{"id":4608,"date":"2023-08-11T14:41:28","date_gmt":"2023-08-11T14:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/?p=4608"},"modified":"2023-09-15T16:51:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T16:51:23","slug":"vietnamese-couple-persecuted-training-tribes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/vietnamese-couple-persecuted-training-tribes\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnamese Couple Persecuted While Training Tribal Believers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

According to Bao and Chi\u2019s schedule, they anticipate a big harvest soon in Vietnam. Since 2000, the two have traveled the central region of the country sharing the gospel among tribal groups that practice a mix of ancestor worship and Buddhism. And two years ago, despite repeated arrests and other forms of harassment from police, they decided to enter the ministry full-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The married couple now train and disciple Christians from 10 tribes, visiting each tribe for two to three days at a time. \u201cThe work of God is increasing, and there are more tribes to work with,\u201d Bao said. Those from tribal groups are generally viewed as second-class citizens in Vietnam, and even Christian workers rarely reach out to them. Most evangelical work in the country is focused on those living in larger cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n\t

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Bao, Chi and their two children moved to a village among the H\u2019re people in 2004, farming, raising livestock and building relationships. They soon expanded their outreach to other tribes, requiring them to travel the muddy, mountainous roads by motorbike to reach remote villages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they meet with Christians from each tribe, usually in groups of 20 people or more, they spend the first two days introducing them to an evangelistic training program that takes two years to complete. The lessons focus on the Old Testament, New Testament, hermeneutics, general doctrines, spiritual growth and discipleship. The third day of training is devoted to large evangelism events, which often result in harassment from police and villagers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the training, Bao and Chi emphasize that Christians in Vietnam should expect to face persecution. \u201cPart of the curriculum is sharing about persecution in the Bible,\u201d Bao said. \u201cThe first church faced persecution, and the church faces persecution now, so I train the churches in persecution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Bao and Chi train and disciple Christians from 10 tribes. Authorities have arrested
them numerous times, trying to discourage their ministry work in rural areas like
this one.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bao said believers in Vietnam face persecution through their families, their communities, their jobs and the government. \u201cPersecution must take place,\u201d he said. \u201cIt must happen to the church, but for my experience the church grew even though it faced a lot of persecution. The more persecution, the more they grow strong in their faith.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make the best use of their time, Bao and Chi often travel separately, with Chi primarily teaching the women of the village. Their 21-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son stay with grandparents when they\u2019re both away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bao and Chi have been arrested individually too many times to count, and they\u2019ve been detained as a couple four times in the past five years. The routine arrests and interrogations are intended to discourage the couple from continuing their work, and authorities often ask them to sign a document promising to stop their work and pay a fine. But Bao and Chi boldly and faithfully refuse to make either promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first time they were arrested together, in 2015, Bao had taken every precaution to avoid arrest. \u201cThe local authorities allow believers to pray,\u201d Bao explained. \u201cWhen you pray, you close your eyes and it\u2019s OK. They don\u2019t allow you to teach or preach, so one time while I was preaching, I closed my eyes; this means, \u2018I\u2019m praying.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since he couldn\u2019t read the Bible with his eyes closed, Bao had memorized his scriptures for the day in advance. But within 15 minutes of beginning his \u201cprayer,\u201d more than 20 police officers armed with guns, sticks and knives had surrounded the house. Although someone notified Bao of the police presence, he continued his \u201cprayer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy the end of my \u2018prayer,\u2019 I feel the gun in my back,\u201d he said. Bao, Chi, the owner of the home in which they were meeting, and three deacons were taken to the police station, where they were interrogated and later released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another incident, Chi narrowly escaped a serious confrontation with police while teaching more than 50 tribal children. In the middle of a lesson, someone whispered in her ear that about 15 plainclothes policemen were looking for her. And three uniformed officers soon joined the search, intent on arresting her for sharing the gospel in their village. Her husband, Bao, had already left for another village, and Chi knew she could face serious trouble if caught. \u201cThey often persecute Christians in that area,\u201d she said. \u201cThey buried one brother while he was still alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chi escaped with the help of some local women, none of whom were detained by police. She knows she would have been arrested if she hadn\u2019t escaped and suspects she would have been treated very badly. \u201cIf I said that I am not afraid of the persecution or to be killed, it would not be true,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, Bao and Chi said they are prepared for more persecution. \u201cStep by step, we can do the ministry,\u201d Bao said. \u201cIf God wills, we face persecution … and remember to pray for unity between us [as] husband and wife. That is the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to Bao and Chi\u2019s schedule, they anticipate a big harvest soon in Vietnam. Since 2000, the two have traveled the central region of the country sharing the gospel among tribal groups that practice a mix of ancestor worship and Buddhism. And two years ago, despite repeated arrests and other forms of harassment from police, they decided to enter the ministry full-time. The married couple now train and disciple Christians from 10 tribes, visiting each tribe for two to three days at a time. \u201cThe work of God is increasing, and there are more tribes to work with,\u201d Bao said. Those from tribal groups are generally viewed as second-class citizens in Vietnam, and even Christian workers rarely reach out to them. Most evangelical work in the country is focused on those living in larger cities. Bao, Chi and their two children moved to a village among the H\u2019re people in 2004, farming, raising livestock and building relationships. They soon expanded their outreach to other tribes, requiring them to travel the muddy, mountainous roads by motorbike to reach remote villages. As they meet with Christians from each tribe, usually in groups of 20 people or more, they spend the first two<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[63],"class_list":["post-4608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-field-stories","tag-vietnam","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nVietnamese Couple Persecuted While Training Tribal Believers - Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The married couple now train and disciple Christians from 10 tribes, visiting each tribe for two to three days at a time.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/vietnamese-couple-persecuted-training-tribes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vietnamese Couple Persecuted While Training Tribal Believers - 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