Wow. I see that it's been quite some time since I've come back to update this blog. Hopefully that doesn't mean that I haven't kept up with those of you who might check in on it! I try to keep up with updates and emails as I can and this blog is really more of a secondary concern. That being said, I thought I'd update you all on a little piece of culture that we've been learning more and more about almost daily - luck.

From what we've learned from friends, teachers and our visits to temples and other places of worship, Andrew and I have found that a desire for good luck tints a lot of what the Vietnamese do. They have an insatiable drive to try anything and everything that they can to try and get as much currency into their "luck bank" as they can. Whether they worship Buddha, their ancestors, a wrong image of Jesus, the gods of longevity, prosperity and land, or any combination therein, nationals here believe that these various deities can offer them a leg-up over any situation in life. Offerings of food, cigarettes, cut-out paper shapes of cars, motorbikes and houses, and the burning of incense can all lead the deities or spirits to look on their worshipers more favorably and give that extra boost you may need to win the lottery or make more sales. The prayer request most often made by those we've asked? Luck.

Signs of this abound. Bus drivers tape thick bunches of burning incense to their bumpers. Women selling fruit from tiny carts will make room for a tiny altar complete with incense cup and offering plate. The vast majority of businesses of all kinds have altars whose offerings are freshened daily in order to keep deities and spirits pleased - what kind of ancestral spirit would even consider blessing a house who is offering two-day old fruit?

But, just as you can earn luck, you can also lose it by means of various faux pas. When burying deceased relatives, great care must be taken to ensure that no tree roots can grow through the coffin, thereby invoking the ire of the deceased. Mirrors should be placed at the doorway of a house to scare away evil spirits who can bring bad luck. When children are playing, one child must never jump over the head of another or bad luck will come to that child's family. I still haven't figured out the reasoning behind the last one yet. Because of all of these potential negative "luck points," most Vietnamese live in perpetual fear. They are constantly on watch for anything that could impact their potential for good luck.

As Christians, we know that there is no such thing as "luck." We know that everything happens for a reason and there are no coincidences. Our enemy has managed to fool those who don't know JC into believing that the various blessings poured onto them come through luck or good works. They give credit where none is due and so spend their lives constantly worrying about luck. They are distracted and this is exactly what the enemy desires and it's one of his greatest weapons here.

Ask that the people would be unblinded and that they would seek after the true bestower of blessings above all else.