Nick Vujicic in Vietnam: An Evangelist Not Allowed to Preach
The amazing 30-year-old Australian Evangelist Nick Vujicic, born without arms and legs, visited Vietnam May 22 – 26, 2013. Though not allowed to preach in public events, he took the country by storm as a motivational speaker. He became an instant hero and idol!
"Nick" as he is known, spoke at seven official events, including two in large stadiums in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Three of the major events were televised nationally on VTV. He did numerous televised interviews as well. In a late addition to his grueling schedule he did preach one 40-minute sermon in the Gia Dinh church in Ho Chi Minh City the morning of his departure.
More than 75,000 people attended his live presentations and millions more watched him on national TV. You would have been hard pressed to find a Vietnamese who had not heard about "Nick". A deluge of articles flooded Vietnam's widely read newspapers, and tsunami of blogs and tweets and posts filled the social media.
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(For samples google "Nick Vujicic – Vietnam". Vietnamese language websites also carry some English translations of their articles. The Vietnamese Christian website www.hoithanh.com and other Christian ones covered the visit from a faith perspective. The organizer's website is www.hatgiongtamhon.com, meaning "seed for the soul.")
The unprecedented tour was sponsored by a consortium of the Hoa Sen business group whose chairman, Le Phuoc Vu, is a devout Buddhist, as well as by First News and Vietnam Television (VTV) and some ten smaller commercial partners. The communist government of Vietnam owns and controls all media. Sources close to the situation said that beside Mr. Vu, one of Vietnam's wealthiest tycoons, that an influential Catholic layman and a Communist Party official were the key initiators. If there were evangelical Christians behind it, they have chosen to remain very low key.
The Nick tour was meticulously and professionally done. According to press reports over $1.5 million was spent in organizing and advertising. Besides wide coverage in the electronic media, there were Nick billboards, banners, head bands, bracelets and T-shirts everywhere. Free tickets were arranged through the internet with pickup at offices in Vietnam's two largest cities. Some free tickets were sold to eager people wanting to attended events for the equivalent of $10.
Vietnam's Christians, both Catholic and evangelical, were elated. Christian leaders in Vietnam all use the word "phep la," or miracle. Two miracles actually, they say. The first was that the evangelist should be allowed to come to communist Vietnam at all, and the second one is that authorities approved as Nick's translator the young pastor newly installed in Hanoi's main evangelical church. The Rev. Bui Quoc Phong, who studied theology in Singapore and is fluent in English, interpreted for Nick in the two largest stadium events in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with attendance of 25,000 and 40,000, respectively.
Organizers said the target audience was students, young people and business people, with a few smaller events arranged specifically for the latter.
The large public events, featuring Nick's motivational talks, were very powerful in themselves. Who better to talk about overcoming obstacles than a man with no arms and no legs? Nick has learned to swim, surf, and skydive, is married to a beautiful woman and has a son, has traveled to speak in 44 countries, has authored best-selling books and is the epitome of purpose, joy and gratefulness.
Nick talked about his own steep challenges in growing up as a child often bullied because of his appearance and handicaps. He once attempted suicide. He talked passionately about finding strength for not giving up, not losing hope, and for cherishing and pursuing hopes and dreams. He emphasized purpose in life! He was the finest example of the sweet aroma of Christ that a Christian could be.
Though restricted from preaching the precepts of the Gospel, a man quite used to overcoming the impossible, simply demonstrated them. Actually Gospel words could not be completely suppressed anyway. At the Hanoi stadium event a little girl with Nick's identical condition was brought to him. When they met he asked her, "Do you know why I love God? Because heaven is real! One day when we get to heaven we are going to have arms and legs. And we are going to run, and we are going to play and we are going to race!" News reports said "participants burst into tears" at this powerful expression. It was Nick's only direct reference to his faith.
Having been cautioned about not using certain words, Nick's interpreter was momentarily hesitant. Nick urged him on! One the organizers said later he was sure when he heard the words about God and heaven that there would be a "power outage", but there was not! Further, Nick's books, translated into Vietnamese were on sale and have become best sellers. They are explicitly Christian. Nick's own website also showed a huge spike in hits.
Two main questions come to mind. First, what was the motivation for the commercial and government media sponsors in bringing Nick to Vietnam? It seems that Mr. Vu, the lead organizer and sponsor, himself a devout Buddhist, wanted to do something positive for Vietnam's youth, many of them aimless, purposelessness, discouraged and lacking role models. This problem is openly acknowledged by Vietnam's communist leaders as well, and they are very short on solutions. Such an event could be seen by all as beneficial for the common good, and for restoring sinking morality and lost good traditions.
The state media published some loud complaints about the amount spent on the event by its sponsors in hard economic times. Reminiscent of Jesus' critics of the rich perfume used to anoint his feet, some said the money should have been spent on the poor and handicapped.
Mr. Vu tactfully answered the complaints about the extravagant costs of the Nick events, saying, "In the spiritual perspective, the amount is negligible. Nick's story is a great source of encouragement for the disadvantaged, the disabled, orphans, the poor, students in reformatories and many struggling businessmen in need of encouragement. It is like water for thirsty people in the desert, very precious."
This soft answer clearly acknowledges a spiritual need. At a private dinner for Nick at Mr. Vu's estate, which included two Buddhist advisors to Mr. Vu, he turned to Nick and said, "I see God in you, such hope and joy . . .!"
A second major question is what was the effect and what will be the longer term results of Nick's visit for the people of Vietnam?
There is the obvious. Nick strongly lifted up the situation of impaired and handicapped people with his amazing story. Some were featured on stage with Nick. Twenty-four handicapped people were recognized and rewarded for unusual accomplishments, something rare in Vietnam where respect and provisions for handicapped people is often still wanting.
After Nick boarded his plane for Cambodia on May 26, Vietnam's press turned to "morning after" reflections. Some puzzled about the instant idol phenomenon enjoyed by Nick. Others continued to express awe at the amazing accomplishments, courage and joy which he demonstrated.
A May 28 article in Vietnam Week (TuanVietNam) seemed especially poignant. It was entitled, "Nick Vujicic: After this high, will we be moved to do something?
It called the Nick events a truly rare phenomenon which stirred the nation deeply, from north to south. It asked, after the noise had died down, has anyone considered what the lasting effects will be?
The article wonders, "What is so unusual about this phenomenon?" and about Nick. How could this man hold the rapt attention of young people often unruly and confused, purposeless and aimless? A look at Facebook will reveal the vacuousness in which they often live. Does Nick have the missing "vitamin for the soul" that young folks seem to lack?
The article notes that government and society, schools and education are failing young people today. The poor examples of some of the country's leaders, unqualified teachers and a wanting education system, and the dry ideals found in books are no match for the kind of thing Nick represents – something immediate, highly personal, and passionate and positive. This is a lesson which needs to be learned quickly.
The article concludes that if Nick's visit really inspires those responsible for the formation of Vietnam's youth to wake up, then Vietnamese ought to quit haggling about the price tag, and consider the money spent as reasonable tuition for a very valuable lesson.
Nick accomplished the goals of the event organizers and then some! From a Christian perspective, there could not have been any better preparation of the soil for the Gospel. This evangelist tilled and exposed fields ready to plant. Are Vietnam's churches and Christians ready to sow and water the seed, and reap the harvest? Or to repeat an earlier metaphor, provide "water for thirsty people in the desert – very precious!'
