20150326不畏艱辛行大願To Overcome Disasters with Love
In the news we see a massive mudslide in Peru. Due to deforestation, nowadays, whenever heavy rains occur, parts of the mountain collapse and mudslides occur. Lives have been lost in this disaster. Villages and communities are also destroyed. When human activities damage the environment, these are the consequences that humankind has to live with.In northern Chile, a flood has caused streets to be submerged in water.
Southern Chile, in the meanwhile, has been fighting forest fires. More than 6,000 hectares of land are burnt impacts from changes in climate are making the land dangerous to live on.This is truly saddening. We also see the illegal harvesting of ivory, with elephants being slaughtered by poachers.To slaughter or hurt animals for profit is a brutal act.Indeed, we should love both the forest and animals.
Forests are home to many animals. We must not damage the forest and should also do our best to protect animals. We must love and care for animals, forests and the land, if there is to be protection for humankind. Forests help preserve soil conservation and keep nature’s cycles, involving the Four Elements of earth, water, fire, and air, in balance. If we protect the land and its features well, the Four Elements will very naturally be in harmonious balance.
Meanwhile, the news footage from South Sudan truly breaks our heart.Since 2011, South Sudan has been an independent country; however, conflicts and fighting have never stopped, and two million people have been displaced. We see that the UN gives food aid to South Sudan. Food distribution is taking place now, but how long can this last? For people who are displaced, where can they live?
If people there were peaceful and harmonious, then with a favorable climate, they wouldn’t have had to suffer such extreme hardship. Our heart truly aches for those in suffering. But, how to help them? We also see news of people helping one another. In northern Thailand, one of the villages in Chiang Rai Province had a disaster due to an electrical fire. More than ten homes were burnt down.
Teachers from Chiangmai Tzu Chi School drove more than 120 km with the supplies most needed by the survivors and distributed aid to them.This is an act of love. I hope the survivors can recover and resume their normal lives soon.
We also saw news of Tzu Chi volunteers in Caotun, Taiwan caring for the children from a single-parent family and helping them with school work. This family needs continuing care and support across the years. Tzu Chi’s help to this family is an accumulation of love.
Truly, our world should be like this--- hardship and difficulty do not faze us. We are most concerned about the lack of love between people and their indifference toward others. So, people should remind and encourage one another to give love and to help people in need. This will create a better society.We see a Tzu Chi volunteer, Xiulan, who runs an after-school program in Pingtung to help children of disadvantaged families.
I used to do accounting. After I retired, I found this job. My co-workers ask me: “Why are you doing this cleaning work?”“You have good abilities, why do cleaning?”I told them this helps me humble myself. Being humble is what Master teaches us. It’s wonderful.
How much do you earn in a month? Around NT$12,000 (US$383).It’s an extra income for me to provide for the children in the after-school program. I cook lunch and provide snacks. Because it’s Wednesday, we give them some snacks.
Thank you, Auntie. Because I’m involved in charity work, if the children are from single-parent families or raised by their grandparents, after an assessment of their situation, if there’s a need, I’ll ask them to come here for extra lessons.
She treats these children as her own children.She brings them to her after-school program to give them care, support and guidance. Her love for these children has filled the gaps in education in her community and reduces the number of problem teenagers.Such is her love.
The amount of time we can offer is limited. Yet, we try our best to help. When children come, we explain this to them I think our services have helped. Speaking of these children, I really feel for them. Out there, no one pays attention to them. I’m most concerned that they might go astray and commit crimes.
For a long time, the volunteers have been.Though they encountered many difficulties, they’ve built up their services steadily, hoping more people with the same aspirations can join them to help these children. The accumulation of everyone’s love has made all this possible. A problem child is a community issue. For more than a decade, they’ve cared for many children from poor families who lacked family support and proper guidance. They’ve lost count of how many children they had helped and cared for.
They provide food to the children and help them with homework. For the children with misguided views, the volunteers provided counseling. Such is their selfless giving without asking anything in return. Xiulan even offers her own house as a venue to serve these children. Such giving is truly moving. There was one student who expressed his gratitude in front of everyone.
I want to first give Auntie a hug. I almost went down the wrong path. So, I’m very thankful to her. Among them are children of families receiving Tzu Chi’s regular financial aid. Besides monetary support, Tzu Chi also gives the children help and guidance. This is all done out of love.
The volunteers, with very sincere love, reach out to families in most need and provide such helpful services. I am always thanking our volunteers for this. Their acts move me very much. Some of the students have gone on to college.At college, they also volunteer and do service work with Tzu Chi and with their education, they have.There are many success stories like these.
In conclusion, to hold this program for over a decade, Xiulan has had to overcome many obstacles. But, because of her convictions and commitment, no challenge was insurmountable.
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