178 His Mission, Our Mission where Bro. Damien is director. Prior to the arrival of Divine Word Missionaries, the parish was served by temporary pastors. Consequently, the parish was not well organized. In 2007, five years after the construction of the new church, Fr Anthony Le Duc SVD was assigned as pastor. Fr Anthony is very active with the young people, who are Thai (some HIVpositive) and Vietnamese migrants. They make up the largest segment of the parish. After Mass, the youth participate in various activities, then they prepare and share lunch together at noon. One Sunday, Peter and I went along with the youth to visit the elderly for Mother’s Day. We went to a nearby village, broke up into teams, and began to wash dishes, fold clothes, and tidy up their yards. While I was folding clothes, one grandmother sat next to me and chatted away. Even though I had no idea what she was saying, we both enjoyed our time together. Afterward, the Thai youth sang Mother’s Day songs to the grandmothers as the rest of us showed our love with applause and smiles. Visiting the elderly was a great experience that unified the youth group. Grade school children, the Vietnamese youth, and the Thai youth all worked together for a common purpose. It also improved the self-image of the HIV-positive youth.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQ0MTI=