Learning to see possibility
At the Home of Hope in Cambodia, small, patient acts of accompaniment help young people with developmental challenges discover new confidence, connection, and joy.
Amid tension, signs of hope in Cambodia
As border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand give rise to displacement, missioner Hang Tran witnesses hardship and resilience. From children coloring their way toward calm in crowded camps to a historic episcopal ordination drawing 3,500 faithful, the country holds both sorrow and joy in the same breath, and Hang finds glimpses of grace that point toward Micah’s vision of swords turned into plowshares.
A cardinal’s blessing, a bhikkhuni’s wisdom
During the 8th Buddhist-Christian Colloquium in Phnom Penh, Maryknoll lay missioner Hang Tran experienced powerful encounters of interfaith compassion and connection—from a Vatican cardinal’s visit to a home for the differently abled to a Vietnamese Buddhist monastic’s loving support for her foster daughter’s conversion to Catholicism.
A heart bowed in faith
At the Home of Hope in Cambodia, where missioner Hang Tran serves, children with diverse abilities navigate daily challenges with resilience and joy, among them, Simon—a spirited young boy with Down syndrome. Though his struggles with hygiene are well-known, his spontaneous moments of devotion reveal a deeper truth: a longing for the divine, a thirst for something greater. Through his simple yet profound gestures of worship, Simon teaches us all about the cycles of cleansing and renewal, both physical and spiritual.
Better choices, second chances
At the Home of Hope in Cambodia where missioner Hang Tran serves people with disabilities, she accompanies a young man struggling to achieve independence and discovers how creativity and compassion “compost” suffering.
The fruit of mercy
Missioner Hang Tran sees Luke 6:38—”Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.”—manifest in the ministries around her in Cambodia.
‘If only I touch his cloak, …’
Hang Tran observes the healing and transforming power of touch
Reverse tabletop pose
Hang Tran finds inspiration in the physical exercises modeled by two young men with disabilities.
Darkness to light
Hang Tran writes about mourning the loved one of a colleague and about receiving healing from an unexpected source.
Learning from an indigenous missionary
Hang Tran is inspired by the faith of the family of an Indian Missionaries of Charity Brother.
‘The meek shall inherit the earth’
Hang Tran reflects on a resident and a staff member of Home of Hope who both inspire her in very different ways.
