On June 15 at 1:50 a.m., a mission team of 19 from St. John's boarded a plane to Vietnam.  The group partnered with UniReach International and Kids Around The World for a one week project in Phu Ly, Vietnam.  The mission - build a playground to be used by the 300+ inner city children from the surrounding area.

With temperatures and humidity both in the 90's, the possibility of heat stroke was very real.  But God blessed the team with help from locals that didn't understand a word of English, but understood the needs of all children to play!  Being a communist country, it is illegal to speak openly about Jesus, but our team spoke volumes with their love and the love of Jesus that flowed through them.  When the playground was finally completed, there was a dedication that included representatives from the people's party in Hanoi and Phu Ly.  To see the smiles on the faces of the children as they finally got to play on the new playground equipment was worth the blisters and aching backs experienced during the week!

This trip not only provided a playground for children, but opened several doors for future exchanges with the Vietnamese people in the area of special education.  Additionally, the team was able to visit with some local pastors that have been imprisoned for their faith and were able to encourage them.  We look forward to seeing more fruit from this trip in the future!