Post sent after they returned home

Scott P.
This morning, a few of us visited a facility that houses elderly people with no families and orphans together to assess the possibilities of serving that facility in the future. This facility is an incredible opportunity to make a significant impact! From what I understand, much,much different than the orphanage that we have been working with as the facilities, medical, nutritional, etc. are in need of drastic help. I believe that it presents the kind of opportunity that the people there will get completely fired up about.The visit to this orphanage (Sponsor Society #3) has been, by far, the most meaningful part of the trip so far to me. This is really a great opportunity to impact lives and I can't imagine anybody not getting fired-up about the difference that we could make there.

Sheri R.
Last day of the conference and farewell party

Today was the last day of the conference. It has been an extraordinary experience. I have been amazed by the people’s generosity and have become overwhelmed by their kindness. As I met individuals each day I came more to the realization that we are not very different.

I have been looking over the pictures of this last day of the conference. I have come to know that even though we come from two different worlds, we have the same questions and concerns for our children with special needs. A disability sees no color or race; it can be common across the board. My heart is to be proactive in the education and development of children with special needs and I am so thankful that I had this opportunity to serve and hope to have more opportunities in the future.

Sandy S.
This morning we arrived back in Hanoi after a night train ride from the beautiful village of Sapa . At this point in our trip, we have worked hard and traveled for two out of the last three nights, so we are a little weary.

Most of us needed some rest upon arriving at our hotel in Hanoi , so after breakfast that is what we did. Later in the day many of us had the opportunity to shop, sight see, or relax for a manicure or pedicure.

My sister and I had been given some letters and gifts to deliver to friends made by previous Northwood travelers to Vietnam . We found these people, delivered the letters and gifts and most importantly continued the friendships that had been established. What a wonderful opportunity it was to see how these lives had been touched by members of Northwood Church .


In the afternoon, most of the leaders had meetings to recap this year's conference and plan for the next year. The rest of us continued to relax, regroup, and pack for the trip home.

It seems that many of us have favorite places to eat or one that we want to try for the first time, so tonight we went to dinner in small groups. Our group of six went to an Italian restaurant which served great food and gave us an opportunity to discuss all we had seen and done in Vietnam .

Please know that I am forever grateful for this trip to Vietnam where I discovered the unselfishness of the participants in giving their best efforts to educate and love this culture and its people.

Trina O.
The majority of our group was scheduled to visit the National Institute of Pediatrics the morning of July 30th. When we arrived at the institute we were greeted by the psychologist/director (?) of the facility. We recognized her as being one of the students that attended the Education Conference. She immediately took us to the outpatient area which consisted of one room approximately 10x10. The room was a concrete box with concrete floors and no air conditioning – not fit for small children. There were 8-10 children with their mothers in this tiny room. There were a few toys, an exercise ball, and a rocking chair. Half of the group observed while the other half interacted with the children and talked with their mothers. We spent 30-45 minutes in the outpatient area.

We were then taken to their conference room where we met with the psychologist and the head of the facility (Lena wrote down this lady’s name). The meeting went very well – our group had so much information and expertise to provide. They were extremely eager for any advice we could offer. The meeting lasted close to an hour; ending with the understanding that we would take back what we had learned to the Vietnam leaders at Northwood and discuss what opportunities might exist in order to provide future assistance.

Back in Hanoi

They should be back in Hanoi from Sapa. They will have a free day on Friday and head to the airport around 8:00 PM. If anything is sent for the blog, I will post.