HP 91 – The emotions of a summer full of love
My first impression was the to Nai Soan’s house. Normally, I am used to sitting in the car, going on a straight, smooth road and having my parents take me to school on a daily basis. But that day, I had to overcome that rough and bumpy ditch on my own. Despite taking each little step very carefully, I still fell into the ditch and eventually, my shoes got soaked.
The most challenging thing was to carry a 50 kg bag of rice crossing that ditch. The two most muscular boys in our team were assigned this task. They were Quang Dien and Duc Trung who accomplished the task assigned with the encouragement and support from the whole team.
When we arrived, the scene that first appeared in front of us was an old wooden dilapidated house where there did not seem to be any valuables. There were even some spots where the roof leaked. The house is the only accommodation for the mother and three little children since Nai Soan’s father died a few years ago due to a traffic accident and her younger brother also died from drowning. When we witnessed their rustic and deprived family situation, the only feeling that came to us was pity.
On the way to the second family, our hearts sank even more. It was a narrow, dark house. Somewhere in the house, there is a broken door covered by an old torn cloth. It seems like the house had also suffered from domestic violence, which our group was told later. Feeling touched and sympathetic to her underprivileged and deficient plight, we donated 4 million cash and other commodities like rice, milk, confectionery and clothes, Bao Chau supported the family with another 1 million in cash with the hope that she can support their unfortunate circumstance.
The third place we visited was Han Chi Vy’s family. With only a few words to share about the family’s situation, Chi Vy’s mother burst into tears. It seemed that those tears were filled with confessions and sorrow. She tried to stop but the tears still fell, causing us all to become restless and choked up…
Welcoming us at the fourth family was Ru To’s family, a near-poor household. The parents earn a living by doing day jobs and raising their two little girls. The house has nothing but some simple items. All the members in our team gathered and played the guitar, singing for him the song “Ba ke con nghe” to give him more spiritual strength.
The fifth family we visited was Tu Ra’s family – also the family with the most special situation in our journey. Tu Ra’s father died early, leaving the mother with Tu Ra and her brother. Tu Ra’s mom has to do many laborious jobs to raise her kids. But it seems like God still wants to tease and test them since a month ago, Tu Ra’s brother had a severe traffic accident which broke his legs and made him unmovable. The burden is now even heavier. Perhaps that is the reason why the female breadwinner became so emaciated and old-looking that no one could guess her actual age. Our team decided to give her family 5 million cash along with rice, confectionery, milk, clothes and books to support their situation to some extent.
Finally, my group went back to Nai Soan’s house to cook a super huge hot pot together with K’ho children. It was 12 o’clock, the weather was scorching, and we had to cook with the firewood which made some of us tired, but once the pot was finished, everyone still enjoyed the meal happily just like the heat and fatigue had never been there. We created so many beautiful moments together, and the hot pot that day was the most delicious hot pot I had ever eaten.
Someone once said: People nowadays possess tons of things, but there are two things most of them lack: peace and love. Peace is just as necessary for life as we need air to breathe. Live in the way that our conscience does not feel guilty. We give away love and we will, surely, receive happiness.
That is also the message of our journey that day!
Shared by VAS students
Members of HP91 project – Give Wings to Your Dreams, Sala campus.
