THOUGHT… THAT WAS ENOUGH! (CONTINUED)
To introduce the new congregation served by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Nha-Trang, the Hong An Association would like to share a short letter sent by Sister T.P.
Sister said:
“…I would like to send a list of the 50 people with difficult circumstances that we have chosen to receive the Hong An Rice.
During this quarter, the Sisters made monthly visits so that during Christmas there were gifts for their family celebration. For the next quarter, depending on the circumstances, our sisters will distribute rice each month or every three months. This is because some families require regular visits while some can take care of themselves and only need rice every three months.
Sister, it has been difficult for us to choose "among the hundred" that the sisters recommend in the parishes you serve. It pains me to consider the areas that will not receive rice because we have to set priorities.
I vented to Sr. Xuan An, the Superior General, that it is so pitiful to see the sisters turn away people because there are many poor people around us. Sadly, I only have the means to serve 50 people.
In charity work, I visited many families with difficult situations in Nha Trang Diocese, including Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan provinces, I realized that the poor here are deprived but happy to receive anything. All these local people consider it their fate to be poor. There are a few places in the North region where charity work is needed more because there are more poor people. The Sisters in my convent are very excited and asked me to convey their words to you and the members of the Hong An Rice Program. Thanks to this program we are able to better serve and evangelize in the areas visited by our congregation.
THOUGHT… THAT WAS ENOUGH!
Perhaps one of the benefits of the Hong An Association is that its volunteers are Religious Sisters from many different Congregations in Vietnam, especially in the North and Central regions. In 2011, the Hong An Association started with five congregations and thought that they would only help the poor served by the Sisters of these five congregations. But then under certain circumstances, new congregations of Sisters were introduced and the number "5" increased to "6", then to "7”… The association thought the expansion would stop at “7”.
Yet the blessing of the Holy Spirit continues to go up to 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, then 13! Today, Hong An would like to announce to our benefactors that we have added a new congregation, the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Nha-Trang
from Central region to become number 14! There are so many poor people, and we want to help as many as we can, wherever we can. When God wants us to stop, we will not be able to add more. But if God wants us to continue to do more, we cannot refuse.
God does not turn down human generosity. He will send new benefactors to join us, as long as we are on the right path of charity according to His Holy Will.
The Hong An Association asked the Sisters of Nha Trang to start with 50 poor people. Then, if there were any adjustments needed then the Association would adjust accordingly. In mid-November of 2020, the Sisters sent the following pictures and information to Hong An. Please read along ...
FLOOD SUPPORT IN CENTRAL VIETNAM
The central region has been heavily flooded recently. The flood waters swirled back and forth, affecting crops, land, houses, and the lives of the poor people in Central Vietnam.
Once again, the Hong An Association supported the Sisters in the Central region to go to the most heavily flooded areas. The Sisters took the people boxes of instant noodles, bottles of spices, soy sauce, cooking oil and even large bags of rice. This food will help them as they contend with these natural disasters.
Below are some pictures of the relief provided by Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Hue
The Sister in charge wrote:
“I have to choose the most flooded areas to receive help from the Hong An Association, Sister.
With the spirit of mutual love for Central Vietnam, the Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Hue continue to "row into the deep" to send the loving gifts of the Hong An Charity Association to the people living in flood-prone areas of Dai Loc, An Long villages in Trieu-Phong district, and Quang-Tri province. Due to prolonged floods, the houses and crops are submerged in water and mud, making life difficult for the people. Not only are the people grieving and suffering with their losses from the flood, but they also suffer from their poor life situations.This area suffered from two outbreaks of COVID-19, storm No. 5 and now historic floods. With four great floods, many of them have been awake for many nights in the cold rain, looking pale with deeply sunken eyes. Many are suffering from exhaustion. But it is the noble gestures, the caring, and the sharing of the bags of rice, boxes of noodles, and bottles of water from the benefactors of the Hong An Association that have helped these people overcome hunger and cold.
Thank you and please continue to make generous donationsto help relieve their misery."
VISITING PEOPLE IN BO-TO, CAO-BANG
We would like to share some pictures from the Sisters of Mary Queen of Bui-Chu diocese during their visit to Bo To, Cao Bang. The Sisters sent pictures and captioned each photo, making them more vivid and meaningful. Looking at the pictures, we can envision the Sisters’ struggles while visiting the poor people in remote areas. At the same time we can feel the joy of the poor when see the Sisters are helping them. The joy of sharing is always overwhelming.
LONG JOURNEYS
As you know, the Hong An Association has two main programs:
- Hong An Rice Program for the elderly and for the sick/disabled people with no ability to work. These people will be given rice/food by the Sisters each month or once every three months. They are usually close to the Sisters' locality, within a few kilometers. From the very beginning, the Hong An Association invited many congregations in different areas to collaborate so that more poor people could be supported.
- The “Long Journeys” Program: By the end of the year, if there are still some funds left, the Hong An Association will provide additional assistance for the nuns to travel long distances 
into remote areas that few people visit or help. Each of those trips is complicated and takes a lot of time to prepare, but the Sisters are happy and eager to go. Each congregation is assigned to different areas which allows for the program to expand and serve more poor people.
We invite you to read together a letter from the Daughters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Nam-Dinh, after their return from one of these trips to a remote area:
Thank God for the safe trip. The journey is difficult on winding hills of more than 450 km. It takes nearly 10 hours. We departed at 6 o’clock in the evening and arrived 4 o’clock in the morning the next day. On this his trip, we took two vehicles:
- A 30-seat van, including many locals
- A 5-seat car for the Sisters
This time, we went to Bo To - Ta Lung Parish belonging to Lang Son Cao Bang Diocese. Everyone gathered in front of the parish to receive gifts. After that, we visited some families in the village. Most of them had a kitchen inside their homes. In winter they must be very cold because sometimes it snows in the area. But their houses are basic, flimsy, and with many holes!
On behalf of 450 families of the Tay and Lung ethnic minority groups, we would like to thank the Hong An Association. The people received rice, dried sea shrimp, fish sauce, noodles, and some clothes. This time we asked many parishioners to help. They rented a car, which allowed us to give more fish sauce and dried shrimp. Many of the poor people traveled from 40-45 km (about 30 miles) away just to pick up their gifts. This time we asked a group to make pho for those traveling such a long distance. Some of them even begged for a second bowl! Because of the dry land, they only grow corn. But they desperately need rice. When they do not have rice, they eat dried corn!
When we finished distributing the gifts, an old lady came over and said, "Give me a handful of rice, so I can cook hearty soup for the children to eat.” She is raising three orphans whose mother died. What a pitiful situation! We bought more rice and asked the parish priest to deliver it to her later. The parish priest here is very loving and cares for the poor.
We plan to go to two or three more places in Ha Giang and Son La (Song Ma) with the remaining funds from the Hong An Association. But we cannot go immediately because it is extremely far, and those areas experience heavy rains.
May God bless all of the benefactors and the Hong An Association.
Sincerely,
Sister M. Jean Bosco K.D.
