Do you remember April 30th 1975? I do. I was preparing to get married in June, to graduate from college and to enter Seminary. But…little did I know that when on that day North and South Vietnam were reunited it would have such ramifications for me personally.
That I would go on to reach out and help thousands of Hmong and Laotian refugees seeking to cross the borders into Thailand and then into America and hundreds of those same people would be my responsibility. That by the time ten years had passed I would get to know personally many of the men and women who struggled for freedom and were impacted by that day. Yes I do remember.
Psalm 144:12-15 “May our sons be like plants well nurtured from their youth: and our daughters like sculptured corners of a palace. May our barns be filled to overflowing with all manner of crops: may the flocks in our pastures increase by thousands and tens of thousands; may our cattle be fat and sleek. May there be no breaching of the walls, no going into exile: no wailing in the public squares. Happy are the people of whom this is so!: happy are the people whose God is the LORD!”
Dear God I have come to this realization, this reality, this fact! If our days do not begin and if our days do not end with You our efforts are in vain. So…this day my God bless our efforts to be a people of peace. As we travel this path let us lift another up, bring a refugee in, hold a veteran’s hand, just be there for those whose eyes have seen the terror of war. O God be merciful upon us today, this day. Amen.