Somewhere on the outskirts of idyllic Danang, Vietnam, the soft whirring of machines and gentle knocking can be heard from a small zinc-roofed workshop. 

Take a few steps closer and you will hear soothing hymns and Christian music playing in the background. Inside, a group of seven full-time workers, most of them vulnerable youth, busy themselves with hammering, painting and operating a laser machine.

Their efforts churn out a plethora of eye-catching wooden craftwork filled with God’s Word. These artwork are then sent to Singapore and offered for sale by Blessed Be, a Christian home decor and gifts brand.

Reminders of God’s Word

Behind Blessed Be is Yen, who was born in Vietnam and is now based in Singapore. She and her husband had moved to the country after a stint of working and studying in the United States.

Around the time her fourth child, Jaelyn, was born in 2020, Yen, who goes by one name, chanced upon a social media post by one of her former youth group members, Khiêm. During his free time, the young man had made Bible verses using wood and posted his craft on social media.

His post caught Yen’s attention and inspired her to start a small business producing wooden craftwork featuring Bible verses.

Yen hopes that the craftwork by Blessed Be can remind people of God’s Word in their daily lives.

The stay-home mother recognised the value of little reminders of God’s Word in daily life as they had tided her through one of her deepest valleys.

Her second child, Esther, had passed away unexpectedly just nine days before delivery. “It was one of my darkest moments,” said Yen, adding that hanging on to God’s Word helped her to cope and move on.

Together with Khiêm and his sister, Duyên, Yen conceptualised the Blessed Be business. Duyên, who is blessed with a flair for art, was in charge of designing the wooden artworks by adding different colours and floral designs to the verses.

A contemporary series by Blessed Be, named David Collection.

Describing their process, Yen said that every piece of wooden craftwork is handmade from scratch. Their artisans are involved in the entire process, from selecting the wood, sawing them into smaller pieces, and sanding them, to cutting the letters, painting and finally packing them for delivery.

Each artwork is meticulously handcrafted by artisans in their workshop in Danang, Vietnam.

A ministry to youth in Vietnam

While it could be more efficient for Yen to outsource the wood sawing work to third-party vendors, this would reduce the employment opportunities for those they hope to serve.

Yen shared that when she first started the business with Khiêm and Duyên, they decided to use it a source of employment for the church youths in Vietnam.

“We had new believers and non-believers coming to our church in Vietnam and the workshop is a place for them to gain employment and be released from past bondages,” said Yen. 

Yen (centre, taking the photo) with (from left to right) co-founder Khiêm, Yen’s husband, Duyên (third from right), Duyên’s husband, Tin, and a youth she employs at her workshop in Danang.

She added that at the workshop in Danang, three youth leaders including Khiêm and Duyên start each day with a short devotion. They also hold prayer sessions during the work week.

Their workers pride themselves as artisans, with a strong belief that they are God’s artists whose purpose is to produce artwork that remind people of His word in their daily lives, said Yen.

One of them is Hung, who was among the pioneer group of staff at the workshop since the birth of Blessed Be in 2020. He had started out as a part-timer after his mum asked the workshop to take him in to stop his computer game addiction.

(From left to right) Co-founders Khiêm and Duyên, with Tin (Duyên’s husband) and some youth employees at the Blessed Be workshop.

During the initial years, Hung was infamously known by his moniker “Last Minute Mistakes” as he often made errors during the last stage of production right before shipment. As a result, the team had to scramble to redo the item, to make it in time for delivery.

However, his colleagues continued to be gracious towards Hung, who has lower than average social and intellectual capabilities.

At a youth cell meeting that Hung attends, he was asked what love meant to him.

To everyone’s amusement, Hung, who is now one of the main artisans in the workshop, replied: “Love is when you make so many mistakes but you don’t have to pay”.

Yet another tragedy

Yen testified that it was the Lord who had paved the way for Blessed Be products to be sold in Christian-based shops around Singapore. This was despite the lack of networking and marketing, which Yen had no time for as a busy mum.

“There were times that someone would text me or call me saying they want to carry Blessed Be items. It is definitely the hand of God as we were not big on publicity and marketing then,” she added.

God also led her, through a friend, to the idea of making her craftwork in Mandarin.

It was also the hand of God that continued to carry her through tough seasons – both in the business and her personal life.

Last year, her youngest daughter, Jaelyn, passed away in her sleep after a bout of high fever. It came as a shock to the entire family.

She could not understand why this had happened, especially after the death of Esther, and could only cling on to God’s word for comfort.

Blessed Be holds a collection of Bible verses in both English and Mandarin.

After returning to work one month after Jaelyn’s death, she realised that immersing herself in God’s Word every day brought her much peace.

“Every day was filled with God’s Word as I looked at the different designs and how the different verses could be made into craft, and so the word of God strengthened me day by day,” said Yen.

Delivering the Word to homes

Two months ago, during Jaelyn’s first death anniversary, Yen told God that she missed her daughter very much and asked Him for a vision.

Shortly after she closed her eyes to rest for the day, she started to hear the laughter of, not one girl, but two girls as they played with each other.

Their laughter were like the sounds of heaven, said Yen. She immediately knew that the voices belonged to Esther and Jaelyn.

“The laughter was very pure and lasted for a long time, going on and on. There was not a tinge of unhappiness and they were laughing without any sense of hesitation,” she recalled.

She was amazed by God’s creativity: He had previously assured her about her two daughters through dreams and visions, but this was the first time He had spoken to her through sounds.

Having experienced comfort in her sorrow through God’s Word, Yen hopes that Blessed Be can bring God’s Word to people’s homes one art piece at a time, and be a source of light and hope.

She said: “In my most difficult times, I encountered God through His Word. I also hope that others will feel His presence and know that He is there with them all the time.”

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