Students at the Lavang Boarding House were asked to write an essay on why they feel they need to be assisted by Vietnam Dream for Success and their experience living at the boarding house. We invite you to read their stories and journey with them in their sentiments of joy and gratitude.
 

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Con chao Sr !
Con la: Dang Thu Trang. Gap Sr da lau roi ma nay con moi co dip gui mail tham Sr ...Con mong rang ngay thang qua Sr van binh an, khoe manh va moi cong viec Sr lam deu thuan loi. Cho con gui loi chuc may man toi Sr va toan the gia dinh Sr ben do!
Cung sap toi dip Noel con kinh chuc Sr mot mua Giang sinh an lanh va hanh phuc...Con hy vong sap toi Sr ve Viet Nam con co co hoi duoc gap Sr lan nua.
       Ve phan con thoi gian qua cung khong co nhieu thay doi. Con van o ki tuc xa cua truong va di hoc deu, hoc ki truoc con duoc di thuc te hau het cac tinh cua dat nuoc ta. Do la do tinh chat cua nghanh hoc nhung doi voi con, do con la co hoi de di ra ngoai giao luu va tim hieu nhieu hon ve dat nuoc con nguoi que huong minh. Chuyen di ket thuc tot dep va de lai an tuong sau sac khong chi doi voi rieng con ma con voi ca doan cung di.
 Hien tai con dang on de chuan bi cho ki thi hoc ki sap toi, co le day la hoc ki cuoi ma con con duoc ngoi tren giang duong voi tu cach la mot sinh vien. Sang hoc ki sau, tuc la khi nghi tet xong . Con se quay tro lai truong nhung luc do thoi gian doi voi con khong con duoc bao nhieu nua. Hau het thoi gian con phai dung lop,thuc tap.
      The la giac mo tro thanh giao vien dung tren buc giang cua con da sap tro thanh hien thuc. Sau khi ket thuc mot ki thuc tap dung lop , Con se co mot ki thi tot nghiep vao thang 05/ 2009  sau khi tot nghiep xong con co du tinh se ve lai que huong, de co the mang kien thuc minh hoc bay lau truyen day cho cac em o que nha. Con hy vong minh co the lam duoc mot dieu gi do co ich cho xa hoi de khoi phu su ki vong cua cha me va phu chinh long dam me va nhiet huyet cua ban than.
       Trong cuoc hanh trinh cua con doi khi van con nhung gap ghenh song gio, nhung dieu may man nhat va niem vui nhat doi voi con la co co may gap go Sr, duoc Sr thuong yeu va giup do. Mot phan hoc bong cua Sr danh cho con da giup con rat nhieu, no da trang trai cho cuoc song hang ngay cua con . Do la y nghia ve mat vat chat, nhung co mot y nghia lon lao hon ve mat tinh than. chua bao gio con duoc hoc bong nen voi phan hoc bong nhan tu Sr con cam thay rat vui va no cung tao cho con niem vui va quyet tam hoc tap nhieu hon.
     Mot lan nua cho con gui loi tri an chan thanh toi Sr. con cau chuc moi dieu may man se luon ben Sr va giac mo, li tuong cua Sr ngay cang trai rong de nhieu nguoi nhu con duoc song trong tinh yeu thuong cua Sr hon nua!
              con mot van de ma xem nua con quen mat...! theo loi nhan cua Bich nay con gui kem mail nay mot tam hinh. va mot so thong tin ve  ban than:
              Con : Dang Thu Trang
              nghanh hoc: lich su
              khoa:           lich su
              truong : dai hoc su pham TPHCM
              thang tot nghiep: 05/ 2009
 con chao Sr!  con mong som duoc gap lai Sr !
                                                                              con: Dang Thu Trang

Dear Benefactors of Vietnam Dream for Success,

First of all, please allow me to extend my greetings to our benefactors/supporters and my prayerful wishes of peace and happiness in God’s grace through the intercession of Mary, our Mother.

My name is Dinh Thi Lu.  I was born on March 13, 1985.  Currently, I am a postulant of the Community of Charity and Social Services founded and directed by Bishop Paul Nguyen Thanh Hoan, Bishop of the Diocese of Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan, Vietnam.

Dear Benefactors…  Deep inside I always embrace the goal of my community: to serve others.  Even while growing up I had always wanted to help others, especially the poor, because there are many poor families in my village who are poor not only in spirit but also in material needs.  Many children want to go to school but are unable to because of their families’ financial demands and due to large number of children in each household.  I am in the same circumstance with many younger siblings.  The situation forced me to interrupt my studies and to find work to assist my parents to enable my younger siblings to attend school.  While challenged by this difficulty Bishop Paul Nguyen Thanh Hoan enabled me to continue to finish my high school.  After graduation I thought that I will never have a chance to go to college, for my community, like my family, still encounters difficulty with our financial demands.  To reach our goal of spreading the Good News to those who have not heard of the Gospel, Bishop Paul tries to send members of our community to colleges/universities to major in various fields so that our ministry to the poor can be carried out. 

I am fortunate to be chosen to attend college to become a veterinarian so that I can take care of the hog farm of the community, which will be a source of income for the community and for our ministry to the poor.  I am also grateful to receive the assistance of Sr. Cecilia and our benefactors… for providing me with all the resources I need to pursue my studies.  What makes me most happy is the opportunity to live with other students at our boarding house that is filled with love and compassion, especially the concern and sincere care of Sr. Cecilia, which most of the time, had made me unable to control my tears of joy.  Since leaving my family (who resides in Nghe An, north Vietnam), I have never experienced overwhelming happiness as I do now. 

Dear Benefactors…  you and Sister have shared your blessings with me.  I promise to be diligent in my studies so that I will become a significant individual for society and for the Church.  I do not know how to respond to your generosity and Sister’s… all I have are my daily prayers for you and Sister.  May God always be with you and Sister and reward you abundantly for helping me. 

Finally, please allow me to say “Thank You” to you, my benefactors, and to Sister. 

Respectfully,

Dinh Thi Lu

Dear Benefactors of Vietnam Dream for Success,

My name is Luong Thi Ngoc Bich.  Currently I am majoring in English at the University of Hung Vuong in Ho Chi Minh City.  First of all, I wish you good health.  May God always bestow His blessings upon you, our benefactors.

Dear benefactors…  Since I have been accepted to reside at the Lavang Boarding House…  this is the first time that I experience true joy and happiness.  This experience is like the greatest valuable gift in my life.  Here I can realize my dream, that is, to become an English teacher, since I have been provided with all the resources to pursue this dream.  Not only do I have the opportunity to attend college, I also have the opportunities to learn how to become a mature person.  I also have the opportunities to reach out to the world, to realize the world is bigger than I thought, to learn that the world offers much more…  these are the realities which I have never dare to dream or think about.  To learn to become mature individuals with other students and residents of the Lavang Boarding House, who are filled with humility, compassion and forgiveness…  I feel truly happy, for the Lavang Boarding House is like my house of happiness that is filled with both spiritual and material resources.

I truly feel fortunate, for I receive the utmost care and assistance of you, my benefactors.

What makes me most happy is the opportunity to meet those who visit from the US.  These encounters will give me many chances to learn about many new things, which will help with my English major.  In addition, I have the opportunity to acquaint myself with other students who reside at the boarding house, whom I am privileged to have met.  I also hope that in the future I will be able to help the poor and enable everyone to live a happier and dignified life.

Dear benefactors…  I have received your support, I promise to work hard in my studies so that I can become a person of significant asset to society. 

I also do not know how to respond to the love you have reserved for me except my daily prayers for you.  May God grant you many blessings and with good health. 

Again, thank you to all of my benefactors. 

Sincerely,

Luong Thi Ngoc Bich

Dear Benefactors,

First of all, I wish you health in both body and spirit, and peace in Jesus and Mary.  My name is Terexa Nguyen Thi Oanh.  I was born on August 16, 1982.  Presently I belong to the Community of Charity and Social Services founded and directed by Bishop Paul Nguyen Thanh Hoan. 

Dear benefactors…  when Bishop Paul assigned me to attend college, I became confused, for I did not know what I needed to do.

Dear benefactors…  my family experiences many difficulties, for I was born into a family of farmers with twelve children.  My school days were always interrupted, not like many others.  I am the oldest child, and my siblings are still young.  My parents have to work very hard to send all of us to school.  I am majoring in Veterinarian to take care of the hog’s farm of our community.  The younger sibling next to me is also a member of the Dominican Sisters of Thai Binh.  My other sibling is in college majoring in Computer Science.  The rest of my siblings are still in school.

About myself…I attended school and assisted my parents when not in school.  There were many times when I studied and saw my parents working…  I felt uneasy seeing them work.  My family encounters many difficulties…My mother works from dawn until 10 P.M. everyday.  Seeing our mother working so hard, all of us feel very sad.  With this sadness we promise to study hard in school so as to be able to respond to our parents’ sacrifice.  When I completed high school, I could not continue on seeing my parents work so hard.  I worked for a while to help them.  After a few years I decided to dedicate my life to God.  Currently I am majoring in Veterinarian.  I have many financial concerns, since my family is very poor with many children.  In addition, my sibling who was studying Computer Science has been diagnosed with a heart problem and leukemia.  My family is powerless in providing for my college education, even in small amount.  I have not been able to focus on my studies, but constantly worrying.  Sometimes I wanted to just let my life flow wherever it wants to flow.  In moments like these I would cry alone, and feeling hopeless that I will probably never be able to pursue the field that I like.  As each drop of tears ran down my cheeks I would wish that God would send someone to help me, and this would have been so wonderful.  I only needed someone to finance my education, and this would have been so wonderful and sufficient for me.  Such wish seemed so distant to me, and the whole world becomes saddened, and it empowered me with this sadness.  While I was feeling such weight of sadness and despair and writing my feelings of sadness on my notebook, I heard the owner of the rented room told me that I had a phone call.  I spoke with Sister Lien of my community informing me that there is a Sister from the US who wants to help the poor.  My heart was instantly filled with hope that I will be able to go to college and be able to major in the field I so much love.

Dear benefactors…  When I received the news that Sister has accepted to assist me, I was overjoyed.  Yet this joy soon turned into worries, for I had doubts that such kindness cannot be real.  When I moved into the boarding house, at first as I first stepped into the house I felt surprised and uneasy, shy and afraid, for I never imagine or dream to live in such a house.  I had only wished that someone would help pay for my tuitions and affordable housing, and this would have been sufficient for me.  Yet I never expected God’s abundant blessings upon me this way, for Sister not only provides me with my material needs, but also treats me like a loving mother.  In this house everyone loves me, from the cook to the guardian, they all care for me for both of my material and spiritual needs. 

What can I say?  What I never dare to dream has become a reality.  The house which I had first felt afraid and uneasy has become a home of happiness.  To live with other students has allowed me to see this home like my third family.  To witness the smiles of the other students, the kind eyes that reflect love and kindness, and especially to see Sister’s smiles and eyes full of love, I experience the love of my own mother next to me, a sister next to her younger sibling.  Sister gives me a love of a woman which I have never experienced in my life.  Sister’s smiles and eyes filled with love give warmth to my heart.  I will never forget this image, this image of a woman filled with charity.  Watching Sister providing for me, I have vowed to study even harder in order to reach my goal. 

My hope and dream is that after completing college I will return to my community and help those who are less fortunate than me.  My dream is very humble.  I want everyone in this world to have a happy life with adequate food and clothing.  I receive the love from Sister and everyone else…  I am moved to tears, and I do not know how to return this love but only through my hard study and efforts so that when I have completed my college I will have many opportunities to help those who are even poorer than me.  This is my dream.

My last words here are to thank my benefactors for loving and helping me.  I wish you good health and God’s blessings, so that Sister and all of my benefactors can continue to assist me and other students with similar difficult circumstances. 

Sincerely,

Nguyen Thi Oanh

Dear Sister Cecilia and our Benefactors,

First of all, I wish you good health and much happiness with your families.  I was born in Buon Ma Thuot (central Vietnam), an area of red land conducive to planting trees for industry for many years, a place where my family has bonded for many years.  There are twelve children in my family.  Since my father left us to live with another woman, my mother is the sole provider.  My mother works hard in the field to earn a living to send us to school.  But my mother alone cannot take care of all of our needs.  In his concerns for my mother’s long hours of work, my oldest brother had to quit school to find work to assist our mother in the fields, and my older sister also quit school to take care of her younger siblings at home.  Many years have passed, and even the land has faded its color, and the trees and plants are no longer as green as before.

As my siblings and I grow older, our educational needs are even greater.  Our mother had to work even harder and had to be as frugal even in little things.  While still in elementary and high school I do not recall what summers were all about, for I was no longer concerned with playing games like other children.  My summers were spent in windy and rainy days and nights in the fields, and many sleepless nights next to our kerosene lamp.  Even while working along with our mother under the hot sun I had faith that one day I will be successful, and my younger siblings will become outstanding students to make our mother happy.  But this hope did not last long.  Working many hours in the fields has made our mother weak.  Today, our mother is only able to stay home and does light chores at home.  Our oldest brother and sister are now married. 

Our life becomes even more challenged when I passed the entrance exam into the university.  I will no longer be able to help my mother in the fields, and my younger siblings are too young.  Our financial income has indeed decreased.  Faced with this circumstance, I planned to pursue my college studies and to find work at the same time to lessen my mother’s burdens.  I always want my younger siblings to be able to attend school and play like other children.  The first few days in college and far away from my family have enabled me to taste sadness.  I felt pity for myself because of my family circumstance.  As I tried to be frugal I also experienced greater needs.  I have become hopeless in my hope to help my mother, and the jobs I found did not work out with my hours in school.  However, I have found Bich, who shared the rented room and bed with me and three other students.  Encountering Bich had brought me a humble assistance yet one that is filled with meaning.  I now live at the Lavang boarding house, which I still think is only a dream.  Bich has introduced me to Sr. Cecilia and has lighted my ray of hope which I thought had been forgotten.  My happiness is even greater when I live with other students, the cook, and guardian of this house.  It seems like these individuals have been destined by God to reside in this home.  Everyone is united in this home that is filled with love.  And Sister Cecilia, with great compassion, always reminds me to always love others, to be diligent in my studies to make my family, Sister, and my benefactors proud.  Living in this house is like a dream…  I do not experience any distinction or preference among the students, but to the contrary, they all love me and care for me wholeheartedly. 

I am profoundly grateful to Sister and to all our benefactors for helping me light up my dream.  For the remaining days living in this house I will pray that the best will come to Sister, our benefactors, and all those who reside in this home. 

Respectfully,

Huynh Thi Lien