Day: November 3, 2014

Meeting the Hmong community

Over the last weekend, we had the privilege to spend some time with members of the Hmong Christian community. I had been invited to preach at their annual youth camp, south of Le Mans.
The Hmong are originally from South East Asia. Their territory covers Vietnam, Laos and southern China. But the Hmong helped first the French during the Indochina war, then the Americans during the Vietnam war. As a result, they were tracked down and many of them found refuge in the US and France.
Most of the Hmong are still animists, but many are Christians. In France, there are Hmong churches, mainly in the West of France.
We had a great time. They gave us a warm welcome. The food was plentiful and tasty. 4 mums from the community had been enrolled for the cooking. They were up at 6 am each day to prepare the meals. There were about 60 young people, including their youth leaders. If you think that’s a lot, you’ll be surprised to hear that this is a low number. They usually have about 100 and must refuse some. Same for the cooks: there is a waiting list of mums who want to help out. One reason for these big numbers is that most families have at least 6 children. Some have more. One of my friends has 10 brothers and sisters.
God’s word was clearly at the centre. Each morning, the young people were expected to meditate on a passage for 1/2 an hour before a meeting where I preached for 45 minutes at least ( I was given 1 1/2 hour). This was followed by bible study in small groups. In the afternoon, there was free time, and more Bible study in smaller groups. I don’t think French youth camps would have such high expectations. In a French youth camp, you would have much more “entertainment” and “fun”. We had plenty of fun, but that was outside of the official sessions, during the afternoon free time.
The age range was between 14 and 34. In spite of that, people mixed very well. Even our children found their place among the teenagers.
I am grateful for the experience. I was impressed by their desire to know the Lord, but also to understand His Word. It was clearly important for them, and they took it seriously, and are trying to equip the young people so that they can read and understand the Bible.
Same for the praise evening on Saturday. It was sober, the choice of song was great with a few traditional hymns and some more modern ones. They had been chosen for their words.
I’ll stop here for the time being. But pray for the Hmong community. It is not easy. These young people are the first generation born and brought up in France. It’s challenging for them, and sole feel the pull between their culture and the French culture they have been brought up with. Pray also that these Hmong Christians will be able to reach out to those who are still in darkness. Pray also for those who are still living in Laos and Vietnam and are tracked by the local authorities.