Pioneer Christian Monthly - September, 1979

Our New Friends
Anna and Gabrielle Van Ens

In March, 1979, Pastor Art asked our parents if they were willing to co-ordinate the coming and establishment of two Vietnamese families. Since then the problem of the "boat people" has become more clear and alive to us.

It was not until late June that we finally received a letter giving us more information about the families. We now knew they would arrive between July 12th and 31^st. At this time the actual work began. The first priority was to find 2 homes. In the meantime the congregation and community were asked to donate furniture, dishes, cutlery, sheets, etc. What a response! Things came pouring in and the telephone didn't stop ringing. God answered our prayers and at the right time, two town houses were found, close together and not very expensive. Most of the work was done by adults, but we, as children and teens, could help a bit too. It was really exciting to see how everything fitted together. Even the drapes, chesterfield, and rugs matched! Beds were made and toys for the children were put on each bed.

The Quan Tran family arrived on July 19. They were extremely tired but happy to have finally arrived at their destination. Quan Tran who speaks English very well was interviewed at the airport and called it "the prettiest moment of his life". His wife, Hoan and 3 boys, Nhien 11 years, Sang 9, and Tam 7 can speak only a few words of English. For them, a busy week followed. There were orientation classes where they learned how to take buses, how much money to pay for rent, damage deposits, etc. They also were brought to clothing depots where they could choose some clothes from stacks and stacks of donated items. Quan Tran was offered a job at a steel plant, right away. It has been three weeks since Quan Tran and family arrived in Canada. They have adjusted very quickly to the western ways, probably because he has read many English books and magazines.

On July 26, the second family arrived, Dr. Thach Tran (not related to Quan Tran) and his son, Son 8 years and 2 nephews, Tang 16 and Thanh, 13 years. This family makes us realize how much suffering the boat people go through. 2&. Tran's wife and 3 children drowned when their boat sank off the coast of Malaysia. Tang and Thanh's parents, 1 brother and 2 sisters perished at the same time.

Due to unforeseen circumstances this family could not sleep in their own home immediately. So they stayed with our family. What a blessing that was! We really enjoyed it and they would have been so lost, if they had lived on their own right away because of the strange western ways and products. On their first morning with us, we discovered they had experienced a cold and uncomfortable night since they had slept on top of the blankets instead of between the sheets. They had never slept in a bed before because in Vietnam people sleep on mats.

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