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Managing Sister and the children of OBV VN celebrate Father's Day
Dear Father, on this Sunday we celebrate all our fathers, for we know that our fathers are most deserving of this honor and respect.
Although you did not bring us into this world and nurtured us, we know that you have made many sacrifices and care deeply for all of us; you have extended your arms widely to envelop and embrace us into your heart. Father, we know that you work tirelessly day and night; when we hear that you barely sleep – at times merely resting yours eyes for a couple of hours at night – our hearts cannot help but ache for you!
Their innocent smiles when wearing new dresses
A five-year-old little girl lives with her father who works as a mechanic. Her parents had separated when she was one. Her mother could no longer endure her father's drunkenness and gambling habit so she left to go back to her village carrying with her an unborn child in her womb. Her mother works as a hired hand here and there scraping enough to support herself day by day as she lives in humiliation. As for the little girl, she lives with her father in a dilapidated and unfurnished rental unit. Her means of support is dependent on what her father brings home on that day from inflating and patching up tires for customers in the area. The little girl is five, but she doesn't get to go to school. She doesn't know any children songs or rhymes, nor does she have any toy. On a daily basis, she hangs around her father's auto shop; her toy is a rock or whatever else she might pick up.
Every year, Father's day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. We don't know what to say to you to express our love for you. We just want to give you the poem so that you can know how much we love you.
Dad, you're my everything.
Life is still full of problems
Dear Dad, mom, uncles, aunts,
I don't want to leave OBV family but I have to leave because of my family's situation. My mom is too sick to work, my two sisters are too young. I have to come back home to help my mother and take care of my sisters.
Thank you for taking care of me. I wish I could come back with OBV family when my family's situation is better. I know I will be happy when I am here , but my mom and my sisters are miserable and I can't stand it.
I hope that dad, mom, uncles, aunts will understand me. At home I won't be happy as when I'm here but I'm the eldest, I have responsibility for my family.
I love OBV family.
MP
After travelling over 6 hours since midnight, the OBV family met at the planned destination Hon Rom - Phan Thiet. Even though there was a little weary over the long trip, sleep "swaying" on the van, everyone were eager to see the sea, refreshing sea breeze into the dawn. After unloading the luggage into the hotel rooms, everyone rushed out to the sea ....
On summer, when there is no school and the OBV children have time to relax after a stressful semester; Dad, Mom, aunt and uncles make a plan for them to have fun, still don't forget teach them the lessons of life: the value of work, the co-operation in family. And the first lesson they have learnt today is the value of work. They have weaved basket, a work required of patience. Maybe because the majority of them come from poor families, weaving basket seems easy to them. Everyone started to work excitingly. To prepare for this, I had to go to the factory to learn to weave. Then I took the material home and showed them how to weave a complete basket.
The life is marked by different periods as well as the school life. It's happy for those who are lucky enough to be able to go to school, and they will never forget their school lives. The heat of summer, the sounds of cicadas, the color of Flamboyant flowers make everyone's heart flutters. It's time to relax after a stressful school year, but with you, students in ninth grade, summer means saying good bye, starting a new stage and marking a new step of maturity and turning 15 years old, the year of dreams and the open skies.
A paradox, but the truth is often unexpected
I knew there was something wrong from the moment the little girl set foot into the OBV home. It would have been fine if she was shy or scared because of being in a new environment, but she kept on smiling to and laughing with everyone, and even ran around the house with some older children, as if she was the host herself.
From June 7 to 9, in tenth year ordination anniversary, Dad Thong organized a field trip to Hon Rom beach for Vietnam and Cambodia OBV children. Particularly in this trip, a special guest, Mom Nga, was present. Being a physician, she had anonymous donated most of the income earnings to support the children financially for all past years.
The heartbeat of the children in Cambodia rushed down and up constantly when preparing for the journey. Although applying for the passports three months ago, there were hassles in processing the legal documents. Even in last couple of days before the journey, the official said: "Not done yet, with reason: government violence." The OBV members searched another alternative path to get the legal passports so all children could participate in this meaningful trip. The documents weren't done until Thursday night before the Saturday - which was the day to leave for the field trip.
The Cambodia OBV children are arriving in Vietnam
The Cambodia OBV children visited the OBV "Feb 5th" store, while waiting for the bus to bring them to OBV Vietnam house
That was the desire of father Thong: what can we do for the OBV children to have the best learning environment, especially for the subject of English?
The children have studied English at school for some time, but there were some children unable to study at school because:
Hastily roaming in a familiar Honda, I went to find you. Information about you was quite vague; I knew that you were in that area, on that road, but that road was too long. I had been going back and forth—I did not know how many times—to observe each house. The houses were very close together, the long alleys winding. Oh, how did I know where to find you when my strength was limited!
Actually, visiting families and searching young ladies who needed help were not my jobs, but I still wanted to go this trip. This trip was prepared well to get two things done. First, specialists took care training and had speeches at a middle school near the bottom of Sam Mountain (Chau Doc-An Giang-Vietnam). Second, two directors and I went to T's house according to K's direction.
Somewhere about, a cicada sings
Here, look what summer brings
The sun is fierce, pouring fire
The sultry heat's stifling
Short spring time went by,
And t'is summer time.
The rental room where the girl is living.
The morning phone call was to inquire the situation, the rumor was that the girl had not worked last few days. Found out that she had the fever and was home alone. There were two siblings in the house, the brother was working far from home, would not be home for several months. In Saigon, weather was muggy, hot. Occasionally, it rained but did not relieve the heat wave in this season. She was street peddler selling lottery tickets during the rain so she got sick. It caught attention of two volunteers so they decided to visit her and see where she is residing.
Getting familiar and playing with the children of OBV Vietnam happened quite often because the location is rather close, but with the children of OBV Cambodia, it is a bit difficult. Thus, not until May 2014 did I have the opportunity to go visit Cambodia and get in touch with the children.
Because I had never got in touch with the children yet, and had certain obstacles in language, I was very worried when preparing the manners lessons for them. As soon as I walked to the entrance, the children inside the house saw, went outside and opened the gate, and greeted me loud-and-clear. While lounging around and making their acquaintance, and during meals, the children even knew to say thanks when there was someone getting them something, and sorry when necessary. Oh, they already have these very good skills.