Our Firefall International associate in Vietnam was visiting us last month. We were sharing lunch in a restaurant on a rainy Saturday when he related a painful memory. Even though both of his parents were still living, he had been abandoned by his family. He remembered standing in the rain as a 7-year-old. With night falling he had no place to go to get out of the rain. He asked himself, “Where can I go tonight? Where can I stay?” Underneath those questions was a deeper one. “Why doesn’t my mother love me enough to take care of me?” He shed tears at our meal as the pain of that moment returned.

Over 30 years later, no one would know the heartache of abandonment he lived through. He is a loving husband and father of two. He has built a home for orphans (he was caring for 9 street children when he and his wife were married!) He is reaching out to his neighbors with the gospel through English lessons, which Firefall International is helping to sponsor there. He’s also helping to send the gospel to an unreached people group in the remote mountains of Vietnam.

The early church was faced with adversity and persecution. That caused the believers to scatter like seeds in the wind throughout Asia Minor, taking the gospel with them and planting vibrant churches as they went (Acts 8:1-4, 11:19-21).

For the early church, and for our associate, adversity was turned into opportunity. He became a bridge to life for the orphans and street children of Vietnam.

What adversity are you facing today? How can God work through it to make you a bridge to life?