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Greetings Ministry Partners,
In Southern Vietnam, winter is not cold; rather, it is a pleasant season where the morning sunlight glides past, making one feel as though the soul has paused for reflection. I am suddenly reminded of the philosopher Heraclitus, who said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice.” Indeed, the flow of time is a living testament to impermanence. I sit here, amidst the wind and the noise, contemplating my own journey, the moments of joy and sorrow, the right and wrong choices, the failures, the losses, and the discoveries. The year-end is not merely a closing point, but a stillness where we face our true selves, much like Saint Augustine’s cry: “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”
From a theological perspective, these days evoke the biblical mystery of time. The Book of Ecclesiastes teaches that “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” (Eccl 3:1) Time is not an enemy but a gift from the Creator, inviting us to reflect on the grace we have received. I recall the moments of stumbling, the pain that caused doubt in life’s meaning; yet, in that very reflection, I recognize the guiding hand of God. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28) The end of the year is an occasion to meditate, to forgive, and to recommit to faith—not as a ritual, but as a living experience where the soul touches eternity within the flow of the temporal.
And so, as the shadows of the old year fade, the hope of the new year dawns like the light of the Resurrection. These final and beginning days, therefore, are not an end but a call to watchfulness: to live so that every moment is an act of thanksgiving, and every step is an encounter with the Invisible One.
Amidst the noise and uncertainty of the world around us, our family wishes you a 2026 filled with a peace that surpasses all understanding.
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