17. The Power of Dreams (Ryan’s Well) Who has the original text?

The principal bowed deeply to Ryan and said, "This is a gift from the Anglo community to you to express our gratitude."

Ryan Holding the lamb, he said shyly: "I feel very lucky. I live in a country where you can drink clean water at any time. Uganda does not have that much water. But I am very excited, now you have water to drink!… …I want to tell all Canadians to help you. I have a dream that one day, everyone in Africa can drink clean water. This is a big dream, but I know that if you really want it and work hard, everyone can. You can achieve your dreams."

The drums sounded, the crowd gathered in a circle, and the children danced a traditional celebratory dance. Jimmy took Ryan's hand and joined the group, and everyone was whistling, laughing, and dancing.

"That was my most unforgettable day." Ryan said, his eyes full of life.

"Ryan's Well" has been in operation in the Anglo community for more than two years, and nearby families have moved in, and the area has experienced incredible growth in population and enrollment. Children no longer need to spend hours every day carrying water to far away places. They all start going to school. Women no longer need to run around all day to provide water for the family. They start to have time to farm or do small business. By the spring of 2002, Angelou Elementary School had 1,250 students and 300 middle school students.

Clean water has a huge impact on regional economies. The grain and meat market has expanded, the income of local farmers has increased, and residents have moved in in large numbers, providing more workers for corporate production.

In March 2001, the "Ryan's Well" Foundation was officially established.

Ryan went to schools to do publicity, distributed emails, and told people to help others; he attended various international conferences and told more people about his dreams; the whole family joined in this activity. : My elder brother is responsible for the sound system during the speech, my younger brother has just learned photography and is responsible for taking photos of Ryan, my father is responsible for convening the foundation’s board of directors meeting, and my mother is responsible for the specific operations of the foundation.

With the help of CPAR and "Water Tank", the "Ryan's Well" Foundation has built 30 wells in 8 African countries so far.

Mark wrote to me: "The most unforgettable thing for me over the years is watching Ryan grow up little by little, but he never gave up on his dream. He now knows that besides Africa, there are many other places in the world. There are many places where residents have no water to drink. I believe that he will continue to do what he thinks is worthwhile."

Susan said she would never forget what she saw when she set foot on Anglo land. Many people to thank. Ryan's dream became a reality and literally helped so many people. "As an adult in modern society, it may be inevitable to become pessimistic and secular." She said, "But Ryan made me understand that as long as everyone makes efforts, they can change the world."

She Repeatedly emphasized: "This is the most important lesson my 11-year-old son taught his 42-year-old mother."

"You remind us why we live on this planet, not for consumption and Buying things we don’t need”

“What do you want to do when you grow up?” I asked Ryan.

"I want to be a water conservancy engineer and go to Africa to help people find water. I want to work until I am as old as my father and live quietly by a lake after retirement." Ryan said calmly to answer.

"Has it ever occurred to you that this is a difficult job?" I asked Ryan.

"No." He replied readily, "Besides, as long as I can help others, I am willing to do it no matter how difficult it is."

"I thought Ryan donated "We planned to stop after the first well," Susan said, "but when we saw that there were so many places in Africa that needed water, we felt that we should stick to it."

"Is there any?" What if one day Ryan suddenly gets tired of it?" I asked Susan.

"Would you do it?" Susan asked Ryan with a smile, then turned to me and said, "But don't you think he has done enough? If he chooses to give up, neither will we." Will force him."

"In the past five years, have you never thought of giving up?"

"Of course," Susan continued, "Mark and I are both full-time. We work, and we already participate in a lot of volunteer work. I participate in four charity organizations in my spare time, Mark coaches two school basketball teams, and we have three children to take care of. Although some friends come to help us. But sometimes I still feel too tired. ”

“It would be nice if the foundation had a few full-time staff members,” Mark said in an email reply to me, “but that’s just. A very small foundation, all donations go to 'Ryan's Well' and we have no right to use the money to pay for any paid work. Of course, the most important thing is that the people who support us around the world give us. "Power."

Susan said: "Many of the emails were very touching. I read them to Ryan and shed tears myself.

”

After hearing Ryan’s story, a little girl in Texas wrote a letter to them and sent 17 US dollars: I was touched by Ryan. I want to go too. Help others. I sold my hair. I hope this works.

An 18-year-old girl named Janice gave up on going to the Backstreet Boys concert.

“But I suddenly realized how boring it was! I am going to donate the money to those who are short of water. When I was washing the dishes tonight, I suddenly felt that we are so lucky and take everything for granted. You make me see life from a whole new perspective. "

"You gave people hope again," said Steven, who works in nursing. It is like a small snowball thrown from the mountain, getting bigger and bigger... Although I have donated to 3 African children and give 10% of my salary to charity every month, you make me feel I haven't done enough. Thank you, Ryan, for reminding us why we are on this planet, not to consume and buy things we don’t need, but to love and help others. "

A 40-year-old man said: "I almost forgot what else I can do. I've heard so many people say to me: Stop dreaming; you can't do that. Now I know that's not true. Thank you, Ryan. ”

“I am a locomotive engineer. I will retire in 6 years, but my health is still good. "Richard from the United States wrote: "I have a technical certificate, my hands can still work, and I can repair drills. If one day you need volunteer drillers, or porters, don't forget to let me know. "

A letter signed "Ordinary Americans" wrote: "You have proven to me that we should not lose faith in the next generation. Enjoyment and greed are not as rampant as people think. I save some money and time every month to help the less fortunate. Your foundation is my donation this month. And, I will put you on my annual donation list. As long as you keep at it, I will always support you. ”

“These letters give us strength. "Susan said. "Most donations are small amounts. Children go out to pick up scraps, and adults spend some money from their salaries. It is these enthusiasms that infect and support us. "

Ryan said on the side: "A little American girl only sent us 5 cents; a pair of sisters in Taipei sent me 2,001 US dollars. But I think that for that little girl, 5 cents may be everything she has, so they all helped a lot. ”

Initially, Ryan insisted on sending a thank-you letter to each donor, even those who donated only 5 cents. After the letter was written, his brother Keegan was responsible for putting it in an envelope and affixing it. Stamps.

“My hands are sore from writing. "Ryan shook his hands. As the donations increased, Susan decided to print out the thank you letter and let Ryan fill in the name of the donor.

Not long ago, Ryan received a call from a Chinese Letter from a college student: After hearing your story, I was very touched and hope to do something for you.

Susan replied: Our website is available in English, French and Japanese. If you want, you can. Help us translate the home page into Chinese. After a while, Susan received a reply.

"I was so excited. She said: "Originally we just wanted him to help translate the home page, but his emails were page after page, dozens of pages long." Susan stared and gestured: "Do you believe it?" He translated all the website content! "

This college student is Yang Song from Shenyang University. He wrote back to me: Ryan made his own contribution to our world when he was 6 years old. "As a 21-year-old As a 20-year-old college student, I feel deeply ashamed - what have I given to this world? I said to myself at that time, I should do something for this world! ”

“Who do you think has helped you the most? "I asked Ryan.

He twisted in his chair embarrassedly, blushing, naughty and serious: "Mom - she is careful and considerate. She loves me so much. Without her, I don't know what I could do. "

"Look, he is just an ordinary child, no different from other children."

March 15, 2003, the recording scene of "Tell the Truth".

An old woman stood up and said: After listening to Ryan’s story, I felt that my grandson was very lazy and didn’t do anything. How could Susan make him do so much housework?

Susan said: “Our whole family has to share the housework. Ryan also did some work, including making beds, walking dogs, and washing dishes, but he didn't get paid for doing this. "

Some viewers asked: Are you doing this to become famous, or to help you go to college?

"No, I don't want to be famous at all. "Ryan was busy arguing.

Susan explained beside her: "I still remember at the end of the first TV interview, Ryan said to me: Mom, I never want to be interviewed again.

It feels so bad to have so many cameras pointed at me and so many lights shining on me! "

"With so much media publicity, aren't you worried about the negative impact on Ryan? "I asked Susan.

"Of course I'm worried. "Susan said. She had specifically talked to Ryan's teacher Lynn about this matter, hoping that everyone would not pay too much attention to Ryan.

"No, you don't have to worry. "Lynn said. Lynn told Susan something: After the class learned about the "Ryan's Well" dream, they decided to help. They put a water jug ??with Ryan's photo on the desk for everyone to put on it. She put in the change she saved. One day, she discovered that Ryan was secretly taking off his photo while everyone was out playing.

"I already had enough money to donate one of my own. Well. "Ryan explained: "The money should be donated by the whole class. "

The program "Tell the Truth" gave them two pairs of Chinese masks. When I told Keegan that his mask was "Zhang Fei", a great hero in ancient China, Ryan anxiously took it Looking at his "Sun Wukong", he asked me: "Then what is this? Also a hero? "

"This is a monkey. It is very magical. It can go up to the sky and into the earth. It is extremely powerful. "

Ryan happily put it on and rolled into one with his brother on the bed. "You see, he is just an ordinary child, no different from other children. "Susan said.

During the recording process, the most frequently asked question by the Chinese audience was: Will Ryan's participation in these activities affect his studies?

"I asked so many questions. all over! The translator who had been accompanying Ryan and Susan later complained: "The people sitting around me were annoyed by the question, and they kept mumbling: Why is this a question again?" "

Susan's answer is simple: "We will try to control his schedule and prevent him from getting too involved in social activities. "

Ryan only attends meetings or gives speeches during holidays, but even on the road, he is doing homework or reading.

"Ryan turns out to be just an ordinary student . "Susan said later. "Later, his grades actually went up. We never asked him to put too much pressure on his studies, but he felt from this incident that everyone can do things well as long as they concentrate. ”

In Xilijiek’s house, there is only one corner that belongs to this dream.

It was the children’s room when the children were young, and now it has a large desk and a large desk on the wall. On one side of the wall is a map of the world, filled with photos of Ryan participating in various events. Every time an email or donation arrives in support of Ryan, they mark it, and there have been 65. The country was circled; on the other side of the wall was a map of Africa, which marked areas where water was scarce and where wells had been built. Every night, the whole family gathered in this room to deal with the problem. Emails from all over the world. Susan and Mark usually choose just one letter for Ryan to respond to, leaving the adults to do the bulk of the work. Big space. "Susan said, "He needs to study, play, and rest. He played basketball, swam, and played hockey. We worked hard to arrange his life. Dreams are not everything a person has. ”

“Will it affect learning? "——This question "most frequently asked" by Chinese audiences aroused my interest: Will a 6-year-old Chinese child have the same dream as Ryan? If he does, how will Chinese parents treat this? Dream? How would the Chinese public treat such a dream?

In my correspondence with Yang Song, I asked him about these questions and specifically asked him if he had ever had a dream of his own as a child. Dream.

Yang Song replied——

First, he will not have brothers or brothers to help him pick up pine cones or share his toys with him. p>

Second, if parents are laid-off workers and their lives are a problem, can they still talk about giving their children money to care for others?

Third, I think there are not many parents in China who can be like this. Susan supports Ryan's dream like that... Parents will spend more time letting their children study hard and get into a good university in the future... They will also send their children to cram schools, and they will not agree with their children to use their spare time.

“Perhaps many Chinese children have had dreams similar to Ryan’s,” he finally said, “but I think the possibility of their dreams coming true is much slimmer. . ”

He did not answer me what dreams he had when he was a child.

Really?