THERE ARE LIVES LIKE THIS!
There are lives like this!
- Is your mom home?
- No, not yet! Mom is catching snails!
The door quickly closed after this conversation with a 7-year-old boy.
We had to drive around a nearby field to find his mother. Ms. Hang is 35 years old. She got married but was not happy. Not long after she got married, she returned home to live in her mother's hometown. She gave birth and her family members had to plead with her husband to sign the birth certificate for the child. He left after he signed the certificate, leaving her with a child to raise on her own.
The baby was born healthy, but soon he contracted pneumonia. All alone, she had to get him medicine and treatment. The mother and son have spent more days at the hospital than at home. Because he was in the hospital for a long time, money was very tight, so she brought only rice to eat. Everyone felt sorry for her because if she eats only rice, she will not have milk to feed the child. The people at the hospital gave her some soup and meat to help her.
Over the past seven years, the mother and son live in a small house with a patched roof. In the summer, it is hot like fire! When it rains, it pours in the house! They have to put raincoats on top of the beds. She choked up as she was sharing the story with us. She said she was stressed because her son was sick with all kinds of problems like stomach, colon, and acid reflux. The mother and son take turns going to the hospital and buying medicine. She said, “During the day, I catch snails and then I go buy medicine for my child because when the weather is cold, he’s sick again! I do not know when we can fix the house. I do not know where to look for help when my parents are old, my child is sick, and I get sick because of too much worrying and suffering!”
What will the future be like for the mother and son if they only rely on catching snails for survival?
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THE HOUSE OF TWO HEARTS
The image of the countryside is very dear to us. When it comes to the countryside, not only do we think about its culture but also its history, including the joy and sadness.
Along the road to Lang countryside, in TrucChinh, TrucNinh district, Nam Dinh province, perhaps no one is stopping in front of a broken-down tiled house, located between two luxury villas. At first glance, it looks like a piece of land with a house that has been deserted for a long time. Stepping into the courtyard, there’s nothing valuable. The main door frames and windows are connected by pieces of sapwood and green moss. Mr. and Mrs. Khoát, 88 years-old, live in this ramshackle house. The grandparents are filled with sadness. They have to use sticks to walk around because their backs are curved. They are desperate for help. Their illnesses and poverty have caused a burden for their children.As people who have witnessed the suffering of poverty for decades, until now, the grandparents have a hard time with their lives both struggling physically and mentally, even near death, they still have debt. This couple has struggled with poverty for decades. Now, struggling with physical and mental challenges at the end of their lives, they are still in debt. Each time she talked about the family's life, she could not hold back tears, both grandparents’ eyes looked far away as if there was no more hope in life.Reflecting on the struggles and misery of life, all the bitterness and suffering that the grandparents have gone through, she shares:
They have six children, four boys and two girls. All six of them are married but very poor and cannot afford to help their parents. Currently, there are three grandsons living with them. Their father (the eldest son) died young, and their mother disappeared, leaving the children behind for the grandparents to raise. Because they were born into a difficult family situation, they only finished 6th grade. Their childhood was deprived, not only physically but also emotionally. Due to the family struggles, the grandsons left for Hanoi to find work. They work wherever they can find a job. Sometimes they come back to visit the grandparents for a while and then leave again.
The older they get, the weaker they are with more illnesses. The grandpa had a stroke, so he is in and out of consciousness, sitting around or doing light work for the house. As for the grandma, she just had surgery to remove gallstones. Her body is still weak, aching everywhere, and has difficulty walking. Their meals consist of a little boiled water spinach, but when they are too tired, they only eat rice with a few grains of salt. In the past, the grandparents also received a little allowance from the poor family assistance program, but ever since the grandparents received elderly funds, their allowance got cut. Their monthly salary is only 500,000 VND (= 23 USD), not enough money to buy medicine they need. The grandparents are now struggling with debtover 60,000,000 VND (= 2,700 USD) because of grandma’s surgery.
In such difficult times, the people that the grandparents need most, are not just their family or friends, but the kindness of others. Even if it is only an old shirt or a single meal, every little thing is very precious. "One bite when hungry is equal to a whole meal when full". May the grandparents live the rest of their days in peace and happiness together!
DIVIDING PORTIONS OF RICE…
COVID has affected so many countries in different ways! In Vietnam, although the number of deaths is not high, the number of unemployed has increased due to business closures. Many people work for a daily wage and now without a job. It is overwhelming. Therefore, the Sisters in some areas suggested that they divide the rice for the elderly and patients into three distributions so that more people could receive them. Facing this situation, though very pitiful, the Hong An Association agreed to the Sisters’ suggestion.
By the end of 2020, the Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Hue requested to divide their portions of rice too. With their monthly rice helping 200 people, it will now be helping up to 600 recipients. Each person receives 10 kg of rice for 3 months. There are so many poor people and so many more hungry people, due to the floods. The Hong An Fund is limited because many of the Hong An Association’s benefactors are unemployed due to the impact of COVID, too. Therefore, this solution is the only reasonable option.
The Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of My-Tho said that when bringing food to the families, everyone was grateful, especially the families with children. The children are not as good at "fasting" as the adults, so when they see the Sisters bringing rice and instant noodles, they are happy and cheerful!!! It is so heartbreaking to see their difficult situations!!!
OH…THE LITTLE CHILDREN!
Recently, the Hong An Association received some information and pictures sent by the Dominican Sisters of Bac-Ninh regarding the Dignity of Life program that the sisters are assigned to by the Bishop.
The Hong An Association began to send the donations from some benefactors to the sisters. After that, the donations of other benefactors were added, so every quarter, the Hong An Association transfers to the Sister in charge. The Sisters want to send a special thanks to our benefactors. The Sisters said the money was used to buy shawls, burial garments, and candles to bury aborted fetuses.
CENTERS FOR LEPERS DURING COVID-19 TIME
Because of the restrictions due to the COVID pandemic, charity organizations cannot organize visits as usual. The poor and the needy suffer, especially the elderly who are sick and cannot support themselves. Among these are the elderly with leprosy at the Van Mon centers in Thai Binh City.
The number of people living here has decreased from 500 to now only 100. The patients who entered this center were seriously ill, so they knew that their lives would end here.
The Sisters of Mary Queen of Bui-Chu in Nam Dinh often organize visits to the leprosy center to comfort the elderly. With the support of the Hong An Association, the Sisters brought snacks such as soy milk, savory cakes, and biscuits for them. Due to COVID, the Sisters were not able to organize group visitations. Instead, the Sisters would visit them individually at their bedside. The patients were very touched and happy!
A TRAVEL EXPERIENCE…
As the benefactors know, at the end of the year, the Hong An Association often sends extra “discretionary” money so the Sisters can help other poor in remote areas. This year, after sending money, Hong An received requests from a number of Sisters serving in very poor areas such as Cao Bang, Lang Son, and Bao Loc. They said, “The Central region has experienced severe floods. The floods are so heavy that many people have lost their homes and everything. Can the Hong An Association share a portion of this “discretionary” money for relief?" The Hong An felt sympathetic because the local people and the Sisters are both poor. True to the spirit of helping those in greatest need, the Hong An Association agreed to let the Sisters use a portion of the funds for relief.
When the Hong An agreed, many Sisters from regions in the North, Central and South were already organizing relief trips. The Sisters finished their trips, went back to the Congregation, then prepared their trip back to the Central region again. When the Sisters returned, they were all sick from the cold.
We would like to share some photos from the second trip of the Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Hue. Please read the letter from the superior, Sr. H. below:
“"Life’s a journey.” There are trips that are "come and go" and there are trips that leave everlasting memories in everyone’s heart. Today the weather in Hue seems to be in favor of the people, so the Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Hue continued their trip to bring gifts to the people in flooded areas in Kreng village, Dả Dơi, Xã Hướng Hiệp, Huyện Đakrông, and Quảng Trị. The road is muddy after a night of rainfall. There are small houses hidden in the hills. This area has been isolated for a long time because the road is difficult to travel and dangerous due to heavy landslides.
The Sisters were very anxious, nervous, and tense while riding on the Honda motorbikes on the long and muddy journey to visit the people who have been isolated for so long.
Thank God everyone arrived safely.
When looking at the young mothers carry their children
and an elderly woman with the look of pain in her eyes,
there is a desperate longing for human love, care, and connection. The weather, distance, and dangerous roads make these connections unpredictable. Gifts from the Hong An Associations are the essential necessities such as rice, flashlights, sugar, and seasoning powder, delivered to each family one by one. Saying goodbye to the people, we returned to the lowlands on wagons paddling through the streams, the muddy road, and slippery, deep potholes.
Not only are the people grieving and suffering with their losses from the flood, but they are suffering from their poor circumstances. They have suffered through two outbreaks of COVID-19, five storms, and now four historic floods.Many of them have been awake for many nights in the cold rain, looking pale and exhausted, with deeply sunken eyes. An old woman said to me, “Sister, I have nothing to lose anymore.” This broke my heart and brought tears to my eyes.
Thank you to the executive board members and the Hong An Association. Please continue to pray, love and accompany us on the way to better circumstances.”
