Home Hak grows, Love Grows

New kitchen area, new clothes-washing machines housed in a new extension, new tiles where cement used to sand our delicate feet away... What will we not do to enhance the living environment of our 50+ little souls ? Often when the kids are at school, I take advantage of the free time to work with Deng on one of these many projects.

Deng is 26 years old, like me. I'm older by about a month, I get to call him "Nong Deng", which makes us both laugh because the kids always look at us funny : for them, he has always been Pi Deng, "older brother".

Back 5 years ago, when the Foundation was more concentrating on saving drug-addicted youths - AIDS kids arriving slowly changed the scope over the years - Deng was one of those fighting to free himself from drugs. The Foundation methods were pretty harsh by our standards : full severage from drugs, and also any eventual addiction replacements like coffee, alcohol, smoking. This would never have succeeded without the fundamental specialty applied in the Foundation : relaxing the body through massage and herb sauna cycles, administered by two assigned "guardian angels" who themselves often had been saved by the Foundation.

Deng has been living since then at the Foundation, gradually finding balance in his life. According to Father Tenaud, his rather lazy character greatly improved, he just finished a degree in civil engineering. He now takes on projects and responsiblities that today almost make me doubt that he was once a "troublesome" kid... So when I talk about spending time building things at the Foundation, you can put a face on the one who actually does most of the work !

Not all faces are fully relaxed though... Nong Nen is at the hospital now, a vicious bacteria invading her fragile blood stream. Since 5 days we've been awaiting blood from Bangkok for transfusions... Doctors opinions range from "no problem, just wait it out" and "she's only got a month left"... and next week we have a training camp 800 km away ! So many questions, what if she's not there when I come back ? Will the blood from BKK arrive on time ? Will there be enough ? And none of can be in my hands ! Nothing to do but wait, pray, and call for news as often as possible ! Perhaps the most reassuring is her cheerful smile on her thin face, shining joy and confidence from her hospital bed...
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