Todays journal is written by Tam our extraordinaire S.E. Asia Director. Truly a Gift from God. GIBTK would not be what it is today without her. She has continued to grow personally and as a leader. I am honored to serve by her side! As always if your led to write a note of encouragement of thanks I will forward to Tam.
"I don't even remember when it was the last time, I wrote a journal of my personal feelings and experiences. I guess I need to do one but this would not happen till I was reminded by my boss lol.
Looking back at the journey that I have gone through the last 13 years, I can't keep tears from rolling on my cheeks to think of lives GIBTK has touched. I am blessed that I have experienced so much in my life. GIBTK has transformed my life and so many other lives. I was told that people often don't stay in one job forever, but to me the more I do my job, the more passionate I am about what I have been doing and the more I love it. Maybe something is wrong with me lol. So, I guess my retirement will not come soon huh?! :-)
When I came back from Ho Chi Minh after picking up the Pflegers in Feb, I was choked when I walked out of the airport. My boys from Hals home came to greet us at the airport. Looking at these young men we have built up, I am so grateful that God has planted the DNA of Hal Binkley into these boys. They are real young men who will dent the universe and who will make a difference in this life. Also, I am so thankful for my co-worker Lanh, who has invested so much into these boys and has kept them in path of achieving a great future! I see great future in them. I see great fathers in them.
Once day in the trip with Pflegers, we visited a poor family to build a compassion house in Dien Hong commune, Dien Ban district, Quang Nam province. I had a mixed feeling when I walked inside the house. All my past memories flooded back to me. I had tears in my eyes walking around the house. Looking at Hien - the oldest daughter, I saw the younger version of me in her. Confusion, being afraid, less confidence and worriment are things I could see on her face and through the look in her eyes.
If I were her, I would go through all these emotions too. Living in a shack with mud floor is not something that will help build up your confidence or self-esteem but I think it is something that helps you have an unending desire of a better future and have a strong determination and will to achieve the best you can. I went through a life like that and have been where I am today, so I hope that Hien, the daughter of this family, will do too and be like me.
In recent trips, Robert has talked about giving hope to children, to those we help. Hope has done great things in my personal life. All things have happened in my life because someone gave me hope. Hope gave me courage to take action to achieve my goals and keep me on my path. So, I do want to give back this hope to the next generation to transform their lives. Helping a poor family with a compassion house is huge but giving them hope for a better future and keep following up to encourage them when they are in downward spiral will help them passionate moving forward. Returning to the story of the family we visited with the Pflegers, the family's house is being built now and Hien just moved in Lighthouse. I am sure that the future of this girl and this family will be changed.
With Love;
Tam T. Tong
