Hung came to Trinity Lutheran Church in Port Arthur, Texas, as an eight-year-old, "mischievous" boy, according to Associate Pastor Dung Van Do. "Hung never sat still [in church] and no one thought he heard anything we said. But one day Hung told us, 'I want to be baptized.' When we explained that we would arrange it, Hung emphatically said, 'No! I want to be baptized now. I want Jesus in my heart NOW!'"

"Hung has since grown up," says Do, "and the rough edges have been smoothed out. He still struggles with being good, but he has never stopped being faithful to the Lord. He was given an American sponsor at his baptism who prayed for him, brought him to church and loved him.

"It was a joyous day when the congregation witnessed Hung's confirmation. Not long after, his mother, Tuyet, was also baptized. Through the love, patience and prayers of his teachers and pastors, Hung is a faithful worker in the church, willing and able to do any task given to him. He graduated from high school in May and is ready for adulthood. We have watched this young boy's life be changed as Christ's love touched him."

Trinity Lutheran Vietnamese Ministry began in 1992, when Do started as a part-time lay worker there. Do, previously a pastor of a Vietnamese Southern Baptist congregation, completed his colloquy at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind., and was ordained in 1997. He now also serves as the facilitator for new Vietnamese missions with the Lutheran Center for Asian Missions and Evangelism (CAME).

Do says, "At Trinity we employ various approaches to reach the Vietnamese in this community, by visiting homes to share the Good News one-on-one, by leading Bible studies and by offering an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) play group for preschool children and ESL classes for adults. The Vietnamese adult members of Trinity worship in Vietnamese at a second service on Sunday, while the children worship at the first service in English."

Currently, there are 65 baptized Vietnamese members at Trinity, and approximately 300 people served by its children's ministry, Sunday school, Bible study and ESL outreach ministries. The last United States census reported that 2.1 million Vietnamese live in the United States. Trinity is one of nine Vietnamese congregations in the LCMS in Texas, California, Oregon, Missouri and Indiana."

Part of Do's role with CAME is to continue to help the LCMS' vision for ministry to Vietnamese people living in North America to grow and to mentor new ethnic leaders. One example is David, an elder for the Vietnamese congregation at Trinity for several years. "David came to Trinity 10 years ago after he emigrated from Vietnam. He went to college, graduated, married and now works as an engineer in the Houston area. Recently, David expressed his desire to study at the seminary and prepare to serve God's people. We praise God for this young man, and we also continue to pray that God will use this ministry to extend His Kingdom to many Vietnamese people in this country."

• Give thanks for the pastors of Trinity Lutheran Church, Pastor Timothy Dinger and Pastor Dung Van Do. Praise God for the work He has done through the members of Trinity in Port Arthur, Texas, in the Vietnamese community there. Pray for its continued growth and the raising up of new leaders like Hung and David.
  
  
• If you would like to offer a gift to support LCMS work among Vietnamese people in North America, please designate "Project # 873-97345, for Vietnamese mission work in North America" on your check and mail to LCMS World Mission, P.O. Box 790089, St. Louis, MO 63179-9901.

 

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