You may remember reading about Thuy awhile ago. Our “bloke in the field”, Tim travels all over Asia on behalf of Orphan’s Promise to find and work with effective ministry partners who are really helping the orphaned and disenfranchised of this world.
Tim - While in Vietnam in 2010, I traveled with our Orphan’s Promise partner to the home of Thuy, a tiny 14 year old girl suffering from cerebral palsy. As we entered the dimly lit room for the first time, we were shocked with what we saw. Thuy’s tiny frame was covered with flies; she was so skinny and emancipated that I feared she had little time left to live.
Visiting Thuy in early 2010 birthed a greater awareness of the desperation faced by these poverty stricken special needs families, and an urgency for us to do something more about it. After this visit, Orphan’s Promise agreed to provide funding for a new Special Forces program developed and administered by one of our key partners in Vietnam. The Vietnamese government kindly assisted us by identifying many desperate special needs families to join the program.
After a recent visit to Vietnam in January 2011, I was so glad to be able to visit Thuy again. We travelled to her tiny home in a new Ford Transit Van that Orphan’s Promise had recently purchased for our partner’s ministry. This new van is a real blessing for this program, especially when it comes to delivering food parcels and transporting special needs children so they can receive much needed therapy. I was filled with joy to see the change in Thuy’s face after just 9 months in the Special Forces program. She was clean and clothed, and had put on so much weight. Her eyes were responsive to what was happening around her and she smiled often. Straight after our first shock meeting with Thuy in 2010, our partner had arranged for urgent medical assistance and Thuy was taken to the hospital. Our partner even had Thuy stay with their family in their home until she gained strength. Thuy’s recently widowed mother now receives the monthly food parcels and has also been assisted with a small micro-enterprise endeavor so she can sell ice-cream and cold drinks.
I am so glad that Orphan’s Promise can be a part of reaching out to widows, orphans and special needs children in Vietnam, bringing them the love of God in tangible ways. The amazing change in Thuy is what we hope and pray will take place in the lives of all of these special needs children we are reaching out to. Thank you to our dedicated partner in Vietnam and our faithful Orphan’s Promise donors who have all helped to bring new hope and joy to the life of Thuy and others like her in this Special Forces program. Pic #1 The van that is making a big difference! Pic #2 Little Thuy reminds me of a baby bird!
Terry
