Leprosy & The Beach

Day 4- Jan 2, 2009

This was our last full day in LaGi with the Sisters and the kids. It was by far the most fun day we had. We started the day by picking up the Sisters and 2 of the kids. Twins My (Me) and Dat. They were all dressed up, My is a beautiful little girl, who I think is almost 3. we went of to a remote mountain village that is government sponsored for an ethnic minority group. We provided provisions for 96 families and again the people were very grateful and it was a joy to bring them a blessing.

The Vietnamese people are a very sturdy and strong group. They also surprised us with their strength. The other thing I noted was their sense of community, it seems they looked out for each other, I guess as a matter of survival.

We also toured a few homes in the area, which were the homes of some men who have Leprosy. These men live in huts outside the family home. It was very difficult, because at first it was very awkward. The men thought we were there to make a spectacle of him, but the Sister explained, that we wanted to pray for him and talk to him about Jesus. This turned the situation around, as he explained that he knew Jesus and wanted to Bible to read. So we presented him with the Good Word and prayed over him. It was very surreal seeing him and imagining what it would be like to be afflicted with such a horrible condition. But God is good and this man was filled with joy from the encounter.

After our work, we had lunch and went to the community (Orphanage). There we loaded up 20 of the kids and headed to the beach. The sisters were able to round up 7 mopeds and we got to jump on them and ride the 10 miles to the beach. It was crazy, 14 adults an 5 kids on 7 mopeds....now that is Vietnamese style!! See in Vietnam the main mode of transportation is a moped..though these are more like a cross between a moped and motorcycle. The Vietnamese will carry an entire family on 1 moped, so 2 adults and 2-3 children will be on 1 moped!!! The craziest part is that only the adults are required to wear helmets!!!!!

I drove with Kim Cook, my dad had Jennifer Wurster, Frank had Lauren Burden, Aaron drove Bill and Nhoung, and so on. We were quite a site rolling through town and attracted alot of strange looks and laughs from the locals. We also were blessed that no one was injured, even though there were many wrong turns and of course we drove in Vietnam where there are no real driving laws.

At the beach we had a great time, the older girls were timid at first, but soon trusted us and went out into the surf with us. It was a little chili, and as you can see the kids do not have swim suits. The waves were pretty big with a massive undertow, we tried to body surf and got slammed into the bottom so many times, I ended up with sand burns all over!

We also engaged a few locals in beach/surf soccer. It was very funny, a bunch over big out of shape very white Americans against very lean locals! They however thought we would be easy targets and underestimated us. All of us have or currently play soccer, so we surprised them a bit. It was a fun time and they were all great sports, after the short game we shook hands and embraced, it was amazing. We were in Vietnam, on a beach, playing soccer in the winter!

The Sisters even got in on the beach day, as you can see below with Frank. They wore shirts that First Melissa gave them on the last trip.

It was a great time and we bonded with the children even more during that time. Please go to www.lostorphans.org and see how you can help support these kids!

Running from the Commies!!

Day 3 New Years Day

Our third day in Vietnam was amazing. We started the day by going out to a remote village near the mountains. We were not able to get the bus down the dirt road to the distribution point, so a local brought his ox drawn cart to help. We loaded it up and went on down the road!

Once we unloaded and began the distribution, we were having a blast handing out food, clothes, candy, and toys. I was asked to say a prayer and it was translated; what an awesome experience to pray over people in another country and pry the peace and love of Christ upon them. The Sister then explained that we had Bibles for anyone who wanted it, that triggered an angry response from some who were not allotted to get food that day. The Sisters have a system in place to identify those who really need help and those just looking to get an easy score. So many show up who were not invited, the sister visit with them and if they are truly needy they will make provision for them, but if not they are turned away. Apparently one of these turned away heard the comment about the Bibles and called the authorities. It is illegal to share the gospel in Vietnam, the phone call was overheard and so we had to pack up our stuff, leave the provisions in the hands of the local leaders and scramble out of there. I am not sure we were in any real danger, as the area we were in was pretty remote and we had plenty of time to leave. But it was exhilarating to think that we were breaking communist law for the sake of Christ!

The next stop was at a seaside village, where many very poor people reside. These people would be considered homeless in the States. However in Vietnam the government provides shelter, but no food or water. Where as we provide food and water then shelter. So we traveled to the area to feed about 120 families along with the help of the local Red Cross. Aaron was asked to pray at this stop. We had a great time interacting with the people and helping them carry their provisions. These people were so grateful and happy we were there, but also had a great spirit about them and dignity.



It was a moving experience, as Frank is pictured with a former leader of the S Vietnamese military, who was stripped of all property and status after the war, yet still organized and lead this group with dignity. I was asked to help this man (18 yrs old)to be carried along with his provisions to his family. He is one of many children born severally incapacitated because of the effects of the chemicals used during the war. It has become so apparent that while the US suffered a severe emotional, mental, and physical loss in the war, the Vietnamese suffered so much more. Regardless of your opinion of the war and the politics involved, the toll on these people is tragic. There are parts of the country side still devastated by our herbicides and a large portion of a whole generation of men is dead. And those still alive are handicapped from a war injury or face other obstacles. We saw very few 40-60 year old men who were fully functioning and healthy.

We ended the day by taking the oldest children 2+ year olds out to a local cafe for ice cream. Here is Hoa (Huh-Wha) waiting for her ice cream. She is 5 and full of life and energy!

It was a great day filled with hard work, excitement, and ice cream....what else can you ask for in a day? We were far more blessed this day than those we served.

Working with the Least and the Lost

Day 2

We went to the hospital and served rice soup to the families of the patients and then also gave them 20,000 Dong (equal to $1.50 ) the hospital does not provide food for patients or the families. So the sisters d this 5 days a week.

We then went to the cemetary that the sisters have purchased plots in to bury unknown war heroes and also the aborted babies.
We also saw the grave of a 3 month old orphan that was sick and died the day we arrived. I was moved by the grief Sister Mia and the other nuns, not that I would not expect them to be sad, but they were crushed. I shows the love and devotion that these sisters have for the children.

We ended our afternoon with a food distibution to the families of the disabled. Many of which were affected by our use of Agent Orange during the war, which they say passes on genetically. Regardless it was very emotional and watching these people come in, many being carried, wheeled, or on crutches. We gave them a 22 lb bag of rice, 1 liter of fish sauce, a 5 lb box of noodles, a 1 lb bag of rice, and 100,000 dong ($6).

These pictures are of 2 of the older girls, Tram and Ngung.

La Gi

Well first wifi is very hard to come by, the hotel we are in says they have wifi, but not so much!

The past 2 days have been incredible...we arrived at the Lost Orphans Orphanage and met the children for the first time on Tuesday the 30th. They immediately ran to us and hugged on us. It was awesome, the kids just wanted to be held and loved on. The sisters who run the place were extrememly glad to see us and are so funny and warm.

There are 4 little girls who are 5 and 6 years old, who have heart breaking stories how they got to the orphanage. They have taken to the guys, and have become our little buddies...we have played ball, piggy back rides, and tickle time with them. They are beautiful little girsl and smart, they are fascinated with our digital cameras and want to play with them...one Yuhm, probably took 200 pictures last night with Aaron's camera. I can not post pictures yet, as the wifif signal is too weak, but will as soon as I can.

We also went to the local childrens hospital and visited the children- 3 of which are Lost Orphans kids. While there the sisters let us help them do a soup kitchen, which they do 5 days a week, for the families there. The hospital does not provide food for patients or families, so the sisters do so 5 days a week. We helped feed 100 or so families. Later we ha a food distribution event at the Orphanage, which the sisters do 1 time a month for the diabled, again we were honored to take part in this. We handed out provisions (22 lbs of rice, 1 qt of fish sauce, 1 lb of sugar, and a box of noodles, with eq of $3 dollars) to 150 families. Many of these disabilities are thought to be the result of Agent Orange used during the war, the area we are in was targeted heavily and you can still see the effects on the land and people.

We finished off the night by taking the older kids 2+ to have ice cream. It was so much fun and the kids were in heaven. I doubt any of us stayed up to see New Years here in Vietnam, we were all sacked!

So Happy New Years and I will try to write more soon.

Peace!

Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)

Today we spent the day as a rest day trying to recover from the long day of travel plus a 13 hour time difference, so we got up ate breakfast and went to the market. What a great place everything you could imagine plus it was the main food market for this part of the city.

Later we went to dinner at a Vietnamese Italian restaurant..go figure right? Then we played hacky sack with a shuttle cock (feather thing from badminton) out on the side walk and in the street with 3 locals. Not sure what we were thinking as we not only had to practice our cat like reflexes to play, but we were also dodging traffic. Tomorrow we head Lagi to start our work.

Gooooood Morning Vietnam!!!!!

Well we are here and just finished our breakfast. We arrived last night at around 11:00 Pm and after driving through a mass of humanity we arrived at our hotel.

Our drive to the hotel was amazing as Vietnam beat Thialland in the IFFA Suzuki cup (soccer) and there was a huge celebration in the streets as all the young people took to the streets on thousands of their motor scooters. I will try an upload pictures soon, as I did not have my camera (packed in a bag I could not access) and used my phone. It should have been a 15 minute drive and ended up taking over an hour, but so worth it to see the chaos.

The flights were long, but bearable, as the 14 hour leg was in a 777 with personal video in each seat, with a large selection of recent movies. We had 4 hours in Seoul, Korea at the airport, where we ate some great sushi.

More later....

One Week

One week till we leave for Vietnam, its hard to believe that it is almost here.

This journey up to know has been so amazing, God put it on our hearts to go only 3 months ago and took what looked like a group of 4-5 and turned it into a group of 21 people. We raised all the money for the trip and for the bible, supplies, and food that we will be distributing in short order, God showed us again and again that when He is involved nothing is impossible.

I will be updating the blog as much as possible while there. Please pray for us; the evil one is already on the prowl, but we know God is sovereign and His will be done!