Love Of Vietnam Expressed

Our Story . . . Our Legacy

In loving memory of our Founder, Mr. Reggie Coward
1938 - 2021

Message from Mr. Reggie
A Message From our Founder, Mr. Reggie

I began ministering to Asians in 1973 when 2 Chinese students were placed in my math class. Soon they accepted Christ and I began my association with a Chinese church in Virginia. Then, after completing my Masters Degree in Theology in 1981, I began ministering to many boat people from Vietnam, then Cambodians and Laotians. God blessed my work. Then in 1998, I made my first mission trip to Vietnam, went again in 1999, and moved to Vietnam in 2000. During the early years, the country was very poor and the poverty was visible everywhere you looked.

Today, you will find the major cities very modern. As you ride down the streets, you no longer see the poverty because their houses have given way to roads and new buildings and the poor were relocated to other areas; yet, if you go to the back streets and alleys, they are still there, and more poor than ever. Two-digit inflation over the past few years means more poor children are forced to drop out of school and eat poorer diets.

Because of your love and support of many children, we see more and more graduating from high school and many going on to university, college or vocational school. But more than ever the children need your help. Many of you are giving support to 3, 4 or many more children. I would really encourage those of you who have only one child to take a step of faith and reach out to one more needy child this year.

Mr. Reggie Coward was L.O.V.E.'s Founder. He resided in Vietnam from August, 2000 until July, 2016, and moved back to the U.S. (due to health issues) until his passing in September, 2021.

"Mr. Reggie" was a retired mathematics teacher. He taught math from 1960-2000. He held a B.A. Degree from Elon College (1960), a M.A.T. Degree from Duke University (1972), and received a M.Th. Degree from Liberty Bible College (1981), the same year he began to help in the resettlement of S. E. Asian refugees. Reggie was saved in 1972 and directed a coffee house in Norfolk, Va. called "The Way INN", an outreach to troubled teens into drugs and gangs, until 1979, when he moved to Pensacola, FL to study at Liberty Bible College. While teaching, he also sponsored a Christian Club called Brothers And Sisters In Christ, or B.A.S.I.C.

Mr. Reggie worked with World Relief Commission in the mid-eighties finding sponsors and helping in the resettlement of many families. The goal was always to help families and children. In 1996 he was asked to start an interdenominational church and pastored until he moved to Vietnam in August, 2000.

His first trip to Vietnam was in 1998 and he returned again in 1999 providing aid to many. Aid included schooling for a deaf-mute child and help to an orphanage for mentally and emotionally handicapped in Saigon, as well as aid for the leper village, Nui San, in Nha Trang, and many street children and poor in Da Nang. The work in Da Nang included funds for another orphanage, houses for the poor, digging wells, providing heart and other operations, wheel chairs, etc.

In 2001, L.O.V.E. was incorporated and found a Vietnamese partner as required by Vietnamese law. L.O.V.E. chose the Street Children Program of Da Nang (SCP) as its partner because of the sincere love its members have for the poor, and its experience - they have worked with street children since 1991. They operate five children’s homes (called "families"). Each cares for thirty children. Here they have a "mother", a "father", and two cooks. They are loved, trained, clothed, fed, have a bed, go to school, and have help with homework. SCP has its own vocational center with three locations, night school, and other programs. This was L.O.V.E.'s first full year working in Vietnam. We provided scholarships for 90 children, sponsored two medical teams and provided other medical and financial assistance...a small but needed beginning.

From 2002 to 2008, with the prayers and financial assistance of many of you, L.O.V.E. was able to help more and more children and poor families. It was in this period that our first student house was started. In 2008 we had 9 student houses, providing free housing and spiritual oversight to 60 university students from rural areas around Da Nang, Quang Nam and other provinces. This grew to 12 student homes in 2009. By 2008, seventy-five children were being sponsored, in addition to our scholarship and food programs, keeping L.O.V.E. busy with translating letters between sponsors and children in addition to our scholarship, medical/emergency, nutrition, and student housing programs. To date, sponsors have built or renovated more than 15 homes. By 2009, we'd begun to hire Vietnamese nationals to help with the work load, in addition to our volunteers.

Year 2010 began the 12th year of work. By this time we had over 300 children, families, and students under our Sponsorship and Scholarship Programs, and have several University Student Houses, while maintaining our Dental and Medical programs. Our staff consists of volunteers and paid Vietnamese nationals.

Since 2011: L.O.V.E. has continued to maintain the number of beneficiaries including children, families and students at about 300. 2011 marked a vital milestone in expanding our sponsorship program and meantime, L.O.V.E. organized an amazing summer camp for all sponsored children with nearly 300 attendants. Since 2011, L.O.V.E. has delivered more blessings to poor and needy families in remote mountainous areas outside Da Nang through many humanitarian mission trips. And the work continues . . .

Click here to read a letter from our President, Dr. Alan Brown.

L.O.V.E. is a 501-c charity

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