Girls in their new hats!
Shopping for hats at the market.
Group picture at the movie--the whole crew, other than photographers Enoch and Marissa!Our second Father's Day in Vietnam was completely different from the first! Last year, we had just arrived in Danang. Everyone was still jet lagged and a bit "out of it." We missed acknowledging the day altogether. Just trying to get our "land legs" back. This year was packed with activity! Of course, we worshiped at the international church; then, we brought a group of 10 young ladies from theDai Loc orphanage to Danang to see the Hannah Montana movie on the big screen. For most of them, it was their first theater experience, completewith popcorn and soda. The movies here are shown in English with Vietnamese subtitles. (This was the first "movie trip" for the Dai Loc kids--we will continue with small groups until all have had the same experience!)
A couple weeks ago, when the coat trees were delivered to the orphanage(one per room), we told the girls that now they each had a place to hangtheir hats. Everyone here wears a hat in the sun. One of the girls said, "In our room, only one of the four of us has a hat." So, after the movie, we took the girls across the street to a market so each one could choose a new hat for the summer. What fun!
After the outing, we returned home for supper. The girls had made cards for Tony, and bought him a tie--his first here in Vietnam! Before we had left for church, we had made a peanut butter pie. We had to improvise a little. We used a round cake pan. The recipe called for corn syrup. After searching two large grocery stores and coming out empty-handed, I decided to use pancake syrup. The result tasted good, but I would call it a "pancake pie" since that is what it tasted like to me--pancakes with peanut butter and syrup.
I couldn't help but think what a blessing to share a great dad, for at least one day, with kids that do not have a father's arms on a regular basis. It was a wonderful way to celebrate, and honor Tony, as well as the Father of us all!
With all the activities in out in the heat, we were all worn out by the end of the day. But, the weariness felt good. I felt like we had planted seeds that will take root. Here's wishing you a fruitful garden, too!
Grace and peace!
