Tucked away down a beaten path, nestled amongst tropical greenery, I never thought to find a gem of a place that has already begun to change my life; Thien An, an orphanage in Can Tho, Vietnam. It's difficult to swallow, the stories told about these 40 some odd children- now imagine living as one. Every tale was a tear jerker; the simple statement that struck a chord for me was that of a teenage boy who decided to run away. When caught and brought home, he was interrogated. "Why you ask? I want to go find my family and where I come from." And soon after, he slipped away without notice and has not been seen since. How do you teach a child growing up of his displacement in life? How do you teach someone to love and to respect when he was left on the streets with no such treatment? Growing up is hard enough in these generations with all of the contemporary pressures of being accepted in society. To even begin to put myself in his shoes, I can't even lie and say that I can imagine it.
It takes a very special person to put his own life on hold and use that time to benefit another. I was graciously offered to come along and shadow a pair of📷 physicians who have been doing this for years.
I am actually watching magic happen- not the fantastical kind in movies. But tangible, real-life magic.
My only hopes is that as my journey continues, and the web unravels, I can find someway to continuously support the efforts in finding and building hope for these children. They have already left permanent footsteps in me. All I wish is to return the favor.
To be continued..... Stella Duong