It has been an incredible journey of blessings for Tam at Nana’s Transition House. She overcame her fear of abandonment (for not having a dad and the potential of her mom remarrying) and gained her peace and joy back. As she reflected on her journey, she realized that she had been selfish on demanding her mom to remain a widow for the rest of her life. As peace and joy reigned in her heart, she decided to bless her mom to remarry. Tam even prayed for a loving man for her mom and her wishes came true as her mom got married recently.
Here is Tam’s story of how she went from a fear of abandonment to blessing her mom:
Tam lost her dad when she was 7 and was raised alternately by her mom and grandma in the village. Due to financial hardships and an absent mom working far away from home, Tam was sent to an orphanage in her provincial city by the age of 13 in order to continue school. Tam often felt self-pity and numb when someone mentioned about her father. She learned to stuff her feelings inside whenever the thought of family rushed in. She fought and pushed and found it hard to express herself and struggled to relate to others around. Tam had to leave the orphanage at age 18 and through some connections, she found herself at a PureVN’s transition home.
Tam’s early days at Nana’s House were somewhat lonely and she frequently felt homesick. She found herself unfamiliar with the big city of Hanoi and she missed her mom even more. Having encountered Nana’s house parents, Joseph & Xuan, the siblings living in Nana’s house, and the other PureVN members in Hanoi, Tam went from feeling worried to loved and accepted day after day. She was surprised and yet amazed to find a family, a home which was so unique from all the other places she called “home” in the past.
After living at Nana’s House for a year, Tam could not help but notice that she was changing so much. Now she is able to freely express her personal feelings as well as to share about her deceased dad and her family back in the village. Her thinking started to shift positively and beautifully as she learned to care for others around her and to relate with them out of love and compassion in the same way she was receiving. One of the most encouraging things that Tam realized is that she does have a purpose in life and through the house parent’s coaching, she learns to set goals and makes plans to accomplish them. She is determined and driven to stick to her goals and become better to reach her potential.
But more importantly and the best news of all, Tam attributed her transformation to the unconditional love that she has received here at Nana’s Transition Home. She is now so sure of her identity, not a child of abandonment, but of love and acceptance. As she reflected on her journey, she realized that she had been selfish on demanding her mom to remain a widow for the rest of her life. As peace and joy reigned in her heart, she decided to bless her mom to remarry. Tam even prayed for a loving man to be her mom’s husband. Well, her wishes came true, as her mom got married recently and enjoys her own family now.
Here are Tam’s words on Mother’s Day: “I am grateful for my mom and the transition house mothers for all their love, support and sacrifice. They teach me so much about life and about unconditional love. I wish all the PureVN moms with good health, rich wisdom and abundant blessings to be upon their families. Happy Mother’s Day, Moms! I love you!”
Life transformation stories like Tam’s are possible because of you, your partnerships, and your giving. Thank you very much! We at PureVN family are very grateful for your love and support. If you feel moved to bless kids like Tam, please scroll to the top of this page and click “Donations” at the top right hand corner or click this link donate to go directly to the donation page.
