Inspired Magazine

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Someone overhead them talking at the Indonesian consulate in Singapore and thought the island may be part of the Anambas archipelago. So they flew to one of the biggest islands in the group. Based on rumours and vague directions, they caught a ferry that would bring them closer to their intended destination. Next they found two pilots who agreed to fly them still closer to Terampa, but the pilots would only take money for a one-way ticket as they couldn’t be sure they’d be returning. After landing, the captain of a navy boat heard of their quest and offered to take them direct to Terampa. Finally there, the trio hiked into the jungle and began their search. The first day they found many graves, but they all appeared to be Indonesian. The next day a local farmer offered to help. He knew of eight graves that could be Vietnamese. With hundreds of graves strewn across the island, they decided to start with these eight. But they only had permission to excavate one grave – and if it wasn’t their cousin they’d still have to take the remains back with them. It seemed impossible they’d find him. After hacking through the jungle to reveal the abandoned gravesites, the farmer asked which one they’d like to excavate. Carina, her brother and her cousin each privately considered which grave to try – by chance they’d all picked the same one. Here was their one chance to find their lost cousin. FOUND They knew they’d be able to identify their cousin because he was buried in a wooden coffin – his mother had been gifted wood by fellow refugees who no longer needed it as they knew they were evacuating the island the day after Carina’s cousin had died. They didn’t believe anyone else would have been buried in a coffin. Her cousin had also been wrapped in a military blanket before burial. After digging for some time the shovel suddenly struck wood. Their hearts leapt. Surely they couldn’t be this lucky. Further excavation revealed a body wrapped in a military blanket. “It was amazing, we just had this sense of absolute disbelief – not only that we’d found him but that we’d done it so quickly. I have to believe we were guided by spirits.” Right Carina helped a family find the grave of their 14-year-old sister who died two days after she arrived on Kuku Island. Below The remains of Carina’s cousin. GUIDED BY GHOSTS The find made Carina think of those she’d come to know on the island on which she’d been stranded – those like the eight-month-old baby she’d cradled and helped bury all those years ago. But she had no idea where that island would be amidst Indonesia’s island-studded seas. It just so happened that the captain of the ship that had transported them to Terampa knew of the island where Carina had nearly died – Kuku Island – and it wasn’t far away. He offered to take her there the next day. She raced to the markets to buy incense and food to offer the dead. And as she set foot on the beach, images of the dead and dying swirled through her brain. Her heart became heavy with sadness. She felt the spirits of the dead all around her. “I sensed that the spirits of the island were there,” she says. “They helped me find my cousin, and they’ve helped me to find so many others.” Guided by the spirits of the refugees who died in their desperate bid to escape, Carina is determined to continue her annual pilgrimage to these remote Indonesian isles to reunite Vietnamese families with their long-dead loved ones. Get involved For more information and to order Carina’s book visit the website www.carinahoang.com. 56 CARINA HOANG
Don’t just believe in miracles, expect them. MAGGIE DENT Parenting educator
Page 1 and 2:
ISSUE 2, 2016 $14.95 HEALING ORPHAN
Page 3 and 4:
Issue 2, December 2016 FOUNDER/WRIT
Page 5 and 6: 44 48 52 60 66 Cristal Logothetis R
Page 8 and 9: Bottom Research has proven that lov
Page 10 and 11: In Jenny’s words ... Who inspires
Page 12 and 13: Anne Carey
Page 14 and 15: EBOLA - A WORLD PROBLEM Meanwhile,
Page 16 and 17: day at the treatment centre. Or the
Page 18 and 19: If people have purpose and connect
Page 20 and 21: Leif Cocks
Page 22 and 23: Previous page A baby orangutan clin
Page 24 and 25: loggers took to the orangutan with
Page 26 and 27: Give it a crack! LUCAS PATCHETT AND
Page 28 and 29: Lucas Patchett and Nic Marchesi LAU
Page 30 and 31: “Fired up about making a differen
Page 32 and 33: In Lucas and Nic’s words ... Who
Page 34 and 35: Love Bomb Spread the love ... At In
Page 36 and 37: Anja Ringgren Loven
Page 38 and 39: Top Anja cradles Hope in a blanket
Page 40 and 41: Top Victims often need support to o
Page 42 and 43: Have the courage to be kind. ANNE C
Page 44 and 45: Cristal Logothetis
Page 46 and 47: Donations of baby carriers and fund
Page 48 and 49: Ron Finley
Page 50 and 51: In Ron’s words ... What inspires
Page 52 and 53: Carina Hoang Carina Hoang fled Sout
Page 54 and 55: Above Carina has gone searching for
Page 58 and 59: MAGIC LESSONS PODCAST Elizabeth Gil
Page 60 and 61: Alex Cearns
Page 62 and 63: Alex Cearns had recently started vo
Page 64 and 65: transformed. It started ‘high fiv
Page 66 and 67: Maggie Dent - Parenting educator an
Page 68 and 69: Previous page Maggie is all about e
Page 70 and 71: Above Maggie and her husband Steve.
Page 72: www.inspired.org.au
show all

Inspired Magazine

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?