‘I am God’s servant’—From shaman to local missionary in Vietnam

The plan was in motion. Philemon woke up and went out to buy the poison he would put in the rice that night for dinner. If everything went according to the plan, by the end of the day, he, his wife and their two children would all be dead.

The situation had come to this. Death seemed like the only choice for Philemon, a farmer and shaman from central Vietnam with a debilitating addiction to alcohol and cigarettes, a mountain of insurmountable debt and a foreclosure notice over his head. Even his wife agreed.

But what started out as the beginning of the end would turn into a new life for Philemon and his family. Only hours before he would execute the plan, he went to his sister to say goodbye. A few years before, she and her husband and Philemon’s two brothers had become Christians.

“The day I went to meet her, she shared the gospel with me,” Philemon says. “She said that Jesus Christ died for us. When I heard that, I was reminded of her husband who used to have many vices but was transformed when he converted to Christianity.”

For the first time in years, Philemon felt hope.

“When I went back home, I threw away the poison,” he says.

A helpless shaman

Before that critical day, Philemon devoted his life to learning the guidebook on interacting with the spirit world, the uses of talismans and amulets and when to recite certain mantras for communicating with the spirits.

“I was like a master or a savior to my community,” recalls the dark-haired slender man. “When someone was attacked by an evil spirit, I summoned the spirit out of the victim’s body. People claimed to be freed, and they brought me offerings for my altar.” His knowledge and assistance made him somewhat of a local celebrity.

“I was very famous at that time,” he says. But while he helped others, he was unable to help himself and the people closest to him—his own family.

In his eyes, he had an unfortunate life despite being revered as a shaman. In addition to the overwhelming debt (he owed more 200 million VND, about PHP 443,000) and addictions, his first son was disabled, and the second son fell and broke his arm. And praying to the gods he worshiped and summoned for others didn’t work for his own life. “My prayers fell on deaf ears,” he says.

‘The chain in me was broken’

Less than a month after Philemon’s sister shared the gospel with him, his brothers invited him to an evangelistic event. Philemon didn’t take it seriously. He even drank before he went. But when the speaker began to read John 3:16, the words resonated. “Something about the verse hit me hard,” he recalls. “Then, my brothers called me to the stage, and the pastor asked if I was ready to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I prayed and let Jesus into my life. I felt that the chain in me was broken. Even though my troubles were still there, I could feel the peace inside me.”

That day in 1992 was the starting point of Philemon’s journey with Jesus. It wasn’t long before Philemon’s wife also became a believer. Gradually, Philemon began to see transformation, beginning with the day he almost killed his family.

“The first thing I saw was God’s enormous grace for my family,” Philemon says. “Instead of us being dead, He saved us."

Prayer became a familiar practice for both him and his wife. “I spent a long time in prayer,” he shares. “Sometimes for three days straight and sometimes for a week. My wife and I committed to the Lord that if we surpass this, we will serve Him full time.

As each day passed, the couple could sense God’s presence in their situation as Philemon overcame his addictions.

“We were amazed at how the Lord provided the answers,” Philemon says. ““Instead of losing everything, He helped me retain my house and He supported my children [so they could go] to school. One time, our creditor significantly reduced the amount of our debt that we were able to pay in more than two years.”

Persecuted but not abandoned

Throughout the world, persecuted Christians know firsthand that the gospel can be a lightning rod for conflict. And that was no different for Philemon and his family as they began to share what Jesus had done in their lives. Their obedience to serve Jesus full-time soon brought persecution, first from his relatives, followed by friends and then local authorities.

“My relatives discouraged us, saying we should give up and focus on doing business since our family was poor,” Philemon says. “My best friends who were police officers and have positions in the community mocked me and tried to stop me whenever I shared the gospel.”

Each time he visited different areas to share the gospel, Philemon regularly encountered local authorities, especially in Communist villages where the government has absolute control. In these areas, no faith that could challenge the people’s allegiance to the government, including Christianity, is allowed.

“The authorities were afraid that people would follow me more than them,” Philemon explains “These were their reasons why they persecuted us. But whenever they throw these reasons at me, I tell them, ‘Aren’t you happy for me? God saved me from addiction, and I want to share that testimony and the love I received.’”

God has worked in miraculous ways through Philemon’s obedience. He remembers being immediately questioned by authorities during a visit to a Communist village. Philemon was resolute in his response: “This is what I told them: ‘I have brothers and sisters here, so I came to visit them. Even if you try to kill me, I will still come.’” Philemon continued to risk his life to travel to the same village, often sneaking in under cover of darkness to visit secret believers.

“Now we have a church there, and it is government registered,” he says.

At times while he served as a local missionary, Philemon faced warnings that he must leave the area within 24 hours. In other areas, he was forced to leave and banned from returning.

Understandably, his wife grew weary from the constant monitoring and police visits. His kids told him why they were always rejected at school. “My heart broke for my family. But I always told my wife that Jesus suffered more than us,” Philemon says. “And I never felt like God abandoned us.”

The problem of literacy

As Philemon traveled to remote areas and shepherded tribal people, he saw one great problem: illiteracy. Ten years ago, tribal believers supported by Open Doors’ partners in Vietnam introduced him to the Literacy Project—which includes classes they lead in local churches. Philemon went through literacy training and helped improve the curriculum they used. Almost immediately, he saw the impact of their work.

Philemon shares how unbeknownst to him, one of his students used what he was taught to teach his elderly father to read and write. “The father always needed someone to translate for him when he went to the bank,” he says. “The bank teller was so surprised when he came in one day without a translator and was able to finish his transactions smoothly.”

Becoming literate also improves participants’ chances of finding jobs. “Before attending the literacy class, they always got rejected when applying for jobs because they were not able to read or write,” Philemon explains. “However, after joining the class, they were immediately employed. When the participants learn how to read and write, their values and worth improve.”

Students must finish 12 lessons that include basic and advanced reading and writing, financial literacy, and biblical lessons such as, “Love God, Love People” and “People are Important.” For better results, the materials are printed and taught in the participants’ own tribal language.

Over the last 10 years, Philemon has devoted his life to serving in the Literacy Project, traveling from south Vietnam to the Central Highlands region to the country’s northernmost parts, where mountainous villages are often hard to reach.

“If the villages are more than 300 kilometers away, I take a flight, then I spend at least 10 more hours on the bus, and finally the participants pick me up on their motorbikes and we travel for a few more hours to reach their village,” he says.

And because he’s not from the area, monitoring and interrogation from authorities leery of his activities and reason for being there are always a challenge. But Philemon says the impact and opportunity to share the gospel are worth the risk.

“First, I love them,” he says. “Second, when they hear about the project, they share it with their relatives, then with other communities. Then they send a letter to invite me to teach them. And I am always ready to go.

“I am God’s servant. I cannot refuse when people invite me, so I keep going from group to group. I have lived with the local tribes for more than ten years now, they have a special place in my life. The Literacy Project is also attended by non-believers and the classes became a place for them to know Jesus. This project is for the community, not only for the church.”

How you’ve fueled Philemon’s ministry

Since starting 10 years ago, Philemon and those working with the Literacy Project have trained at least 1,500 participants from 10 tribes each year and have also taught at least 600 potential trainers who are now teaching in their communities. Some 30 participants also received discipleship training and were encouraged to train their churches.

Philemon is grateful to people like you who have supported the Literacy Project. “I see that God is helping this project become successful,” he says. “I give thanks for your support, especially your financial support, as the participants are poor and cannot afford to have this kind of learning. When we conduct the classes, we also provide meals. They faithfully attend the classes because they see the love from others.”

Students must finish 12 lessons that include basic and advanced reading and writing, financial literacy, and biblical lessons such as, “Love God, Love People” and “People are Important.” For better results, the materials are printed and taught in the participants’ own tribal language.

Over the last 10 years, Philemon has devoted his life to serving in the Literacy Project, traveling from south Vietnam to the Central Highlands region to the country’s northernmost parts, where mountainous villages are often hard to reach.

“If the villages are more than 300 kilometers away, I take a flight, then I spend at least 10 more hours on the bus, and finally the participants pick me up on their motorbikes and we travel for a few more hours to reach their village,” he says.

And because he’s not from the area, monitoring and interrogation from authorities leery of his activities and reason for being there are always a challenge. But Philemon says the impact and opportunity to share the gospel are worth the risk.

“First, I love them,” he says. “Second, when they hear about the project, they share it with their relatives, then with other communities. Then they send a letter to invite me to teach them. And I am always ready to go.

“I am God’s servant. I cannot refuse when people invite me, so I keep going from group to group. I have lived with the local tribes for more than ten years now, they have a special place in my life. The Literacy Project is also attended by non-believers and the classes became a place for them to know Jesus. This project is for the community, not only for the church.”

How you’ve fueled Philemon’s ministry

please pray

Pray for Philemon and the Literacy Project

Pray that God continues to give Philemon healthy years and that his testimony would be ever-encouraging to believers in Vietnam and around the world. May he continue to be salt and light in his country.
Pray blessings over Philemon’s family as they continue to serve the Lord despite the challenges they must go through.
Pray for the beneficiaries of the Literacy Project, that they would find their value and worth in Jesus.
Ask God to keep his hand over the Literacy Project and that participants who don’t yet know Him would find their way to Jesus through the program.

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‘I am God’s servant’—From shaman to local missionary in Vietnam

A helpless shaman

‘The chain in me was broken’

Persecuted but not abandoned

The problem of literacy

How you’ve fueled Philemon’s ministry

How you’ve fueled Philemon’s ministry

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