Journal by Bruce Binkley
For years we have had the opportunity to sponsor and, encourage our friends to sponsor, life-saving heart surgeries. It is an amazing program and GIBTK goes the extra mile to support and keep in touch with the recipients. Heart surgeries are amazing acts of kindness and the follow up program pours out continued kindness to the recipients and their families.
Today was an opportunity for us to meet with 3 recipients.
I am still moved by the feeling of awe when we walked into the room where they gathered. We have seen the faces of desperation and worry, but today the faces were joyful and full of anticipation. Here is the story of one of the recipients - Co.
As you can see in the photos, Co is a handsome, healthy and happy young man. He was able to share his story in English. Co is from a poor mountainous area, the son of simple farmers, who was selected by an NGO to attend IT training. Part of the entry process was a physical which revealed the heart defect. When Co received this diagnosis
he was worried and overwhelmed and alone. But miraculously he was connected with GIBTK and accepted into the Heart Program. Only then did he share with his family of his diagnosis. His surgery was successful and after the healing journey, he finished his IT schooling and now works in Danang as a IT coder.
Co was so articulate in expressing his deep gratitude to GIBTK and we spent hours with him just sharing back and forth. It is hard to put into words the joy we experienced just being with Co.
Something bigger has been at work than coincidence for Co. Ponder this: Son of poor farmers accepted into an IT program, heart defect discovered through physical for entry into the program, miraculously connected with GIBTK, and a donor is identified who prays for recipient. And today, in a follow up meeting, we get to see Kindness Come Full Circle….Co acknowledged that more than coincidence had brought him here. It was fun tonight to see the GIBTK staff interact with Co. For them, they experienced first hand what impact kindness can have in a person’s life; for Co, he was able to show his gratitude for that kindness; and for us - well we are just humbled and thrilled to see acts of kindness come full circle. God can do amazing and unbelievable things through simple acts of kindness.
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