Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000033
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00:01 If a picture is worth a thousand words,
00:03 an experience is worth a thousand pictures. 00:06 In today's episode of Hope in Motion, 00:09 we meet, Deborah Huong, 00:10 Asian Aid, U.S.A sponsorship manager 00:13 as she travels to Asian Aid supported schools in India. 00:17 Coming here to India, seeing the need, 00:21 seeing what Asian Aid is doing as part of the solution 00:25 and seeing the results has helped me to really see 00:29 that I have a part to play, 00:30 that there is something that I can do. 00:33 We travel with, Deborah, 00:34 to the Seventh-day Adventist school at Vizianagaram, 00:37 as she witnesses the inauguration 00:39 of a brand new boy's dormitory, 00:41 and see how this new facility is adding value 00:44 to this very needy school. 00:46 By seeing this building and this prosperity, 00:49 we really excited. 00:51 We are really happy to see such a useful building for the boys. 00:56 And we meet Felix Olive, 00:57 experiencing the joy of sponsorship first hand, 01:00 as he meets his sponsored child, Manohar. 01:04 I think we can give hope to the hopeless. 01:08 And seeing now Manohar, nicely dressed 01:13 and with a meal, three meals every day, it's indescribable. 01:35 Asian Aid is an organization giving hope. 01:38 An organization fostering permanent positive change 01:41 in the lives of disadvantaged children 01:43 and their communities. 01:45 An organization that is committed 01:47 to making a difference in the lives of children 01:49 and those who are in need. 01:51 Serving communities in Nepal, Bangladesh, 01:54 Sri Lanka, Myanmar and India. 02:05 For the last 40 years, 02:07 Asian Aid has invented in the futures of people 02:09 and their investment has proven infinite returns. 02:14 Driven by their dedication to helping those 02:16 who have the least, 02:18 Asian Aid is an organization 02:19 focused on the welfare of children, 02:22 implementing diverse development projects 02:25 and sponsoring thousands of children. 02:27 Their outreached spans from child rescue operations, 02:31 to providing an education for orphans, 02:33 deaf, and the blind children. 02:36 Giving them a sense of place, a home. 02:39 But above all, Asian Aid is an organization giving hope, 02:43 giving hope to children, giving hope to communities, 02:47 giving hope to the ones who need it the most. 02:51 This is Hope in Motion. 03:15 As the sponsorship manager for Asian Aid U.S.A, 03:18 Deborah Huong, as a liaison between the child, his sponsor, 03:22 and the Asian Aid supported schools in South Asia. 03:26 Recently when Jim Rennie, C.E.O of Asian Aid U.S.A 03:31 offered her the chance to travel with him to India, 03:34 she had mixed feelings, 03:35 clueless as to what she would expect 03:37 and encounter from her first trip to India. 03:40 It's very important that our key staff come to the field 03:43 because it gives them a much deeper understanding. 03:47 It allows them to see how the system works, 03:50 it allows them to interact with the field staff. 03:53 But most important, 03:54 it builds their confidence on what they're doing, 03:56 so when they're talking to donors, 03:58 when they're talking to sponsors, 04:00 they can say I've been to the school where your child was, 04:04 and it's just a key part of them understanding, 04:08 what Asian Aid does 04:10 because everyday we're talking to sponsors and donors. 04:15 It is important for any charitable organization, 04:18 that their staff visit the mission field 04:20 because they can relate their experiences to the donors 04:23 and this in turn engenders more confidence 04:26 for the donors and the sponsors in the organization 04:29 and the projects they are supporting. 04:43 Soon after arriving in India, 04:45 Deborah began her whirlwind trip 04:47 with a visit to the Seventh-day Adventist school 04:49 in Vizianagaram, 04:50 in a southern state of Andhra Pradesh. 04:53 The school at Vizianagaram 04:54 has taken a pounding from a severe storm recently 04:57 and the storm had battered 04:58 the already dilapidated school complex. 05:02 And so when I walked into the Vizianagaram campus, 05:04 I have, of course I'd seen pictures, 05:07 so I'd seen, kind of, what the classrooms look like, 05:09 kind of what state it was in, you know, its different needs. 05:15 But somehow, you know, of course, 05:17 you know, a picture is worth a thousand words, 05:19 but I've like an experience is worth a thousand pictures 05:23 and it was really like that for me to, to see the classrooms, 05:28 to see the condition they were in 05:31 but that the children were still using them 05:34 and that they were very happy and thankful 05:37 and you know I just feel that there is a lot more to do there 05:41 and I'm still glad that we can, be a part of doing that 05:44 and especially with the new dorm that we've made. 05:46 That that's just a good step towards more improvements 05:49 that that school can have. 05:53 When you walk into the school campus, 05:55 the enormity of the need at the school comes into full view. 05:58 Because of financial difficulties, 06:00 the school fell into disrepair 06:02 and because of the lack of facilities, 06:05 such as a decent dormitory, 06:06 the boys were housed in the church building 06:08 inside the campus. 06:10 Since we don't have place for the boys to stay, 06:14 we put them in the church. 06:17 As we Christians we know church is a holy place for all of us. 06:21 But this is only meant for praying. 06:24 But in the beginning when we came 06:26 we really hesitated to keep the boys in the church, 06:30 because that is a holy place. 06:32 But there is no other way to keep the boys. 06:35 Then we all thought, even we prayed, 06:38 God, please forgive us, by doing this. 06:43 We're coming into the chapel, which is also the boys' dorm, 06:48 which is also a classroom. 06:50 So these fellows, hi, do you sleep in this house? 06:53 Yes, ma'am. 06:55 You sleep in God's house? 06:56 Yes, ma'am. 06:57 I think you do. 06:59 Show me, show me where you sleep. 07:06 Come, show me. 07:11 Sue Smith is a longtime supporter of projects in India 07:14 and she along with her church members at Bonita Valley 07:17 SDA church in San Diego, California 07:20 has been involved in sponsoring 07:22 and taking care of basic needs at the school 07:24 ever since she first visited the school. 07:27 Well, I noticed what poor condition the school was in, 07:31 I had been seeing large schools built, 07:33 that were beautiful, lovely facilities 07:36 and it was quite jarring to see this small school, 07:41 where the children were sleeping on classroom floors, 07:43 I said well let's buy beds, we can buy beds, 07:46 and they said but there is no room for beds, 07:48 they sleep in the classroom. 07:51 The boys were not only sleeping on classroom floors 07:53 and living in the church, 07:55 but because of the lack of proper classrooms, 07:57 the school administration was forced 07:59 to conduct classes in the church. 08:03 Moved by the plight of the children 08:04 and the staff at the school, 08:06 Sue and her church members at Bonita Valley 08:09 along with Asian Aid, U.S.A 08:11 realized the urgent need to build a new boys dormitory 08:14 and their support culminated in the inauguration 08:17 of a brand new boys' dorm on November 6th 2014. 08:34 By seeing this building and this prosperity, 08:37 we really excited. 08:39 By God's grace, through the help of our members or donors, 08:44 we are really happy to see such a useful building for the boys. 08:50 So now we're in the new boys' dorm 08:52 of course it's very exciting for us, for Asian Aid. 08:55 Something, a very important step for the donors and those 08:58 who have given towards that project. 09:01 But even more so for those boys 09:03 who've been living in the church, 09:05 in very rough conditions. 09:07 Now they have this beautiful home, they're so exited 09:11 and especially with the storm that they recently had, 09:13 that did some damage to that school. 09:16 They were living in different, different parts of campus, 09:19 trying to find a dry place 09:20 and now they have this beautiful dorm 09:22 and I know they're very appreciative to those 09:24 who have given to this project. 09:27 Although undertaking projects like this 09:29 is a small step for Asian Aid and its supporters, 09:32 it makes a huge difference for the children and their parents 09:35 who often come from unimaginable living conditions 09:38 in their villages. 09:40 And when we see Vizianagaram School, 09:42 school like Vizianagaram School, 09:44 we think, oh, my goodness. 09:46 But the kids don't complaint 09:47 because when you go back to their homes 09:50 and see where they come from, 09:52 they are very happy to be at school, 09:54 their parents are very happy for them to be at school, 09:57 and so we want to do more there and we will do more 10:01 and we want to plan classrooms, 10:04 we want to plan to build that school 10:07 and, but the kids are grateful. 10:11 These children are grateful for what they have 10:14 and it is this humility in the midst of hardship 10:16 that brings back people like Sue Smith to this campus. 10:20 It's in my mind if people could really see it here, themselves, 10:25 why wouldn't everybody want to go? 10:27 This is such a fabulous place, 10:30 it's a hard place in a way but it's so fulfilling, 10:33 it's enriching in ways that I can hardly, 10:37 hardly have words for, 10:38 I come back with better priorities, 10:40 when I come back to the States. 10:42 Everyone sleeps here? Yes ma'am. 10:44 All the girls sleep here? Yes ma'am. 10:46 Over the last couple of years, 10:48 people like Sue Smith and many more like her, 10:51 have realized the needs of this school. 10:54 They want a place that is safe and supportive 10:56 and want a place where children could be given opportunities. 11:00 As a key personnel at Asian Aid, Deborah Huong, 11:03 has seen many such needs 11:04 and many opportunities given to these children. 11:08 She had seen donations come in 11:10 and received pictures of the buildings 11:11 as it rose from the ground up. 11:14 But now to stand at the gate of this beautiful new building 11:17 as the ribbon was cut. 11:19 See the excited faces of the children and the staff alike 11:23 and the part Asian Aid was playing 11:25 to see the fulfillment of a dream in motion 11:27 was not something she had experienced before. 11:30 It was a great sense of fulfillment 11:32 to see first hand the result of an accomplished, 11:35 truly worthwhile mission. 11:37 So the inauguration of the Vizianagaram new boys' dorm, 11:40 there was this plaque and when I was reading it said, 11:44 it was dedicated as I mean, Ark for Gods children. 11:48 When you think of ark, you think of something that, 11:50 in the storms of life, in the difficulties, 11:53 it's a place that is safe. 11:54 It is a place where you have, you're supported, 11:56 they can find a safe place and I feel like 11:59 that is what this school is for them 12:02 and is for many of our other Asian Aid children. 12:06 This is what we want it to be, 12:07 is an ark where they can feel safe and supported, 12:10 where they can be given opportunities. 12:11 They can feel like, they can have, 12:14 build a future for themselves 12:15 and they can be carried safely to whatever destination it is 12:18 that God has for them. 12:24 Fourth grade student, Tagore, 12:26 comes from a small village not far from the school. 12:29 Tagore joined the school three years ago 12:32 and Asian Aid sponsorship has given him an opportunity 12:35 to build his own future. 12:38 At a very early age 12:39 Tagore's father abandoned him and his mother Gauri. 12:43 As marital issues developed at home, 12:45 his father, an alcoholic, physically abused his mother 12:49 and on one occasion pushed her against the wall 12:52 and she damaged her back. 12:54 This rendered her incapable of doing any work. 12:57 Having moved in with another woman, 12:59 he went into a state of unhappiness and despondency, 13:02 and he killed himself by hanging. 13:09 Her health is not well and moreover 13:12 and she cannot take care of him 13:14 also because she is depend upon the brother. 13:19 What's the brother doing? 13:24 He went for the agriculture work, daily basis. 13:29 After Gauri was rendered 13:30 physically challenged to do any work, 13:33 she struggled to provide for herself and her son. 13:36 Although her brother was there to support her, 13:38 she was unable to send him to school. 13:42 I'm working in this village for the last 10 years 13:45 and 6 years back I met Gauri 13:48 and when I met her she told me her family problems. 13:52 She told me about her struggles 13:54 and how her husband passed away. 13:57 I thought I must do something for them 14:00 and I took her son to the SDA School at Vizianagaram. 14:04 Afterwards through the, by the pastor's information and all 14:09 we found this boy. 14:10 The pastor came and told 14:11 so and so such case is there, one boy is there. 14:14 Can you, can we bring here to our school like that. 14:17 So immediately we brought that boy, 14:19 we put him in grade one. 14:21 He studied nicely then we gave him double promotion. 14:25 Instead of going to the second standard, 14:27 he went to third standard. 14:28 Now he is in grade fourth. 14:31 Giving a child a double promotion is rare 14:33 in the Indian school system. 14:35 It is only given to those children 14:37 who show exceptional ability to learn. 14:39 One can only imagine a bright young boy like Tagore 14:42 wasting his talents 14:43 and growing up in a village without an education. 14:49 Tagore, what do you want to become when you grow up? 14:54 Doctor. 14:55 Doctor? He wants to become a doctor. 15:01 Tagore is a fine example 15:03 of what a simple gesture of sponsorship can do. 15:06 Today, Asian Aid sponsorship program 15:08 is not only giving a new lease of life 15:10 and opportunity to children like Tagore, 15:13 but it is giving the parents and community 15:15 an opportunity to know Jesus. 15:19 What I'm thinking here, may be this is a God's plan. 15:25 We do not know the sponsor, 15:27 the sponsor do not know this boy. 15:29 This boy do not know the sponsor. 15:31 She doesn't know the church exactly, 15:34 but what church can do for her. 15:37 But this is God's plan to come here 15:40 and through the pastor 15:41 and this lady came to know the truth 15:43 and the truth and God helped her son 15:47 to come to our Adventist school in the church. 15:51 This all looks like a God's agency 15:55 is from the beginning to the end. 15:59 Coming here to India, 16:01 I really realized the impact that sponsorship makes. 16:05 You know I deal with it everyday in the office. 16:09 So somehow coming here and seeing boys like Tagore, 16:12 who live in a village where, they may not have a parent, 16:16 where maybe his mother is unable to work, 16:19 but he is able to go to a school 16:21 and if he didn't have that sponsorship, that opportunity, 16:24 who knows may be in a couple of years 16:26 he would have to go to work, 16:28 be sent to work to support the family. 16:30 He may not appreciate or understand that now 16:33 but in a few years maybe when he grows older, 16:37 he will look back and realize the opportunities 16:39 that his sponsor has given to him. 16:43 Meeting boys like Tagore, 16:45 learning about their background 16:46 and seeing the impact 16:47 Asian Aid was having on these children's lives 16:50 was a rewarding experience for Deborah. 17:21 Deborah's trip to India wouldn't be complete 17:24 without a visit to the Sunrise Children's Home. 17:27 Sunrise Home has been a major project 17:29 for Asian Aid U.S.A in the last couple of years, 17:32 and this was a place she was looking forward to visiting 17:35 since the start of her trip. 17:37 Visiting the children at Sunrise Home 17:39 was a very special experience. 17:41 Just looking into their faces, 17:42 you can see that these children are just very happy. 17:45 They're free to run around, 17:47 they go and they play in the river, 17:48 we played some games together, 17:51 and Lalitha, when showed us some of there documents, 17:55 from when they first came 17:57 and the pictures of them when they first arrived, 17:59 and to see that versus what they are now, 18:02 such a huge contrast in how these children have changed, 18:07 how they've grown, how they've prospered in this environment 18:12 and I mean it's such a blessing to see. 18:27 The new boy's dorm at Sunrise Home was recently inaugurated 18:31 and the boys were eager to show their new home 18:33 to Deborah and Felix. 18:36 Felix Olive is a New York resident 18:38 and has been sponsoring a child here in India since 2013. 18:42 When he was told about this trip Asian Aid was making, 18:45 Felix was eager to join. 18:49 Well, I met Felix at our regional ISI in New York 18:52 and he was really excited about the ministry, 18:55 in fact he had sat down and watched most of our videos, 18:58 he just about knew more about the videos than I did, 19:01 and he asked me if he could come, 19:03 so we're very excited that Felix could come on this trip. 19:07 He is a sponsor, and he just loves children, 19:11 and so not only as he meeting 19:12 the children at all the schools, 19:15 he is going to visit his children at Ibrahimpatnam. 19:18 When I saw the work that Asian Aid was doing 19:22 and I saw it through their videos that, 19:26 were I found in the site in the Asian Aid site 19:29 and as I saw their work, I was deeply touched 19:31 and I said to my friends, 19:33 if you want to watch these videos 19:35 you need a box of Kleenex next to you 19:37 because it will break your heart 19:39 to see the stories of all these different children 19:42 and their needs. 19:43 So I couldn't wait anymore, 19:47 I said I want to sponsor one of these children. 19:50 So... 19:51 Moved by the stories he watched 19:53 from Asian Aid's Hope in Motion series, 19:56 Felix, has been sponsoring Manohar since 2013 19:59 and he was anxious to meet him 20:01 at the Seventh-day Adventist school in Ibrahimpatnam. 20:05 You know there are lot of sponsors 20:06 would love to visit their sponsored children. 20:09 They keep their photographs each year, they pray for them. 20:12 But it's not possible for many of them 20:14 to travel all the way here to India. 20:16 So it's been a really exciting to travel with Felix, 20:20 as we've been here to see his mounting excitement 20:24 to see his sponsored child 20:25 and to be at Ibrahimpatnam as he met him 20:28 and this is really what sponsorship is all about. 20:32 The joy of seeing the person who you have been able to help 20:37 and a lot of these sponsors become our ambassadors, 20:39 our Asian Aid ambassadors. 20:41 They go out and tell their friends and their family, 20:44 what the true joy of sponsorship is. 20:47 Felix was able to experience that true joy of sponsorship, 20:51 when he finally met his sponsored child Manohar. 20:55 Yeah, during the entire trip, I have to say, 20:58 I was expecting the culmination 21:00 when I will meet my sponsored child. 21:02 I have seen his pictures 21:04 and I started to sponsor him when he was in the third grade 21:09 and I'm very pleased to, when I met him, 21:13 yes it was an emotional experience to see this boy 21:16 and to see his background that was described by Robbie before. 21:26 Manohar comes from a nearby district 21:28 about 3 hours from Ibrahimpatnam. 21:30 Having succumbed to a stroke 21:32 his father died when he was very young 21:35 and his mother struggled to bring him up 21:36 and his two older brothers. 21:38 Being pressured to remarry 21:40 by her relatives and village elders, 21:42 she worried for her three boys. 21:44 Wanting a better future for her children 21:47 she brought them to the school 21:48 and waited for two days at the school gate 21:51 for someone to lend her a helping hand. 21:53 Ravi, field officer for Asian Aid 21:56 saw this woman with her three boys 21:57 and approached her. 21:59 So when we heard the lady's story, 22:02 Mummy, and I 22:03 immediately decided that we need to put the, 22:06 that these children needs sponsors immediately. 22:08 Then we put them, we accepted them immediately to Asian Aid, 22:11 we put them in the school 22:12 and they were there in the Asian Aid. 22:15 That's his brother Nagaraju. 22:17 Nagaraju. 22:20 Manohar and his brother Nagaraju 22:22 were taken into Asian Aid sponsorship program 22:25 the very same day and admitted at the school. 22:28 His elder brother goes to a government school 22:30 in his village 22:31 and also takes care of his mother. 22:34 Yes after I heard the story of course, 22:37 I learned more about him and I learned to loving more 22:42 but the thoughts that came through my mind, John, 22:46 was one child is not enough. 22:49 There were so many children in need. 22:52 I was happy when they asked, 22:54 how many children are here sponsored by Asian Aid, 22:59 and a few raised their hands, 23:00 in some schools there were a lot, 23:02 in some schools there were less, 23:04 but I was very happy to talk to them 23:07 and also ask them, have you seen your sponsor? 23:10 No, I haven't known my sponsor, 23:12 even Ravi, who came from an orphanage 23:15 and now he is working as a field worker, 23:19 he himself said I never met my sponsor. 23:23 So, but the point that I wanted to make is that, 23:30 my feelings was this is a time when I want to be a millionaire 23:36 because there are too many needs 23:40 and too little hands to do you know. 23:42 Not everyone is blessed with the financial means 23:44 to support and sponsor many children at a time. 23:47 But as Felix who found out, 23:49 we can with our unlimited means impact one life at a time 23:53 and the children are always grateful 23:55 for the impact these sponsors have in their lives. 23:58 The most important people, the donors and the sponsors 24:03 and the beneficiaries are mainly children, 24:06 families, and communities. 24:08 But Asian Aid is just conduit from the giver to the receiver. 24:14 Thank you for being the givers, 24:16 I can tell you, our receivers always tell me 24:20 they're grateful for the givers. 24:25 I think we can give hope to the hopeless 24:29 and seeing now Manohar, nicely dressed 24:34 and with a meal, three meals everyday it's indescribable. 24:46 As, Deborah, witnessed this relationship grow 24:49 between Felix and his sponsored child Manohar, 24:52 it gave her a new perspective 24:54 to her role as a sponsorship manager. 24:57 It was no longer just a job, it was a personal, 25:00 an experiential love for God's work and for the children. 25:04 Coming here to India, seeing the need, 25:08 seeing what Asian Aid is doing as part of the solution 25:12 and seeing the results has helped me to really see 25:16 that I have a part to play, 25:17 that there is something that I can do. 25:19 You know the needs only seem so great. 25:22 Yet when you go to a school and you see a child, 25:25 a specific little girl 25:27 and you realize, you know, these are individuals 25:30 and there is something that I can do for this one. 25:34 Today, Asian Aid is giving children in needy situations 25:38 an opportunity to receive an education 25:41 and sponsors like Felix and Sue Smith 25:44 and many more like them are giving these children 25:47 the financial means and emotional support 25:49 to follow their dreams. 25:52 Through Asian Aid sponsorship program 25:54 they are not only giving the hope for a better life 25:57 but giving them a chance to know Jesus 25:59 and prepare them for eternal life. 26:03 It's not just about, 26:04 our schools are not just about reading and writing 26:06 and getting good at science, 26:07 otherwise they'll go to any school, 26:09 it doesn't make any difference. 26:11 Again the analogy to the ark, 26:12 we want these children safe, 26:14 but we want them saved, we want them for eternity 26:17 not just 30, 40, 50 years in this world. 26:20 We want them for eternity. |
Revised 2015-04-02