Restoring faith in humanity: the official thread

[Bodhisattva]

Then we’ll deliver the remaining food bundles and cash to the elderly and disabled residents of Lan’s old neighborhood. Tet is a time of celebration and feasting. We can’t do anything at the macro-level, but at least at the local level, 125 or so poor people in the area will eat well for a month. I wish we could help more. One day ...

Late one evening Lan's friends took us around the area to deliver the last 10 or so of the food packages. Lan and I wanted to experience some of the interaction with the neighborhood's needy. It was really a tough experience, especially when there were children involved. Besides giving food and some money, we talked to each person we met and tried to do the best we could for them, whether it be some more money, advice, or just encouragement. I wish we could do more. That was a difficult evening.



This young man is blind. And like many disabled, he sells lottery tickets to make his living. In addition to the food and money we gave him, Dinh bought the last 30 lottery tickets, so the young man could go home early. We waited for his family to show up to escort him back home.



Lots of need out there.

 

[Bodhisattva]

After visiting Vietnam, Lan and I spent two weeks in Thailand - one week in the Southern islands and the final week of the vacation in Bangkok. I invited the people from the charity I support there to dinner. The family that started charity accepted the invitation, as well as several young adults who work there. Som, the young lady I gave a scholarship to last summer was able to make it. Also, a fellow donor who I have befriended (Al, a Canadian who now lives in Hua Hin) was able to make it, as did the young lady he sponsored (Wasana).

Here's the backstory from last summer via my buddy Chris's YouTube video:

The young adults who work for iCare have their own remarkable stories. One of the young ladies, who goes by "Michelle," has a story of remarkable resilience. I specifically invited her to join us for dinner, and she accepted the offer.

What wonderful evening! Michael and his parents, Yngvar and Karin, have dedicated their existence to improving the lives of poor children through education. And as these kids finish college and start their careers (Som and Wasana are future nurses.), their families and villages will greatly benefit.



It was a few weeks before Som's birthday, so we brought her several gifts. Som surprised Lan and me with a couple of handmade gifts. Som made Lan a bouquet of silk flowers. And I received a handwritten card. I was never easily moved to tears until I started throwing myself into charity work.







Lan and I will keep these gifts forever. God bless these kids!

 

[Bodhisattva]

This story was brought to my attention recently. An estimated 200,000-400,000 Vietnamese died trying to escape communist tyranny. This story concerns the rescue at sea of a group of "boat people." I found and read the memoir (My 48 Years at Sea) by Georg Pederson about his life and career at sea, including the events of the rescue.

 

[CrimsonJazz]

She spent 29 years teaching others, and on her last day, they showed up to teach her how much she meant to them. A quiet goodbye turned into a room full of applause.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2036060589659938978

Dammit, who's chopping onions in here?

 

[Bodhisattva]

There is a boy from Vietnam who just started attending school at UCF. He is from a desperately poor family, but he is very smart. Lan was made aware of a Catholic charity that sponsors kids to go to college. Lan was put into contact with Khang, and he arrived in Orlando a week or so ago. Lan visited with him for several hours, took him out to dinner for pho, and then to a banh mi shop for a few sandwiches for later. She then took him to the grocery store to get a fridge and pantry full of food and all the necessary toiletries. I also gave Lan a few hundred dollars to pass along to Khang for incidental expenses during the semester. And to tell him to not be shy and let us know if he needs anything else.

Lily was home from college last week for Spring Break. One day, she and Lan drove down to Orlando to check in on this young man. (Lily had not met him yet.) He is planning to major in engineering but is also considering nursing. If he chooses the latter, Lan and Lily will be a good resource for him.

The girls took him out to lunch and then grocery shopping to restock his fridge and pantry. Add in a bit of cash, and he should be good for a bit. So far, so good.

 

[CrimsonJazz]

Elisjsha Dicken was shopping with his girlfriend at a mall in Indiana when a gunman started shooting in the food court. Putting his own life in danger, Elisjsha confronted the gunman and neutralized him within fifteen seconds...

Countless lives were saved.

Nicholas Bostic was delivering pizza in Indiana when he saw a house go up in flames.

Without hesitating, he ran into the house and pulled four occupants out.

He was then told there was a six year old child still inside.

Bostic ran back into the fully engulfed home, found the child and while cradling her, he jumped out of a second story window to safety.

A lot of attention is given to the worst of society, but we need to remember that the human spirit is still alive and well.

These are the people that our attention should be focused on.

Our lives are all elevated when we take seriously the responsibility of being our brothers keepers.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2036993190528770557

 

[Bazza]

Houston man volunteers himself to be a crossing guard at one of the city's busiest intersections.
20-year-old Davonta Robbins spends his weekends and free time volunteering to help pedestrians cross at Montrose Boulevard and Westheimer Road.
"I try to do the best I can to make sure people cross the street safely," Robbins said.
"We mostly have a lot of speeders... there have been a lot of accidents. I do this just because so nobody else won't get hit."
Helping people cross the street is personal for Robbins.
In 2021, he was struck by a car that was fleeing from police. He was hospitalized for months with a shattered leg.
When he noticed danger at the Montrose intersection, he decided to step up and buy his own equipment to help pedestrians.
"I've had drivers stop and say 'Thank you,' because other than that, they would have hit the pedestrians.
"Video: mekenna.earnhart / tt.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2036978373470413151

 

[Bodhisattva]

I started planning the February Vietnam/Thailand trip last summer. One of the things I wanted to do was to tour the islands of South Thailand. The obvious reason is to experience the incredible natural beauty of the area. But another reason was to meet the people of 5 Star Marine, a boat-tour company run by an Aussie named Sean. I learned of this company from my Youtuber buddy Chris. What Sean did (and spent) to keep his people employed and thousands of people fed for more than a year is nothing short of inspirational, especially when hearing Sean's reasons for his generosity at about the 13:30 mark. To hire 5 Star for the tour was the least I could do to say, "thank you."