Do you believe it? Do we believe that the gospel is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”? If you’re not sure, tune in to this story about a small Hmong village in northern Vietnam. Here are some snippets from Feast of Eden<\/a> by Angela Lu Fulton, published by Christianity Today. I recommend the article in its entirety.<\/p>\n\n\n The Hmong village of Sin Suoi Ho, home to more than 100 families in the highlands of northern Vietnam, draws weekend shoppers from nearby Hmong and Dao villages, as well as tourists from the capital of Hanoi. Until just recently, getting here required an 8-hour, 250-mile trip past terraced rice paddies and up winding, teeth-chattering dirt roads that reach high into the mountains…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The tourists come not only for the wares but also to partake in a story of transformation\u2014a story of economic advancement and changed hearts…Fifty-nine-year-old Chang A Hang is a witness to the change…For much of Chang\u2019s life, Sin Suoi Ho was the poorest village in Lai Ch\u00e2u province. He and his family often lacked rice to eat. Residents grew opium poppy, and Chang, along with most of the village, was addicted to opium. Chang was also one of the village\u2019s 10 shamans, responsible for curing the sick through the spirit world, yet tormented by spirits himself.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1992, villagers began hearing the gospel through a Christian radio broadcast. Faith spread quickly, despite government persecution. Chang at first brushed the new religion aside. But everything changed in 1998, when he says that one night he saw a spirit float to the bed where his wife lay fast asleep. The next morning she was deathly ill. Powerless to help, Chang asked the village pastor to come and pray for his wife. She was healed immediately.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The encounter changed Chang completely; he is now a pastor too, working in a nearby village church. Thirty years later, the majority of Hmong families in Sin Suoi Ho are Christians, save for about 20 families.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n For these converts, the gospel has manifested itself not only in personal transformations but in community-wide change. Village pastor Hang A Xa, who prayed for Chang\u2019s wife, taught villagers to apply the Bible to every aspect of their lives. They detoxed from their addiction. They gave up opium cultivation and grew orchids instead. They cleaned up their village and built a road. Because the Bible declared that men and women were equal, parents stopped the practice of demanding prohibitive bride prices, and they allowed young women to complete more schooling…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Vang A Chu, the associate pastor in the village, noted that Adam and Eve\u2019s sin forced them out of the Garden. Yet in Sin Suoi Ho, \u201cJesus has come to earth and now we have freedom.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhere we live is Eden,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we have to take care of our village.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If that doesn’t float your boat, I don’t know what will. There is way more detail in the article. Well worth the read. And well worth reminding ourselves that God is still at work in the world, and where the gospel is believed and lived out, people are better off in this life and the one to come. The villagers are very clear about this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When they talk about their success, A Xa and other villagers don\u2019t withhold their strategy: \u201cIf it was only based on the work of humans, we can\u2019t change,\u201d Vang, the associate pastor said. \u201cNow you can see the village looks beautiful. It\u2019s because we use the Bible for living our life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, \u201cTake to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you\u2014they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.\u201d (Deuteronomy 32.47, NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A favorite memory verse. Do you know it? For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (Romans 1.16, NKJV) Do you believe it? Do we believe that the gospel is “the … Continue reading Transformation!<\/span> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drbobewell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-1.png?resize=474%2C264&ssl=1\")
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