Why these kids?
Welcome to the 2018 BBW Blog! Bonnie Gardner, Bonnie K, Zoe, and Manuela will take turns with blog posts and we hope for a post from Owen too, from his very poignant point of view of having been adopted from the orphanage we serve.
S0, why these kids? Short answer- it just happened. It was random. When I met them with Cynthia and Rebecca over a decade ago on an adoption trip, there was no plan to take the road we have taken. However, being delayed and spending more time with them meant we got to know them pretty well over a couple of weeks.
For me, because my father served our country abroad, I spent my childhood until high school in third world countries, I played with the local kids and had close bonds with people of all nations as a child, so my filters are set a little different than stateside people.
When I visited the orphanage in Ham Tan for the first time, I was a mother. I learned what happens to a pretty alarming percentage of uneducated children when they age out of their orphanages. I wondered-if I did not have my amazing family- who would step up for my kids if disaster struck? After spending significant time engaging with the bright children of Ham Tan, I saw my own children looking back at me through their eyes and I found I could not look away.
Last night, as we broke bread with two of our University kids and their friends in Ho Chi Minh City, I got overwhelmed for a moment with their personal success and what it really means for them. Who will they be? What can they accomplish armed with their degrees and the confidence they have now from being loved and believed in?
An "ordinary" life of marriage,-children-job-home would be an amazing spectacular beat the odds by a long shot win. We are already seeing the chain of poverty and abuse being broken by our grads who have started families. They are the most attentive and loving parents. This is huge, and something we are just starting to understand now- the reach and the impact over generations.
Eleanor Roosevelt, John Lennon, NELSON MANDELA, and Malcom X were orphans too. We don't know what these kids can do. The history of the world is rich with incredible accomplishments by people who grew up without parents, (A chance for a child is a win for the WORLD)
We invite you to follow along, to meet them, get reaquianted with them. It is YOUR donations that have put 8 kids through school and are supporting two University students now. YOU have changed the trajectory of generations. Go to www.bigbigworld.org/donate and help us continue to empower young people to live up to their potential. Thanks-sorry so long- please follow and share!
-BonBon
