From the moment I made my Asia ministry public, I have been asked, “Why Asia? Why would you choose to live and minister in an area of the world that is still developing?” To answer this question more articulately, please read on and allow me to acknowledge why I believe Asia is not only the place where the moving and stirring of God is happening, but why strategically, now is the time, and Southeast Asia is the place.

Praise the Lord for His provision! God continues to supply our every need. As you know we arrived in Singapore on Wednesday and have begun to settle into our new apartment (HDB flat). We decided to purposely rent a very common and ordinary apartment that the average Singaporean would be living in rather than a hotel, apartment, house or condo that typical westerners would generally be staying. Despite this choice, it is amazing how expensive it is to live in Singapore. The average going rate for the purchase of a very standard government subsidized HDB flat ranges from $700-$1,200 square feet. Because of this, even rental is very high.

My pastor friend, Johnny Tan and his family have been extremely gracious in assisting us with our sundries and practical needs. What wonderful Christian friends we have made in Singapore. Many church members are volunteering themselves continuously to assure that our needs are met. Praise the Lord! It is a humbling experience to see them graciously serve, especially when we have come to be a blessing to them.

Not too long ago I came across this very convicting video. I would consider this to have hit really close to home for me because of my recent journey to the country of Vietnam. The video shows a few Christians having assembled to worship Christ together. You can hear them joyfully singing praises to Christ. Moments later, a swarm of men appear dragging and beating people out of the beauty salon and yelling at these Christians. Reportedly, they were arrested and thrown into jail for their illegal activity.

I remember distinctly as I prepared and obtained all the necessary documentations to enter the country of Vietnam, the pastor mentioning to me, “Be sure not to bring your nicest Bible.” I did not understand the statement fully so I requested for the pastor to explain himself. He began to inform me that it is very likely my Bible may be confiscated during my entry into the country. Vietnam is considered to be a closed country. To be more specific, Vietnam does not allow religious freedom in our definition. Vietnam does not allow unregistered western religions to conduct assemblies. This also includes Bibles and other religious articles.