As a small girl in Hanoi, Ngan Vu Trang Dinh remembers visiting the Buddhist pagoda with her mother. At the temple, her mother would speak softly to Buddha. "Mom, what are you whispering?" Ngan asked. "My faith," her mother answered.

Ngan, now a Bates sophomore, recently told her story at a multi-faith dinner sponsored by the chaplain's office. Students shared stories, blessings and prayers from their Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Zoroastrian, Wiccan and Baha'i traditions.

During the Vietnam War, Ngan's father served in the North Vietnamese army for seven years. After the war, many children fathered by former soldiers were born with birth defects, caused by the chemical Agent Orange, used by American forces to defoliate the Vietnamese jungle. During her pregnancy, Ngan's mother faced her worries and found strength in her Buddhist faith: "If you do good things, you will get good things," she said.

Ngan was born healthy and whole. But her parents, raising a family in a country recovering from years of devastating war, faced hardships. "My mother did good things for us, but never did she have a relaxing day," said Ngan, who grew suspicious of her mother's steadfast belief. "Mom has worked hard all her life, but where are her good things?"

Her mother said, "The whole world belongs to you, but you belong to me. I am the one who is happiest."