There’s not much that bothers Bek Windsor. She might live in a country with a long-term rat problem, monsoonal rains, and humidity that’s so extreme it causes everything to go mouldy, but none of it gets to her. Because she knows she’s exactly where God has called her to be. 

 

The Windsors are approaching 13 years in Vietnam, with Bek’s involvement stretching back even further. Her life – and that of her family – has been an incredible journey of listening to, and following God’s call to love the nation of Vietnam. And, as she shares in our ‘One Life at a Time’ podcast, she wouldn’t change a minute of it. 

Listen to the full podcast. 

 

From Sydney to Vietnam 

Bek’s story begins in Sydney, where she grew up deeply committed to loving and serving God. Even while she was still in the womb, God revealed His plan for her life, through a prophetic word given to her Mum. “They said to my parents, specifically to my Mum, ‘You are Hannah and this is your Samuel. You are raising this child to release this child.’”  

Before she was even in kindergarten, Bek felt a pull in her heart – first to welcoming Jesus into her life and, soon after, to missions. As she grew up, she devoted her time to volunteering at church, and later completed a degree in Asian Studies before going to work full-time in the church. It was during a church staff meeting that she felt God reveal the destination He had in mind: Vietnam. 

Bek soon went to visit Vietnam. After that first trip, she returned home, packed up her life and at age 23 made a permanent move to the southeast Asian nation. “It was an 11-week turnaround, but it was a 20-year journey to get there,” Bek reflects. While she knew she was leaving behind a lot and walking into an uncertain future, Bek made a conscious choice to trust God with the details. “I said, ‘Well if I trust that God has led me over 20 years to the place and positioning for such a time as this, then I trust Him with whatever the rest of my story looks like.’” 

 

Sharing Jesus – using words if necessary  

Bek and her husband Kelvin live and work in Da Nang, overseeing AOG World Relief, a community development organisation set up to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a communist nation where they’re restricted from talking openly about God. Working with, and guided by, the rural communities they support, the Windsors and their team offer medical assistance and mobility aids, fund life-saving heart operations and medical centre upgrades, provide education and training around child advocacy and child protection, and help families develop income generating activities. They focus on helping the marginalised and the vulnerable, giving people a voice and loving like Jesus does. “It’s exactly like Saint Francis of Assisi said, ‘Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words’,” Bek says.  

At the heart of everything they do is a goal of partnership – working with communities and families to help them identify their needs and empowering them to create a better life for themselves. That partnership also extends to working with local stakeholders, particularly political and community leaders, “because in Vietnam, nothing happens without that relationship,” Bek says. Engaging stakeholders in person might take longer and involve a lot more effort than just sending an email or making a phone call, but it makes a big difference, building “a currency of trust and respect” for what the team is doing. 

Despite their success, Bek admits it can be difficult not to compare what they’re doing with other missionaries who can openly share the Gospel. But she reminds herself of the parable of the soil, found in Matthew, and “just trusting that it’s going into good soil and to just continue on doing”. Bek and her team also stay true to the mission God has called them to. “Our motto is ‘Love in action’ and we know there’s nothing that God cannot do. And if He is love, there’s nothing that love cannot do!”  

 

Feeling inspired? These are Bek’s top tips for following God’s call to the mission field: 

1. Ask lots of questions, listen to those around you and resist comparison. 

2. Put God first: “Remember that first love and don’t lose it… it will carry you through any storm.” 

3. Pray about everything: “You can never overcommunicate with God. And praise Him too!” 

 

Learn more about the Windsors 

Support AOG World Relief