Today's journal is from our President, Robert Kalatschan!!
Greetings from Vietnam and Cambodia! I’ve been in the country for several weeks. It’s been great having some teenagers here. Many of you have read their posts. It’s hard for me to believe I have been coming to Vietnam since 2001 working as president of GIBTK since 2002. In Cambodia since 2012!
It seems funny, or maybe a better word, strange to me that often I get so busy at day-to-day stuff and in my own thought life that I miss out on what we’re really doing here. Or perhaps it’s God’s way of keeping my ego a bit less.
From time to time I will read a follow up, or have a moment or two like I have had on this trip. I was at Dorothea’s Project Legacy 3 the other day and it just hit me, I looked at the building, and I said to myself, wait this is our building! The realization hit me that the teachers here are part of our team! They are our teachers.
As I wandered around, looking at the different classrooms in the building and the weight of it hit me, this is a dream that this broke down pizza guy that fished a lot took a chance on over 20 years ago.
That’s when a young student came up to me with not so clear English, he looked me in the eyes and said, thank you so much, (as I’m typing this a flood of emotions hit me, realizing and remembering how sincere he was.). He went on to say: “my classes are very important to me. I am so grateful to Giving it Back to Kids. It is so helpful.”
Many of you who read this, have or are donors, others have prayed for us currently or through the years. Some of you as silly as it may sound just hit like on social media and I find that encouraging. I say those things because without all of you, we would not be where we are today. I want to challenge it to take ownership of the fruit of Giving It Back To Kids.
I also wondered if a guy that was kicked out of high school his senior year, had a very questionable, to put it nicely youth. In the restaurant and fishing business. If someone like that much of the people around me growing up said I’d never be able to do anything except time in prison. If someone like me, take a chance and do something. I’ve got to ask you what’s keeping so many of you from taking a chance on the dream that’s within you the thought that’s within you? Contact me if you want to discuss this. I wrote a book available on Amazon. What if…you took a step
Honestly, that’s a good question to ask yourself. What if I took a step? Can I make a difference in a person’s life? I’ve heard it said, some of the wealthiest people are in cemeteries because they passed away with dreams, visions, aspirations and ideas. They never took a chance to take a step. In my book it talks about the lessons I’m learning in leading this organization. But maybe more so in leading myself.
Please help spread the word and the stories of Giving It Back To Kids if you would. And remember we have teams coming over just about every couple of months. And I love having young people come and usually scheduled trips focused on them in the summertime and would consider spring break time
Please stay in touch and thank you.
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