Vietnam and Buckner

Say the word “Vietnam” to people of my generation and you conjure up all sorts of ideas and thoughts; memories and mixed feelings.

Vietnam holds a special place in the long and storied history of Buckner.

On June 12, 1975, a group of 82 orphans and 15 staff from the Cam Ranh City Orphanage in Vietnam arrived at Buckner Children’s Home in Dallas to restart their lives. It was shortly after the fall of South Vietnam and the exit of American troops from the country.

The group from Cam Ranh had endured a harrowing escape that reads like a Hollywood movie script, complete with a leaking fishing boat adrift at sea, gunfire, and refugee camps.

After weeks of uncertainty, the group finally found its way to Buckner amid a crush of national media attention. They settled in one of the old dorms on the campus and life began again.

Through the years, many of those Vietnamese orphans were adopted; many grew up at Buckner; the majority has gone on to successful and fruitful lives. The leader of the group and director of the Cam Ranh Orphanage, Nguyen Ha, died a few years ago. But those precious orphans are a lasting monument to one man’s dedication and perseverance.

About a year and a half after I came to Buckner, Scott Collins on our staff came up with the idea of hosting a 20-year reunion for the Vietnamese orphans in 1995. They came from all over and again, the media interest was enormous, with every Dallas TV station covering the event and The Dallas Morning News featuring the event on its front page.

As you can see, any time Buckner has gotten involved with Vietnam, there is keen interest from people.

Well, once again, Buckner is getting connected to Vietnam. I’m Vietnam for the next several days with an adventurous group of fellow travelers. We’re here meeting with top government officials about ways Buckner can help the children of this country.

We’re here with a deep sense of excitement and uncertainty. God is using wonderful people from all kinds of backgrounds to connect us and to help network with the right people. We’ve started our journey in Hanoi and will visit several locations around the country in the next few days.

Please pray for our group as we look for the right avenues of work in Vietnam. There is a great deal of excitement both here and back home about the possibilities. Many of the Buckner Vietnamese orphans have asked us for years to consider work here and we believe the time may be right. But we need God’s unfailing guidance, so please pray for wisdom and opportunity.

As we move through our trip, I’ll do my best, depending on technology, to keep you informed and up to date, so stay in touch through the blog.