Hanoi, Viet Nam
I was up at 5:30 AM. I switched on the light hoping not to wake Mike, my roommate. He was waiting for me to get up, and so we had instant coffee (thanks, Martha). I had beef pho (soup) for breakfast at 7 AM, and then we started sorting the bins. Wow. There are a lot of bins = large plastic containers full of: medial supplies, dental supplies, hygiene supplies, pharmacy supplies, toys, and hats and gloves, etc. It took us until almost noon to be ready for our first clinic tomorrow.
We had lunch and then eleven of us were off for some sight-seeing to the Temple of Kings. This temple and burial ground has been used since 1,200 BC. It is rich in Vietnamese history. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single sign in English.
Five others went to another orphanage. They had a good time even though their driver got lost. They thought that was exciting because they saw places they wouldn’t have seen. :)
We returned from the temple at 5:30, and upon the recommendation of Raina and binh, I visited one of Pastor Jim’s watering holes. Four other men were already there, but none spoke English. It didn’t matter. We shared some water buffalo jerky with a VERY hot jelly. We smiled, I listened, and I bought a round when it was my turn.
We had dinner at a restaurant about 3 blocks from the Hotel Hanoi. It was hosted by the school master of the place we will have our clinic tomorrow. 28 for dinner with white table clothes, wonderful food, and great company. All four other men were there, and we nodded at the idea we had started early. The dinner was fun. No one at my table spoke English. Again, a smile and gestures can get you a long way with good-hearted people.
Tomorrow starts early. I am giving devotions at 6:45 in Mike’s and my room. Breakfast will be the same, and then we will have our first clinic.
Thanks for praying. I may miss a day with the blog because tomorrow we sleep on the train!
James
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