It takes selfless devotion to raise children into adulthood and guide them through multiple stages in their lives. The goal is to do such a good job that they will be able to provide for themselves and their families and mature into responsible and kind people.
In Da Nang, GIBTK has seven housemothers who sacrificially and lovingly care for the children and young adults of The Father's House, Hal's Home, Lighthouse, Carmela's Home, and Mary's Home. I did some quick math and added up that these devoted ladies have a combined total of 60 years of service spread out among our five homes in Viet Nam! When I eagerly visit our kids on my trips, I not only get to see the smiling faces of our kids, but I also get to visit with Mai, Loan, Minh, Oanh, Chin, Thu, and Van. Today I would like to extend my deepest thanks to these dedicated and warm-hearted housemothers!
I arrived at Mary’s Home first. It was the perfect time to grab the housemothers, Thu and Van and play a game of musical chairs with the girls. The photos speak for themselves. I am so happy these ladies were able to carve out a little ‘play time’ with us prior to preparing a nutritious lunch for the girls, and safely picking up the little ones from school.
Next, I moved onto The Father’s House. Mai and Loan are superheroes for faithfully supporting the moms and their babies at the Father’s House for so many years. As we all know babies aren’t born during “work hours”, and their needs are continuous. These ladies tirelessly keep harmony within the home as the moms attend school or vocational training in preparation to support themselves and their babies after they leave GIBTK. While I was there, we thought it would be fun to reenact a photo that we took seven years ago when Tram’s son was just an infant. Here’s the photo of all of us 7 years later!
When I arrived at Carmela’s Home, I was immediately greeted by the warm smiles of Oanh and Chin. Unanimously the boys at Carmela’s Home all said they love to eat Oanh’s food! Time and time again, food is the common bond to bring families together. Clearly this same rule holds true at Carmela’s Home.
My last stop of the day was visiting the amazing young men and women of Hal’s Home and the Lighthouse. At the helm of these homes is Minh. Like the housemothers at The Father’s House, I have known Minh a long time. Minh truly cares for these young adults and is readily accessible to them, whatever the need. As our graduates grow up and leave GIBTK, they come back to visit, and they return to visit Minh for a meal and a hug.
My thanks to these ladies who positively influence the lives of the GIBTK children and young adults every day!
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