HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM (HOE-chee-men) – Can you imagine returning to your hometown for Thanksgiving or Christmas and instead of being met with the warm embrace of family and friends, you are shunned by them? Thanh* is expecting just such a harsh reality when he returns home to celebrate the Lunar New Year this month. February 19 marks the first day of the lunar new year and is the focal point of the “Tet” holiday. Tet is the single most important time of the year for the Vietnamese people. It is a very family-focused time but, sadly, is also accompanied by many spiritual traditions. Thanh’s family are devoted to traditional ancestor worship, together with other animistic and Buddhist religious practices. They have already told Thanh that they disapprove of his newfound faith in Jesus Christ and that he can expect that opposition to be particularly strong during the Tet holiday. Pray that Thanh and many other Vietnamese believers like him will be strengthened and encouraged in spite of such opposition. Pray that he will have wisdom and discernment in knowing how to give testimony to the one true God to his family during this time. (*name changed)
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