Freedom of Religion

The brother pictured above is named Sephan and he has arrived today from HoChiMinh City, Vietnam. He is a dedicated Christian with a wonderful story of faith and love.

Stephan was born in the Southeast Asian country of Laos. As many of you know, Laos is a very repressive Communist country with few religious freedoms. Several years ago, several members of the Church of Christ were imprisoned for sharing the Good News. Stephan left Laos with his family early in life and lived in France for over 25 years. His love for the lost brought him back to Vietnam several years ago and he has been very active in evangelism ever since.

Stephan must leave Vietnam every six months to renew his Visa, so that is why he is visiting us in Cambodia for a few days. He tells us exciting stories of how he has church services in hotel rooms with about fifty fellow Christians. They have to change locations every few months when the authorities begin to suspect what they are doing. In Communist Vietnam there are government informants everywhere and one must be careful not to be too open with your communications. Cab drivers, he told me tonight, are notorious for being government spies.
Stephan is hopeful that the winds of change are blowing in Vietnam. He feels that the desire to be accepted into the WTO and other economic pressures will help move the Communist in a more democratic direction. Freedoms of Religion, Speech, and Assembly are nonexistent. Let’s pray for those “Winds of Change” to blow in sooner than later!