Overcast Morning
Devo: Matthew 5:27-30
I thought this passage won’t speak to me anymore because I’ve read this countless times before. However, I am surprised to glean from it anew. I am also grateful because I asked God to help me learn something new and He did answer it.
“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” v. 28
God is telling us that to lust for a person in his mind is already a sin. However, that does not give us the license to do it. Just because we know that the thought of it is sin doesn’t mean that actually committing the sin won’t be any worse. God hates both.
I like what the enduringword.com commentary said:
“We may not be able to control passing thoughts or feelings, but we certainly do decide where our heart and mind will rest.” enduringword.com
Sometimes temptations or negative thoughts flood our minds but we have to choose not to entertain them. I learned that we can choose not to let it affect us. We have control over our thoughts. It says in 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 verse 5 that we should take our thoughts captive.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” – 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV
And when it’s hard to do, we have to ask God to give us good and godly thoughts, to remind us of His promises for us, to give us strong minds, to fill us with the Holy Spirit.
This passage does not only refer to sexual sin but anything that we lust upon. It can be riches, fame, etc.
“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” v. 29-30
We should not take these verses literally. It’s not asking us to maim our bodies so we would sin no more, because even without eyes or hands, we can still sin in the mind. We may not sin physically but we may still commit sin in the mind.
“Mutilation will not serve the purpose; it may prevent the outward act, but it will not extinguish desire.” – Bruce, enduringword.com
Imagine being married to someone who constantly daydreams about someone else. He/She is with you physically but his/her mind is with someone else. He may not necessarily be acting upon the thought but just thinking about another person when you’re married is already adultery. Having an unfaithful spouse is heartbreaking.
I would rather be alone than be with someone who isn’t loyal to me. I won’t force myself to someone who is into someone else. I don’t like that stress in my life.
“The salvation of our souls is to be preferred before all things, be they ever so dear and precious to us; and that if men’s ordinary discretion teacheth them for the preservation of their bodies to cut off a particular member, which would necessarily endanger the whole body, it much more teacheth them to part with any thing which will prejudice the salvation of their souls.” – Poole, enduringword.com
Vietnam Thoughts
We left the hotel at around 1 p.m. and went to Tonkin Garden Cafe & Eatery. My class is at 6:45 pm (Philippine time) so we have more time to spare. Anyway, I read from reviews online that it has the best egg cream coffee in Ho Chi Minh and I don’t want to leave Vietnam without trying it. (I’m writing this at the Tan Son Nhat airport).
The review I read is true. Their egg cream coffee was soooooo good! I was not disappointed. They used robusta coffee and fresh egg. I’m not a coffee person (I prefer tea over coffee) but I was curious of the taste. I thought that it would taste gross because it has fresh egg, but it was surprisingly good! Yum!
Mama had matcha with coconut milk and papa had black coffee. The bahn mi was also good. Their food and drink items are also affordable. For three different drinks and two bahn mis, we paid 290,000 VND. In some restaurants here, you can get one dish for that price. It was worth it.
When we first got here at midnight last Friday, I was frustrated because the Grab driver charged us sooo much for the ride. He took 570,000 VND from us when it only cost us 122,000 VND plus the 10,000 VND airport surcharge to get here from our hotel. (We used the 389 Php to 1 VND conversion rate.)
Then when we got to the hotel, it looked so different from the pictures. Although at the back of my mind, it was reasonable for the price. (I am all for budget travel. Just because someone can travel, it doesn’t mean he should splurge.) I wasn’t expecting much but it was way beyond my expectation. 😅
Our neighbors would smoke cigarette every day and we were suffocated by the smoke that seeped through the cracked wooden door frame. The bathroom ceiling leaks and the shower stopped working after 2 days. (We just used the faucet and our make-shift tabo. Maparaan ang Pinoy!) Babawi ako sa parents ko next time.
I didn’t make plans for last Friday because I wanted it to be just a day for rest because I knew we would be able to sleep late. (We slept at around 4 a.m.)
When we went out to get something to eat for brunch, it was raining and we didn’t know where to go and it was hard to communicate with the people because most of them don’t speak English. Admittedly, it’s also my fault because I didn’t buy a sim card with internet connection.
We also learned how difficult it is to cross the street. It’s like the motorists don’t care about pedestrians because they don’t slow down for you even when you’re on the pedestrian crossing. Thank God we didn’t get into any accident.
We used Grab most of the time because we didn’t know where tbe bus stations are and which bus station to go to. They also don’t have trains. I think we would be able to save more if they have trains. We also don’t trust taxi drivers much because of our first experience so the best way to get around is by Grab. We took the bus three times, I think, in our entire stay. However, using Grab is helpful for my parents who have back and feet problems. Also, Grab rides here are cheaper than Grab rides in the Philippines. Ang saya!
Also, the weather got better and we were able to explore much of the city. We also met people who speak English and they were very helpful with giving directions. Most of them pulled out their phones and checked on the internet to show us how we could go to the places we needed to go. There was one lady yesterday who helped us book Grab. Her name is Susie and she said she has Filipino colleagues. She was really nice.
Also, I must say that we were all able to sleep well in our hotel room. We didn’t have bad dreams. I would hear papa snoring most of the time. It means that he was able to rest well. (I believe that praying over our room and the entire hotel helped a lot.) The cigarette smoke is really a no no but if there’s any consolation, it is that we all had good sleep there. I was decided to cancel our booking the next day and I actually did inform the receptionist about my concern (using Google Translate) but our stay there had been good. (I remembered later that on the website where I booked the hotel that there is no cancellation.)
I made our itinerary before coming to Vietnam and we were able to do almost all of them. I didn’t get a package tour because I wanted us to feel relaxed especially with our time. The time we would be able to spend in the places that we wanted to visit would be limited and we wouldn’t enjoy much if we got a package tour.
I think it’s easy to judge a country after a couple of days of staying there, but we will really only get to know the people and the place when we stay a bit longer. Not that we stayed that long but we get to meet more locals and see more of the place. My perspective changed and I started to like it. It has a lot of similarities with the Philippines.
I haven’t been to a lot of countries yet but so far, if there’s one country I’ll visit again, especially for the food, it’ll definitely be Vietnam. Everything we tried was superb. Their food is also healthy. Almost every dish has herbs. They are very creative with recipes. It’s amazing. I understand that people have different tastes but I appreciate Vietnamese food a lot.
Yesterday, I told God that I am grateful for everything–for the good and the bad. I’m not referring to Vietnam but life in general. I think people tend to grumble when we don’t see God’s hand in our situation. When we see the bigger picture, we will understand why God allowed some things that we didn’t like to happen. However, we will not always understand so we should learn to trust God in everything. We should trust that God’s plan for us is good no matter what (if we believe in Him and obey Him) because He is good. Recently, I have been asking God to help me trust Him in everything at all times.
I am beyond grateful for this experience. I had always wanted to go to Vietnam because I am really curious of the floating market (Babaw ba? 😅) We didn’t get to there though, because of the time constraints but I’m content with everything that we experienced in this city.
I am grateful that God has perks like this for us. He didn’t have to give it to us but He did. He doesn’t provide only for our needs but also for our wants. I know He will not always give us what we want but I am grateful He allowed this.
Oh, I can’t help but sing. The song I’m singing in my head right now is Every Praise by Hezekiah Walker. Truly, every praise is to our God. I am grateful for His blessings, but He will always, always, be my greatest blessing. I enjoy the good things He allows in my life, but my utmost satisfaction is in Christ alone.❤️
Vietnam – Day 6
Tonkin Garden Cafe
Vietnam – Day 5
HCMC Museum of Fine Arts
To Ba Chieu Market
Cho Ba Chieu Market
Vietnam – Day 4
Landmark 81 Saigon Skyview
Ben Nghe Street Food
Ben Thanh Market
We went back to Ben Thanh market to buy more pasalubong. 😅
Same din sa mga prutas natin sa Pinas.
Vietnam – Day 3
We left our hotel at 9:42 am and got to church at 10:15 am. The church building is inside a village. It’s like we were in a different place because the houses there are uber big and beautiful. I think it’s where the richest people in Vietnam live. Before going to Vietnam, I messaged several Christian churches. I think two or three responded but Pastor Lap of New Life Fellowship responded to me first so we went there.
To New Life Fellowship Church
Book Street
When we went to Book Street, I didn’t realize that it’s just next to the Saigon Central Post Office.
Notre Dame Cathedral – Ho Chi Minh
Saigon Central Post Office
Lunch sa gilid ng Saigon Central Post Office
City Hall
We walked a bit around Nguyen Hue Street.
There was a very kind lady at the mall and gave us directions to go to Ben Thanh Market. We went to Hai Ba Trung Street and took bus #3 (alternative: bus #19).
Ben Thanh Market
Benh Thanh Market is like Divisoria in the Philippines. We were surprised because most of the store vendors speak a little Filipino. When a vendor spoke Tagalog to me, I jokingly said that I’m Korean. They could not say a word. I guess they were confused because I don’t look Korean. Then we all laughed. LOL. The lady started talking to me in Korean and I spoke a bit of Korean. (Pinanindigan ko na lang. LOL.) I think they are taught basic words in different languages because Benh Thanh Market is a touristic area. It’s their way of attracting customers. There were so many people (tourists) there. We bought fridge magnets and keychains for pasalubong.
Vietnam – Day 2
We had a late start today because I woke up at around 3 in the morning. I didn’t feel sleepy and I remembered that my DGroup leader invited me to join the prayer meeting at 6 a.m. so I waited until 6 and joined. I fell asleep after that and woke up at 10:30! We left our hotel at around 1. It was 34 degrees Celsius today.
We went to the War Remnants Museum first. I learned about what happened in Vietnam during the war. I felt bad for them. They were tortured by the Americans, and later on the French who joint forces. I told my husband about it and he said that there are two sides of the story. Well, it’s history.
Anyway, we left the museum at 3:30 and we were so hungry because we just had banh mi for breakfast. There were no other restaurants nearby except for the one in front of the War Remnants Museum called Saigon Playhouse. We didn’t know where else to go for lunch so we ate there.
I had fish and rice and my parents had chicken and rice. We also ordered soup and fried frogs. We all ordered the same drink which is lemonade with chia seeds and aloe vera. Everything was good and I’m not exaggerating! We didn’t finish everything because they gave huge servings. The price though is a little hefty. They charged for everything (including the wet tissues). In the Philippines, water is free in most restaurants, so when I asked for water, I was expecting it was free but it wasn’t. My parents and I split the bill. 😅
It started to rain before we left the restaurant. We just walked to the Saigon Central Post Office because it’s not that far from there. We just waited for the rain to die down before we walked. We walked back to the War Remnants Museum and took a taxi from there. We wanted to take the bus but apparently, there’s no bus ride from there to our hotel.
What I noticed here, so far, is that it’s difficult for pedestrians because the motorists drive really fast and really close to people. They also don’t let the pedestrians cross the street even when you’re on the pedestrian lane and sometimes even when the (pedxing) green light is on. It’s dangerous for tourists who are not aware of that. The language barrier can also be a problem. For a budget traveler like me, who opts not to use the internet outside the hotel, it’s pretty challenging.
My outfit, by the way, is something borrowed and something old (hindi something new! 😅😂). The top is my mother’s and the skirt is something that I’ve had for, I think, a decade now. It’s only now that I wore it. 😂
War Remnants Museum
Late lunch (in Saigon Playhouse)
Walked to Palais de Justice
Saigon Central Post Office
Vietnam – Day 1
We arrived in Ho Chi Minh airport at around 12 midnight. We took a taxi and I showed the driver our hotel address. We weren’t far from the airport yet when I realized that it’s the wrong address I showed. I hadn’t gotten a sim card here yet so I didn’t have internet connection. I asked the driver to take us back to the airport so I could connect to the WiFi and check my email for the correct hotel address.
The driver doesn’t speak English so it was difficult to communicate with him. He used the translator on his phone but he still didn’t comprehend most of the things I said. He eventually understood after minutes of explaining then he took us back to the airport. I got the correct hotel address and showed it to him. When we reached the hotel, he took 570,000 vnd. We just realized this morning how much of a rip-off it was! We were tired and sleepy and we didn’t know how to convert vnd to peso correctly yet so we didn’t bother much. But this morning, we realized we were scammed. Oh well.
I had five hours of sleep and I still feel sleepy. We went to a hole-in-the-wall resto just a few steps from the hotel. We ordered 3 bowls of chicken noodle soup that cost 141,000 VND (47,000 VND each). The soup was good. It goes well with the rainy weather. We tasted herbs that we don’t have in the Philippines and they were surprisingly good! We also bought bread nearby. The ones we tried were all good. It was nice because it’s not an expensive bakery but their breads are amazing.
I didn’t plan anything for today because I wanted us to just rest. We’ll visit the War Remnants Museum and the Saigon Central Post Office tomorrow.
Joseph
“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him. When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt…” Matthew 2:13-14
“Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead. Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.” Matthew 2:19-21
“But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth…” Matthew 2:22-23
We can see Joseph’s character in this story. He was obedient to God. Wherever and whenever God told him to go, he went without questioning. In chapter 1, we see how he honored Mary despite what he learned about her.
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.” vv. 18-19
Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant but he didn’t know that Mary was pregnant because of the Holy Spirit. The word “betrothed” means engaged to be married. They were engaged. It must have hurt him deeply to know that Mary, his fiancée, got pregnant while they were planning (or preparing?) for the wedding. It says in verse 19 that he wanted to put her away.
Despite the pain, however, he showed how much of a gentleman he was. He did not want to destroy Mary’s reputation. Yes, he wanted to put her away, but he wanted to put her away “secretly”. He still protected Mary.
“But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.'” Matthew 1:20-21
“Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.” Matthew 1:24-25
What a beautiful soul Joseph was. He was obedient to God. He obeyed God’s command to take Mary. He obeyed to go to Egypt from Bethlehem, then to Israel. Because of his obedience, the prophecy that Jesus would be called a Nazarene was fulfilled (v. 23).