Field Visits

Karen Peyroux is the Field Coordinator at ACC World Missions. Karen assists from the initial stages of enquiry to returning home after service, and provides information to those wanting to support the field workers. She is the main contact for all the ACC Field Workers, both long and short term.
Following the Pan Asia Conference in Phuket, Thailand, Karen conducted a field visit to the AOG World Relief team in Vietnam.

Nicolette Beets (Program Manager, ACC International Relief) and I (Karen Peyroux, Field Coordinator, ACC World Missions) were blessed to be able to visit Paul & Deb and Kelvin & Rebekah in Vietnam from Saturday night 6/8/11 to Wednesday afternoon 10/8/11. Kelvin & Rebekah picked us up from the airport and welcomed us into their home. On Sunday, we went with them and Paul & Deb to the International Church in the morning, and to Hoi An in the afternoon, a lovely town reflecting in its architecture the era of the French colonisation. In the evening, Paul & Deb came over to Kelvin & Rebekah’s to relax with us, which was very touching, because they deserved to have the night by themselves before a busy week with 2 teams from supporting churches, as well as us.

On Monday, we rode on the back of Kelvin & Rebekah’s motorbikes to get some breakfast – pho (but with a couple of markings above the o which we don’t have in our English language, and it’s pronounced similarly to ‘fur’), which is a noodle, meat & vegetable soup, then to the AOG World Relief Vietnam office to meet some of the staff, see where their offices were etc. It was great to see the office first-hand so that when I skype-call Paul, Deb, Kelvin or Rebekah, or when they skype-call me, I can picture where they are calling from! It was also lovely to meet the Vietnamese members of staff and learn a bit about what roles they do. My understanding and appreciation for what they do was increased, including how they liaise with government departments as they carry out projects in the various provinces. We then went to a school in a village about an hour away to give out stationery packs to students in the child sponsorship program. I was impressed with the orderly ceremony for handing out the packs. One student opened with a song, then the principal called out students in groups of 10 to line up. Paul & Deb chose 2 people from either their team or the visiting team (and also Nicolette and myself) to hand the packs to the children, then we lined up behind them for a photo to be taken. The smiles on the faces of the children were beautiful, and they carried their packs carefully. I used to be a school teacher in Sydney, and sadly saw many students not appreciate their school books and not appreciate their access to schooling. So it was lovely to see these young children value what they had been given, and they seemed to realise the difference this (and other aspects of the child sponsorship such as school uniforms, access to health care, etc.) would make to their lives. In the evening we went to a session of the Shine program that 2 Vietnamese young ladies ran, on skin care and make-up, but placing emphasis on the natural beauty of the young ladies attending the course. This was run in the office of a facility which looks after women and their children. The young ladies’ children were looked after by a team from one of Paul & Deb’s supporting churches in the facility, so that the Mums could focus on the course.

On Tuesday, we went to another village about an hour away where the people who had been chosen to receive piglets were being trained in how to care for them, what to do with the offspring, etc. Paul & Deb and their staff also helped the people complete surveys of what their life is like now, and will do a survey again later to see how their lives are impacted positively by being given the piglets. Then the truck with the piglets arrived and Paul & Deb’s team, the visiting team, and us, took turns at giving the piglets to the people, in cane baskets. Then each recipient was photographed and one or two were videoed. The people receiving the piglets had huge smiles on their faces and secured them to their bikes before going home. One lady who was not on the list of recipients turned up wanting a piglet, but of course they could only be given to the ones Paul & Deb & their team had already chosen. But someone took her details and she may become a recipient of a piglet at another time. That night, our last in DaNang, we went with Kelvin & Rebekah up a building which had a magnificent view over the river. When I went to bed, I reflected on how happy Paul, Deb, Kelvin & Rebekah are in serving God there. Paul & Deb have been there for about 13 years, and Rebekah had spent 2 years there when she was single. Kelvin & Rebekah have only been in Vietnam for a few months as a married couple, and Rebekah has fitted right back into the swing of things, and Kelvin is picking up everything so fast – language, driving, etc.

Our last day, Wednesday, we went to another village, about an hour and a half away, to visit another school and hand out stationery packs. Many of the children’s parents watched eagerly from outside the room, to see their children being presented with the packs. We all then walked across to another school where there was an outdoor “driver education” track for children, which Paul & Deb’s team had supplied plastic cars, bikes etc. for the children to ride and be taught road rules, safety etc., which is definitely needed there because the way the adults ride their bikes in front of cars or 4-wheel drive vehicles, they don’t seem to realise that a car hitting them could kill them. That day, Paul & Deb also presented a traffic policeman uniform to one of the boys which he put on and stood in the middle of the traffic school and blew his whistle – very cute! This school had previously received a water filtration system, and a tap and bubblers with fresh water for the students to drink. The principal and another staff member were interviewed and videoed about the difference the clean water has made in the school. A boy drinking a glass of water from the tap was also videoed. We were then driven back to the AOG World Relief Vietnam office and caught a taxi with one of the teams to the airport. Nicolette and I then parted ways, with her flying up to Hanoi to meet up with her fiancé (who had only proposed to her the Friday night immediately after the Pan Asia conference, that is, the night before we flew to Vietnam!) and some friends, whilst I flew to Ho Chi Minh City then onto Melbourne, to be greeted enthusiastically by my wonderful husband Noah!

If you would like to find out further information about this or any other stories, please email us at ACC International: info@acc-int.org