20141207《人間菩提》心靈財富善成就 Spreading Love in Africa
See how dedicated our Zulu Tzu Chi volunteers in South Africa are. I told them once that I hope they can spread love to more places in Africa and pave the Tzu Chi path all around Africa. So, Mr. Pan, our volunteer in Durban, encouraged them to do what I’ve said and to try their best to overcome any obstacles they may encounter, such as the lack of water, food, etc., when they travel to other countries to carry out relief.
So, although Mr. Pan is now in Taiwan, they went to Swaziland as planned to bring care to those in need and to interact with our local volunteers there. It was their 21st trip to Swaziland. And see how they overcame the problems they encountered to complete their work.
In the past, when they went to Swaziland, they’d stay at an office building provided by a Taiwanese company there. They could stay overnight and hold meetings there.
But, this time when they arrived, they found that the building was almost empty as the company had moved away. Moreover, the things they’d left in the building, such as blankets, sleeping bags and mats, etc. were all gone.
At first, they didn’t know what to do. Then, they decided to overcome it on their own as they remembered what Mr. Pan told them about overcoming any difficulties they encounter when they carry out relief in other countries.
Thinking of Mr. Pan’s words, they began to solve the problem by themselves. So, they contacted our volunteers in Swaziland and asked them for water, blankets, etc. and settle down for the night.
But, because the building was empty and had many mosquitoes, they had trouble sleeping the first night. The next day, when our volunteers in Swaziland learned about that, they brought them some branches with leaves that are said to be able to dispel mosquitoes. With that, they could finally sleep well at night.
See how they solved every problem by themselves during the trip. The third day, they began their work in Swaziland.
Together with our volunteers in Swaziland, they brought care to people in need and held gatherings to share Tzu Chi with the locals. They showed our volunteers in Swaziland how to care for the ill, the physically challenged and families in need, taught them how to bring love to people and encouraged them to help the needy.
They set an example by interacting with the needy with love, respect and humility, so our volunteers in Swaziland could learn and follow their example. This is how they train the local volunteers and recruit more people to serve as our volunteers. It’s truly very moving.
At the gatherings, they played the video of the disaster brought by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. In the video, the locals saw how everyone donated money to help the Philippines. Seeing the disaster, they realized they are better off than Haiyan survivors.
Originally they thought they were the poorest people in the world. But now, they saw how the Haiyan survivors in the Philippines have suffered more than they do. So, many of them donated what they could to help the Philippines.
Apart from holding such gatherings to inspire love in people, they also worked together with our local volunteers in Swaziland to prepare a simple meal for the poor and orphans there. They are poor themselves, yet they overcame all difficulties and did the best they could to help others. Seeing them serve like this, my heart truly goes out to them.
They were born in South Africa and live in very difficult conditions, which they have no control over. But they’ve encountered Tzu Chi volunteers who sowed the seeds of love in their hearts and inspire them to nurture their spiritual wealth within.
They overcame all kinds of difficulties that they came across to give of themselves and have gained spiritual wealth in return. They’ve all learned the Dharma, and with the Dharma in their hearts, they have the strength to help others.
While in Swaziland, every morning, they had a meeting online with Mr. Pan in Taiwan and Ya-qi, the other Tzu Chi volunteer in Durban.
See how they gave with love and supported one another. Although they are far away from me, they follow me closely. And see how they overcome many difficulties to carry out Tzu Chi’s work in Africa. They also gave us New Year well-wishes in Mandarin. “Happy Chinese New Year”
See how hard they tried time and again to get their message across to us. If we listen with our hearts, we’ll understand. All this is very moving indeed.
For the sake of our world, may we spread love around the world and work hard to pave the Bodhi path across the globe.
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