Well we sat in the office, Tam asking me pointed questions about upcoming teams and me distracted and not cooperating very well with her. Then I heard an infant. It cried out a second time. I asked who is that. Tam shrugged saying we need to plan. I’m thinking anything to get away from this stuff.

  I went downstairs and there is why I do what I do. It is why GIBTK does what it does. Yah, here I am typing in tears again. Here was this 9 month old girl. Having been just released from the hospital and the parents stopping by to thank us. Since 2 months of age this baby girl has spent most of life in the hospital. On Dec. 22^nd she had open heart surgery and here she was in all her splendor. Giggling and fusing! How great is that?

  My wife and I recently had some health concerns with our daughter. But nothing like this baby girl. I was a mess. What had this couple endured, and now to see their daughter looking amazingly healthy. All for an $1800 donation from our recent fundraiser. The other amazing thing another child is getting a heart surgery through a matching grant!

  I am so glad you are not here to see tears rolling down my face. Yes there is a lot of “stuff” that is part of running this thing called GIBTK, But oh GOD! There is the reward of seeing a child have the ability to live, for $1800!!! Sorry I think I am writing to myself today as I need the boost.

  Thanks for reading and giving me the opportunity to write. Writing helps me to put things into prospective. Probably wouldn’t happen without you!

  Looks more and more like we will take the office I spoke of today. With the improvements etc it is going to cost us about $641 a month. Averaged out over 3 years. This does not include the building out of the patio which will be an additional $2000 if we choose to do it. But it does not need to be done yet. It has a nice big room we can use for our conference room.

Here is another wheelchair story written by our partner in Hanoi.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Thinh, 37 years old.

When I came to the Phuc Tho district, I saw soybean fields transformed to yellow leaves, making it a romantic scenery place. But, behind this façade it is a difficult life for farmers here. We of HSCV came to this district for the distribution ceremony where wheelchairs for people with disabilities took place.

   Each of the disabled we meet and interview has their own destinies but they have all had misfortune in their lives. Mr. Thinh, who is sitting on a wheelchair with a sad face, has been paralyzed in both legs since he was three years old. He looks very healthy. He lives in the love of his wife and two young children. This is the motivational force that helps him to overcome his physical difficulties.

   He still uses crutches every day to move about and work. “I also raise a small pig”, he says. When I asked him about his daily life, he said that he still does his daily hygiene by himself. He also helps his wife with the housework, and he does farm work as well as make clothing to earn extra income. Although, he and his wife have tried very hard to make ends meet, they still don’t generate enough money for their children to go to school.

   When the weather turns cold and rainy, both of his legs still hurt. His left leg seems to be numb, and difficult to move. He cries a little and says: “Please thank all of people who donated a wheelchair! Because of the wheelchair I still can work - even when the leg hurts”. He wants to express a deep gratitude to the Western charity organizations, and Vietnamese charity organizations which have made life less difficult for those who are physically challenged.

><((((º>  BBlessed