Sunday morning dawned early and bright. After breakfast, the Vietnamese pastors began to arrive with the motorbikes! What a joyous reunion we had as we reintroduced ourselves to them. Many I recognized from two years ago, and I am glad to say they remembered me as well.
Karen and her husband Ut arrived in the new United Methodist van that was purchased by the Shawnee Valley in conjunction with the United Methodist Men National. Karen and Ut are Vietnamese Missionaries who work with the pastors out of Ho Chi Mihn City.
When Karen and Ut arrived, they brought some disappointing news... Due to a glitch in communications, we would not be able to ride the motorbikes this year. Instead, we would follow in two vans and do some sight-seeing along the way. Everyone was extremely disappointed, but we understand that we must follow the laws, so we packed into our vans and headed south.
Our first stop was a KFC in downtown DaNang. Can you say, "I'd like rice with my chicken?". After lunch we continued our journey south. The rest of the day was spent traveling along the coast of the South China Sea, dodging motorbikes, buses, and trucks along Highway 1!
The rice paddies here are very lush and green, unlike in the north where they were just being planted. In some areas rice was being harvested... The rice is separated from the stalk and laid out along the road to dry.
We arrived in Quang Ngai, a hotel near a rive, around 5:00 pm and checked into our hotel. Here, Karen and Ut had arranged for us a very traditional Vietnamese meal of fresh fruits and vegetables, prawn, chicken, beef, spring rolls, fish, and of course rice.
Everyone was tired and hot from spending the day in the vans, so most hit the air-conditioned bedrooms a little early. When we went to check out the next morning, the girl at the checkout came out from behind her counter and gave me a hug! She claimed I looked like her father, and she wanted me to have a picture of the two of us! So here it is...
We left the hotel around 9:00 am and continued south in our vans, sight-seeing along the way. Our next stop was about 170 kilometers (105 miles) away, but would take us about five hours because of the heavy traffic and not-so-good roads. We did stop at a little road-side place for a light lunch, then continued on our way. Just north of our hotel in Quy Nhon, we stopped at a shrine erected to one of the last Vietnamese kings. We were told that when the king would visit this area, this is where he would stay.
Finally around 4:00 pm, we arrived at a resort along the South China Sea in Quy Nhon. It is right on the beach and I am heading for the water in just a few minutes.
Continue to keep us and the Vietnamese pastors in your thoughts and prayers. Pray that God will continue to work miracles here.
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