) and take them to the Me Kong Delta area to resell them at a markup of, hopefully, 25%--or 75,000 VND (about$6.45). That is a whole $1.30 each watch for their effort.

It is not that easy to sell those either. The average worker only makes about $1 per day in that area--so they have to save, after food and other expenses, quite a while to be able to pay over $6 for a wristwatch!

When I told Nghi's "story" to the congregation in Englewood, CO, upon our return in June, one of the teens came to me afterward. He said the teens were wanting I to know how much it would cost to buy some watches for Nghi to sell--so that he could pocket the whole selling price.

Nghi and his wife had previously started a business in their rented house, which is

really little more than a cubicle--about 8' x 12'. Their place, like most in the cities and on the main streets in smaller towns, is built for the whole front (usually from 8 to 15 feet wide) to open up as a "storefront." They tried to sell plastic and aluminum utensils, but were not successful in making a living at that.

When we left in June, Nghi was taking lessons from the family of Ha (the Chinese man whom we helped obtain the artificial leg) to learn how to operate a soup shop. He was hoping to convert the front of his little house--across the street from a local market place--and go into the soup business there. His main reason for doing so is not the potential for a better income, but rather so that he can stay in town to be

involved with the Christians with whom he has recently become reconnected in HCMC.

Nghi is most anxious to read any printed material which he can obtain regarding the Bible and Christian living. He would like to translate English material into Vietnamese and have it duplicated to share with those who do not understand English.

I found myself wishing that I could have him available to work with me regularly. I would like to raise enough "working fund" money to be able to retain Nghi to spend at least part of his time with me--providing transportation, translations, and consultation on what is good and not so good in our work within the Vietnamese culture. It appears that $100 a month might be all that it would take to meet his needs.

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UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE OF VIETNAM

Maybe you have wondered why we are using "Viet Nam" instead of writing "Vietnam," like you usually see it.

VIETNAMESE IS MONO-SYLLABIC

Words correctly written in this language never have more than one syllable. Words like "Viet," correctly pronounced, have just one syllable. It is not uncommon to see, even in publications produced in Viet Nam

by Vietnamese, words being combined into more "Western" appearing words.

It will shock most Americans to know that Saigon should be written Sai Gon, and

Hanoi more correctly appears as Ha Noi.

Still missing are the markings which appear on some ("o," and "u," and "d") of what we see as the same letters--making them different letters in the Vietnamese alphabet.

VIETNAMESE IS TONAL

If that is not enough, other marks appear either above or below most words indicating the tone to be used in the pronunciation of the word. Tones used include a low tone, a rising tone, a falling

tone, etc.

Of course, each of these different pronunciations carries a different meaning! The same two to six (occasionally more) letters may have at least half a dozen different meanings. For example: "ma,"

which depending on the tonal marking can mean "ghost," "mother," "which," "tomb," "horse," or "rice seedling." It really is true that you might mispronounce something and end up saying something very

derogatory about someone's relative!

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VIETNAMESE NAMES

It might be of interest to you to know how names are normally composed in Viet Nam . The most noticeable thing is that the family name comes first -- "the last name is first." There seem to be relatively few family names, so many names look the same to us.

The given names, then, follow the family name. The last name shown is usually the

one by which people are called--"the first name is last." Like in some parts of the U.S., there are some people who are known by two names, said together.

The name used with titles and words of formal address (Mr., Mrs., Miss, etc.) is normally the given name - or their "last name," if you will. Consequently, at least to us, it seems that there is some confusion as to whether you simply use a person's given name (as in Nghi, Quy, etc.) or whether you call them Mr. Nghi, Mr. Quy, etc.

It seems even more confusing to me when it comes to the women. It seems to be acceptable to refer to a woman as "Mrs.(her husband's given name). However, there does not seem to be a great need to, except possibly in the case of older widows, do anything other than called her by her given name. I am still working on that one.

Most names are real Vietnamese words which have meanings. We are told that parents purposely choose names that convey something they see or want in their child. Quy's wife, for instance, is named DDu+o+`ng. That is the Vietnamese word for "sugar." Mai is the name of a popular yellow flower.

Learning ways different than "ours" is challenging, but it is also interesting. Come and join us in serving.

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DONA WRITES FROM A WIFE'S PERSPECTIVE

One of the things a Westerner will notice as soon as she walks out on the sidewalks of Ho Chi Minh City is that you're a "target." It seems to still be widely believed that Americans, especially, are rich. In a sense we certainly are when compared to many people around the world. The "vendors" in Viet Nam seem to believe that we want to spend money even for things unnecessary. For instance, we often had people trying to sell us sunglasses when we were already wearing some. We had young boys wanting to give us shoe shines when we were wearing sandals. It is virtually impossible for an American to

walk down the street without being approached by many people, young and old, wanting to sell something or wanting a handout.

Going to the beach at Vu~ng Ta`u or Nha Trang meant being besieged by people trying to sell everthing from stamps to foods. They are very persistent and it soon becomes difficult to politely decline their wares because they crowd in closer and closer and get louder with their spiels in an effort to be heard over their competitors. Carrying on a normal conversation with your companion becomes quite difficult.

While I experienced some of this in the '60s, I was somewhat insulated by generally traveling in one of the church's vans or being in the country where salespeople didn't venture as much. So my experience this time made much more of an impression on me. Since pushy salespeople in the States guarantee themselves a "no sale" with me, you can imagine my reaction to these salespeople. A firm, "No, thanks," and just walking will usually take care of the situation.

Other people we met on our trip earlier this year were very courteous and pleasant. The people who worked at the Saigon Concert Hotel, where we stayed the first few days and the last few days, were most helpful and considerate. Their smiling upon our arrival were a good indicator of what I could expect during my stay.

Those working at the first guest house where we stayed, Coco Loco, became almost like family. They made an effort to learn and remember how we liked things done. I felt very comfortable and

completely safe with them, even when Leonard might be gone for hours.

I guess what I want to leave with you is that Viet Nam is just like any other country--or state--or town. You'll find obnoxious, bothersome people. One major difference is probably in us. We tend, unfortunately, to be more tolerant of those who "rub us the wrong way" in another setting than we are "at home." Learning to treat all people with respect and consideration is a goal that I know I am working on and I suspect others might decide they also need to do so, if they give thought to it (More, next report. Dona)

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GOALS AND NEEDS RELATED TO LEONARD & DONA BLAKE GOING BACK TO VN

Find employment in VN (likely teaching English) to pay most day-to-day living expenses and provide basis for long-term visa.

Raise money for travel expenses -- round trip to VN and in-country travel.

Raise partial support for 10/97 through 7/98. (Until going on Social Security.)

Raise money to rent building for house and classes/worship for a year.

Raise money for "working fund" -- to assist brethren in VN in various ways.

Raise money to purchase used vehicle for transportation (car/small van).

Begin recruitment of other persons to go to VN to work and serve the church:

Short term Bible seminar leaders -- study with church leaders/members.

Teachers for English language kindergarten in Ho Chi Minh City.

English teachers to work in various schools in Viet Nam.

English teacher, possibly nurse, to teach at District 4 Hospital, HCMC.

Financial Needs: (For one full year, beginning October 1, 1997.)

Travel Expenses:

Round-trip airfare from U.S. to Viet Nam $3,500

Fund for travel within VN (& possible int'l. travel - i.e. renew visa) $1,500

Partial Personal Support:

$500/month from October 1, 1997 through July, 1998. $5,000

(Leonard anticipates going on Social Security 8/98-- at age 62)

Housing and Equipment Expenses:

Rent - $500/month (need one year in advance) $6,000

Utilities - $150/month (electricity, water, local telephone) $1,800

Appliances - (refrigerator, stove, microwave, washer, etc.) $1,500

Equipment - (TV, VCR, computer, fans, chairs, tables, etc.) $2,200

Working Fund:

$500/month -- for such expenses as interpreters, vehicle expense $6,000

(owned, rental, taxi, etc.), benevolence, teaching materials, etc.

Vehicle:

Purchase small van or car for transportation of persons and goods $5,000

(to be left there as "the church's vehicle" & for others to use)

Total Funds Needed: $32,500

Contribution should be sent to

Viet Nam work
Englewood Church of Christ
4690 S. Logan
Englewood, CO 80110

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