by Son Tung Vu
Waving goodbye to my grandparents, I climbed into an old bus known for its breakdowns on the winding route from Ha Long Bay in Northern Vietnam to the busy capital city of Hanoi. The journey of 160 kilometers (100 miles) was very long to a 9-year old boy traveling alone in a developing country. My parents had been living in a Hong Kong refugee camp and had returned home to Vietnam. I was traveling to be reunited with them in Hanoi. More than a decade ago, it used to take from six to nine hours to travel that distance due to poor infrastructure.

My next big journey occurred five years later. Since my father was in a 3-year study program in Singapore, he had been away from the family for some time. It was not the custom for a married man with children to go to school to gain a higher education. And as a 14-year old, my mother helped me plan a summer trip to visit him as he studied for his Masters of Divinity (MDiv.)

It seems traveling was in my blood, because at 19, my bags were packed and I was leaving home again. This time I would travel alone to South Korea to enroll at Handong Global University in Kyunsangbukk Pohang.

My name is Son Tung Vu, but my friends call me Samuel. I am 23 years old and through each of these experiences, I believe God was preparing me to learn how to survive in completely new environments. Now, as I think back, the distance I traveled to Hanoi doesn’t seem that far. Don’t get me wrong, it was not normal for a young child to travel alone, especially on a village bus for that distance. Vietnamese parents are very protective and rarely let their children out of their sight, but this was the best way to get me to my parents. At nine, I remember being excited and proud that my parents trusted me to make this trip by myself.

That knowledge built in me a strong self-esteem that has carried me through the travels that I experience today.

My parents had felt it was important that my brother and I spend time with our father during summer vacation. So, at 14, instead of traveling on a bus prone to breakdowns, I would fly to Singapore in an airplane via the Bangkok International Airport. Instead of traveling alone, I was responsible for my 9-year old brother.

At age 19, ten years after my first bus trip, I landed in Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea. One very important difficulty I had to overcome was the language barrier…I could not speak a single Korean word!

Korean was my third language to learn. I began learning English when I moved to Hanoi to be with my parents. My father had learned English at the refugee camp; he became my first English teacher.

During my second year at Handong University, I took a class with Professor A. Lee, an alumnus from Summit Ministries, located in Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA. After spending time with Professor Lee, I began to respect the character of this man—his love for God, his pure heart, and the way he cared so deeply for others, especially foreign students. During one of our times together, he shared his experience with Christians who had helped him when his family first immigrated to the United States, and especially about a turning point in his life at Summit Ministries. His first impression was the warm welcome he received from the Summit staff, which is what makes him return, again and again. He did not forget to mention that “Doc” (Dr. David Noeble, President of Summit Ministries) enjoys riding motorcycles, an image that I, as an Asian college student, could not imagine.

For Asian logic, it is difficult to put an intellectual person, someone with a Ph.D., in a biker’s suit on a big motorcycle. It both intrigued and encouraged me to learn more about Dr. Noeble and Summit Ministries. However, the opportunity to apply for a trip to a Summit Conference was impossible due to finances…until my senior year.

I was reading the news on our school website about an organization that provides support to Handong students, when I saw a way to fulfill my dream. Since I had been waiting to do this trip for so long, I did not hesitate to apply. Korea Summer Summit Ministries in New York City graciously granted me part of the cost for my travel expenses. Then Professor Lee personally contacted the Honken family in Colorado on my behalf and they agreed to provide support for my tuition at Summit.

With assistance from Korean Summer Summit Ministries and the family Honken’s donation, I was able to make my biggest journey of all—the trip to Summit in the summer of 2007. It was an amazing experience to receive so much support.

At the same time, a door opened for me to get a part-time job that helped me save enough money to cover the rest of my travel expenses. When life happens with such precision, I always wonder why…I believe God was involved in my trip to Summit and the U.S.

To obtain a U.S. Visa, certain documents were required to prove my current economic situation. I needed documents such as bank statements, documents showing real estate ownership, etc. As a student, it was impossible for me to have that type of documentation.

I did my research and discovered the rationale behind why the U.S. government wanted those proofs. It is important for them to be sure that a student will return to his original country after his visit. So, instead of preparing all the financial proofs, I asked Summit Ministries to send me an invitation letter in which they guaranteed the U.S. Embassy that they are responsible for whatever happened to me during my stay in the U.S.

The U.S. Embassy in Korea has an online service to apply for a U.S. Visa, so I went through 90% of the process online. The total fee for the Visa was close to $100 USD and I received the visa within the next 48 hours. The last step was to come in for an interview at the Embassy in Seoul. For the first time I realized it was not a simple task for me to come to the United States.

The trip represented a lot of hard work, so I decided to make the most out of my journey. It was time to make a detailed plan so I could travel the farthest with the lowest possible budget. I realized that all my travel as a child, a teenager, and as a young man had prepared me for this big event—to travel to the other side of the world by myself.

One of the most exciting parts of my journey was my arrival at the Summit Conference facilities in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Jennifer Honken picked me up at the Colorado Springs bus station and drove me to Summit to introduce me to Summit staff members. I especially remember Mrs. Honken, Jennifer’s mother. She met me in the dining hall and gave me a warm and friendly hug that I will never forget. It was our first time to meet face-to-face, but from that moment on, I felt like I was at home.

My visit at the Summit was for four weeks. The two first weeks, I served as staff in the kitchen. The last two weeks, I was a student. Other staff members in the kitchen were former Summit students. I was the only person without previous experience at Summit. The Summit staff and teachers are so warm and friendly; it creates a homey atmosphere for the students. Housing at the center was in a dormitory room with three American young men of my age. Each Summit session takes two weeks to complete.

I only had a couple weeks to be there, but everyone that I ate with, talked with, or played games with showed me respect and a good time. During our many student discussions, we had some disagreements because of strong personalities, but afterwards, we were still friendly. We learned to respect the diversity between us and found ways to maintain a loving attitude, which is what Christ commands of those who follow him.

I tried to avoid some of the culture shock that I was sure I would experience by arriving two weeks earlier than my session. I had decided this would give me an opportunity to get to know and better understand the American way of doing things. It was a good decision—most of the staff that I worked with during that time was still working while I was a student. It made it easier to get around and especially to follow the busy schedule.

Being in an American classroom setting was full of surprises. Class was held in a large auditorium with about 180 students, which later was divided into smaller units of 5 to 7 students. Classes are coed, designed so any man or woman would sit next to the opposite sex. Usually the speakers are the same for both sessions, but some of them were alternates. Each student was required to take the same classes. In the afternoon, we had discussion time with the individual lecturers of that day. It was optional to attend these discussions, but I was hungry to learn and participated in all of them.

It was my first time to experience the American education methodology. As an academic camper, I was surrounded by American students of the same age in the intellectual scholastic environment that I had heard so much about. The most impressive element is the student-oriented environment that allows lecturers to have direct personal contact with the students during and after class. We were able to ask any question, determine clarification on an issue, and even challenge the answer if we did not agree. The lecturers were willing to provide in-depth descriptions, if necessary, to help us understand their views.

During our many intense discussions, I was surprised at the depth of the questions asked and issues raised by the American students. Their well thought-out positions revealed a thorough understanding of the subjects.

I soon realized that there were no other International students at my session and instead of this being a negative situation, it became an advantage. I had to face the same challenges that every American student had to face.

Some lectures required knowledge about the history and philosophies that have influenced the western world. It was challenging and I gained a new perspective on U.S. history.

Realizing the need for a better understanding of these issues, I used my free time in the Summit library to research and read books on the fields that I had not previously studied. One of my roommates and my small group leaders loaned me books. I focused on subjects the lecturers were asking questions about:

--The founding of the United States
--Trans-Atlantic slave trade
--Modern thoughts (i.e., secular humanism, Islam, and postmodernism)

When I finally met Dr. Noeble, the leather-jacket motorcycle-riding Ph.D., I was not disappointed. He has a profound knowledge about every field of thought that he has studied, but at the same time, he stays a humble man.

One of the most satisfying aspects of being a student at Summit was the freedom of conversation between the students and the debates on tough subjects with fellow scholars. We talked about world and contemporary Christian issues. Discussions about abortion “rights”, Christians and politics, and salvation were the most interesting and most argued topics. Being part of and listening to diverse thoughts and opinions as these subjects were discussed helped me develop my own thoughts. Many of the students presented sharp arguments and showed a natural ability for critical thinking.

During four weeks at Summit, I experienced a taste of American culture, observed an American education environment, and more importantly, strengthened my faith with intellectual stimulus.

The overall Summit experience is embedded in my heart and my mind. I still keep in touch with my friends from Summit using Facebook. One of my many surprises while in America was the warm family environment, which is not promoted in Hollywood movies. Along with many other great and exciting memories of my first trip to the United States, Summit 2007 has been a great benefit to my life and helped develop many of my opinions about God and about the world.

A friend asked if I would come back to America and the answer is, YES. I plan to enroll in a South Korean Law School (an Asian law school recognized by the American Bar Association). During my J.D program, I will work toward becoming part of an exchange program to an American law school. After I complete my J.D., I will return for the bar exam.

I would encourage any student or adult to attend Summit. I would say to Christians, it will strengthen your faith. To non-Christians or those who want to know what Christianity really is, it will help you discover how worthy salvation is to the seeker. My goal is for my brother to be able to go through training at Summit.

Three important things I learned from my experience at Summit:

--The importance of Godly leaders
--What it means to live in this world as light and salt
--A clear definition of what is right and what is wrong

When I returned home, I was asked if I thought I had been changed by this trip. I would use the phrase, “My eyes are opened to the whole wide world.” Travel has not only helped me meet unexpected people and receive surprising moments of blessings along the way, travel has put me on a journey to know God better. At Summit, I had a chance to test my faith with reason and logic. I can now validate what I believe as truth and would be comfortable sharing that knowledge with others. I am intellectually confident, without a doubt, of my salvation and God’s plans for my life.

It can be humbling to rely on other people, but being alone in a foreign country became a blessing when I experienced being dependent on God and what I believe he had in mind for me to learn during my travels.

Son Tung Vu (Samuel Vu) will graduate from Handong University, South Korea, and plans to attend law school (one accepted by the American Bar Association). His goal is to study law abroad in an exchange program in America. He looks forward to the day when he can sponsor his brother and other students at Summit Ministries in Colorado.

Contact information: samuelavu@gmail.com