Feature: The Mission Field Came to Us
Robert V. Bergquist
by Robert V. Bergquist, pastor, First Covenant Church, Tacoma, Washington
We had never had a baptismal service quite like the one that New Year's Eve. For one thing, my associate and I had never worked so hard to be ready to pronounce the candidates' names accurately. "Dave Smith" posed no problem, but "Tem Sayavong," "Somphong Sonesouphab," and "Pheng Phongsa" called for our utmost in concentration.
The other uniqueness on this night was that First Covenant was once again bilingual. In the same congregation where our Scandinavian forebears mingled Swedish and English, seven of the nine new believers now gave their testimonies in Laotian, with translation. There were tears of joy as the sons and daughters of immigrants past welcomed these latest refugees into the fellowship of Christ's church.
How did all this happen? We had no grand expectations in the beginning; we simply affirmed the vision of two people in our church in early 1980 that we open our arms to one of the world's homeless families. Our denomination was offering financial assistance to any church that would take this step, and so in May, "our family" arrived.
Vanhsy Phommavongsay turned out to be a former military officer with good English skills. He, his wife, and two children moved in with the Holdych family and began learning about American life and culture. Although they seemed uninterested in their hosts' Christian faith, they appreciated the kindness and help the Holdychs extended.
Our first ministry, therefore, took the form of simple caring. As it turned out, other Laotians new in the city gravitated toward Vanhsy for guidance. "Call the refugee committee at this church," he kept saying. "They'll help you any way they can." When the Bounsong family arrived ...
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