Kim Phuc Bui — A Living Miracle

by Dr. Don Sisk

Kim Phuc Bui, at age nine, caught the attention of the world as she was pictured running from her Vietnamese village with 75% of her body burned from a napalm explosion. June 8, 1972 changed her life forever. There was another day to come that would change her life forever—the day she came to know the Lord.

Dr. Sisk: We’re in the midst of a missionary conference in the FaithWay Baptist Church in Ajax, Ontario. During this conference I have met a very lovely Christian Vietnamese lady and she has been a great blessing to all of us. Dr. Baker has told me her story, and I want him to introduce her at this time, then we want to talk with her and let her share her testimony.

Dr. Baker: Dr. Sisk, this is Mrs. Kim Bui. Mrs. Bui was the victim of a terrible napalm strike in 1972 during the Vietnam war. Since that time she has come through a lot of difficulties and hard times, being used by the government of Vietnam for propaganda and for exploitation. However, she has been saved and loves the Lord and has forgiven those people that have hurt her and used her and mistreated her. Now she wants her life to count for the Lord and her influence to be a blessing to others. She has a special burden for her own people, the people of Vietnam, and how they might benefit from her testimony. She desires that others might be challenged and motivated to reach her people with the Gospel.

Dr. Sisk: Kim, with the recent association between the United States and Vietnam being somewhat normalized, we may possibly see doors open again for missionaries to go into your country. I’m sure that would be a great joy to your heart.

Mrs. Bui: Yes, I think so. And that thing I keep praying for a long time. I hope one day the government they open the door for missionary to Vietnam and the people they can hear about Jesus Christ. They can hear the Word of God and they can be saved.

Dr. Sisk: Kim, I’m looking at a picture that was taken when you were nine years old during the time of a bombing in Vietnam. Would you tell us a little bit about that?

Mrs. Bui: Yes. I remember in summer of 1972, when the war happened in my village for two, three days and the last day they dropped the bomb, a napalm bomb, and we were in the pagoda because we thought that since it was a holy place they wouldn’t drop the bomb in there. But finally they dropped it and we were very scared and afraid. We say, “Oh, we have to go out,” and then we decided to run out. But at that moment when we run out they dropped one in the middle of the people, and I was in exactly that place. When I run and I come back, I saw, the plane fly very slow and they dropped five fire bombs. When they explode the fire was everywhere, and my clothes was burning. But one thing is very lucky. My feet was not burned, and I got to run away. But photographer Nick took that picture, and that picture become very famous.

Dr. Sisk: This was one of the pictures that caused the United States government to stop the bombing, particularly where civilians were. I’m sure this brings joy to your heart even though you were injured very badly. Your tragedy helped stop the bombing in Vietnam.

Mrs. Bui: Yes, I think so. That picture, I am very proud about that, because it stopped the war and let the people know how we suffer . . . we the people in those days suffer from that, and even when we try to be happy and to live normal lives, we didn’t have that.

Dr. Sisk: You didn’t have that opportunity because of all the bombing and devastation. Most Americans have never been in a place like that; most of the wars have been fought somewhere else other than in America so they have not had that experience. Kim, I know that you and your husband are very faithful Christians and are active members here at FaithWay Baptist Church. In fact, I know you have been here for every service during the missionary conference, and both of you are very involved in the work of God. How did you come to know Christ as your Savior, Kim?

Mrs. Bui: I was saved in 1982 in December in Vietnam.

Dr. Sisk: In Vietnam?

Mrs. Bui: Yes, I was saved. But after that, the Vietnamese government found me and I’m like in the picture and they start to use me in a lot of things. But you know, at that moment when I was saved, my life is changing a lot, and I keep praying. I didn’t have the time to practice in the church as another Christian. But when I was saved, I prayed God in my inside I always believed He is with me.

Dr. Sisk: Amen.

Mrs. Bui: Yes, and really my life changed. And finally, I went to a lot of countries, different countries, but finally I went to Cuba to study there. But you know, in Cuba I didn’t have time to practice in a church either but I keep praying and read the Bible by myself. Finally, in 1992, I couldn’t . . . I can’t live in Cuba anymore at that moment. I went to Mexico and I thought, “Oh God, open the door for me. I want to go to United States to do something. I want to find my freedom. But God say that’s not good that way. And I keep praying and praying and He sent me back to Cuba again and, I said, “Thy will be done.” And when I . . . came back to Cuba, I got married, we have honeymoon in Moscow. When on the way back to Cuba we stop over in Canada, and we have a different life . . . yes, in Canada.

Dr. Sisk: So coming from Russia, knowing you would have a stop-over in Canada, you didn’t plan to go all the way back to Cuba? You planned to get off the plane and stay there?

Mrs. Bui: Yes, I think that plane is God giving me. I don’t know how to say how. I thank God for giving me that plane. Nobody can make that plane for me. Yes, just He do. And my husband was saved here, in Canada.

Dr. Sisk: But you met your husband in Cuba?

Mrs. Bui: Yes. And I keep praying for him.

Dr. Sisk: He is also from Vietnam?

Mrs. Bui: Yes. He’s Vietnamese, too.

Dr. Sisk: So, you’ve been in Canada now three years?

Mrs. Bui: Yes.

Dr. Sisk: And your husband was saved here in Canada?

Mrs. Bui: Yes.

Dr. Sisk: And both of you have been baptized and you’re now members of the FaithWay Baptist Church. Tell me what you think about this church.

Mrs. Bui: Oh, it’s lovely. I feeling very family here, and special close to my Pastor Baker. I have a lot of friends here and I spend good time here.

Dr. Sisk: I was reading an article in which you said, “One of the things that bothered me was other girls could wear short-sleeved dresses and they looked so pretty, but because of all the burns on my body . . . ” I understand that about 75% of your body was burned, is that right?

Mrs. Bui: Yes. At that moment, I almost died, and when I look back I think now God giving me a life again and I must tell other people how and what God has done to my life.

Dr. Sisk: I see you now have a little baby.

Mrs. Bui: Yes, I have a little baby.

Dr. Sisk: And he is about 18 months old?

Mrs. Bui: Yes, his name is Thomas.

Dr. Sisk: It is great that God has done so many wonderful things for you. I think of the passage found in Scripture that talks about a brand being plucked from the burning. That certainly would identify where you were, having been in the midst of a fire bombing with 75% of your body burned. As you were running to get away from the heat your clothes were burning, but God kept your feet from being burned so you were able to run away from the fire. What are you and your husband doing now, Kim? . . . What kind of work are you involved in?

Mrs. Bui: Right now we are looking for jobs. We are living on welfare right now, because it is a hard time to find job.

Dr. Sisk: I believe at one time you were studying medicine; is that right?

Mrs. Bui: Yes. I study medicine in Vietnam for one year, but when they found me and they took me away and my dream to be a doctor is not coming true so now I think maybe God brought me here to Canada to train me. My goal right now after this service . . . really touched me . . . I want to study in this college . . . We keep praying that maybe we can come back to Vietnam to tell people about Jesus.

Dr. Sisk: What a wonderful thing that would be, Dr. Baker, if God opens the door to Vietnam. You have a good Bible college here—FaithWay Baptist Bible College of Canada—and Kim has manifested an interest in studying. If and when the door to Vietnam is open, you may have missionaries ready to go.

Mrs. Bui: Yes, I hope so, and we keep praying and I think God’s will . . . will be . . .

Dr. Sisk: He will answer that prayer.

Mrs. Bui: Yes.

Dr. Sisk: Kim, it’s such a blessing to see the joy that you have in your heart. Let me ask you what might be a difficult question to answer. Having been bombed by American soldiers and having suffered so much, now that you’ve been saved by the grace of God and you know Christ as your Savior, could you tell someone else who has had a very difficult time, how God can enabled you to forgive other people?

Mrs. Bui: It’s wonderful about that. I have a lot of . . . I mean, I suffer a lot, but I . . . it’s really I forgive that, everything. My life . . . I’m very happy in my present, and I always think I have to do something, that is something to do for my best, I try my best. And in the future—I don’t think about the past, that’s past, you know? I want to say. Thank you, God, for giving me that characteristic that I’m always happy. I don’t know where it comes from . . . but I’m sure it’s from God giving me that, that’s why I can live easily and make my life different. I never get angry, and I never let something fester in my mind. To me, I’m very happy.

Dr. Sisk: Praise the Lord. That’s a great testimony, Kim. It has been so good to talk with you and certainly we will be praying for you, your dear husband, and your little boy. We pray that God will help you in your plans to study the Bible, and someday to prepare yourself and maybe even be able to minister to the people in Vietnam. We have just heard of some ministries that are there, some things that are being done, and that thrills our hearts.We praise God for you.

Mrs. Bui: Thank you.

Dr. Sisk: Kim, in closing, I understand that your story has been written up in several magazines. What are some of the magazines where the photograph has appeared and where your story has been written?

Mrs. Bui: Yes. Some magazines are Life magazine and People magazine. They report my article and they had the show about my life on CBC.

Dr. Sisk: Canadian Broadcasting Company?

Mrs. Bui: Yes.

Dr. Sisk: It’s been on television?

Mrs. Bui: Yes.

Dr. Sisk: They’ve also run stories about you in a Toronto newspaper. Thank you, Kim; we’re very fortunate to have you give an interview for the BIMI World. I trust that as people read this story that many of them will pray for you and will pray for the country of Vietnam.

Mrs. Bui: Yes, thank you very much.

Dr. Sisk: God bless you.