What follows below is an interview with a Vietnamese church leader. His name has not been included for security reasons, and some information has been added or deleted for clarity and security purposes.
Q: How did you become a Christian?
When I was young, I listened to radio broadcasts of Christian messages. I told my parents to go to church, but they wouldn’t. When I was older [at age 15], I went [to church] by myself and believed there.
Q: How did you know God wanted you to be a church leader?
I went to another village to join a church. God moved in my heart to start one in my own village.
Q: How did you share [the gospel] with people?
I didn’t know much [at first], but I would lead them to sing and then pray for them.
Q: How do you lead church now?
It is pretty good for my church now. [I received some training from other leaders.] We have many members. We sing and pray together and then practice sharing the gospel with each other so that we can share with the rest of the village.
Q: What persecution do you face?
Now we want to put up a church building. The authorities are trying to prevent us from doing that and have made trouble for us. They told us we do not have permission.
Q: What helps you stay faithful?
I confess that there was a time I just wanted to quit. It was really difficult. But I prayed and other church leaders came and encouraged me.
Q: What do you pray for your people?
I pray that God will give me wisdom to lead them. I also pray for the authorities because they do things contrary to God’s word. We [our church] pray for them to have the chance to repent [and believe in Jesus].
Q: How can we pray for you?
Please pray for our church to be able to build a meeting place soon. Please pray for church plantings in surrounding villages. Pray also for us to train church members to grow in faith.