This is Thao. She is our translator and friend now. What an amazing woman! She is so organized and knowledgable, and she manages so many charity projects for people on her own time. She is truly a role model for little girls like my daughters and big girls like me too. She is well known and well loved by all of the children. She sets the bar high for them with an eye on their futures.

Scenes from the kitchen in the orphanage.

A young boy was on the beach as the sun was rising. Millions of starfish had washed ashore. He was picking them up, one by one, and throwing them back into the ocean. An old man happened along and said"Boy, what are you doing? There are so many starfish, you can't possibly hope to make a difference." The boy looked at the old man, and then threw the starfish he held in his hand into the beautiful blue sea. He said to the old man " I sure made a difference to that one."

Being generous is not a privilege reserved for the wealthy. We watched, humbled, as the children from the orphanage gave money to beggars in the market. We had to ask them to spend their shopping money on themselves, and not on gifts for us. The bisque beads we gave them came back to us, painted and heart breakingly personal to each of us.
I feel small next to them.