It was so wonderful to be home again, after two months away on Mission to the Montagnard in the Highlands of Vietnam. I feel exhausted because of constant travelling with Viet Toc team to reach remote regions where our tribal peoples live, under the care of teams of local priests and religious communities. Only by being there with our people are we able to understand their living conditions and at the same time effectively support our teams to best meet the needs of the suffering and most abandoned. Being harassed and stopped by regional police on the one hand caused a lot of stress, but on the other hand helped us to be more empathized with our people who have to put up with discrimination and even persecution in subtle ways every day.

25 years of the founding of our Viet Toc Foundation marks the blessings of the vocation to serve the Tribal people in 30 regions of the five provinces of Vietnam. We provide clean water, medicine especially for the leper colonies, food, and homes; we help build chapels. Most especially, we provide education by way of scholarships so younger generations can stand on their own two feet, and able to give back. Living testimonies of many men and women who once received the scholarships and who now become priests, religious, doctors, nurses, teachers, and other professionals inspire communities, especially younger generations, with hope and faith so they can dare to dream, to move forward, to build new future, in spite of discrimination and even persecution. They know they are not alone. The grace of God, the love and sacrifice of many will empower them to overcome discrimination and even persecution and try their best to make their dreams come true, not only for themselves but also for others.

I give thanks to God for our Redemptorist charism of serving the poor and most abandoned. I thank the Province for allowing me to be full time on Mission, and even support us financially. I appreciate so much my Annapolis community who has been very caring and supportive in many ways.  I thank many of my Redemptorist brothers who have been very affirming with your love and prayers. And I thank so many who have been part of this mission with your prayers and loving support.

Twice a year, the team and I go back to Vietnam, for about three months. The rest of the year is to go to different regions in the States, Canada, Hong Kong and even Australia, to preach Mission Appeals, to organize events to promote our Mission for support.

This is God’s Work, this is our Redemptorist mission, this mission is for our most forgotten and abandoned Montagnard sisters and brothers in the Highlands who are still bearing the brutal effect of the War.

Please continue to pray for us and for our suffering people.

Fr. Peter Vang Cong Tran