Greetings from Flagstaff Arizona. I just got back from spending a few days with at risk kids at Lake Powel. Too much to write about in just a few words. But what a blessing it was for me.

Our GIBTK staff has kept at it. Today Is a note from a couple days ago relief work. I know I have already asked you many times for help. So allow me grace and ask if you would help spread the word for us. The Vietnam typhoon has dropped out of the news but the recovery process is only beginning.  Thanks for keeping up with the emails. SO far we have raised a remarkable $12,000 for typhoon relief. I need to tell you that 100% is going to the relief efforts. YEA GOD!!!!! Here is Tams report from a couple days ago.

“Today was a day with 3000 notebooks for poor children and 52 more blankets for those who lost blankets in flood. GIBTKs’ team first stopped at the health center of Dai Nghia commune to hand out blankets. 

 When we were handing out blankets, an old lady attracted my attention. I moved near to talk to her. After few minutes of talking, I found that she is Truong Thi Tam who is 98 years old and lives alone. Some of her children died in the war; others got married, so they lived in another place. She must take care of herself. When the flood hit her house, she could not move the things in her house because of the old age, so she lost many things like blanket, mosquito net, bowls and pans.

 She was asked how she has been able to sleep at night on these days without a blanket. She said that she has used her jackets in order to keep her body warm. Hearing this, I burst into tears because I knew that how much she has suffered from sleeping without a blanket.

I asked her how much relief have you gotten since the flood. Her answer made my heart tormented. She said; “ this blanket was the first gift I got as relief.”

 Although she has been in very disadvantaged situation, she still had a big smile to welcome me. She told me that she was very happy with this gift because she didn’t need to use her jackets instead of blanket any more and thanks to GIBTKs, she could have a very nice blanket which she could never have enough money to buy.

Next, GIBTKs’ team stopped at Doan Nghien primary school and Tran Tong one to hand out notebooks to children. After receiving notebooks, they tried to talk with each other about the new ones in happiness. The deputy manager of education department of Dai Loc district said: “I am touched by GIBTK’s desire to help the  poor children in flooded areas. These notebooks are timely relief to help children to start their studies again. On behalf of many children here, I am very grateful for your care to the growing need of my children at this time.”

Nguyen Thi My Nhi, one of the children came to give me a piece of paper which showed her gratefulness to GIBTKs. In the letter, she wrote: “Like many other children, I was born and grew up in the peaceful countryside. Our childhood, besides going to school, we excitedly run and play games in rice paddies and paths with bamboos of our village. But our happiness will disappear when the winter comes; it goes with floods and storms to destroy our village.

 As usual, this year, the rainy season came, it brought the first calamity to us. The strong typhoon and flood seriously hit my peaceful village. When the storm passed , the flood came and sunk everything in water and mud. The typhoon and flood made many houses collapsed, and badly damaged. The flood has blown off all books and notebooks of many of my friends.

In this difficult time, we receive the care of Giving It Back to Kids, the notebooks you all bring to us both materially and mentally encourage us much, and this is the main motivation for us to get over this hard time to study well.”

Looking at school books of children covered by mud was drying on the floor at schools, I remembered the days living with my parents in the countryside of Quang Nam, the days with hardship, typhoon and flood.”