Life-Changing Moments for Down-Under Team
Posted on November 15th, 2009.In January 2008, a team from Canberra, Australia began a partnership with GVI and Manna Worldwide to provide nutrition and better diets to the children at SS3, an orphanage in Hanoi. Earlier this month, they made their first trip to Vietnam and met the children who they had been faithfully supporting.Team leader Linda Perkins reflects on their inaugural visit.
Our desire from the beginning was to be a blessing, but little did we realize how “Operation Vietnam” would change our lives forever! The team from Gungahlin Community Baptist Church had been asked to participate in a few activities and projects. The big one was to repaint the dining hall, but our favorite request was to put on a “Carnival Day” at SS3. With all the “clowns” in our group that would prove to be easy. The team found themselves eagerly preparing activities such as crafts, t-shirt painting and face painting, just to mention a few. It was obvious that we were over-prepared when half of the team found themselves 19 kilos over-weight at the airport. From the beginning we saw His power at work, and it cost us nothing extra, just some major reshuffling.
The interaction with children, elderly, and even some of the staff at SS3 over the days was so precious!! On Day One, as we were scraping paint, we had our first meeting of many with the young and elderly residents of the Centre. Crafts were a huge hit with the young, the elderly, and the staff. We were thrilled to see everyone making picture frames and friendship bracelets. As the paint went on in the hall, the ladies had the joy of trading cooking skills with a dear group of Vietnamese ladies. The spring rolls will be an on-going recipe in our homes back in Australia, and the faces and touches of our new-found friends will be on-going in our hearts!!
How does one put in a few sentences what was felt, experienced and treasured in 10 days? The sights, the sounds, the friends, the first of so many things cannot be totally expressed. As a Team we will be forever grateful for the opportunity to show True Love without much verbal communication—but with a language that goes beyond words. A dream was placed in our hearts and that dream is being nurtured and used for higher glory!! Vietnam, we will be back!!!
Children at Sponsor Society 3 (SS3), an orphanage in Hanoi, enjoy sack races during a Kids Carnival organized by Gungahlin Community Baptist Church.
Children from SS3 orphanage are winners with Nicole Cooper (L) and Linda Perkins from Canberra, Australia
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