In February of Golden Year 3 (2006), I’d just moved to Maryland and was trying to find a charitable work to fill my life. As a newcomer, I didn’t have any friends or know any initiates. After searching the web, I was led to Chase House, a men’s homeless shelter where I was welcomed to provide vegetarian dinners for 40 men once a month.

As I hadn’t cooked for the homeless before by myself, the first dinner was a little hectic. I rushed around, realizing that I hadn’t prepared enough in advance. “I wished I had some sister to help!” I thought while preparing dinner. The meal I offered was a half-hour late, but it included delicious vegetarian spring rolls, fried rice, cookies and salad. A few days later, the volunteer coordinator called and said that another lady was already scheduled to cook that same day each month. He asked me if I wanted to share the work with her. I accepted with happiness and gratitude, for this was God’s arrangement just as I had wished! So on the last Tuesday of each month, I delivered salad and desserts such as homemade cookies or ice cream bars, and she brought Domino pizzas. Providing dinner for the homeless at Chase House thus became a simple thing.

Meanwhile, Master also led me to another shelter for women called Montgomery Avenue Women’s Center, where approximately 15-20 homeless women stay temporarily at any one time, while they get professional help. Besides meals and beds at night, the Center also provides a day program with different kinds of educational classes. After contacting them, I was initially asked to provide breakfast supplies once a month.

One Sunday as I was delivering the juice, cereals, breads, muffins, coffee and so on, I felt a heavy, depressing atmosphere in the air. I heard some angry person yelling, saw some sitting idly staring into space as well as some who looked in deep sorrow, almost like a mental ward. “Master’s love and blessing would transform this place!” I thought while driving home. Master seemed to be guiding me inside, “They need the Light.”

I didn’t know what to do to bring the “Light” to these people. I was shy and very often lacked confidence. But a few days later, I took courage and called Mary Johnson, the Center’s Program Director. She asked me to come to her office to discuss the opportunity. After she read Master’s brochure and received “The Peace Seeker” DVD, she was very impressed and asked if I would do a one-hour weekly session that included a video presentation and introduction to meditation. Putting all nervousness aside and remembering the Master Power, I went there each Wednesday afternoon and played Master’s lecture videos, gave out sample books and Alternative Living flyers, answered spiritual questions if any, and encouraged them to eat vegetarian more often. There were always some new faces each week.

During that time my own outer life wasn’t very happy, so I had lots of sympathy and felt the need to help those in a worse condition, while trying to forget my own. These women really had nothing: no family, no home, no money, no job, no love, no Master and no Quan Yin Method. I realized that if it weren’t for Master, I could have been nearly in the same boat!

To get the weekly sessions off to a good start, the program director showed wholehearted support for the class by making sure that every homeless woman attended and paid attention to the video. Because these ladies were not truly committed to the meditation and vegetarian diet, they weren’t ready to practice the Convenient Method. Still, it was heartwarming to have Master’s soothing, comforting voice and enlightened words in the air providing some Light for this place.

As time passed, I wondered how to help in a more active way than just providing spiritual information. Being homeless, it’s not easy to follow any kind of regime, especially a healthy diet. So I offered to give vegetarian cooking demonstrations and serve lunch each Wednesday from 10am-12noon, along with playing Master’s video. Almost every time, Sumi and Faith, two of the Center’s staff, came to help with the food preparation. Like a team, Master spoke in the living room while we cooked lunch in the kitchen next to it. For each menu, detailed recipes were printed and placed next to the Alternative Living flyers on the table.

The ladies loved the food and enjoyed the warmly loving atmosphere Master provided. Staff members were also welcome to join. Smiles lit every face. Some said they’d like to change to a more healthy diet, while others took the recipes and asked where to buy the vegetarian ingredients. A variety of dishes was offered so they could see how many different kinds of beautiful, delicious foods God has given us from the vegetable kingdom, and that we don’t have to eat animals to survive or enjoy a good meal. Staff member Sumi was so inspired that she volunteered to cook another special Indian vegetarian lunch besides our normal Wednesday lunch.

After six months with them, I found that I was moving to another state. On my last day of preparing lunch at the Women’s Center, I took Sumi out to the food stores, at her request, to show her where to buy the vegetarian ingredients that I usually used for cooking. She said she would also show Faith later on and that both would keep the same tradition each Wednesday: vegetarian lunch.

Later, I received the following encouraging words from Sumi: “I want to thank you for taking me shopping and familiarizing me with different soy products. Together we will save some lives by offering vegetarian lunches on Wednesdays. We appreciate all you have done for us and plan to carry on with the tradition you helped establish at our center.”

From my time at Chase House and Montgomery Avenue Women’s Center, I now know that doing charitable work can be a very wonderful and enlightening experience. Many beautiful souls and great saints are out there who are happy to team up with us, and we in turn can learn so much from them. Thank You, Master, for Your guidance during this time, and all the time.

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