January 14th, 2025
Dear Friends,
First, I want to express my gratitude and respect to everyone. Since I left the work, I have spent much time thinking and praying. After a long period of silence, so today I wish to write to convey how I am no longer in the work.
Over four years ago, when my father had passed away just three weeks earlier, on Friday evening, October 23, 2020, at 4:30 PM, I received a message from Darryl Doland informing me that he wanted to meet me at the sisters’ bach (405 CC Gò Dầu 1) at 7:30 PM. At that time, Darryl had arrived in Saigon a few days earlier from Hanoi for a medical checkup.
That day, my companion, Muriel Corcoran, had personal matters to attend to and stayed home, unable to accompany me to a Bible study with an 87-year-old lady (who passed away nearly four years ago). Therefore, I went with another lady, who also intended to visit her. After leaving the elderly lady’s home, we headed to District 7 to have dinner with Đệ Hiếu’s family. When I received Darryl’s message, even though we hadn’t had dinner yet, I immediately made my way through two hours of traffic to make it to his appointment on time.
At 7:30 PM, Darryl walked into the bach. As soon as we sat down, he told me that I had to step down from the work because he had prayed about it. Hearing this, I felt numb and began crying during our conversation. I asked myself what I had done that the Lord could not forgive. When I asked for a reason, Darryl said it was because I lacked love. I accepted this reason because, compared to the love of Jesus Christ, how could I dare to say that I had enough love?
I asked Darryl for another chance to work with a companion in a distant field, but both he and Muriel declined. Finally, I asked for one more night to pray, and Darryl agreed. That night, I couldn’t sleep. Throughout the night, my only prayer was: “Father, let Your will be done.”
The next morning, at 10 AM, Darryl arrived. Without further discussion, he immediately announced that I had to step down from the work, return home, and let my family support me. I responded, “You are the responsible brother, so I will follow whatever arrangements you make.” (At that point, Darryl had just temporarily taken charge for a short time.) I then asked when I should leave the bach. Both Darryl and Muriel advised that I should leave as soon as possible. Fortunately, I didn’t have many personal belongings, so within two hours, I had packed up and left the bach.
That afternoon, when I returned home, my family had no idea what had happened, but all my siblings welcomed me with wholehearted love. While familial love was certainly part of it, I believe the Lord moved their hearts to support me in this difficult time because of their faithfulness and love for the truth. The early days were not easy, but I am deeply grateful for the Lord’s protection and care for me and my family. Over the past four years, I have experienced many wonderful memories with the Lord. He has never left me; on the contrary, I have drawn closer to Him. He continues to teach and guide me every step of the way.
Recently, after many days of prayer and reflection, I realized that I need to submit to His voice and move forward. Therefore, I have decided to stop attending meetings.
I want to truly worship the Lord in spirit and truth. I want to entrust my entire life into His hands, with the sole desire to become more like Jesus each day.
I sincerely thank the workers and friends for your help and companionship throughout this past journey. I believe that anyone who earnestly seeks and desires to worship the Lord in spirit and truth will surely receive His guidance in the best way He has for each individual.
Sincerely,
Lana-An Pham
EPILOGUE: I was third-generation attending meetings. I was a medical doctor and worked for three years in a hospital before becoming an active worker from January 2003 to October 2020 when Darryl Doland expelled me from the work, giving the reason that I “lacked love.” I am now practicing at Thong Nhat Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where I previously worked before.
Four years later, in January 2025, I decided to stop attending meetings. Before, I thought being called to the work was the greatest step in my life for my soul, but now I realize that being called out of the work—through being asked to step down—is an even greater step than the one before.