Recently we got to meet Tan Ho, whose Red Box sits proudly by the till in his family business. Local secretary Veronica explained that Tan and his wife, Tham, keep their Red Box on the counter of their nail bar in Ross on Wye. We wanted to meet this lovely family and dropped in for a chat.
Small change; Big changes
Tan shared:
‘We came to this town back in January 2015, and that’s when I set up this business. I’m Catholic, so we joined the Catholic Church here, and our two boys go to the Catholic school.
‘I was just at Church as normal and I saw the Red Boxes at the back of the Church. So I asked about them and asked if I could have one to put in the shop.
‘We put all our loose change in and sometimes customers add theirs as well. But the big money comes from gift vouchers: every time I sell a gift voucher and if the gift voucher expires, I donate the amount into the Red Box. Sometimes it’s a big one, so that’s why our Red Box is always full!
‘I didn’t know anything about Missio before I saw the Red Box in Church. I don’t really discuss it with customers, but there’s a cross on it so people know it’s about mission.’
A family legacy of faith
As it turns out, Tan’s family was already known to us at Missio – his uncle, Fr Michael Ho, is currently at Holy Trinity Parish in Sutton Coldfield. We were lucky enough to join Fr Michael’s parish in October for World Mission Sunday and witness this wonderful, faith-filled congregation.
Fr Michael came to the UK as a refugee from Vietnam to escape the war. He shared the moving story of his journey – both of immigration and of faith – with Songs of Praise a few years ago. You can watch it here:
Get involved
At Missio, we know that every penny, pound and prayer our supporters share with us is so vital to changing lives and sharing faith around the world. People like Tan and his family, who use their presence in their communities to share our mission, make an incredible and inspiring contribution to our work!
We are so grateful, Tan and Tham! May God bless you, your family and your business!
Do you have a space within your community where you could share Missio’s message today? Are you interested in getting more involved?
There are so many ways to help.
- Find out more about fundraising with Missio>>
- Find out more about volunteering with Missio>>
- Donate to Missio today>>
- Find out more about the Red Box
If you are a Missio supporter with a story to tell, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us today.