A Nicaraguan, A Korean, And A Vietnamese Guy Walk Into A Clinic

We spent a full month in Vietnam, more than any other country we have visited so far. We started in the north and made our way south, serving ministries in all 3 major cities along the coast. If you read our last blog, you heard about the amazing ministry we met in the north, translating the Bible and creating social media content in the language of the indigenous mountain tribes. We were grateful to play a small role in the tremendous work they are doing and left Hanoi encouraged and expectant to see how God would continue to use our gifts. We got word that after 57 days of waiting, our Thailand visa was officially denied.  We trusted in God’s plan and kept moving wherever He called us. Knowing that Thailand was out of the picture, opened us up to be more flexible in Vietnam.

Eleven hours south was Da Nang, our next stop. This is a large city, known for being full of expats and digital nomads. Our friends connected us with a man who used to live in the area who recommended another friend to find connections. This friend texted us at 9:45 on Sunday morning and said, “The international church starts at 10am if you want to join.” He said it would be a great way to connect with ministries that may need our support. We rushed to get ready and ran to our taxi, knowing we would be late anyways, our hostel being 20 minutes from the church. I don’t know about you, but for me there is nothing more awkward than walking in late to church, especially to a new church where you don’t know anyone. I almost bailed the whole walk up to the doors. Don’t worry, we were super nonchalant and no one even notices us knocking over the offering plate on the floor during prayer. Jk, they all looked, I almost died of embarrassment. But nonetheless, we made it through. We were present and willing to see what God would do. 

At the info booth after church, the kind volunteer told us to find the pastor who would point us in the direction of who to connect with that might need our services. We told him what we do and ended with, “Do you know of any ministries within the congregation that might benefit from free services like this?” He paused and looked around the room at the over 100 pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders. He replied thoughtfully, “Uhm… maybe like…all of them.” He took our information to pass around and later put us in contact with a ministry called Love Da Nang. Their goal is to unify all of the churches and ministries in the area to magnify their impact and be stronger together. 

The leader of Love Da Nang asked us to join a 3 day medical clinic they were hosting for over 300 pastors in the surrounding cities. He told us that most of the pastors were hosting underground house churches or small congregations of friends in secret places as it is still very much illegal in the country. That being said, they don’t receive paychecks or have health insurance and most of them have never been to the doctor. The goal of this 3 day clinic was to support the pastors and their wives medically as well as build community amongst the pastors, uniting them with other ministries that they had no idea existed so close by. 

We joined the clinic and were asked to take photos as well as go around talking with pastors about their technology needs and how we could help. We met many amazing people, doing great things for the community, all while staying in the shadows and out of sight of the communist government. We spoke with many pastors about how to have an online presence in a safe and secure way, Allan shared privacy tips and tricks, and we learned all about each ministry. We were introduced to the main doctor at the clinic, the man who created the medical center only a few months prior. He was an esteemed doctor in Korea, but wanted to do more. He joined a Christian missions organization for medical teams and left for Vietnam 10 years ago. This new clinic, in a remote area, was part of his mission. He wanted to make healthcare affordable and accessible to everyone. The clinic hadn’t technically opened yet, so he offered his staff free of charge to run blood tests, X-rays, eye exams, and general health check ups to the ministries in the area. They even had a dentist at the clinic, doing oral surgeries for free. 

When we first met the doctor, he was sweaty and out of breath, looking disheveled. He quickly grabbed a chair as his staff brought him a water bottle. He told us that his team back in Korea had been praying for media and website help for weeks but were working to fundraise for it to even be a possibility. He was at lunch when he received a call from his front desk administrator telling him that Love Da Nang had brought us into the clinic. He ran all the way from the restaurant to meet us, without even finishing his food. He praised the Lord relentlessly for sending us and then got into the details of their needs. We took notes as he discussed the website and photo concepts he had in mind. Allan continued going over website design info while I got to work taking photos of the doctors and staff with their first patients, the pastors. He had offered his clinic out of the goodness of his heart and God brought him content out of it, win-win. He invited us to stay with his family in Korea if we ever visit and poured out thank yous nonstop.

Even after we left Da Nang, Allan kept in contact with the doctor. The doctor even made a group chat with his team in Korea and staff in Vietnam to weigh in on design choices. Allan created something truly amazing for the team, I would venture to guess his toughest feat yet. He made a full medical/dental center website that translates to 3 different languages, Korean, Vietnamese, and English. I find it funny that a Spanish speaking developer created a website for a Korean speaking doctor at a Vietnamese medical center, and they communicated fully in English. Allan poured so many hours into the project, it was incredible to see the beautiful end result and hear about the difference it would make in the community in the future. Allan gave many weeks to this project, going back and forth for days with the staff to make sure it was exactly what they wanted. He learned so much from it and felt so grateful to get to be a part of it. I can’t help but get excited every time I see them post my photos on social media and even create flyers about their services with my photos as the background. 

We had the idea for this trip, not because we wanted a vacation or needed a cheap way to travel. The idea was always service-minded. The idea was always exactly this. We always wanted to serve ministries in ways that they might not have had access to otherwise, just like Love Da Nang and like the medical clinic. We always wanted to use our gifts to magnify their impact. They were always doing amazing things, but now, through the photos and website,  more people will know about it. Through this work, more lives can be touched, more support can be offered, more volunteers can join the cause, more patients can be served, more doctors can give aid, more glory can go to God. 

Thank You, Lord, for using us in Your grand story for this ministry, for this community, for this country. Thank You for Your timing. Had we gone to Thailand, we would have missed the clinic, the doctor, the pastors, all of it. Your plan is better, always. Keep reminding us…gently.

-Kallan