It is 4:50am and I can't sleep. Today is our last day in Vietnam. I'm sorry that we haven't blogged for the past three days but we have been so busy and so tired. We have had so much fun doing food distributions, teaching English, taking the kids to the beach, and just loving on the kids. God is so good to let us be a part of this trip. Words can't describe the joy on these beautiful people's faces when you give them a food pack. I was asked to stay home from the last feeding to teach English but my team said the feeding was amazing. Minnie, one of our team members, speaks some Vietnamese and she is a nurse. She was checking out a child's eye that had been stabbed with a pencil a while back. The child's grandmother said that she had taken the child to the doctor but they couldn't do anything and she wanted to know if Minnie had medicine. Minnie told her that she didn't have medicine but that she would love to pray over her. Minnie, although Vietnamese, doesn't speak the language all of the time so she wasn't exactly sure how she was going to pray in Vietnamese so she said a quick prayer to the Lord to help her. She said as she started to pray she knew the Lord had taken over because the phrases and scripture that was coming out of her mouth was beautiful. She was saying things in Vietnamese that she had never said before. Isn't God amazing?! He cares so much for each and every one of us!!!
Yesterday, our Friday, we were all able to sit down with the head nun at the orphanage. I sat down by Kevin but the head nun patted the seat beside her so I moved. She then handed me a mug of beans. If you know me then you know I am a picky eater and I really didn't want to eat beans that were in some brown watery liquid with ice! I think she moved me beside her to get a little laugh. :) I did try them and they were very sweet. They were not as bad as I thought but I still wasn't a big fan. Anyways, she told us her plan for building a bigger orphanage that holds 200 children. She plans to have a garden for the children and a soccer field. She also told us how she plans on turning the current orphanage in to a kindergarten that teaches English. All of the kids will be able to attend but she will also open up the kindergarten to the children in the city. This will bring in money for the orphanage. We were able to visit the land and it was beautiful. We also visited the cemetery where she has buried about 19,000 aborted fetuses since 2006. If she did not bury these fetuses they would have been thrown in the trash. She also has buried many unkown soldiers that had to be moved from land that the government wanted and remains that no one claims. This nun has a huge heart for God and for her people. She is so inspiring!
After meeting with our team, the head nun asked to speak to our family. Once again she told Tram story in front of her. She told us how Tram says her mom doesn't love her and how Tram wants to be a teacher but that she can't because she doesn't learn like the other children. Seeing Tram get upset broke our hearts. At first I was mad and then I had to remember that this is their culture not ours. They are a culture that speaks how they feel or what they see is truth. Where as my culture sugar coats everything. I truly don't think she was trying to hurt or upset Tram. She was just speaking what she believes to be the truth. She also told us that she loves all of the kids but Tram is one of 2 that she loves the most. Unlike the last two trips, some of the things that she said led me to believe that she doesn't want us or won't allow us to adopt Tram but I know that if she is supposed to be home with us in America that she will be. God is so much bigger and has big plans for this beautiful little girl. She did say that if Tram studied hard that maybe she could be an exchange student. We told her how good Tram was with technology and she said she would try to get her some training. Maybe this is why God has put her in our hearts, to be her advocate. All I know that we are going to continue to love and pray for her. I rest in knowing that God loves her even more than we do and that whatever His will for her it will be perfect because it is His.
The head nun also said that she hoped my family could come and stay for a month and teach English. She said that we could stay in a hotel but that Tram could stay with us. This is a very smart lady! She wouldn't have to pay, as she does now, for an English teacher because she knows that we would do anything to have more time with Tram. I feel like it would be a win-win for everyone. I would get to teach and we would get to spend a lot of time with our sweet girl, two things that I love!!!
I do need to wrap this up because I need to get everyone up and packed. As I am typing this Tram woke up and is now watching Tom and Jerry! She has spent the last 3 nights with us and it has been amazing. I love watching her cuddle up next to Kevin. She loves him so much! She has been so happy this trip and we are all going to be so sad in a few hours when we have to say goodbye. Both of my girls have begged to stay but we can't. We were going to try to stay an extra week but we couldn't get flights back together. Maybe next summer we will be able to stay for 4-6 weeks. We will see what the Lord has planned. Please be in prayer for our team and for the kids as we leave. This is never easy for any of us.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Amazing Day!
Yesterday we went to the special needs orphanage where the nuns speak Spanish. We had a great time loving on the kids. Seeing Jaycie, Macey and Kevin play and love on these kids melted my heart. I am so amazed by their compassion and love for others.
We finally made it to our orphanage around 4:00. When we got there, the kids put on a performance for us and as always they did a fabulous job. After the performance, we had dinner at the orphanage and we played with the kids for a short amount of time. Macey had really hard time when we had to leave because Tram seemed to be sad. This broke my heart! I hate seeing my girls upset.
We got up at 4:45 am this morning so we could be at the hospital by 6:00am. At the hospital, we gave the patients soup, sugar, condensed milk, and a small amount of money. We also passed out candy to the kids. After that, we had breakfast at the orphanage and played with the kids until about 10:30. At 10:30, we had the food distribution for the disabled and the poorest of the poor. We gave almost 200 people a 35lb bag of rice, a box of noodles, and money. This should last a family of 4 for 3-4 weeks. The joy and thankfulness that these people have is humbling! I can't imagine living in extreme poverty the way that these people do and having so much happiness. It just goes to show that stuff is not what gives you happiness. Only He can bring true joy to us.
This afternoon when we went back to the orphanage, Christine asked if someone would volunteer to teacher the kindergarteners and the older girls English. I volunteered and I had a blast!!! John would translate for me when needed. We worked on the numbers 11-15 and reviewed 0-10. We had so much fun. We worked hard for about an hour. The kids were so encouraging of each other and they weren't afraid to try. Teaching these sweet kids today reminded me how much I love my job. Maybe next year I can come teach English at the orphanage all summer!! I will be teaching again on Thursday and I can't wait!
After our English session, we played with bubbles and balls. I love hearing the giggles of these kids! I wish I could bring every one these sweet children home with me but I know that the kids are loved and taken care of at the orphanage. You can see it in their precious smiles.
We are having so much fun with Tram. It is so good for all of us to be together. I am so thankful that God has allowed our family to come back to Vietnam. I thank you for your prayers and support!
Tomorrow we will be doing another food distribution and we are taking the kids to the beach! It should be a fabulous day!
Love,
Cheyenne
Tomorrow we will be doing another food distribution and we are taking the kids to the beach! It should be a fabulous day!
Love,
Cheyenne
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Going to be a short update tonight, VERY tired and starting early in the morning.
We are finally heading to Lagi in the morning after spending the day in Ho Chi Minh. We visited a government ran orphanage that is here in the city which is the home for over 400 disabled children, and another 200 children that are brought in and picked up on a daily basis by their parents (somewhat like a daycare).
It is truly heartbreaking to see what extreme disabilities some of these children have. Your heart cannot help but to hurt as you look into their eyes and realize that they will never experience the joys of life that we did as children and that our children do. Things that we take for granted, like eating meals out, riding a bicycle, playing a game of soccer, swimming in the summertime, and especially the love that a parent/child relationship should bear. But, while looking into their faces and seeing the smiles that even the slightest touch can bring, I recall that in Ephesians chapter 2, His word tells us that we are His masterpiece. Yes, even these disabled children who will never walk, eat on their own, or even talk, are His masterpiece, and He loves them tons more then I could ever imagine.
It is amazing to see the pure joy that hugs, tickles, and running around being goofy can bring to children. It reminds me how important it is to take time for the little stuff, because I am so thankful that I had those times as a child and that I am able to provide some for my children (although probably not enough:)). These children don't get that on a regular basis and because of that, my heart goes out to them. I especially had an awesome time with a little boy named Nam. His smiles and laughter made my day, and I hope that our time together brightened his. It is times like these when I realize how I shouldn't be sweating the small stuff, and that I need to spend more quality time just laughing and playing with my own children, because there are definitely ones all around the world that can't enjoy that pleasure.
Please pray for our team as we head for Lagi tomorrow. Please pray that His love will flow through us out onto all those that we come in contact with and that we will rest in His presence during it all.
All for Him,
Kevin
We are finally heading to Lagi in the morning after spending the day in Ho Chi Minh. We visited a government ran orphanage that is here in the city which is the home for over 400 disabled children, and another 200 children that are brought in and picked up on a daily basis by their parents (somewhat like a daycare).
It is truly heartbreaking to see what extreme disabilities some of these children have. Your heart cannot help but to hurt as you look into their eyes and realize that they will never experience the joys of life that we did as children and that our children do. Things that we take for granted, like eating meals out, riding a bicycle, playing a game of soccer, swimming in the summertime, and especially the love that a parent/child relationship should bear. But, while looking into their faces and seeing the smiles that even the slightest touch can bring, I recall that in Ephesians chapter 2, His word tells us that we are His masterpiece. Yes, even these disabled children who will never walk, eat on their own, or even talk, are His masterpiece, and He loves them tons more then I could ever imagine.
It is amazing to see the pure joy that hugs, tickles, and running around being goofy can bring to children. It reminds me how important it is to take time for the little stuff, because I am so thankful that I had those times as a child and that I am able to provide some for my children (although probably not enough:)). These children don't get that on a regular basis and because of that, my heart goes out to them. I especially had an awesome time with a little boy named Nam. His smiles and laughter made my day, and I hope that our time together brightened his. It is times like these when I realize how I shouldn't be sweating the small stuff, and that I need to spend more quality time just laughing and playing with my own children, because there are definitely ones all around the world that can't enjoy that pleasure.
Please pray for our team as we head for Lagi tomorrow. Please pray that His love will flow through us out onto all those that we come in contact with and that we will rest in His presence during it all.
All for Him,
Kevin
Saturday, July 14, 2012
The team spent the day in Ho Chi Minh today, shopping, eating, and recouping. It is crazy how much I love being here, even though I can't speak the language and I only like some of the food here. Definitely a God thing!
And, for some reason, this trip already feels a little different. I really do feel like the Lord is working on Cheyenne and I in a different way this go round. He is revealing to us how glorifying it is to Him that we cherish every moment He gives us and how rewarding it is to be "on mission" at ALL times in our lives. We all too often get in our little routine and forget that, as believers, He should be the center of our lives, not just a "go to" at certain times. A good friend of mine has been constantly reminding me "Every second is His!", and that is becoming more and more apparent. We sometimes have the mindset that we can only do His work when we are serving at church, in our small groups, or on a mission trip. But His word tells us to "pray without ceasing", and to "love our neighbor as ourselves", so how amazing is it that we can be "on mission" just in line at the store, at the airport, or praying over a group of people in the Vietnamese market. And what a blessing it is that we can go to our Creator in prayer and supplication at ANYTIME. How cool is it that we can show God's love by just listening and showing someone that you care. It totally causes me to look at my life in a different way when I realize that I don't have to go somewhere or be in a specific place to "be on mission", it can and should be right where my two feet are at the moment.
I don't know if you remember Cheyenne talking last year about the two girls who sell all day, every day in the downtown market, but we were able to see them again today. There names are Hang and Nha (sp?), and we got to hang out with them for a little while. They had asked for Barbie dolls last time we were here, so we were able to bring them to them this trip. It was amazing to see their faces light up when we gave them the dolls. It made me want to bring them a 100 of them next time! Please keep them in your prayers, because we fear that they are being trafficked. They are always there and they don't go to school. They are 8 to 10 years old and VERY intelligent, especially when it comes to "street smarts". They know English very well and love to sit and talk with us. But are very guarded and shy when you talk to them about family or school. Either way you look at it, even if their family is in the picture, if they are being held from going to school and forced to work the streets selling in the market, they are being trafficked.
So..."what can I do about it" kept going through my mind. And instantly my mindset veered off into the direction of: "You can't do anything, there isn't anything you can do. That is such a huge problem, you live across the world, and it is out of your hands". But then I realized...no, I serve a sovereign God which nothing is too great for. There isn't anything I can do about it, EXCEPT go in prayer about it and give it to Him. I don't know what the answer is, but He does. I have to remember that He loves those little girls a thousand times more than we do. Over and over in His word, He explains how much He hates people being oppressed and He tells us how we are to seek justice for those that are oppressed. So I will do the only thing that I know to do, which is go to him in intent prayer and follow His lead. Besides, that is the best thing I could ever do anyways!
Tomorrow, we are meeting early and heading to a government orphanage here in HCM City to love on children, many of which are severely disabled. So please pray that we will let His love pour out through us onto them and that we won't think of any gesture of love that is done in His name is too small to make a difference. After all, isn't that what He commands us to do....LOVE!
All for Him,
Kevin, Cheyenne, and the team
And, for some reason, this trip already feels a little different. I really do feel like the Lord is working on Cheyenne and I in a different way this go round. He is revealing to us how glorifying it is to Him that we cherish every moment He gives us and how rewarding it is to be "on mission" at ALL times in our lives. We all too often get in our little routine and forget that, as believers, He should be the center of our lives, not just a "go to" at certain times. A good friend of mine has been constantly reminding me "Every second is His!", and that is becoming more and more apparent. We sometimes have the mindset that we can only do His work when we are serving at church, in our small groups, or on a mission trip. But His word tells us to "pray without ceasing", and to "love our neighbor as ourselves", so how amazing is it that we can be "on mission" just in line at the store, at the airport, or praying over a group of people in the Vietnamese market. And what a blessing it is that we can go to our Creator in prayer and supplication at ANYTIME. How cool is it that we can show God's love by just listening and showing someone that you care. It totally causes me to look at my life in a different way when I realize that I don't have to go somewhere or be in a specific place to "be on mission", it can and should be right where my two feet are at the moment.
I don't know if you remember Cheyenne talking last year about the two girls who sell all day, every day in the downtown market, but we were able to see them again today. There names are Hang and Nha (sp?), and we got to hang out with them for a little while. They had asked for Barbie dolls last time we were here, so we were able to bring them to them this trip. It was amazing to see their faces light up when we gave them the dolls. It made me want to bring them a 100 of them next time! Please keep them in your prayers, because we fear that they are being trafficked. They are always there and they don't go to school. They are 8 to 10 years old and VERY intelligent, especially when it comes to "street smarts". They know English very well and love to sit and talk with us. But are very guarded and shy when you talk to them about family or school. Either way you look at it, even if their family is in the picture, if they are being held from going to school and forced to work the streets selling in the market, they are being trafficked.
So..."what can I do about it" kept going through my mind. And instantly my mindset veered off into the direction of: "You can't do anything, there isn't anything you can do. That is such a huge problem, you live across the world, and it is out of your hands". But then I realized...no, I serve a sovereign God which nothing is too great for. There isn't anything I can do about it, EXCEPT go in prayer about it and give it to Him. I don't know what the answer is, but He does. I have to remember that He loves those little girls a thousand times more than we do. Over and over in His word, He explains how much He hates people being oppressed and He tells us how we are to seek justice for those that are oppressed. So I will do the only thing that I know to do, which is go to him in intent prayer and follow His lead. Besides, that is the best thing I could ever do anyways!
Tomorrow, we are meeting early and heading to a government orphanage here in HCM City to love on children, many of which are severely disabled. So please pray that we will let His love pour out through us onto them and that we won't think of any gesture of love that is done in His name is too small to make a difference. After all, isn't that what He commands us to do....LOVE!
All for Him,
Kevin, Cheyenne, and the team
Friday, July 13, 2012
We finally made it in to Ho Chi Minh City and the trip over could not have gone any better. Flights left on time, all luggage made it, and everyone is here safe. There were a total of 20 of us from LOI and Cornerstone on the first flight into Seoul, Korea. A group of 5 heading to Thailand and the rest of us on to Vietnam. It is so amazing to be grouped with such an awesome body of believers and to see how God is working in and through us. A highlight of the day was when we all circled up in the airport, before we went our separate ways, and prayed over the teams and the people of Vietnam and Thailand.
I also had the privilege to sit next to a sweet lady by the name of Nancy Conner on the plane. It's funny how God puts you in certain places for a reason, and this was definitely one of those situations. I learned that Nancy's husband had lived in Vietnam for 5 years in the '60s, then she and her husband had lived in Vietnam from '72 to '74 as teachers/missionaries. After the North took over the South, they were forced to come back to the states. Only this time, they came back with a 4 month old Vietnamese baby boy that they had adopted. Since then, they had only been back once for a very short trip in the early 2000's. Nancy's husband unfortunately developed Alzheimer's and passed away a couple years back, and ever since, she has felt this urge to return and carry on the work he loved to the people he cared so much for. So, she is heading back to a small village in South Vietnam to teach English along with the Bible to young children. Being retired from a 45 year career as an Elementary Education Teacher, she is not sitting still. She is obeying in ways that most of us cannot imagine. Widowed, retired, and a grandmother, she totally could sit where she was and be comfortable. But instead, she is heading to the other side of the world to share Christ with others. What an amazing heart!
John and Christine were there to greet us at the airport, and as always, it was so great to see them. I cannot thank them enough for their hearts and their passion for saving children.
Tomorrow we are staying around in Ho Chi Minh with the team to get our bearings back and do a little shopping. We will head to some orphanages on Sunday and check out John and Christine's new pad. Then, finally, we get to head out to Lagi on Monday for a week of working with the orphans there and doing the several feedings in surrounding areas. I cannot wait!!!
Being here actually makes me miss Tram even more. Knowing that she is only a few hours a bus ride away and that it is only a couple days until I see her, my heart aches even more. There is always this weird anxiety of: "how much has she grown?", "will she still love us?", "will she want to hang with us?", and of course..."will we ever be able to bring her home?" And it is when these thoughts come up, I have to remind myself who is sovereign, and who is in control. He knows the answers to all my questions, and I am thankful that I get to rest in that.
Please continue to pray for the team, our travels, John and Christine, the orphans, and the people of Vietnam. But most of all, pray that we bring glory to our Creator, the Almighty, and that we will allow His love to be shown through us. I am so thankful that I am on His team, and that I actually get to play in the game.
All for Him,
Kevin, Cheyenne, and the team
I also had the privilege to sit next to a sweet lady by the name of Nancy Conner on the plane. It's funny how God puts you in certain places for a reason, and this was definitely one of those situations. I learned that Nancy's husband had lived in Vietnam for 5 years in the '60s, then she and her husband had lived in Vietnam from '72 to '74 as teachers/missionaries. After the North took over the South, they were forced to come back to the states. Only this time, they came back with a 4 month old Vietnamese baby boy that they had adopted. Since then, they had only been back once for a very short trip in the early 2000's. Nancy's husband unfortunately developed Alzheimer's and passed away a couple years back, and ever since, she has felt this urge to return and carry on the work he loved to the people he cared so much for. So, she is heading back to a small village in South Vietnam to teach English along with the Bible to young children. Being retired from a 45 year career as an Elementary Education Teacher, she is not sitting still. She is obeying in ways that most of us cannot imagine. Widowed, retired, and a grandmother, she totally could sit where she was and be comfortable. But instead, she is heading to the other side of the world to share Christ with others. What an amazing heart!
John and Christine were there to greet us at the airport, and as always, it was so great to see them. I cannot thank them enough for their hearts and their passion for saving children.
Tomorrow we are staying around in Ho Chi Minh with the team to get our bearings back and do a little shopping. We will head to some orphanages on Sunday and check out John and Christine's new pad. Then, finally, we get to head out to Lagi on Monday for a week of working with the orphans there and doing the several feedings in surrounding areas. I cannot wait!!!
Being here actually makes me miss Tram even more. Knowing that she is only a few hours a bus ride away and that it is only a couple days until I see her, my heart aches even more. There is always this weird anxiety of: "how much has she grown?", "will she still love us?", "will she want to hang with us?", and of course..."will we ever be able to bring her home?" And it is when these thoughts come up, I have to remind myself who is sovereign, and who is in control. He knows the answers to all my questions, and I am thankful that I get to rest in that.
Please continue to pray for the team, our travels, John and Christine, the orphans, and the people of Vietnam. But most of all, pray that we bring glory to our Creator, the Almighty, and that we will allow His love to be shown through us. I am so thankful that I am on His team, and that I actually get to play in the game.
All for Him,
Kevin, Cheyenne, and the team
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