Conversation with Isaiah Duong

Today I had the unique privilege of driving pastor Isaiah Duong (goes by Isah Young sometimes) to the airport. I say privilege because it is very seldom that anyone is able to talk to him for twenty minutes as I was able to. He is a very busy man...
He is the speaker for the Peace and Happiness radio broadcast of the SDA church into communist Vietnam. In addition to this he is the leader of the underground house-church movement in Vietnam, and the pastor of three Vietnamese churches in California. He is also a father of three! As I said, the man is busy.

As many of you know, Vietnam is a communist country. As such, Christians are under constant fear for their lives. At ASAP we have received countless stories about house-church members being interrogated and beaten for their faith. I wanted to talk to pastor Duong about this problem.

Questions I asked Pastor Duong

Q. Is the work growing in Vietnam?
A. Although there is a lot of persecution of SDAs, the gospel is really touching lives and the work is so much more than we can handle. We always need more literature, more bibles, more pastors...More. In the official record of the SDA church there are not many Adventist in Vietnam. This is because the Vietnamese Mission leaders are communists appointed by the government. Most of our new members are not registered as official Adventist because the Mission leaders would report them to the government. Despite all this, there are over 300,000 Sabbath keepers in Vietnam and we have to try to nurture them and teach them as best as we can.

Q. Why does the Adventist world church continue to give the Vietnamese mission money if they are communists?
A. To keep the lines of communication open. If we do not give them money then they will stop recognizing Adventists officially and close down all Adventist operations resulting in more ferocious persecution.

Q. Do you think communism will ever die in Vietnam?
A. It all depends on China. If China's communist government goes down, Vietnam's will follow.

Q. Can you visit Vietnam to check on the progress of the work? (he aswered this one with a big smile)
A. In the police academies in Vietnam they tell all the students to watch out for five Americans: George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, the head of the CIA, and Isaiah Duong. They tell them that these five people can really destroy their country! Airport officials have my picture so they can apprehend me if I ever try to enter the country. I am on the most wanted list.

Q. Have any of the pastors you work with in Vietnam been killed by the government?
A. Yes. We know of a few of them, but lately we believe that there have been a lot more that we do not know about because certain areas of the country are blocked off and our people are not allowed to pass. It is hard to hear the stories of their tortures and apprehensions.

My conversation ended very abruptly as we were trying to figure out the right way into the little South Bend Airport, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Living in the United States it is hard to imagine that people have to hide to be able to worship God, but it happens everyday in Vietnam and many other countries. ASAP supports 250 Vietnamese pastors, but as pastor Isaiah said, they need more...

I have often wondered if the reason why Adventism and other religions are dying in the Western world is because we do not have persecution and therefore life seems too manageable to need God...

My Mole is Gone!

For as long as I can remember there has been a mole on my left arm. I have resented it, especially when I wear sleeve-less shirts. Today, however, there are stitches where that mole once was. Six stitches to be exact.

Three weeks ago my mole got swollen and changed color. A purple ring of blood formed around it, and I...
Sterilized a needle and poked a whole in it to let the blood out! Not very smart, but effective. A couple days later the mole was almost back to normal. My mother found out about my "emergency bleeding" and advised me to get a doctor to look at it even if I did not think there was anything wrong with it anymore.

Twenty minutes after I walked into the clinic today, my mole was gone. Although the doctor does not suspect anything grave, he sent it for a biopsy anyways. In ten days I go back to get the stitches removed and to find out what that mole really was.

On Turning 25

There is something significant about turning twenty five. Although I have been married for over two years and I have a master's degree, adults have not really considered me as one of them until now. When you turn a quarter of a century things change. For many this is a sad reminder that thirty is right around the corner... Then you are really old! :)

Unfortunately, turning twenty five has not done anything to me. I do not feel more responsible, or more careful, or more mature than I did at twenty four. Is it because changes in maturity level are way more suttle than that? Or maybe we just put too much stake in one day.

Trevan, Fab and Heather, planned a surprise birthday party for me. It was a lot of fun, but other than the extra gifts I know have, no eternal wisdom was given to me on this day... Or maybe I just have not unwrapped that gift yet.

Day 32 of 32

Today is the big day! I wake up at 4:00 in the morning to get to the airport by 5:30 when Trevan's plain is suppose to arrive. I want to look my best, and not like I usually look at 5:30 in the morning...Did I mention I am not a morning person?

I get to the airport and patiently wait for Trevan to arrive. There is this weird guy that keeps on looking at me...Maybe he is not weird, maybe he is just not a morning person either!

Finally I see Trevan round the corner and my heart skips a beat...It is finally over, he is back with me again! We hug and kiss and then proceed to wait for this luggage.

An hour later we are back at home in bed for a couple hours before getting out to Kathy's wedding. By the time we wake up to go to the wedding we are both exhausted, but happy to be with each other, and to see some of Trevan's friends.

The wedding is lovely. It started at 11:30 in the morning, and by 5:00 p.m. when we left the reception, the party was just getting started!

We then went to spend some time with Trevan's family at his aunt's house. His grandfather was there, and we had a great time talking with them about Trevan's experiences and grandpa's recovery. About 7:30 that night, Aunt Ivanette sends us all home after a chorus of yawns and sleepy sighs excapes Trevan, Trevan's dad and myself.

By 10:00 the next morning Trevan and I were in the Civic on our way back from Maryland. Needless to say, after that ten hour drive, I am very indisposed to driving anywhere, that will take longer than an hour, until we move in December.

Day 31 of 32

I woke up at 8:00 and have to rush to get to church on-time. All my rushing does not pay off and my mom and I are late.

After church we have a great meal and get ready to leave my parents and drive the four hours to Maryland so I can get to bed early because I have to get up at 4:oo in the morning to pick up Trevan from the airport.

The anticipation is definitely building...

My mom is very sad to see me go. I think she misses having us around more in the winter because there is nothing much to do. My dad prays for me and I get on my way.

When I get to Maryland, however, I remember that I need to get panty hose for the wedding tomorrow, so I need to go to the store. Unfortunately, this little detour ends up taking a lot longer than I had hoped for due to the unexpected surprise of sales! I walked out of the mall with a dress, a shirt, and no panty hose!

By the time I get to Grandma Osborn's house and say my hellos to her and Trevan's dad who is in town for meetings, I am exhausted.

I finally get to bed at 10:30 pm! Tomorrow is the BIG DAY

Day 30 of 32

My mom has spent the whole week with me. It has been a lot of fun! We had a chance to go raspberry picking, got some good apples, and even went out to Warren Dunes. We climbed all the way to the top of the dune and were enjoying the wonderful sunset from the comfort of a tree branch when our serenity was shattered by the realization that we had left the camera in the car!

We went back down and we got to take a couple pictures before the sun went completely down.

Today we are driving back to New Jersey. It is a ten-hour drive and we get on the road at 9:30 in the morning. By 7:30 at night we finally get home and wait for my dad to get back from church. My dad gets home by like nine, and we get to talking for few hours. I have not seen him since December, so we have a lot to talk about. I get to bed by one in the morning, knowing very well that we have to be in church by nine thirty tomorrow morning.

Fun Kids!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to show you some pictures of the cute little kids I ran into in Belize. This trip really made me wish I had some more little people around me here in Michigan! Not my own of course, just someone else's that I could play with and give back.

This cute little fellow is Yasir, my cousin Levy's little boy. Danielly is his girlfriend and they make a great couple. The funny thing about Yasir is that he would not come to me unless he thought I was going somewhere. Then he would extend his hands and want to come to me!
This little cutie is Samane. She is my cousin Kemane's eight-month-old daughter. I loved playing with her because she is a very happy little girl. She has a birth-mark on the left side of her face, but she is beautiful. I really considered trying to bring her back with me. One of her favorite pastimes was to fight my granny for her cane! I really miss her because I spent most of my days playing with her and making sure she did not put anything bad into her mouth.


This little one is Levi. He is my cousin Haleem's son. His girlfriend Bodie is also in the first picture. His full name is John Levi. Named for my grandpa John and my uncle Levy. My uncle (Haleem's father) died about six years ago on Mother's day when he fell of the roof of the house he was building in Belize. So little Levi carries a very important name! Levi only came to me when I had food. He would see me get my plate and sit down, and then he would come up to me and sit in my lap so I could feed him. He is one, and he is going to be a heart-breaker!

Day 25 of 32

Sunday

I woke up early this morning and headed for the stores. My aunt Elo and my uncle Clevy took me to the stores so I could buy some Dutch cheese, some red Fanta, and some Habanero hot sauce! I bought so much stuff that my suitcase weighted almost 90 pounds, so I had to split stuff up and borrow a suitcase from Levy (my cousin).

After I finished packing and got ready, Levy took me to my aunt's house. In the ten minutes that it takes to get to her house, the most ridiculous down poor of rain started coming. It was so bad that Levy and I just sat in the car for about half-an-hour before getting out.

I had some lunch, hung out with my granny for a couple hours and started getting ready to leave for the airport. It was sad to leave her because I am not sure if I will ever see her again. After all she is 94! I thank God for the privilege of being able to hang out with her for a week.

Half-hour after I was suppose to leave for the airport, the rain let up just enough for us to thrust my luggage in the car and get on our way. Much to my dismay I discovered that about 80% of the streets in Belize were under about two inches of water. It was a flood and I needed to get to the airport ASAP! Needless to say I began to panic that I was going to be late and miss my flight, or that my flight would be delayed and I would miss my connecting flight in Houston.

Fortunately, neither happened. I was on time for both flights. My mother met me in Houston and we flew to Chicago together. After our two-hour drive home we went straight to bed.

Thus ended my week in Belize!

Day 24 of 32

Sabbath

Since we got back from Belmopan it has been a mad dash to organize everything for my granny's big birthday bash today. Although her birthday was yesterday, nothing terribly exciting happened other than my mother and others calling to wish granny a happy birthday.

Today, however, there will be a special church service for her followed by lunch with all the family members that have traveled from various parts of Belize for the occasion.

We had to be in church by 8:45 am because that is when Sabbath School begins. The program honoring granny started right after Sabbath School. There were a couple special music by two of the great-granddaughters (Gia and Endera). Another by Dr. Ranju, whom I have known since my days in Costa Rica, and she has become a part of our family. One of my granny's favorite pastors was brought in to say a few words of encouragement and to preach. Granny even sang with my aunts and gave a few words of thanks to all of us for being there with her.

Church ended at about 12:30. My aunt Stella lives a couple blocks from the church, so after the service a couple cousins and I started walking towards the house to get the party started!

After an amazing meal it was time for us to sing "Happy Birthday" and for granny to cut the cake. We even convinced my granny to bite into the cake...She is so funny. I truly believe that it is her sense of humor that has kept her alive and in pretty good health for these 94 years.

The rest of the afternoon was spent taking pictures and catching up with family and friends. Two contradicting feelings came over me as I looked across the group that had assembled. The first thought was "I am so old!". Some of my cousins had children that were almost teenagers now. The last time I saw them, they did not even have children yet. It was embarrassing to have to ask some of the kids who they were. The second feeling was "I am an adult, not a child". Although I am married and have a master's degree, most of my cousins see me as the fifteen-year old I was the last time I was there. My uncle Cleveland kept on referring to me as "the little girl", and my cousins would introduce me to people as "my little cousin".

I guess life in many ways stays the same no matter how much things change!

Day 22 of 32

Thursday

When I woke up this morning the rain was coming down with a vengeance. Disappointing...I was suppose to hang out with my cousin Deon and his family in Belmopan, the capital of Belize. Reluctantly I got ready and prayed for a miracle.

The miracle came at 10:00 a.m. when the rain let up just enough for us to get my granny in Deon's car and get on the road. It was my first time visiting this part of the country, so I paid great attention to my surroundings as we went along. A striking realization hit me about twenty minutes into our journey. It was really green out here! After living in the United States for nine years I had forgotten how much greenery there is out in the world.

After an amazing lunch (Anna, Deon's wife, is a great cook!) Deon, Anna, Dayna (their daughter) and I left for Cayo. We had been hoping to go to the Xunantunich Maya ruins, but we were not sure if they would let us climb to the top since it had been raining and the stairs could be slippery. We tried anyways.

To our amazement it had not rained at all in that area, and we were allowed to climb the temple. I was thrilled! Deon use to be the CEO for tourism in Belize, so he is the perfect person to go site seeing with. He pointed out important details in the architecture that I would not have noticed otherwise. For instance, the freeze on one of the sides of the building is covered by an exact fiber-glass replica in order to protect the original for future archeological research. Another thing he pointed out was the beds in which people slept. Quite hard concrete!

Belize currently has a population close to 300,000 people. Deon explained that contrary to popular belief, this area was very densely populated prior to colonization. The first explorers would have encountered over one million Mayas living in Belize. Due to plagues and other illnesses, this number was greatly depleted by the colonization period.

The Maya people were very hierarchical in structure. The closer you lived to the top of the temple, the more powerful you are. I learned that although much has been discovered at Xunantunich, many of the "lower class" people would have spread out for miles from the temple, and therefore there are many more discoveries to be made in this area.

After leaving Xunantunich we got back on the ferry that brought us across the little river, and left for home. Stopping on our way to buy souvenirs and pineapple ice cream! I believe this was the most exciting day I had in Belize.

Day 21 of 32

Wednesday

Today my cousin Kemane is taking me to the Keys. Although I have visited Belize on many occassions for extended periods of time, I have never visited the touristy areas, so I am very excited about this outing!

Of course, I had not initially planned to go to a beach, so I had no bathing suit. Before taking off we had to get a bathing suit and a towel for me to take with me. We took the 10:30 am boat to the island...the ride was phenomenal. I think that is the part of the trip I enjoyed the most. The last time I was on a boat was during our honeymoon in the Bahamas. I loved feeling the wind and sun!

Once we got to the Key we headed for my Kemane's friend's restaurant, the Herbal Tribe. Coincidentally I could have sworn some people were smoking pot right accross from it...Anyways, I walked over to the beach, spread my blanket, and took a nap. I was awaken by my cousin hovering over me with a lunch menu. One of the restaurant workers had also come with her to make sure all was just the way I wanted it. It was great service! Twenty minutes later my meal was brought to me and I ate by the beach...I felt very pampered.

After lunch Kemane and I walked up to the split and hung out by a beautiful beach side. We got to see some fishes and just get some sun. The fresh air was fantastic, the water was enchanting, and the food was amazing...I did not get into the water though. I know, it sounds crazy, but I just did not feel it in my spirit.

At 1:30 we were on our way back home, and the boat ride was again, fantastic! The rest of the afternoon I spent with my granny, cousins and my aunt. We ate some fudge that Kemane made, and visited. It was a great day.

Day 20 of 32

Tuesday

Yesterday I arrived in Belize City. My cousin and aunt were at the airport to pick me up and we headed for my aunt's house. When I arrived my grandmother was waiting for me. She was very surprised at how much I had changed (I think I still look the same!).

After lunch we sat in the living room and watched soap operas for the rest of the afternoon. It always amazes me how quickly you can pick up on soaps even if you have not seen them in years. The stories are usually the same...Boy meets girl, they get married, or sleep together, or have a baby, then boy leaves girl to start all over with another girl!

That evening I get to meet some of my second cousins that are arriving from school. The last time I was in Belize most of them were not even born yet! I felt old...

I spent the nights at my aunt Elo's house, and most of the days I spent with my Granny at my aunt Stella's house. Aunt Stella is a great cook!

Day 19 of 32

I woke up and looked out the window to see beautiful, fluffy clouds. I don't think I have ever seen such amazing looking clouds before in my life! Up here life seems so carefree. It is my fourth plane ride in two months. My limbs are tired of sitting, but the view is sure worth it.

The captain comes over the intercom system to let us know that we are beginning our initial decent. From the corner of my eye I see a flash of lightning. Out the window I can now see that the beautiful white clouds have been swallowed up by menacing gray ones. The seat belt sign comes on and the flight attendant admonishes us to tighten them for the road ahead is very bumpy.

Into a dark cloud we go...The plane drops five feet, and woman behind me screams! As soon as it began the turbulence stops. Ahead is another cloud and this time it is worse. My alarm increases as the lightning becomes more frequent...Has a plane ever been struck before?

As we bounce from dark cloud to dark cloud my outlook on being up here begins to shift. Suddenly I glimpse something out in the dark sky...Yes, for a brief moment there is a magnificent rainbow flashing through the clouds. I remember the story of Noah. "I do set my bow in the clouds" God had said. A peace and reassurance fills my heart. God had sent a sign to let me know that He would once again bring me to safety!

When we landed it was raining...Thus began my week in Belize