Hollie_Steel - Britains Got Talent

Amazing voice for 10 year-old!

VDS Fundraiser Dec 06 '09 - Than Huu Band & Ky Duyen & Luu Bich

Vietnam Dream For Success (vietnamdreamforsuccess.org) fundraiser was a big success! :) VDS can build more libraries and put more underprivileged children to school! Yay!

Ky Duyen & Luu Bich made a huge difference! And our band had a blast playing music. Our singers were terrific!!

Bicycles and Sandals - Viet Nam - July 2009

Dami

It is as if we were going on some adventurous safari ride, bouncing around in the car - huts, wild pigs, goats appearing along sides of the roads.  The roads to Dami was rough, filled with "elephant" pot-holes (much larger than "chicken" pot-holes").  Dami is a rural area, occupied by minority people living in the mountains, about 2 hours away from Phan Thiet by car.  This is my first bicycle-delivery trip to this remote area of Viet Nam.

Bishop Paul Nguyen Thanh Hoan of Phan Thiet had tasked a couple of nuns to reside in Dami, among other rural areas in the Vietnam, to help the villagers with their needs.  Unlike other missionaries who distributed bibles and preached endlessly about their religions, the Community's (Community of Charity and Social Services founded by Bishop Hoan) nuns and brothers'  main purpose in life is to serve the poor and the needy unconditionally.  They do not preach religion to the villagers.  Most nuns majored in a health-related field, such as nutrition, Eastern medicine, pharmacy, social working...with this purpose in mind. A non-threat to the local government (who frowns upon teaching other than its own government's teaching) the nuns and brothers are left alone to tend the poor and the sick in Dami.  The nuns learn Dami's dialect (which is not the same as the Vietnamese speaking language) to communicate with the people.  They set up a small clinic and administer medicine and acupuncture.  The people of Dami respect and are thankful for the presence of the nuns and brothers.

The sisters and the people in Dami knew the paper work to file to get the local government's approval for transporting and distributing the bicycles to the village students.  We have 50 bikes to deliver.  Our bus was guided by one of these nuns, Sister Chi. 

The children lined up to receive their bikes.  It was pouring down at times, some children could not make the event due to bad weather and slippery roads, their parents came with motorcycle and transport the bikes instead.  The local government's people showed up briefly to overlook the activity, offering assistance.

Prior to this trip I've never heard of Dami.  Brother Thanh, my trusted Brother who purchased all the bikes, explained to me what Da Mi meant.
Da (Many) Mi (Dreams).  A dreamy place for sure, with clouds weaving between mountains.   Perhaps he was just making this up to impress guests, but I find it very fitting.  So much of Vietnam I haven't seen and Dami dreamy scenery and the children's happiness that day left a sweet memory.

Dami's huts.  Animals stayed cool underneath huts.

A Dami's wild baby potbelly pig, it is smaller than a chicken.

Fifty bicycles to be delivered to students, the children have to walk 5-7km to school.

Children lined up to receive their bikes.  Some children live too far away,
their parents came to receive their bikes instead.

Distributing bikes: Sister Chi (in black) goes to Dami frequently to help the villagers.

Dami's children & parents with their new bikes

Littering is common in VN.  The street was littered with plastic covering the new bikes' seats.
A donor of bicycles, Son Nguyen, picked up trash as the children were leaving. 
His action prompted the parents and students to do the same.

Nghe An

Children waiting at Phi Loc's church courtyard for guests to deliver bicycles and sandals.

The children of Phi Loc, a small parish in Nghe An,  have been rehearsing their acts for a variety show to welcome guests.  "Honest...honest one should be, honest in actions, honest in words, if yes then say yes, if no then say no..."  The second graders memorized their song and the dance accompanying it.  With flower wreaths and pretty dresses, the fourth and fifth graders also rehearsed for more elaborate dances, to contribute to this Bike & Sandals festival.  Banner "Welcome Guests" have already been stretched and hung on the pillars, just outside the church. The  bicycles have been placed neatly in a row with the big sacks of sandals placed nearby.  Curiously the children from the other villages came early, they perched on a wall a few yards away from the church, looking and waiting for the excitement to arrive. 

Chilren gathered for bicycles and sandals event.

Perched on a wall and tree, children overlooked Phi Loc's activities.

@@@

This time I decided to stay in the village rather than in the hotel, I wanted to taste that country living.  The house I stayed in belongs to Brother Tiep's family, a quaint antique country home, with pictures of Jesus and Mary pasted all over their paint-peeled light blue wall.  The family had gone out of their way to make things comfortable for us, they made a bed with pink mosquitoes net, as if it was for newlyweds.

Having a peanut bladder, I had to get up at night to find a restroom.  I wandered like a ghost in the unfamiliar house looking for a light switch and restroom, during which the mosquitoes happily feasted on new blood.  In the country, the restroom is outside the house, and the door was locked. Fiddling with the lock in the dark, I wondered if I would last until morning.

Between the cocks crowing, dogs barking and mosquitoes biting, and an exploding bladder,  it wasn't difficult to get up at 4:00 in the morning.
 

Brother Tiep's house in Phi-Loc, Nghe An, where I spent the night to deliver bicycles the next day.

Here at  Phi Loc, a parish in Nghe An, mass starts at 4:30 am, with a full choir singing.  People get up early and tried to get their chores done early in the morning, to avoid the scorching heat, which settles around 9 am.  So when the sun wasn't out yet, I was up and about with my camera, breathing in that fresh country air. I love it here, palm trees, rice fields, dirt roads...such a peaceful place, total contrast with Saigon, where roads are covered with motorcycles.  This is my second time delivering bicycles and sandals at Phi Loc, I had such a memorable time last year that I had to come back. 

        @@@

It was inevitable for all the "thank-you's" from parents, teachers, students... I wanted to quickly deliver the bikes and sandals, seeing the children not only anxious, but they were tired in the merciless heat.  Sister Cecilia was one hot nun, in her thick dark brown habit. 
 

Nghe-An bicycles & sandals team:  Sister Cecilia, Brother Thanh, Kham Nguyen, Que-Huong, Son Nguyen

Fifty bikes and numerous sandals were delivered and the children were happy as they rode off with a new bike!  Dreams come true for them, who have to walk so far in the heat & rain to go to school.   Sister Cecilia invited them to come back later that evening, for yet another surprise event. 

While Sister Cecilia and Brother Thanh did some serious shopping for the evening event:  Candies, ice cream and cookies, for 500 children and adults,  I prepared a slide show for the children, with pictures I took of them throughout the day.  The organizers hung a sheet from the pillars of the church so I can project the slides.  Perhaps these people have never been to a movie theater, for the church yard was filled with children and adults’ laughter when they saw their images appeared on the big screen!  A priceless Kodak and Memory moment!

Sister Cecilia surrounded by children at Nghe An. 07/09

 The church yard was also filled with trash!  (I notice that people just throw trash on the ground!)  I felt dizzy looking at all the wrappers littered, it would take someone a few hours to sweep all this!   Before the evening ended and the children started to leave, Sister Cecilia did something quite remarkable. 

- "I will close my eyes, and give you 20 seconds, when I open my eyes I'd like to see no trash on the ground.  If you pick them up and put away the trash, I will come back next year with gifts.  Even if I can't come back I'll be sure to give you gifts, but only if you clean up or else... no gifts!"

Then she turned her back to them and started counting.

-  "1...2..." The children dashed to pick up trash.  "7...8...."

More children picked up trash...

- "15...16"

The adults helped too, it was like a game to see who can pick the most trash. 

- "20!"

Sister turned around and the place was CLEAN!  The pastor sat in astonishment, he'd never seen such cool trick before, and better yet,  from a nun!

Rach Gia

Behind the child is an excitement of receiving a bicycle.  Behind the parents are hopes and dreams for their children to lead the good life and be  successful.  Believing an education would give children a bridge to a better future, even in remote places like Rach Gia, where people live and work off the river, making a living out fishing, farming... there are so much desire to build schools and provide good education for these children.

It took 9 hours to drive from Saigon to Rach Gia by car.  We took a ferry to cross a big river, and got on a smaller boat to go further into the village.  Most bicycles have already been purchased and assembled waiting at a church yard to be delivered.  It rained and we hurried to deliver the bicycles so the children could go home. 

We stayed overnight at one of the villagers home.  So peaceful here in the morning, walking along the river, beautiful lush green country scenery.  We checked out the few bridges that Sister Cecilia had built for the villagers.  Before there were monkey bridges, very unstable to cross over, now people can safely cross over without so much fear of falling in the water and drown. 

 School conditions were not good and the villagers asked for money to build school. 

A little at a time, a child at a time, I hope our trip motivate a child to study harder and make a little difference in a child's life. 

People live along the river, using the water for washing, cleaning, cooking...

Rach Gia - distributing bicycles. 7/2009 
Lush green trees, including coconut and banana along the river provide a peaceful and beautiful scenery for this trip.



Donna Shipley, an American nurse visiting VN and Rach Gia for the first time.  7/2009

Distributing bicycles at one of the village's churches with Donna Shipley, Sister Cecilia and Theresa

Standing on one of the bridges built by Sister Cecilia. 
This bridge replaced the old monkey-bridge, unstable to cross over. 7/2009

This school in Rach Gia needs to be rebuilt.

Campaigning

From July 2008 until July 2009, 261 bicycles and 735  pairs of sandals were delivered to poor and needy children in VN.  100 bicycles were given at Christmas 2008.  The rest were delivered in July 2009.

To prepare for this bicycle-and-sandals trip, Sister Cecilia had made a goal of 150 bicycles ($50/bike) and anything over is for sandals ($2/pair) to be delivered to Nghe An, Dami, and Rach Gia's children.  These children have to walk so far in sultry heat or pouring rain, 5 to 7 km, to attend school.  Their worn-out sandals are used for school and rice field work, and church.  The bikes are also given to students with good grades, as an incentive for them to study harder.  Scholarships (tuition, room & board) are given to needy students who get accepted at a college.


We started campaigning for bicycles and sandals and it was amazing (and fun!) how we came up with the money. Sister Cecilia  with her grant letters, our no-name band played numerous fund raising gigs, my brother with his Century bicycle ride for more...bicycles, people donating to Fr. Nguyen Khac Hy's retreats and lectures (his lecture CD's are hot items!), advertisement from VisualGui.com and Light Of Good News radio station, and word of mouth to anyone and everyone.  Even with the bad economy, we managed to give:

April 2008                     10 bikes
July 2008                       40 bikes
December 2008             50 bikes

By Dec 2008: 100 bikes  & 375 pairs of sandals were delivered
By July 2009: 161 bikes & 400 pairs of sandals were delivered

It goes to show our community here really supports the needy children of VN.  As I was packing for VN this past July 1st, a few donors called/sent emailed to donate more.  Once I got to VN, another donor placed more money in the Paypal "Donation" account  set up on the Community's website.  It brought tears to my eyes knowing friends, colleagues, family, band, have worked together to give the children this joy!

Brother Thanh received the money and dutifully shopped and put together the best looking bikes - pink, green, blue, metallic gray... - every color to suit the anxiously awaiting children.   He was proud and happy with the new selections this year. 

My part was the best:  Hand-delivered the bikes, sandals and scholarships to the students, took ample photos and write more articles, all of which are my hobbies!  A true priceless joy-ride I'd never want to miss!  

Thank you everyone for your kindness!  God bless!

August 2009 Pool party.  Proceeds from playing music went to CCSS for bicycles, sandals & scholarships.

Please visit vietnamdreamforsuccess.org and bacaixahoi.org to learn more about their charity and social work works to help the poor.  Donations are tax deductible.

Theresa Le
July 2009

 

The Final Countdown Played on Cellos

How I wish I could play the cello!

Except for the headache watching them, I do feel very inspired to learn to play the cello, and drums! ;))))

Nghe-An VN July 2009

Distributing bikes & sandals at Nghe-An.

Phat de'p & xe dda.p o Nghe An. Ky` nay QH ngu? o trong la`ng nhung bi. muoi can nhieu qua phai vo hotel dem sau. :o)

Cac em o nhieu truo*`ng tu. lai, ddong la('m!!

To^'i dden So* Thuy mua keo, ba'nh, ca-rem cho moi nguoi. Cu~ng co' khoang 500 em tu*` la`ng khac cung dden. Bang ngay` QH di chup hin`h may em xong QH la`m 1 slideshow. May em chua bao gio*` duoc coi xine^, va` nha^'t la` xine^ co' may em la` "ta`i tu*?" nen may em ru' len, cuoi*` to, khoai chi'...vua*` xem vua*` cuoi*` vua*` an ba'nh vu*a`...xa~ rac.

May em (va` nguoi lo*'n luon nua) co' tat hay xa rac. Vu*a` mo*? keo/banh ra la` lieng rac xuong dat. Rac dday het sa^n nha` tho*`, nhin` so*. luon. Ai ma` do.n de.p chac cung mat ca? tieng. So* Thuy' bao? cac em "So* se quay mat ddi, va` se dde^'m to*'i 20, neu ca'c em khong luom het rac thi` nam sau So* se khong mang qua` ve cho cac em...1..2...3..." May em va` phu. huynh voi va`ng luom het rac!! Khi So* ddem toi 20 la` san nha` tho*` sa.ch bo't! haha Chie^u na`y cua So* Thuy hay thiet!

Saigon, VN - July 2009

Took a bunch of SG pix so my Anh Hai can find his way around when he goes back. :))) Things have changed quite a bit.

Got to see my Di Hai, who was surprised to see me, after a while she remembered I was her niece and my name. :) Spent a lot of time sitting there holding her hand, stroking her hair, kissing her. Was wonderful to be home again!

Visited Ngo Thi Minh's friend chu' Le Cong Danh, another great guitarist, who happened to work with my dad way back when.

I was able to find my Ba` Ngoai's grave. It's been 9 years, my aunt had lost her memory and didn't know where Ba` Ngoai's grave was. We knew she was buried next to Trinh Cong Son so Bro Thanh drove us around and we finally found her. She was buried in a Buddhist's cemetery called Chua` Quang Binh. We cleaned up her grave and burned incense and prayed. I can rest in peace now. ;)

From Chu' Danh, I tracked down Chu' Quy` who used to work with Dad. An older man now and sick, lying on the floor, he didn't want me to take his picture. He could not believe I was my Dad's daughter. A gleam in his eyes however, when we started talking about his team playing soccer. And of course, Chu' Quy` remembers well "tha(`ng Hai & thang So*n"...I was just a little girl.

The other highlight was Chu' Muoi, I finally found him after 34 years!! He worked for Dad, drove me to/from school every day! I would never forget him. He and Chu' Luan (I have not been able to locate chu' Luan.) I was searching for both of them every trip, I was able to trace and found chu' Muoi. He lives in Cai Lay en route to Rach Gia'...I could only see him for 20 minutes or so... We held each other's hand and cried...so many years have gone by, he remembers "Tha(`ng Ha?i, thang Son"...but he had no idea Que^'-Huong (I was only 12) would remember him. He said "I still remember your smile!"

The Saigon trip was very personal and healing for me. Each person I visited told me a story about my childhood, or stories about Dad that I haven't heard or forgotten. How precious is that? :)

QH

Rach Gia - VN 2009

There's beauty everywhere I go. Never been to Rach Gia before but I love the lush green coconut & banana trees. We were here to deliver bicycles to the children. :)))

Bowling & Music Rehearsal w/ Friends - July 2009

A Rose To Remember - Vietnam 2009

 

 

She stood and grinned at the camera. She laughed, covered her toothless little face and waited for me to take another picture.  My heart felt as light as a feather looking at Hong's (her name means Rose) adorable playful face.  The children at Martineau Village stared at me curiously, some hiding behind their parents.  I know a good way for them to smile for me, big giant smiles too!  I took a picture of them and showed it back to them immediately on my little digital camera’s screen.  They cheered “Look at Cu Teo” and giggled, and when I asked to take another picture, they immediately grinned or formed some silly pose, just to rush back to me to see their pictures…A silly game we continued to play that gathered a little crowd of children and a lot of crisp, innocent laughter. 

 
Hong (Rose) and Martineau Village's children - 2009

As I walked through the Martineau Village (about an hour from Phan Thiet) for the first time my mind drifted where Rose used to live.  She and her family, among 19 other families, had lived next to a dumpster and used it as source of income.  They dug through trash to find little plastic bags, trinkets, old pillows…anything they could sell for a little money or use to patch up their shelters. A family had found and used a foul smelling mattress, one that belonged to a person who recently passed away.   What do mothers think of their future and their children’s future, when they only make pennies from selling little plastic bags to a few street vendors, not enough to buy rice for the day?  What and where would Rose be when she turns18, living where she used to live?  I couldn't stop wondering.

 

These 2 photographs are courtesy of CCSS.  Taken in 2008 of families living near dumpsters, before moving to Martineau Village.

Early 2008, 19 families were brought to Bishop Paul Nguyen Thanh Hoan’s attention, he had no idea they were living off of a dumpster.  Dreams of a better life were dreamt for them, knowing Bishop, who is like a Mother Theresa of Phan Thiet. Grant letters were sent out by Sister Cecilia, who belonged to the Community (Community of Charity and Social Services or CCSS) which was founded by Bishop Paul.   We need to get them out of this area fast, but where, and how?  It’s not easy to keep asking for money, people are leery of donating, so much charities and organizations nowadays asking for money already.  They’ll have to find a piece of land where they can build homes and the homes themselves would cost money.

With prayers and faith, a few grant letters and a few months later…

Mrs. Martineau from Virginia, USA, has never been to Vietnam.  Her first donation a few years back,  consisted of 30 pigs to Bishop Paul, totally changed the livelihood of  hundreds of villagers in Phan Thiet.   Most donors’ concerns are whether their money was put to good use and with clear communications between her and the Community, she could watch the pigs farm provided bountiful good results for the villagers.  Knowing her money had gone to where it was needed most, even during a recession and the stock market was tumbling, she sold her remaining stocks and made another donation to build the 19 homes for these families.  In December 2008, the Community started its Houses Of Love project, 19 homes were built, and the village was named after its donor.  The families moved into their solid cement new homes which can sustain bad weather, leaving behind their old patched-up homes and the heavy stench of the dumpster, only made worse in the rising Vietnam tropical heat.

Another donor installed a water filtration system for the village.

Walking to Martineau Village

 

Bishop Paul Nguyen Thanh Hoan and Fr. Nguyen Khac Hy from Baltimore, MD, US examining the newly built homes.

 
First baby born in Martineau Village, 2009

Having a home is a big start but how will they survive?  What can they/will they do for a living?  “We need to give them the fishing rods, not just the fish.” Bishop told me.  There’s never enough fish to give, but the fishing rod will reel in more fish. 

Checking out the pig pens he recently built for the villagers, Bishop nodded contently. The pens were clean meaning the pigs will grow fast and healthy; more money will be made when the pigs are sold.  With each family receiving 6 pigs and grains from the Community, the villagers have done what Bishop asked them to do:  Clean and feed the pigs twice a day.  In about 2 months, the pigs will be heavy enough to be sold at the market and the villagers will make and keep the money from the proceeds.  The sum will be twice a teacher’s salary.  For the first time, these families could stand on their own feet, regaining their dignity.

Bishop Paul (in white cap) checking out the recently built pig sties. A clean sty helps pigs grow faster.

 
Bishop Paul and Martineau villagers greeted each other.

Beautiful smiles from Martineau Village - 2009

As for me, I dream a simple dream for Rose and the children gathered around me.  She’ll eventually get to go to school with her friends, she’ll be proud to read her parents her first book and write her first short paragraph.  I looked around to see the smiles on everyone’s faces, thanking God for this blessing of being among so many roses in what used to be a desolated, hopeless place.

I could see Sister Cecilia staying up late in front of her laptop writing letters as more letters asking for donations will need to be sent out, more gala dinners to host to fund raise for these children’s welfare.  The Community and Vietnam Dream For Success (VDS) are working to get these children scholarships since school is not free in Vietnam.  These organizations also provide room and board, school supplies for the children who have to study away from home.  The goal is to eradicate poverty with education, one child at a time.
 

 

A child’s laughter brought me back to the presence.  A Rose I’ll always remember!

Hong (Rose) from Martineau Village, July 2009

Theresa Le
July 2009

For more information on Houses Of Love project (and photos) please visit:  http://bacaixahoi.org/HousesofLove.html
For donations and The Community's contact:  http://bacaixahoi.org/DonationsContact.html

 

Lotus Collection 2

Got up at 5 am for this...wasn't sure if I could get up that early since I stayed up pretty late the night before trying to get ready for my VN trip...and had 2nd thought about cutting my sleep time short, but it was worth it. Even without coffee!

A few nature photographers beat us to this place with their zoom lenses and tripods. You can't help but take in a lungful of delicate fragrances released by the flowers, which permeated the cool fresh early morning air. A few geeze gazed at the flowers, admiring their own reflections in the water.

I love the dewdrops on lotus leaves...they danced around when the wind blows.

Click on picture and "Zoom In" to see details. :)

http://www.nps.gov/keaq/

06/27/00 - QH
See Lotus Collection 1 too!

Lotus Garden - Washington D.C.

Perfect beautiful day...got a few good shots. :)
Click on each picture & "Zoom In" to see details!
Have a wonderful day!
06/09 - QH

My First Day

Helloooo World,

My name is Mira Le Felde.  I'm 6lbs 4oz. 19". 

As Dad put it, I was "downloaded" today at 10:10am Thursday May 28, 2009 at Fairfax Hospital, VA, USA.  My mom went into labor around 1:30am with sporadic contractions, so they won a ticket to go to the labor room (they didn't get sent home, no, it wasn't a false alarm!)  And around 3:40am my aunt came in with her camera because my parents rushed out the door and forgot to bring theirs.  So here I am:

In case you didn't notice the pink cap...yes of course I'm a girl...Here I am again with Mom...(so you can see my pink cap!)

I was about 5 minutes old here, they put on me on a table and snip off my umbilical chord...didn't even hurt...they measured me...and put some gel in my eyes...yuck!

Everyone is healthy, I know I am, and I'm ssstarved...Here I am trying to suck on the blanket...I'm going to cry soon if I don't get to eat...

Whew...Mom finally fed me here (by the way, doesn't she look great?  And I'm her fourth!)

And here's my proud Dad (I'm 20 minutes-old here):

I'm tired now...Too much excitement, what a morning!  I'm getting very sleepy....

Bye for now,

Mira