Journey of Faith & Hope: Vietnam

JOURNEY OF FAITH & HOPE: A Pilgrim community

When we talk about journeys, people often refer to the footsteps, the luggage, the companions, the faith, and the goals, but no one talks about the time spent preparing for the journey. For example, before a farmer sows rice, he must first prepare the soil, the seeds, and many other things.

The 10-year journey of our Vietnamese community began in this way with visits from our sisters, starting in 2012. These visits were like the farmer checking on his fields to see how the soil would be, what potential it held, and what preparations were needed. Then came the second visit in 2014 and others in 2015.

2015 was a moment of sowing seeds of hope when two sisters came and stayed in a rented house, going to work each day, gathering in the evenings for meals, and praying the rosary together. This seemingly simple scene marked the beginning of a community, and as we now reflect on the past 10 years, that scene is etched in our memories and serves as a stepping stone for a long journey that no one could have predicted.

The first steps of a pilgrim are always steps of hope and faith. But many people think that pilgrims are crazy and reckless, often embarking on journeys without knowing what it is or what the future holds. However, others believe that setting out on a long journey needs the companionship of many travellers, a solid foundation, certainty, and most importantly, knowing what the journey is. This is safety. However, the first sisters who joined the new community entered into an unknown future with an untried foreign group. They took a risk of faith and hope.

For pilgrims of faith whom the world considers crazy and reckless, they are on a journey in which they are certain they are not alone, that God is always with them, and so they continue to walk with their heads held high. They believe and hope in God’s great plan and are ready to collaborate in that plan.

By 2016, the small pilgrim community in Vietnam had added others to their journey, like-minded people who shared their faith, love, and hope. They expressed that hope joyfully and vibrantly. It was these qualities that allowed the community to tread over many stones, to pass through storms and dark nights unscathed, like boats gliding over high and fierce waves.

They continued to walk together for many years. Sometimes they would sit down to rest, reflecting on their journey and looking back at other companions to discern the presence of God among them. Was he still walking with them? Only when they saw Him in their midst did they feel reassured to continue on their path.

The journey continued onward, but this time with open hearts, minds, and hands to support, comfort, and help their fellow brothers and sisters whom they encountered along the way. These brothers and sisters could be orphaned children abandoned on the journey, lonely elderly people by the roadside with no one to care for them, children impoverished both in knowledge and material wealth, blind people unable to see the path, or people with disabilities… They opened their arms wide, embracing these people in their hearts just like the kind Samaritan who tenderly cared for the wounded man on the road.

Now the group walking with them was growing larger. Not only were there like-minded people, but also those they were caring for and supporting.

They walked the journey like pilgrims of hope, staying here today and there tomorrow. As Jesus said, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Lc 7, 58). They began to long for a place, a place where they could rest and welcome any pilgrim and anyone who was hurting and vulnerable.

In 2022, God granted them a place, one they had never imagined. They thought that the preferred area would be in a place familiar to them, but God led them to a completely unfamiliar border area, where they then settled to live and to serve Him.

This is a reminder of Abraham’s journey. God led him out of his homeland to Canaan, where He blessed him and made him the father of many nations. That journey was also a journey of faith and hope. Just like Abraham, God allowed the pilgrim community to multiply, and by the year 2024, God granted them another place and like-minded people to continue serving Him.

They continue to walk with faith, love, and hope, with open minds, hearts, and hands. They rejoice that God is always with them.

Ten years of a faith journey, ten years of building the community, ten years of making the spirituality of Mother Elizabeth bloom in Vietnam. This journey began with preparing the soil, preparing the seeds, sowing, and nurturing. And always remembering what St. Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthians:

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants, nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)