Hearing the cries...

Yesterday afternoon we went by motorbike with the receptionist from our hotel to meet a very poor family in a little village nearby. This plan developed spontaneously because the receptionist knows our guide Anh and his reputation for helping people.

The information we have about the family before we arrive is that the parents are both disabled and the father cannot walk or stand. They have 2 children, a daughter who is 20 and described as "having problems."  They also have an 8 year old son who attends school. When he's not in school the parents send him to the local market place to beg for money to buy food so the family can eat. At this point he is their only hope.

When we arrive the boy is waiting by the side of the road. He leads us back the dirt path to his home.  His mother is chopping firewood for cooking and his father is sitting on the floor of the porch. We're invited in. There is no furniture in the small 3 room home, the only food is a little rice and some fish sauce. There is a blanket on the floor.

Quiet Vietnamese chatter occurs between the couple, the boy, Anh and the receptionist. We get back on the motor bikes with the boy and head to a nearby market. Anh purchases eggs, tofu, oil, and a tomato, and juice.

Back on the bikes, we return to the path that leads to the home where we drop the boy off with the bags of groceries. He is strong enough to carry them all! He takes a few steps toward home then stops, turns around, and smiles.

With heavy hearts we pull away.

This morning Tonya suggested that maybe Jim Helt heard the boy's cries, and that's what set this series of events in motion! A portion of Jim's gifts for Vietnam will help sustain the family for the next year or until other arrangements are in place.