Bau Ngoc Le

(1939 – 2013)

“As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15

Mr. Bau Ngoc Le was born on September 15, 1939 in the province of Can Tho, Vietnam. He was surrounded by his wife, family members, relatives, and friends when he passed away at 1:30 AM on October 17, 2013 at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia, where he was being treated for the internal infections. He was the youngest of four children of Mr. Tu Van Le and Ms. Tam Thi Tran. They were all brought up in a strong Christian faith. During his very younger days, he attended an elementary school in Thanh Loi village, Can Tho province. One of his beloved/adored teachers is Rev. Thang Nhat Tran’s father. During the Vietnam War, joining his three older brothers in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, they all dedicated their life to serving their nation. Some basic facts about the life of Mr. Bau Ngoc Le are summarized below.

• In 1953, he was baptized at Cai Khe river bank, by Rev. Hinh Duy Phan, senior pastor at Can Tho church.

• In 1956, he moved to Saigon to study at Cao Thang Technical School during the administration of Mr. Tra Van Do, Principal.

• In 1957, he attended the Fundamentals of Bible and Christianity Study at Vinh Long province with Rev. Tai Anh Nguyen, who later became the Superintendent of the Vietnamese Districts of the C&MA USA.

• In 1963, he worked at Nong Son coal mine, a facility in An Hoa heavy industrial zone, Quang Nam province, under the South Vietnam Economics Department.

• In 1965, he engaged to the armed force by mobilization order, attended the 21st Class Thu Duc Reserve Officers, Thu Duc Military Academy School, South Vietnam Army.

• In 1966, after graduating from the 21st Class Thu Duc Infantry School, where he specialized in army engineering, he was specially assigned to the Rural Construction Department.

• In 1969, he married Miss Tam Thanh Thi Nguyen on May 4th, who is the youngest daughter of the late Rev. Loc Tan Nguyen. Sharing in their happiness are their daughter (Han Ngoc Le), a son-in law (Quoc Bao Duong), grandson (Tommy Duong), and granddaughter (Cindy Duong).

• In 1974, with the rank of First Lieutenant, he was transferred to the Can Tho military sub-sector and promoted to the Can Tho Ferry critical point Commanding Officer, managing all activities at the Can Tho ferry landing.

• In 1975, with the fall of Saigon, he was sent by the new communist regime to the re-education prison/camp.

• In 1979, one year after his release, he fled Vietnam in search of freedom.

• In 1980, he came to the United States and settled in Virginia. He completed the applications to sponsor his wife and daughter and moved to Texas shortly after.

• In 1983, he was diagnosed with kidney failure.

• In 1985, he received a kidney transplant. The doctors said that with a new kidney, he would only survive for about 10 years. At that time, he persistently prayed that he would have the strength to go on and to live until the reunion of his family.

• In 1990, after 10 years of waiting, he reunited with his wife and daughter and lived out his later years happily with his family in Northern Virginia.

Praise to the Lord for His blessings and extending the life of Mr. Bau Ngoc Le to more than 28 years after the transplant. During the Thanksgiving 2012 season, at Columbia (Phuc Hung) Baptist Church, Mr. Bau Ngoc Le was giving a testimony about the miraculous healing, how the Lord Almighty through His Son Jesus Christ has done for him in his life. He was so thankful for the blessings and the joyful life through living with his beloved family and the opportunities being able to worship/serve God.

Today, although the spirit of Mr. Bau Ngoc Le has been returned to his Heavenly Father, the Christianity image through his later days has clearly shown that, if possible, we all shall come to the house of God on every Sunday and enjoy these special moments, since worshiping the Lord is the most delightful privilege in this life.