Then there is the Birla Children's organization that we work with. Mr. Birla, a chap from India who is fond of children and wanted to something for the orphans here in Vietnam, founded Birla. The children that are admitted into Birla are orphans here in Hanoi who have lost one or both parents and the remaining parent or family survivors are unable to care for the child. When they say unable to care for the child, that does not mean want to, that means they are incapacitated.

Birla has been a nice place to work. We have been looking to place 20 computers there and though the computers have been donated, they have not been delivered. It is a problem with customs and what not. The Mormons have donated the equipment and we are happy to receive the donation, but the import and customs arrangements have been very difficult. Please pray that we can get the equipment moving and help the kids. We will be doing the teaching on the equipment when it comes.

Some features of The Birla children's village

The Lepers

There are 70 adult residents of the leper village we are working with. The Vietnamese Government founded the leper village and during the hay-day of Communism, they supported the village with the cash and supplies needed. Now that Leprosy has been controlled around the world, the lepers that have been maimed and suffer from the effects of leprosy are living in a village by themselves and need help. The elderly are invited to come and live in the village when they are no longer able to live with their families. Since leprosy is no longer the scourge of the nations, these are a forgotten people.

Our primary interest lies with the 40 children of the families living in the village. These young people have no relatives they can live with outside the village and no where else they can go.

Since they now live in an isolated village, which was intended to keep the lepers separate, they need a library and training facility there. The size need not be large, but they need some help.

Government employees who are not expected to stay very long staff the Leper village. Their salaries are very low and they little incentive to keep them on the job. Currently, there are two doctors, one nurse, one cook, and one cleaning person for the village.

The village is very pretty, situated some 60 KMS north of Hanoi. The village itself covers the hillside. The hillside has been deforested of all hardwoods and then replanted with eucalyptus trees.

Our Mongolian friends

We also have a Mongolian family staying with us. Toya and Enkhe are studying here in Hanoi. They have an income of 150.00 or less each month and with Enkhe taking art classes (he is a very accomplished artist) and Toya studying computer (she is a very accomplished architect), they were having lots of trouble trying to stay alive. We have been letting them stay with us so they can save money on food as well as utilities.

Enkhe brought Toya to Hanoi because he had been here for two years without Toya and their kids, Ooching and Onsor. However, when Toya came, she became pregnant and though they wanted to abort the pregnancy, we have asked them to keep the baby and we told them we will help provide for the child. Having 8 million people on our doorstep that do not know Christ is certainly a challenge. We need to do all we can do with what we have in our hands and we cannot become too concerned when we cannot do more.

Often in the evening, when life slows to a crawl here, I wonder if there is some way we cannot do more, but alas, we can only do what we can and strain to do more as time permits.

Our Vietnamese friends

We also have a Vietnamese family staying with us. Lap and Mai and their son, Dzung are staying with us in our house in Hanoi. They have an income of 50.00 or less each month and with Lap takingcomputer classes from us and his wife Mai taking secretarial classes, we are blessed to be able to help them. We have been letting them stay with us so they can save money on food as well as utilities.

Lap brought Mai to Hanoi because they had been separated so often they could not find a job or a business where they could stay together. Lap and Mai had quite a troubled past and have had to leave their son behind when they could not get work and stay together.

I wonder if there is some way we cannot do more, but alas, we can only do what we can and strain to do more as time permits.

Micro Economics

We also have a Vietnamese family staying with us. Lap and Mai and their son, Dzung are staying with us in our house in Hanoi. They have an income of 50.00 or less each month and with Lap takingcomputer classes from us and his wife Mai taking secretarial classes, we are blessed to be able to help them. We have been letting them stay with us so they can save money on food as well as utilities.

Lap brought Mai to Hanoi because they had been separated so often they could not find a job or a business where they could stay together. Lap and Mai had quite a troubled past and have had to leave their son behind when they could not get work and stay together.

I wonder if there is some way we cannot do more, but alas, we can only do what we can and strain to do more as time permits.

Our house

We invite folks from around the world to our house, to teach them about business. This is a coat that we put on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul did, and many others before and since, we use business to get into closed countries as well as provide a platform for speaking to closed government officials. We shun notoriety and try to provide that quiet place where rulers and religious leaders can come and find the presence of God.