A letter from Paul Friesen in Southeast Asia
May 1, 2009
Tu’s faith journey
Friends,
Tu was converted to the Christian faith when he was a migrant welder in Malaysia. When he returned to Vietnam, his family and other village families also joined the faith.
I first met Tu while speaking at a leadership retreat for pastors. My topic was the contribution of the Old Testament to our understanding of mission. It was my intention to draw from a selection of Old Testament stories to teach that God was on a mission and we are invited to participate in God’s mission. Since storytelling would be the means to communicate my thesis, I invited everyone to tell their stories. As soon as I did, a young man in the front row stood up and told his story.
“I grew up in a remote area in the north,” he began, “close to a local government school where my father worked as a guard. I received training as a welder, but local opportunities for a good income were limited. The best chance for good wages seemed to be overseas, and so I jumped at the chance to do that when I heard about an agency could secure me a job—and the means to travel—in Malaysia, where I thought my dreams would come true. Although I would have to borrow money to secure the job, I was assured that my income would be sufficient to repay the debt and I’d have enough left over to send money back home. It seemed worth the chance.”
And so Tu became one of approximately 100,000 people from Vietnam to join the migrant labor force. On arriving in Malaysia, he learned he was deeper in debt than he had expected and that his pay would be much less than promised. The $4.50 a day he made welding chairs in a factory hardly covered his daily needs, so Tu’s debt grew. He and his colleagues soon grew despondent, so they tried to make the best of it by drinking and partying during their spare time. Then one day they were invited by a group of Christians to join their activities. “Free food and fun,” Tu thought, “so why not?” After a few drinks, Tu and his friends made their way to the meeting place and for the first time he was exposed to the Christian faith.
The offer of new life through faith in Jesus moved him. When he told his friends he’d decided to accept God’s offer of eternal life, they ridiculed him. In spite of rejection and constant harassment, Tu grew in his understanding of God’s word. His life took on new meaning and purpose. In the midst of mounting debt, long work hours for low pay, and ongoing harassment from his friends, he found comfort and strength from Pastor Chau and other Christians.
When his two-year contract ended, he returned to his parents’ home with over $3,000 in debt and a commitment to share the good news about Jesus with his father. Tu’s father also placed his faith in Jesus, and soon afterword he too began to invite friends and neighbors to their home to learn more about the Christian faith. When he invited the principal of the school where he worked to attend a Bible study, things took a turn for the worse. The principal threatened to fire him. Then, when Tu’s father persevered with the Bible studies, he was fired. Tu’s family and other families embraced Jesus as Lord and Savior, and now a group of believers gather regularly in their home in a village that previously had no Christians.
When I heard Tu tell his story I was amazed. Everyone in the room had just heard a testimony of God’s mission. Tu’s story—and the stories others would later tell—confirm the message of the Old Testament stories I was about to retell.
Praise God for Tu and his family’s willingness to follow Jesus in the midst of adversity and opposition. Praise God for those in Malaysia who offer hospitality to migrant workers and advocate for those who are exploited and treated unjustly. Pray that God would protect those who stand for what is good, right, and just.
Paul Friesen
The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 234
