ABOUT DR. PAUL AI
-- From Buddha to the Bible --
Rev. Dr. Paul Ai was born into a strong Buddhist family
in central Vietnam. At a very young age, he was sent to
Pagoda (Buddhist temple) to be a Buddhist monk. As he
grew up, he realized there was no hope and no power
in the doctrines of Buddhism, so he decided to study
black magic and became a witch doctor. He served 3,366 gods, but became
disappointed in the devil’s power when a Christian festival came to his town in
1970. Paul was determined to stop the Christian meetings with the power of his
gods, but they were no match for the God of the missionaries, and Paul gave his
life to the Lord. When he made his decision to follow Jesus, he was disowned
by his family, relatives, and friends. He persevered, however, and went to Bible
college to learn the Word of God. Just before the fall of Saigon in 1975, Paul
became the first General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God in Vietnam.
Only a week after the Communists took over Saigon, Paul was put in prison for
being a pastor. Over the next 25 years, he served a total of 10½ years in prison,
forced labor camps and re-education camps for preaching the Gospel and starting
churches. Even in prison, Paul continued to share the Gospel and his testimony,
and many people accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. When they
were released from the prison camps to return to their villages, these Christians
shared their testimonies, people accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and new
churches were started. The prison camps were the start of many churches in North
Vietnam, which of course was not the outcome that the Communists had hoped
for or had expected!
During the 25 years that Paul was in and out of prison, he met his wife, Ruth, and
they had four beautiful daughters. A curse had been put on Paul after he became
a Christian that he would never have a son. His fifth child, a son, showed Paul’s
family that God’s power is stronger than the curse of the devil. As a result, over
300 of Paul’s relatives came to know the Lord.
Paul’s last arrest was in May 1999, and he was imprisoned in the “Hanoi Hilton.”
By this time, Paul had become well-known internationally and his story made
national news in the U.S. Through the sovereign work of God, Paul was released from
prison and he and his family had 24 hours to leave Vietnam. They moved to
Hampton, Virginia, in December 1999.
Together, Paul and Ruth have touched thousands of people and have started
over 266 churches throughout Vietnam. They continue to reach the more than 5
million Vietnamese living outside of Vietnam through wining souls and planting
churches and training Christian Vietnamese leaders. They are also encouraging
Christians everywhere to support and pray for them as they are reaching the
Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam and preparing them to go in to
Vietnam