After six weeks we are back home in sunny Queensland. Not that it was not sunny in Sai Gon where we spent most of our time, but it sure is different.
Q: What where the three outstanding experiences you ask ???
There is more then one answer. This mission was so different from other years. Talking from experience we can say that usually things change in 12 month and sometimes unexpected things happen which can make things difficult. Not this time. We have the beautiful feeling that over the years we built partnerships which are now beginning to work.
The only glitch was the wait for little Nhu's heart operation. It took three weeks for the operation to happen.
Answer1: We both were overwhelmed by the reception we received when we spent time with the students in My Trung and Ba Ton, both Mekong delta, where we also visited some of the families.
Everyone was so thankful and the families showed us their houses ... some very poor, others with a reasonable size house, but earthen floor. No running water, no toilet ... but everyone nicely dressed and clean.
To cut a long answer short, we were both moved by the girls. The older girls gave a speech to thank us. Over the years we have built a relationship. Kim Ngan was the one in My Trung. When we came to her house she said in English: Hello Father and Mother. When we did the group photos Kim Ngan stood right next to Matt and held his arm. This was very, very special !!!
Next stop - Ba Ton, Same Same, but different, as they say in Viet Nam. Several girls got up and thanked us in short speeches, one of them Ngoc Hong, who suffered from bile cancer. She had chemotherapy. Her hair has grown back, she is in remission. The main speaker however was sixteen year old Hien.
She thanked us for our ongoing support. In reply Matt asked for them to study hard and achieve good results so they can go and study or get a good job. Hien replied ... unprepared. Sadly we had to leave. It was bye bye and "HIGH FIVE" all round. Then we started walking towards the car, which was parked about 60 meters away. all of a sudden Uli had three girls hanging onto her arms and Hien came a held Matt's hand, just like that. Unforgettable !!!
Answer 2: It was little Nhu - pronounced NEW !!! We were happy to hear that she would finally be admitted to hospital. Great, and in a weeks time she can have her operation !!! W R O N G ! ! ! It was a long wait, and all the delays ... and then she was finally scheduled ... and the lift to theatre broke down, no more operations on Monday afternoon ... surgeons had to play a round of golf ... may be ???
Then on Tuesday, like with the airlines ... the ran the Tuesday schedule ... Crazy ... drive you nuts ... but this is Viet Nam. Anyway, the operation finally happened, all went well, so we were told ... but no details. Diep came to take us to the Heart institute on Sunday morning. Nhu was out of ICU withing 30 hours ... and when we saw her she was out and about ... amazing. We did not stay long ... but it was good to see her. Nhu's mother tried to show us her bandage by unbuttoning Nhu's pj top. You should have seen her ... NO WAY !!! We all had a good cackle and left soon after. Nhu went home the Wednesday after. She was constantly in our prayers. She is fine now and has to go for check ups every two weeks.
Answer3: Not one, but three:
1.} Our hearts went out to the seven kids who could not go to school, parents could not afford it, but finally with the help of our friend Hoan they started school on the 11th of September. See earlier reports on our blog.
2.} Meeting Minh Phu, 2nd year IT student. Minh Phu has no arms. He studies in Sai Gon, family is from up north. His father came with him to Sai Gon, he got a job at uni and lives with him while Phu studies. Mother and the siblings stayed home and run the family farm. We paid $500 for his HEX fees, it's called HOC fee in Viet Nam!!! Phu can write just like us, only with his feet. He also showed us how he uses the laptop. Amazing. His Dell is over four years old and very slow, so we got him a new work tool!!!
3} We met Phuong Nhung at the Peace Village. She with her father, the family lives near the Cuchi tunnels, 35 km form Sai Gon. In 2000 she was diagnosed with cancer in her knee. The Peace Village in Germany organised for her to have an operation
in Germany. The tumor was malignant and they had to amputate her right
leg to the knee. Phuong Nhung is going to high school. We gave her educational support for one year by paying her school fees and other related costs.
Just the other day we received the e-mail below from father Duong, our contact for the Mekong delta projects. On our trips to the Mekong delta we told him that Matt is now a relief bus driver at the Coolum Christian College.
Here is what father Duong wrote:
Hello Matt and Uli,
On
behalf of the children, I would like to say thanks to you for your
loving kindness. The money you sent came into the account of Caritas My
Tho already.
You have many things to do now. Do you know what
image I am thinking of you, Matt? I am imaging you are on the bus not as
a driver, but as a father among children. In deed, I have learned many
lessons of love and of faith from both of you. I am happy to know you.
Thank you again, and prayerfully wish you blessings.
Peter Duong
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