Remember this man?  I told you last week in the entry, “A good work ethic” that he was a bachelor, well in reality he is not.  He is married and has two children.  He still has that vicarious work ethic, but ladies he is now officially off the availability list.  He is a married man and the father of two lovely children.  How we came to believe that he was a bachelor needs some explaining.  I’ll try and tell you how the language barrier works here.  First, he was alone in the home when I visited him last week and I asked the neighbors who were gathered watching us if he was a single man.  Well, they all  nodded and shook their heads as if to say yes and some even said yes.  Secondly, the place looked like a bachelor pad.  Thirdly, while we were visiting him his wife and children were staying in another village while he was working on the family house.  

    You have to have experienced this type of language challenge to understand how this works and how communication mishaps like him being a bachelor can easily happen.  I’m an American, who has been living in Canada for eighteen years, and I still struggle with understanding the Canadian language, so you can imagine how hard Vietnamese would be for me.  I deserve a break on the language barrier, don’t you think.

    The photo below shows him and his wife working on the family home.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ladies, this wife is right in the mix of things with the reconstruction.  She can mix a batch of mortar as well or better than most men.  I also found out that this man’s occupation is construction and I was able to line up a lead on some future work for him.  His house is progressing along very well, he has his new roof installed and is now in the process of plastering the house walls with mortar.  For a man in a hopeless situation a week ago, he has come full circle and now has the security of a dry home a renewed sense of community and a God that showed him compassion in his time of need.  Ask us why we’re here and we’ll tell you this man’s story.

 

It was a good day today, I even got in a swim at China Beach.  I said good-bye to the rest of the team members that departed today, Chuck and Joette Ward and the last of the Vancouver team are all in the air as I write.  

    It’s just Bob and the MacKay’s holding down the ranks here at the beautiful Furama resort.  I did hear about some fowl weather happening in Vancouver BC. but I can’t believe that would happen this time of year in British Columbia Canada.

 

Your troops yet in Da Nang

Bob, Lawrence and of course Judy.