3835(II)_From Malaysia Refugee Camps to Salesian vocation

By Bro. John Baptist Thuy, SDB

Sydney, Australia, December 12, 2015 - Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! I am Bro. Thuy Nguyen now in St Marys New South Wales since 2013. I’d like to share with you my experiences especially my times in Malaysia refugee camps.

When I was about 8 years old, my father took me to my uncle’s house in the countryside, when he knew that my uncle was about to escape Vietnam with his fishing boat. My uncle told me that I was too young to go by myself. So I came back home and after two or three weeks, we received terrible news: my uncle’s boat sank as soon as it got out of the border of Vietnam. The accident, in which I would have died, confirmed me that God had protected me and I thanked God for letting me live till today.

When I was about 11 years old, my dad took me to one of convents in Saigon so that I can join them. I was really scared to think of joining a convent and that I have to leave my family. Fortunately, after a talk with the priests, my father took me home.

When I was 15 years old and my father asked me if I want to escape on a boat of one of my uncle. I said that I would try, and I was glad because my father let me decide big thing like that. I tried and succesfuly escaped from Vietnam after three attempts. In November 1987 I escaped with my uncle’s family (together 54 people) crowded on a small wooden fishing boat (12 by 3 meters). Only after one week in the Malaysia based refugee camp, i was overhelmed by saddest feelings in my heart, when I cried which made tears swelled in my eyes when I wrote the first letter back to Vietnam.

There was a Catholic church in the camp as well as Buddhist temple and other churches of different religions. My uncle’s family and myself went to the church in the camp. One day after the Eucharist my uncle asked all of us to join the Vietnamese Youth Group and we reluctantly start our participation. After almost three years in the camp, with many friends, the youth group turned out to be a wonderful environment full of joy amidst of our refugee life. It filled my life with joy and laughter, hope and strength. In this way I overcame all the hardships of a refugee life.

Almost three years full of good memories with the youth group, good times with friends, camping, swimming, having all the fun in the games that the leaders voluntarily gave us, as well as sad times when I have to say goodbye to my friends.

I really liked those volunteer leaders who helped us running camps and activities. To me, they were heroes and they forever remained in my heart. You can see that being a leader or a youth worker is not just anyone, if you become a leader; you actually become one of the models for young people and can change their life, just as those leaders in my refugee camp has help me to change my life.

Three years later In 1990, I arrived to Australia after an excellent camp youth group experience. At the same time I wanted to do something in order to give back what I have received from that youth group. So I joined the local Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Association (Toma Thien) in Keysborough (Victoria) for another 10 years.

Around the year of 1998, I thought about my life and constantly asking God to show what I should be, and the result was that I joined the Salesians of Don Bosco, who work with and for the young, especially the poor and the abandoned youth. I was already over 30 was sure that God is always beside me in my journey.

I want to share all this to you with all my heart and want to let you know one thing that: if you do anything to help young people, even a small thing - you are already a leader, someone who have the power to change someone’s life. And as a leader you and I have Jesus as our greater leader. He will always lead us so that we can come to Him.

At the bottom of my heart, I would like to suggest that you would think carefully about doing something, committing yourself to help the young, to take it seriously and with a strong hope in Jesus Christ’s help, you will have peace in your heart and a happy life even in this life, not mentioning about the life after this life, an eternal life with God. I am confidently saying this because after 14 years with the Youth Movement, I found it is very clear that whoever commits themselves to the youth group, their life will flourish and they have peace in their heart wherever they go. As I reflect about all the leaders in the youth group in the past, they are likely to have a life full of happiness and joys, I can’t say that it is simply a “lucky thing” but to thank God that He has touched their life and my life in a special way.

Whenever we are wounded in life, God always wants to heal our wounds, however He give us freedom to say “yes” or “no” to His healing. Just as the blind man in the Gospel, Jesus cured him but remember one thing that Jesus did not heal his eyes straight away, He told him to go to a river nearby and wash his eyes. And so happens also in our life. We are invited to come to Him through serving our brothers and sisters.

I would like to thank you for reading my life and vocation story. May God be with you now and always!

Bro. Thuy Nguyen SDB

NB - Br. Thuy is the youngest member of St Marys community, with a mustache,