Describe your life in the countryside. Can you think of a specific memory when circumstances were particularly hard in the countryside?
My name is Ly Nhanh. I am 17 years old, and I am from Tap Phuoc, Dai Chanh, Dai Loc, Quang Nam province. I have three sisters and one brother, and I’m the youngest brother. My older brother is 22 and he stopped school when he was in the 9th grade. Now he has unstable work. My sister is 20 years old; she also stopped school when she was in the 9th grade. Because my family was very poor, my brother and my sister could not go school. Now my sister is washing dishes at a restaurant in Da Nang city, and my mother is a farmer. Her health is very bad, so she can’t work very much. I stopped school in the 10th grade because I had throat cancer. My worst memory in my life was when I was 13 years old and my father died of throat cancer. My family used almost all the money we had saved to treat my father. It made our circumstances difficult and very poor
How did you realize that something was wrong with your throat?
In 2010, I had a headache, ear-splitting and lymphadenopathy, so I had to go to the Dai Loc hospital where the doctor diagnosed that I had throat cancer. The hospital couldn’t treat me, so I went to the Da Nang Provincial hospital where I was treated for 6 months. In the time I was in hospital, my family had no money. My mother asked for help from the government staff in Dai Loc, and they knew about the SEAR mission. Mr. Ngoc and Mrs. Vuot visited my home to come to know clearly my circumstances. They frequently visited and encouraged me very much. They said that the funds came from the Lord, and CBN Orphans Promise (working with SEAR). SEAR received CBN funds to help poor and critically ill children have a chance to recover.
Describe a particular experience or memory of your stay in BMWOCC, which encouraged you to want to live here.
Before I was sick, Mr. Ngoc and Mrs. Vuot visited my house. I began to trust in them, and I knew they were good people. When I began living in the BMWOCC, I met and came to know many orphan boys who had difficult lives like me, who were living and working here. They were very friendly and always happy. We are now like a family. Every Sunday, we all go to church in the Suzuki window van. I’d like to stay in BMWOCC.
Why is it important to you to learn cellphone repair?
I am not strong enough to do heavy work, and sometimes I get sick. Because of my past cancer, I dropped out of school. In my country I had no job, so I thought I would like studying electronics; but it was very hard for me. I decided to study cell phone repair and asked to study in a shop belonging to a Christian man, Mr. Tam. I like studying cell phone repair very much!
What were the religious practices that you did before? How did you feel about it?
My family’s religion was ancestor worship. I knew Buddha was not God.
What do you specifically remember and appreciate about what you heard about Jesus at the Summer Vacation Bible School?
I began to hear about about God and the lesson in the Summer Vacation Bible School was who I am according to Genesis 1:26a: Let us make man in our own image. The teachers told me that God made me to be like him and that he loved me; that I was his child and the Lord blessed me and helped me to live each day with goodness. I was glad to learn about the Lord and knew that I came truly from him. I knew I had peace and joy when I came to know and believe in the Lord.
Why did you want to learn the Lord’s Prayer? How did it help you?
I wanted to learn the Lord’s Prayer by heart because it’s great and very meaningful to me. If I learned it by heart, it would help me to have confidence in church, and I would be able to read it with others at the end of worship.
After praying to believe in Jesus, how did you feel?
After praying to believe in Jesus, I felt happy and safe. I had more belief in myself and my present life and more hope for the future.
What has Jesus done for you?
The Lord Jesus has helped me a lot. The Lord has used SEAR, Christians in the church and CBN Orphans Promise to help me and love me very much. The Lord has helped me to get well, have a place to stay and study cell phone repair. That was a desire I had for a long time but had no way to do anything. I thank the Lord so much!
What does your health mean for you and your mother?
When I was sick, my mother was sad so much because she saw her son was critically ill and that I lacked the love of a father. Now things are different, as my mother is happy knowing now that I am living in the BMWOCC and am cared for and loved by Christian people. I have the same kind of life as other boys in the wash center. I hope that through my story, I will be able to have a kind heart to be able to share and help other poor children who had difficult circumstances like myself; to help lift them up and encourage their lives.
Thank God for the transformation that Nhanh and his family have seen through this project! Consider supporting the vocational training center by clicking here.
