God provides a new building for persecuted Bible students in Vietnam

Pastor Hong
Quang
Nguyen.

On Dec. 14, 2010, 100 police and a bulldozer gathered on the property of the Mennonite Bible School in Ho Chi Minh City. Police attacked Pastor Hong Quang Nguyen, the school's leader, then bulldozed the building as the students watched. The first students to graduate from the school had received their diplomas just days earlier.

Though the loss of the building was a setback for the school, Pastor Quang and his 22 remaining students decided to complete their training. Another pastor offered Pastor Quang land for a new school site about 25 miles from Ho Chi Minh City. Just days after the attack on their school, the students were at their new location, repairing an old building on the property and clearing land to build dorms and bathrooms. Classes resumed on Jan. 3, 2011. In between classes and studying, the students passed out 3,000 tracts to their new neighbors, and eight people received Christ.

Throughout the ordeal, the students have grown in their faith. A Christian worker from the region wrote, "All are determined to study and to fulfill their responsibility to the Lord. The event has been a great test of their faith, and it has made them unite together and decide to serve God to the end."

The building for the new Bible school was finished in March. The facility can house up to 50 students. The building includes a classroom/worship sanctuary, library, kitchen, dining room, rooms and nine dorm rooms.

Pastor Quang said the experience of losing the school has taught him and his students a lot about serving Christ. "We have decided to serve and to bear the cross of Jesus," he said.

(from Voice of the Martyrs, June 2011)

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