Relief Action In Qaxaca State

Tornado "Paulina" hit Mexico creating a lot of serious damage.

After the relief operation in Acapulco, the working team formed by fellow practitioners visited two other affected areas, Puerto Escondido and Huatulco in Qaxaca State, to distribute food and daily necessities. Purchases were made in the capital of Qaxaca and transported through mountain areas to Puerto Escondido by trucks.                                                                                                   

Master's Love Graces 19 Villages

The journey from Puerto Escondido to Huatulco took several hours, and there were hundreds of villages along the route that were ravaged by the tornado. We decided to distribute the materials to nineteen of the most seriously affected and needy villages, the smallest of them being inhabited by 35 households, and the largest by over a thousand. Late at night, we arrived at a small coastal town named Benito where the government had difficulty rendering help. As we distributed the items to the two hundred households there, the villagers exclaimed emotionally, "It must be God who has sent you to help us!"

Encouraging Villagers To Be Vegetarian
And Spiritual Practitioners

Though it was only a few hours drive from Puerto Escondido to Santo Domingo, it was a very rough journey because the roads had been ruined by floods. With enormous effort, the four trucks finally made it to the destination. In the vicinity of Santo Domingo were six villages with over two thousand households. To expedite the relief work, we hired a dozen temporary workers to help transport the food. At the summons of their village chiefs, thousands of people queued up at thedistribution venue, forming a touching scene. Most of the local inhabitants were Indians, and they used their native tongue to sincerely express their gratitude to Supreme Master Ching Hai for Her loving concern.

Fellow practitioners also shared Master's teachings with them, consoling the villagers that natural disasters were not a punishment from God; rather, they were a reminder of just how precious the human body is. People should do more than just cherish their lives; they should also endeavor to pursue spiritual practice and seek the eternal Heavenly Kingdom within. The villagers were profoundly touched by these words and nodded their heads in agreement.

Conclusion Of The Journey Of Love

Master's love has warmed the hearts of the people in these nineteen villages, where over ten thousand in more than 3,500 households benefitted from the relief operation. This activity of compassion was also a lesson for fellow practitioners that would enrich their experience and broaden their views in spiritual cultivation. It was indeed a journey of love, in which we truly experienced Master's great and selfless compassion.

Villagers of Acaplco, with copies of the beautifully-printed sample booklet, express their gratitude to Master for Her loving concern.

 

       Letter of Gratitude     (Originally In Spanish)

Acapulco, Gro, November 8th, 1997 From the Government of the State of Gro   Supreme Master Ching Hai Head of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association   Dear Master Supreme Master Ching Hai, Thank You for sending Your disciples from Mexico to deliver Your support consisting of food, mattresses, blankets, et cetera, to the destitute stricken by Hurricane "Paulina" in the areas of the Sta Cacilia, Sta Cruz and Palma Sola. The people of Acapulco, Gro would like to thank you for Your support and acknowledge Your altruistic work. Thank You.                                                      Ing L.H.N.C. Secretary of Social Development Government of the State of Gro.

 

 

Disaster relief expenses for tornado victims in Mexico, October - November 1997

Item Amt (in Pesos)  Receipt # Food (rice, oil, sugar, milk, corn flour, black beans and canned food) $222,303.29   1   Cotton quilts, blankets 30,640.00 2 Sanitary necessities 700.00 3 Slippers 1,400.00 4 Plastic bags 677.00 5 Transportation fees 19,446.00 6 Meals and transportation for staff 31,028.05 7 Miscellaneous 594.06 8 Total 306,788.40     (Equivalent to US$40,366.89)     Residents of Santo Domingo gathered at the plaza, waiting to receive relief materials given with Master's love.