GO. BE. HOPE.

(February 3, 2014) Vietnam has the highest abortion rate in the world. The abortion rate is so extreme because of a high level of sexual activity among the country’s young people, and the intense shame that is placed on the family when an unwed girl becomes pregnant. Serious contributing factors also include a lack of legal protection for women in the workplace and pressure from the government to have abortions for economic control.

Rockwall resident Tim Cypert, president of GO. BE. HOPE.

That’s where Rockwall resident Tim Cypert, a business consultant at Resourcing Edge, Inc., found his heart’s calling – rescuing children and mothers in this oppressive atmosphere.

GO. BE. HOPE. (formerly known as Lost Orphans International) is a charity work that began in 2006. Tim was introduced to John and Christine Nguyen, a couple that came to theUnited Statesafter the fall ofSaigon. The Nguyen’s had been returning toVietnamto check on the displaced and underprivileged children there. In response to the needs of birth moms and children inVietnam, Tim and the Nguyen’s began what is now GO. BE. HOPE.

GO. BE. HOPE.’s mission is to bring both immediate and eternal hope to orphaned and at-risk children in locations around the world. They advocate for on-the-ground individuals and groups by connecting them with people and resources in support of a strategy of child rescue, orphan prevention, and community development. Since 2006, GO. BE. HOPE. has expanded to Haiti, Kenya, Mexico and Israel.

It is hard for most Americans to realize the conditions these people live in. We take our great blessings of abundance for granted most of the time. The landscape for these residents is extreme slum conditions. These families’ personal property consists of whatever is in an approximate 6’x6′ radius. The children are streetwise for survival’s sake.

As the GO. BE. HOPE. team moves into these areas, a safe house is established, called the “House of Love.” They host a soup kitchen each day. They also provide education and tutoring each day, with hopes of helping these people becoming productive members of society.

GO. BE. HOPE.’s vision is that through association of the business leadership inVietnam, ownership will be taken of the slum areas, trade schools will be created and mindsets will be changed. The plan is to present business leader training with the goal of compassion for their communities and people.

This is a tremendous undertaking for a handful of committed folks (more than 100 Rockwall citizens have participated in joining GO. BE. HOPE. in some one fashion or another since 2006). They are reaching thousands of people with their love, concern and plan. To get a bigger picture of this outreach, visit gobehope.com.

By Blue Ribbon News special contributor John Adams of Rockwall. John is in telecom sales and also serves as an Associate Pastor at Poetry Baptist Church. He is active in the Rockwall Breakfast Rotary. Visit his guest columns at BlueRibbonNews.com and his blog at written4u.com.