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DALLAS?Most of us take for granted the ability to pick up a Bible in our own language and understand what we read. For many people groups around the world, it is not so easy. Criswell College student Huy Than* has been working hard to see that his own people group has access to a Bible in their native language, even if he has to translate it himself.
“God gave him a desire to reach his people group,” Andrew Hebert, Criswell College director of enrollment services, said. “It is inspiring to see the kind of students who come to Criswell from around the world for the purpose of bringing Jesus to the world.”
Than was born to a minority people group in Vietnam, one of the many derogatively referred to as the Montagnard, a term left over from the French colonial days meaning mountain people. His community was very poor. As children, Than and his siblings would go to school and come home to help their mother in the fields.
“We would work in the fields every day,” Than recalled. “It was a difficult life. It was very hard. There were two different kinds of fields?fields with water in them for rice and dry fields. We would grow corn and sweet potatoes and all kinds of vegetables.”
Another difficult aspect of Than’s childhood was growing up without a father. Than’s father worked with American troops during the Vietnam War. When North Vietnam won the war in 1975, the Communists took control of the entire country. Because of his ties with the United States, Than’s father was imprisoned when Than was only 5 years old. The family was only able to visit him two or three times before he disappeared.
“Once when we were there to visit, they told us he had been shot while trying to escape,” Than said. “We asked to see his body, but they said they didn’t know where it was. We have never seen his body. So we don’t know anything for sure.”
Than describes his early life as miserable. He was tormented by fear, thinking that he would also die. He was plagued by nightmares and evil spirits. One day, he went to his great uncle’s house to hear him preach. The great uncle told stories about Jesus casting out demons. He taught Than that Jesus was more powerful than his fear. That night, Than asked his great uncle to pray with him to receive Jesus Christ.
“I remember my great uncle said that if you see an evil spirit or a demon or whatever, just call on Jesus’ name and he will deliver you,” Than said. “I called on Jesus’ name in my mind and heart and the evil spirits disappeared immediately. Since then, I haven’t seen them anymore.”
For the first time in his life, he felt peace.
Than’s family moved from their home in Vietnam to Greensboro, N.C. in 1994. Because of his father’s involvement with the U.S. and with the old government, the Communist leadership was afraid that Than and his brother would grow up to challenge them, following in their father’s footsteps. They pressured the family to leave.
Than’s mother began the necessary paperwork to move to America. Three years after the process had begun, Than’s family finally made it to North Carolina. They were not alone. Thousands of Than’s people group had also made the move, living as refugees in the U.S. He had lived in North Carolina for nine months when an American missionary took him to Toccoa Falls College in southeast Georgia.
“He dropped me off. He said, ‘You’re going to stay here and you’re going to study.’ I said, ‘I don’t know English.’ He told me that I was going to stay and learn English so I could study.”
The first three weeks were discouraging. Than went to class, but could not understand what was said.
“It’s college,” Than said. “It’s not like elementary or middle school. It’s a much higher level of language. It was really difficult because I’d never studied English before.”
After those first three weeks, Than decided to give up. His English did not seem to be improving and he couldn’t understand anything. On his way to chapel one night he decided he was going to call his uncle the next day to come and take him home. As he was praying about it, he heard a voice.
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