Last Flat Stanley for Maddie!

Hi Maddie! Here are photos of Flat Stanley having fun on his vacation in Da Nang, Vietnam. After going to perform the jazz concert (he is quite a singer you know, and speaks many languages!), he rested and drank some Dragon Fruit juice. It was excellent! After a good night’s sleep, he went to the beach and collected seashells, including a starfish. Then he sunbathed and finally went for a swim. He is a very good swimmer and did many flips in the waves! He even snorkeled. We hope your classmates enjoy hearing about his wonderful experiences in Vietnam. Soon he will be doing surgery in Ho Chi Minh City with me and he definitely will do some serious shopping with Grandy. Love! GrandyDaddy :o)

Ancient Vietnamese saying, “ Invest in a man and you invest in an individual; invest in a woman and you invest in a family; invest in a teacher and you invest in a generation!”

When we go to Mexico, I tell our participants to keep their eyes open, because they will definitely see miracles. We have not seen as many in Vietnam but today was miraculous! Let me tell you the story. Craig and I planned a wonderful morning of sailing in the Pacific. But last night, Craig received a late night call that a friend of Lien’s was ill. Craig arranged care and gave medicines. This morning, there was no wind and the ocean was quiet. Bummer, no sailing! “Let’s go have a great breakfast!” There was Craig’s patient. We ate with him and soon, his friend came by and we had a great conversation. There was the exchange of business cards, and his said, “Director General, Vietnam International Education Development, Ministry of Education and Training.” This man was extremely knowledable about REI (our organization) and helpful since its inception. He was the President of Hanoi University. But now he is in charge of nursing education and is very desirous of finding ways to improve nursing in VN. Our goal is identical! We called Elaine and Aja (our professors of nursing) and they came for an hour’s exchange of how we could jointly accomplish our very similar goals. Alleluia! No wind!