It has been almost fourteen years since I knocked on the door of her family. It was April 2009 and my father had just passed away. A few days after his funeral, I prayed about what to do with my free time after having so much tied up with end of life care for him. A brother and sister from Vietnam were in a beginning conversation class I taught at the time and I felt the Lord place them on my heart.

I went to their apartment and knocked on the door. They opened and gladly welcomed me in. The sister had her daughter come join us. Her daughter had just turned 20 and had been in ELL, English Language Learners, for almost one year. I invited the daughter and her cousin to join the weekend group I had at the time for Vietnamese youth.

She came, along with her cousin. She was shy at first. Her father and paternal grandparents basically abandoned her. Her mom and maternal grandmother loved her though. She had much to overcome in life when I met her.

She came to my Sunday morning group as well for about five years. She came to know Jesus and he went to work in her life as well. She blossomed from a shy young woman who was overlooked by everyone except her mom and grandmother to becoming a university student. She graduated and was accepted into a Master’s Program in Architecture. She is an Architect now, married, and has a baby boy,

Her story is compelling and a wonderful example of how Jesus changes lives. I have been blessed to see it time and time again. Jesus can take a broken life and create a beautiful life full of meaning.

With Jesus, there is no one who is overlooked, forgotten, unloved, or hopeless. Jesus loves us so much that he receives and welcomes us with open arms just the way we are. But he loves us too much to leave us the way we are when we come to him.

My friend from Vietnam and so many other friends from many cultures are shining examples of what Jesus can do with a life given to him.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.