AustLit

Hoa Stone's life story. Hoa's early years were spent in an orphanage in Vietnam. He suffered from polio and lost the use of his legs. Hoa was evacuated with other orphans when the US army withdrew from Vietnam. He was brought to Australia as a refugee and adopted by the Stone family in Adelaide. Hoa's childhood in Adelaide was happy but included major surgery for his disability and the sudden death of his brother. During his teens Hoa's life fragmented as he struggled to come to term with the pain of his past and his disability. He drifted into the drug culture, addiction and dealing. In his early twenties Hoa experienced a religious conversion to Christianity. The outcome was freedom from addiction and significant inner healing. Hoa trained as a Baptist pastor became the minister of a Vietnamese church in Cabramatta then returned to Vietnam where he has been working for ten years. He has established 'House of Grace' a centre for assisting disabled Vietnamese children and their families. -- Libraries Australia