Report From Kaoping, Formosa

Offering Heart's Love

To bring warmth in the cold winter, Supreme Master Ching Hai used the proceeds from the sale of personal items to help the needy. Indeed, this activity continues in Formosa as well as in other countries. In this issue we will make a further report on the allocation of US$300,000 (RMB 2.46 million) in mainland China, and US$50,000 for establishing a fund for the construction of an Au Lac Village in Palawan, the Philippines.

Kaoping Center initiates visited orphanages as well as homes for the elderly and disabled in Kaosiung County, Pingtong County and Kwei-Jen Village to spread a little cheer. Places visited included the Catholic Youth Home For Girls and Boys, Jen-Ai Home, Le Yu Orphanage, Liou-Kwei Orphanage and Wu-Jia Home for the Handicapped.

As we arrived at the Catholic Girls Town, we were greeted with many smiling faces. The nuns kindly received us. Near the end of our visit, the children were laughing and cheerfully jostling to have their pictures taken with us.

When we presented Master's financial contributions, candies and cookies to the director of the Xiao Ai Benevolent Home in Pingtong, she was most grateful, telling us that Master's gifts and love were like a tonic for her and all the staff, motivating them to continueto serve helpless elderly people.

     As we arrived at Le Yu Orphanage in Kaosiung. A staff member of the institution expressed her heartfelt feelings of gratitude, joy and gladness when she received the contribution. In her excitement, she told us that the former director was now in the hospital after a stroke; and on top of that, the mortgage repayment was due. Therefore, when everything appeared so unfavorable, Master's contribution was like a timely rain when they needed it most.

Fellow initiates drove onto the Liou-Kwei Mountain Orphanage. After a brief introduction by staff, we were able to visit many wonderful children helping and lovingly taking care of one another. We were even more impressed seeing how polite and cute they were when greeting visitors. The sight of these clever children, bereft of their parents, overcoming their physical handicaps, brought usgreat inspiration.

Pingtung Bau Xi Gao Xi You Society, Catholic Girl's Town

Pingtung: Zheng Zhong Children's Home

Pingtung: Catholic Girl's Town

While driving through poor areas we visited each family and friend needing help. These unfortunate friends, who had temporarily plunged into difficulties -- were desperate for outside help.

Through an introduction from a church, we came upon a family struggling on the verge of destruction. Unfortunately, the three children of the family were addicted to drugs. As a result, the family had plunged into difficulties. Prayers had been their only spiritual consolation. After receiving the financial contribution, the mother repeatedly thanked God for answering her constant prayers for her gravely ill daughter to be able to get the necessary medical attention.

Then, accompanied by a warm-hearted neighbor, we visited another poor family. The eighty-two year old grandfather said with a sigh that he was forced to scrounge for rubbish to earn a paltry income to support his family. He was holding his grand-daughter tenderly with one hand when he received the financial contribution. With tears streaming down his face, he thanked God for Hiers miraculous help.

On a cold and windy afternoon, fellow initiates from Changhua Center arrived at the Catholic "Compassionate Nursing Home for the Disabled " Changhua. The main object of the Home is to accommodate children between the ages of 1 and 10 who are severely incapacitated. In doing so, Manager Chou indicated, the disabled could acquire some dignity normally afforded to other people.

Through the years, they had seen many families destroyed as aresult of having to take care of their mentally or physically disabled children. Some parents, out of despair, had even abandoned their children. Under these trying circumstances the Executive Officer had to manage with very limited, often archaic resources like unwanted tables, chairs, beds, refrigerators, paper and crockery. He often had to assume the role of a laborer and cook, just so that the residents could lead more dignified and independent lives.

Youths at the Home who are medium to severe mental handicapped were engaged in various types of vocational training. We visited the horticultural area, the hydroponics area, the ceramic room and the small wood-work shop. Seeing the finished products of hard work by courageous, determined angels, whose wings were sadly clipped, really filled us with the utmost respect for them.

Fellow initiates from Tainan visited a place with beautiful sceneryand quiet surroundings called the "Humane United Nursing Home" There were about two hundred residents living in the Home. Of those, two-thirds were unable to take care of themselves so people were needed to help them eat, dress and bathe. Fortunately their food, clothing, accommodation, travel, medical care and so on, were all well taken care of.

Other poor families we visited included one old lady who had topick up rubbish for a living. When we arrived at her home we discovered that she had gone to the hospital, so we immediatelywent there. When we arrived, she could not believe that concerned strangers would visit her.

Another lady, Ms. Chai, was quite ill. She normally did some handicraft work to help her family. When she saw us, she was touched. We could see that the dark cloud over her face was blown away and a faint smile was noticeable.

When a single parent, Ms. Kung, saw a group of us appear at her door, she was truly surprised! As we expressed our purpose, she immediately sighed sadly about the uncertainty of life. Although she received the monthly government subsidy, she still needed help. She could not go out to work because she had to take care of her disabled child.

We conveyed Master's love and also encouraged her and the child totry their best to be vegetarian and to pray often for help from God, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. As she was reading The Supreme Master Ching Hai News magazine we gave her, she seemed to have realized something because she was very moved and kept saying "Thank You, Master!"

We were also very happy for her because we knew another helpless soul had finally found the support she desperately needed.