Love In Action

As Formosa was hit by one cold front after another, the needs of the less fortunate because more and more evident. Wanting the help, Supreme Master Ching Hai sold Her personal belongings at a charity sale to raise funds for children of impoverished families as well as orphanages and homes for the elderly in Formosa. Fellow practitioners in Yunlin and Chiayi in central Formosa decided to work together on this mission of love.

First, the Yunlin relief team offered aid to thirteen families on a list provided by the local family welfare center. With the recommendations of the welfare center, each family received the type of assistance appropriate to their situation.

When the Chiayi center learnt that Nanhua Home desperately needed funding, fellow practitioners immediately paid a visit to the home, bringing with them gifts of fruit and money. This home was established to provide exclusive care to the seriously mentally disabled who no longer had control over the basic functions of the body. Some of the patients suffered from a number of disabilities. There were two brothers who were nine, but both lay in their strollers, their eyes appearing normal but were in fact unable to see. Their limbs were already showing signs of atrophy. Another patient was a five-year-old mentally handicapped boy, a victim of osteomalacia, who could neither sit nor stand.

Some of these patients had come from police stations because they were lost and didn't know their names or where their homes were. Most came from poor families. Nanhua Home is responsible for most of its own funding. Its staff has to raise funds while having to devote much time and patience to care for these patients.

From Nanhua Home, we headed for the Hsinyi Orphanage in Hsiluo. It was, as its name suggests, an orphanage as well as a day-care center for mentally handicapped children, established under government guidelines.

The director and staff of the orphanage were very open-minded, feeling that everyone should be tolerant toward each other and work hand in hand to create a harmonious society. As we bid them farewell, they asked us to visit them again.

Our next destination was the Sacred Heart Home in Tungshih Rural Township. This home was founded by the Catholic church and now provides care for over a hundred seriously mentally handicapped children. To ensure that each child is well cared for, each staff member is responsible for only four children at a time.

A Filipino nun told us that the home was built entirely on government funding. Part of the living expenses for the children from low-income families is funded by the government as well. The home is responsible for all other expenses. However, an economic slowdown at the present time has seen a decrease in donations and more help will have to come from society if more patients are to be accommodated.

These devoted workers have demonstrated the Christian spirit of indiscriminate love. It is this selfless love that has inspired them to care for the children irrespective of creed and financial status.

The next day, we set out for the Ji Mei Benevolent Home, a home for the elderly in the urban area. When we arrived, we were greeted by its director and entire staff. The previous year, we had organized a party for the elderly here and the event turned out to be a success. Inviting us to hold another party this year, the director commented that our love and enthusiasm for public service is commendable.

After we had presented a gift of money to the Home, we visited Ms. Tseng, a single parent. Her husband had died, leaving behind his old parents, young children and a wife who was forced to become the breadwinner of the household. This was only the first of dozens of single-parent families that were visited.¡¹

In this last month of the year that is filled with warmth and hope, Taitung fellow practitioners responded to Master's reminder of "love and aid for the poor" by visiting three nursing homes in their county and presenting gifts of money to them.

The first was the Catholic Holy Cross Nursing Home in Kuanshan Town. Since its establishment in 1963, the home has cared for senior citizens who are seriously handicapped, paralyzed by stroke, or victims of Alzheimer's disease.

The second one was the Catholic Savior Children's Home in Shangwu Village, Tawu Rural Township. Since its establishment in May 1975, this nursing home has cared for the handicapped, the seriously mentally disabled, as well as young patients suffering from cerebral paralysis.

The third was the Christian Church An-Ni-Sa-Fu Children's Home in Peinan Rural Township established in 1969. It provides care for physically handicapped children and juveniles between the age of six and eighteen who come from low-income families in eastern Formosa.¡¹

When news of a charity sale of Master's personal things as a fund raiser to help the poor reached Ilan, the fellow initiates immediately launched a survey of the needy in their county. They bought daily necessities such as powder milk, cooking oil and canned food before dividing into teams to carry out the relief program.

In remote Yuanshan, an eighty-year-old Buddhist woman lived alone in a dilapidated house, never complaining and contented to live off the meager earnings she got from selling things she found in the garbage. When fellow practitioners offered her the gifts, she also offered them with a gift of vegetables in return. The fellow initiates were touched by her independence and happy way of life, and her insistence on not accepting charity despite her old age. This is exactly what Master has taught us.

Next, we moved on to Tatung, up the mountains, our host was another octogenarian who had been abandoned by her children and had to take care of a mentally unstable granddaughter. She was delighted to see us. After giving her the gifts, we then visited St. Francis Home in Toucheng. The memory of a happy morning of singing that we shared with the elderly there a year ago was still fresh in our minds. When we arrived, an elderly gentleman could barely hold back his tears of joy. He was one of the many physically handicapped senior citizens that had made their home in this Center. Either neglected by their families or having no one to take care of them, these seniors had to rely on the devoted nuns and priests who often organize picnics to keep them happy. A new service had been English lessons for the elderly in the community who would receive care as well. However, this home had a tight budget, 30 percent of the funding came from government subsidy and the remaining 70 percent from donors. Master's generous gift of NT$200,000 (approximately US$8,000) made a real difference.¡¹

By the Plum Flower Lake in Tong-Shan Town, Ilan Hsieng, there was a Christian charitable insitution called "The Home Of God's Love", which accomodates thirty-three orphans under the name of Principal Shi Ker-Yiao and his wife, Shi Pei-Lih. Every child here had a sorrowful history. Some were sent here after their parents got divorced; some were abandoned early in their childhood; others long afflicted with psychiatric problems. In the institution, there are about ten unpaid American volunteers and some local employees who work for a salary.

As this institution is situated near the Plum Flower Lake, a scenic spot, it has been receiving financial support irregulary from the tourists and other charitable donors in society. However, it does not receive any compensation from the government. At the present time, some kind-hearted people are making a fixed weekly dontation of one hundred kilograms of rice. Our timely contribution at this time will allow them to have a warm Christmas.¡¹

From the time we started to the actual handing out of the relief funds, it took only a week to determine the number and situation of the people in need. When those who needed help received the relief funds, they were all surprised at our prompt response and the large amounts of money. We only hoped that the contributions could somewhat help to enhance their lives.

Due to a serious car accident three years ago, a man who used to make his living doing automobile repair has not recovered and can't squat down to work even until today. When fellow initiates visited him for the first time, he was in doubt and expressed hopelessness. However, when we visited him for the second time, bringing with us some relief funds, he was surprised and touched because we had returned so soon.

Another person whom we visited was an elderly gentleman. He had apoplexy and it was inconvenient for him to talk or move around; he is being taken care of by his wife. When he was told that we came with some money as a gift for him, he nodded his head with eyes full of tears.

When we presented the gift money to an elderly lady named Tingmei Lin, with great joy she kept saying "Thank you!" At that time, two of her friends happened to be present and kept asking us what organization had performed this philanthropic act. Although we not dwell on this issue, the small and simple room was suddenly filled with a warm atmosphere.

Coming to the Honghua Child Care Center, situated by the sea, it was almost dark. The Center's staff was busy helping more than twenty children to eat, do homework, and take baths. Some were in elementary school and some in secondary school. Eight of them were in kindergarten. There was also an eight-month-old baby. According to the director, our contribution would greatly help the children's education fund.¡¹

After visiting and presenting a contribution to Liming Enlightenment Center, an institution for orphans, we moved on to Shenyuan Nursing Home. Shenyuan Nursing Home houses mainly the physically handicapped, the ill and the homeless elderly. They are taken care of by a group of experienced and kind-hearted nuns. At the time of our arrival, the nuns were having a meeting discussing an auction to raise funds. Having conveyed the purpose of our visit and presented them with a gift of money, we left for our next stop.

Save The Nation Youth Emergency Relief Society's main objective is helping students from problem or poor families. The students here are those who want to study but lacked financial support. Besides providing them with housing and a peaceful learning environment after school, the Society also offers a personal counseling service. One teacher told us that there were many such children needing help, and our timely arrival has helped them both financially and spiritually.

At our fourth stop, the Bethesda Home For Blind And Handicapped Girls, Director Weng cordially told us that the severely handicapped children here need special care because they were unable to take care of themselves. We noticed that every child looked clean and the environment was also neat and tidy. "We offer them the basic care. They wouldn't be able to withstand it, should they contract any other illnesses," said Director Weng.

Our last stop was the Zen Light Children Home, which mainly takes care of orphans and children from problem families. The children of all ages -- ranging from preschool to high school -- live in the Center. After conveying the purpose of our visit, our visits in Hualien were completed.¡¹

The train ride from Hualien to An De Enlightenment Center took two hours. The French priest there was just recovering from a serious illness. He had sincerely loved and taken care of the handicapped children all his life with no complaint or second thought. The workers and handicapped children in the Center welcomed us with their innocent laughter and warm-hearted gestures. In the yard, there were various green vegetables planted by the children. The dormitories were clean and tidy, reflecting a respect for the children's upbringing. In the working room, there were several looms that were used by the residents to make beautiful bags. These differently styled bags revealed the children's inner wisdom and their hope for the future.

The French priest told us his hopes for the future. He wanted these handicapped children to feel that this place was their home for life, but was worried that the trained children, upon leaving the Center would forget the life and vocational skills they had learned. We expressed Master's concern and present Her contribution. May the priest be blessed that his loving wish come true!¡¹

After receiving Master's reminder, fellow initiates of the Hsinchu Center visited the Catholic Shiguang Nursery Center located in Zhudong. A staff member of the center, Mr. Peng, cordially received us and gave us a tour, highlighting the children's activities and the center's facilities. According to Mr. Peng, the children that the Shiguang Nursery Center care for are medium to high functioning handicapped children from three to eighteen years of age. At the time of our visit, there were ninety children and forty working staff members who lived on four floors. The environment was neat and elegant and the facilities in working order. One could see that the center was well managed.

Most of the children there couldn't speak. When visitors came, they could only see the children's innocent faces and smiles. It was touching for us to see the staff members gently massaging the children, repeatedly teaching them the simple movements of the therapeutic exercises, chatting with them, and so on.¡¹

As it was very cold recently, Taichung, in response to Master's instructions, embarked on a winter relief program. Its targets are the family assistance centers, Tse-Guang Orphanage, Hsi-Fang Institute For The Mentally Retarded, single-parent families, unemployed families and those with seriously ill people or mentally retarded children.¡¹

We started this year's winter relief program from Hsi-yu Town. With enthusiastic assistance from teachers in Hsi-yu Junior High School, we obtained information on about a dozen poor students. On a Saturday afternnon, we set out on our visit of these families. During our visit, we found something common to all these families. Those who earned a poor living usually had family members with serious or chronic illnesses that required long-term care and further burden their already strained financial situation. Our timely visit and contribution helped ease their financial strain.¡¹

In early November, fellow initiates were mobilized to assist in locating children in need. Fellow initiates followed specific guidelines to help locate these children: locate poor families that were given help in the past two or three years and single out those with many children, check public files held by the government, locate abused children with the help of Family Counsel Centers, contact local villages' and towns' leaders, fellow initiates who are teachers should be responsible for finding out the situations of poor students in their schools, and fellow initiates who are doctors and nurses should be responsible for determining the situations of the poor children in their hospitals.

Any child from a low income family who had no money to attend school, or whose family was a disaster victim was individually visited and offered help.

In mid November the second stage of the activity started. Those who were helped included orphans, the mentally disabled, the physically handicapped, the abused and the abandoned under three years old from institutions such as Jia Shenren Home of Love, China Children's House, Chong Yi Children's House, True Light Education Institute, Yi Guang Children's Hospital, Happy Mount Colony Home, Bo Dani Children's Hospital, Ming Xin Enlightening Center, Chun Hui Enlightening Center, etcetera.

At the same time, fellow initiates also started looking for poor families needing immediate assistance. Among these families were: helpless single elderly folks; families that had suffered some financial setback; single parent families with many children; families with only grandparents and grandchildren; families with no parents, either the elder brother or sister had to raise the younger siblings; and sick families with insufficient funds to cover their expenses.

At present, there are 130 families being assisted, and the search still continues.¡¹

There was a sense of urgency as we rang the doorbell. A bald child with scabies and a simple expression came with an old black dog to receive us. Behind him was a dilapidated two-story building. Its run-down state looked out of place under the bright winter sun and spoke volumes about the bitter, hopeless experiences it held within.

Located by the river bank on Xin Zhuang Huacheng road, the hospital housed several dozen mentally disabled children. In its small front yard, there is a big tree. Simple recreation equipment stands lonely in one corner and has become the children's clothes hanger. This year, because of the havoc wreaked by typhoon Herb, the main building was flooded up to the second floor; the enclosing walls collapsed and equipment was also severely damaged. Government assistance and public donations were so far insufficient to facilitate repairs and restoration work.

We discovered that the director of the hospital even sold some personal real estate assets to give money to the hospital, however, NT$350,000 was still required. Given the economic recession the director held little hope for the hospital.

When we returned to the hospital later, building repairs were in progress. The director happily said that she had just received two or three donations totaling several thousand NT which would alleviate the urgency of the situation. When she opened the gift from Master and saw NT$500,000 cash she was shocked and couldn't believe it. With tears in her eyes, she said with great emotion, "This children's hospital has been operating for twenty-four years, and it's the first time that it has ever received such a large donation." She also excitedly told the construction workers who were repairing the corridor, "The hospital now has enough money, so we won't have any debts after the repairs are complete." She repeatedly expressed her gratitude as she shed tears of joy.¡¹

After visiting the orphanage in Tienmu, we found Ms. Lu, a 68 year old widow with failing limbs failing limbs taking care of her 90 year old mother and a daughter who 30 years ago were both diagnosed as having mental problems. Her health and that of her mother's was poor making it impossible to care for her ailing daughter.

As we entered her home, we heard pitiful groaning and we saw how desperately sick the women were. I began to sniffle as tears filled my eyes. As she accepted the money we offered, she couldn't have been more thankful to God.

Mr. Chang is a lonely old man living at the end of The-hsing East Road in Shih-ling. He makes a living by selling scrap paper. For years, he has been suffering from asthma, arthritis and several other chronic diseases, making his financial situation even worse. He lives in a simple house he made himself with plywood and he receives food offered irregularly from his neighbors. When the relief team showed up, he was filled with tears of gratitude.¡¹