Money and food poured in from members of the community when Adventists ran out of funds to pay for their meal program.

“About seven years ago, we had a financial crisis in my city, and a young lady in my church came up with the idea that we should do something for the poor, to at least provide them with a meal. So we started to prepare something nice for them. And at first, we only prepared for 50 people. We put our money together and prepared something simple but delicious and healthy.”

Church members in Ho Chi Minh [ho-chee-min], Vietnam, worked together to serve home-cooked meals to a full crowd of people: children, students, retirees, and others looking for jobs.

This first lunch outreach went so well that now church members prepare over 200 meals every Thursday. In total, the meals only cost about 4 million Vietnamese Dong or $180 US dollars. The menu consists of rice, tofu, beans, pumpkin soup, tomatoes, and bananas: a perfect combination to fill an empty stomach.

“More and more people are coming. And now every week we have 200 people come and eat our food. Sometimes we even think we should stop, because if we don't have enough funds, then we will have a big problem.”

Maintaining this project has been a challenging task as it invites a growing crowd. The church members see it as a way to do a simple act of kindness to people living in this huge city.

This program has gained recognition and financial support from the community. Local leaders from other world religions and even local shops and individuals have joined in to keep it going.

We have people who sell vegetables at the market. We buy so much that they ask, “Why do you buy so much?” So we tell them about our lunches and so they say, “OK, take this one, this week is for free.” Each week that we don't have enough money, we receive free rice, free vegetables from the vendors. We've never had to stop because we didn't have enough money.

Local authorities have also expressed their gratitude for the kind work and positive impact it creates in the community. But perhaps the most grateful are the ones who come to eat.

“I walked past this building in one afternoon, and I saw this advertisement for the charity meal program. That is why I came here. Because of this program, I feel God loves me, God cares for me.”

Aside from the meals, everyone is invited to join other church programs. Three people have accepted Christ into their hearts.

“Don't wait to have all the funds. Don't wait to have all the facilities. Do whatever you can with whatever means you have. Think of something that's within your reach. You all can do something. And actually, there are so many programs you can do without money. So choose whatever you can do. And then I'm sure when you do it God will bless, and people will support it.”

There are still a lot of things that need to be done in Vietnam. And we want you to be a part of this huge work through prayer. Please pray for our church in Vietnam and for this wonderful project. May these church members continue serving the people in Vietnam so they will know more about the Blessed Hope.