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Activities
 Humanitarian
Work
Canada,
August 2003 |
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Report from Quebec, Canada
The Quebec Center's Relief Project is When flash floods recently devastated Quebec, Canada, our merciful Master immediately instructed local initiates to launch relief activities in the affected communities. So on the evening of August 13, 2003, Montreal initiates completed the purchase of relief supplies, packed them into boxes, and rented two vans to transport the items to victims in various cities.
The following morning, the relief team left the Montreal Center for Warwick, the first city on its list. At the Warwick City Hall, the initiates met the mayor and introduced Master to him and his staff members, who recalled Master's charity in 1998 when She generously donated US$50,000 during the ice storm in Quebec. (Please refer to the News # 91) The mayor said that he was impressed by Master's charitable acts and thanked Her for bringing comfort and hope to his people in this time of need. When the affected families arrived, the relief team told them that Supreme Master Ching Hai cared deeply about their situation and had asked that Her love, concern and gifts be brought to comfort them during this difficult period. The recipients were very happy to accept Master's assistance, being especially grateful for Her financial help, which came from afar, and was conveyed by people who were genuinely concerned about their welfare. Some of the needy families in Warwick had many children to look after, while others had lost their homes, furniture and clothing in the flooding. The flood victims had requested only the necessary clothing to wear to school and work, and never expected that the Association would bring large quantities of vests, jeans and shoes in the exact sizes they needed, as well as underwear and nutritious food. The people of Warwick also received much more from The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association. For example, a family with two children and twin babies was given baby clothes, baby food and a baby carriage. While distributing the supplies, the initiates could perceive the recipients' happiness through their smiling faces and the loving atmosphere that pervaded the City Hall.
After their visit to Warwick, the relief team traveled to Chesterville and was received by the mayor's representative, Mrs. Lise Cote. People had arrived beforehand to receive their gifts, and they were impressed that help had arrived so quickly. For instance, some families had asked for dehumidifiers the previous week, and did not expect that they would receive them within a few days. As they opened the envelopes forwarded by the initiates and displayed the financial aid inside, surprised smiles appeared on their faces. In response to Master's timely gifts, the Montreal Center received a thank-you note from Mrs. Jean Paul Poisson of Chesterville, expressing her sincere gratitude, especially for Her financial help. (Please refer to the letter of appreciation below.) Also, some of the mayor's staff members were sincerely interested in Master's humanitarian work, and asked numerous questions. We then gave them a brief introduction to Supreme Master Ching Hai along with some sample booklets, a portfolio describing Master's charitable activities and the video "Walk the Way of Love". The last relief stop was the Tingwick City Hall, where simple, outgoing Mayor Paul-Emile Simoneau, his wife and his secretary were very supportive. Mr. Simoneau's name was mentioned in many newspaper reports on the flood; as he did his best to inform the press about his constituents' situation and ask for external help. Mr. Simoneau received the relief team workers and flood victims in his cabinet room, where the initiates thanked him and his staff for their prompt assistance, which accelerated the relief process. The initiates introduced Master and explained the purpose of their trip, as many of the local residents listened with emotion. One man even left the room temporarily because he could not hold back his feelings. In addition to taking care of their basic necessities, the relief team also delivered Master's financial help. Before departing, the victims came and shook hands with the team members, and one man, being still very emotional and not knowing what to say, even came up and embraced the volunteers. Thus, in silence, everyone knew that Master's care and love had deeply touched the hearts and affected the inner being of the relief recipients. The work team then stayed to talk with Mayor Simoneau, telling him more about Master's work and ongoing efforts to alleviate earthly suffering. After the distribution of supplies was completed, the Mayor's staff informed the initiates about some other families who had asked for help. Thus, another relief trip was planned for the following week. Second Trip to Aid Victims On August 22, 2003, the relief team conveyed Supreme Master Ching Hai's love and concern to more flood victims in Chesterville and Tingwick, based on their requests. At 4:30 PM, the volunteers arrived at the Chesterville City Hall, where the recipients, including some families with many children who truly needed assistance, expressed deep gratitude for Master's timely financial contributions. The mayor's representative gave special thanks to Master on behalf of the flood victims, saying that she had learned about Master through the portfolio the initiates had left behind on their last visit. Knowing that She designs gracious fashions and also maintains Her own worldwide relief fund, the representative added that Master is very beautiful and talented. In addition, the newspaper "La Nouvelle et L'Union" reported that Master's loving actions had enhanced solidarity among the people in this region of Quebec. At Tingwick, the relief team was again impressed by the devotion of Mayor Simoneau and his wife. The couple greatly assisted the initiates by informing families of the team's arrival and by their overall willingness to assist the community in time of need. One young couple was in a desperate situation because they had lost all their possessions in the flood. However the initiates comforted them, promising to assist them financially and thus help them get back on their feet. In his speech before the team members left, Mayor Simoneau sent his warmest regards and thanks to Master, adding that his city would hold a recognition and fund-raising day on September 6, 2003 to thank the groups that had helped them through the difficult period of the flood. He invited The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association to join his citizens on this special day, thus showing his profound gratitude to Master. Special Day in Tingwick At 8:30PM on September 6, 2003, the Montreal Center relief team members were welcomed at the entrance of the Tingwick Community Hall by Mayor Simoneau and his wife, who were very happy to see them. The Mayor had reserved two tables for the initiates, and during the event, he, his secretary and the citizens in attendance were wonderful hosts, caring for and entertaining everyone with great attention. In addition, the name of Master and The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association were highlighted on a thank-you board among other sponsors of the flood-relief effort. The residents of Tingwick are good-hearted people who lead godly lives, and thus they supported each other during the flood disaster by offering used furniture, stoves and other merchandise for auction, using the revenue earned for the flood victims.
At one point during the celebration, a woman came to the initiates' table asking if it was Master Who had recently helped her city during the flood. After she learned of Master's instructions to quickly send Her love and care to the people of Tingwick, the woman sincerely thanked Her and The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association for their contributions to the flood victims. While chatting with the initiates and his staff members, Mayor Simoneau also praised Master for Her generosity and charitable deeds, adding that he is ready to go to the United States at any time to meet Master and thank Her personally. (The interview with Mayor Simoneau will soon be available for on-line viewing on the Sun TV program "A Journey through Aesthetic Realms".) The
Quebec initiates are grateful to Master for Her ongoing assistance and
reminders about spiritual improvement, and for giving their Center the
chance to work together and learn to share Her love with others when
they needed it most. Expenditures
for Quebec Flood Relief Aid
News 146, Letter of Appreciation
News
146, Media Reports
<Monique Giroux, Reporter for "La Nouvelle et L’Union" newspaper> Chesterville, Canada
August 15, 2003 (originally in French)
A Beautiful Act of Solidarity An American philanthropist recently brought help to flood victims in Chesterville, Tingwick and Warwick. The gathering with the victims of Chesterville took place on Thursday, August 14 at the office of the municipal secretary, Lise Côté.
Five families from Chesterville that were victimized by the flooding benefited from the generosity of this philanthropist, Supreme Master Ching Hai, who is originally from Au Lac, and whose name means “pure ocean.” “Our spiritual master Supreme Master Ching Hai, who resides in Florida, learned about what happened in Bois-Francs while listening to the news. We are twelve disciples from Montreal, Quebec and Victoriaville, who responded to Her request to visit the victims, comfort them and bring them help to alleviate their situation while they await the government’s aid,” explained Hugues Rivard, a disciple from Montreal. Another disciple from Montreal, Nghia Nguyen, added that it is important for us to help each other in order to share our unconditional love: “We should bring hope and assistance to make suffering people’s lives easier.”
Hung Nguyen, the main organizer of the humanitarian activity, gave CA$200, a dehumidifier and one box of essential goods to each family. Madame Ching Hai creates artwork as well as elegant clothing designs, and uses the revenue to help the less fortunate and disaster victims around the world. This is the second time She has been involved in helping the people of Quebec; during the ice storm in 1998, She offered CA$70,000 to the victims. Being
very surprised to witness such an initiative, the gift recipients
of Chesterville enthusiastically expressed their gratitude in
acknowledging this beautiful act of solidarity from these unknown
visitors. It’s a pure coincidence that this act was noted
and made public here.
•••••
News 146, Love in Action Report from British Columbia, Canada
Master's Love Rebuilds Countless Lives
The summer of 2003 was the driest in recorded history for British Columbia, Canada. Temperatures ran high and there was no rain for months. In August alone, more than 300 forest fires broke out in the province, caused by the careless disposal of cigarette butts. The Louis Creek community in the beautiful area north of Vancouver was virtually wiped out (65 buildings including a saw mill were destroyed), 238 homes were burned in Kelowna, and a number of houses were burned and many more suffered smoke damage in Barriere. In response to the fires, our merciful Master donated US$50,000 with special instructions to provide comfort to those in greatest need who had been overlooked by other relief organizations. The Canadian government declared a state of emergency in the affected areas, and many residents were evacuated and given financial aid by the government and local charitable groups. Ten thousand people were moved to the nearby city of Kamloops, where most stayed in motels, their room, board and clothing allowances being covered by the Red Cross and the provincial government. After assessing the situation, local initiates went to Vancouver, where they rented and filled a large truck with relief materials before returning to Kamloops to contact the evacuees staying at the various motels in the area. Then each individual or family received a parcel containing food, drinks, fruit and a sample booklet, and all were very happy to receive this loving support from Master. Next, the work team tried to reach those in the greatest need; namely, families that had lost their homes and that were not covered by insurance. The initiates found that by dropping their preconceived ideas and letting Master guide them, they could readily find these people.
For example, the initiates saw one frightened and unhappy woman at a motel who had been living in her sister's house, which burned down in the Kamloops fire and was thus ineligible for government support. With few financial resources of her own, she could hardly pay her rent at the motel. Coincidentally, the initiates had purchased a small trailer at an excellent price, and it was exactly what the woman and her family needed. Upon receiving the gift, the woman was overjoyed and extremely grateful for Master's love, feeling that receiving the trailer was truly a miracle (photo 1). The work team then visited the Red Cross in Kelowna, and on behalf of Supreme Master Ching Hai, expressed gratitude for its support to the evacuees. The team also made a financial contribution to the organization to help in its very important work. Of course, the Red Cross representatives were touched and delighted at Master's compassion (photo 2). The relief team found that most of the people in the affected areas had animal companions that they dearly loved. The SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has a foster care program and its Kamloops branch took care of many such victimized animals, including horses and cows. The SPCA staff fed the animals, gave shelter to those that were without foster families, and provided them with medicine and loving attention. The initiates visited the SPCA and were so impressed with the love and devoted care given to their animal friends there that they made a financial contribution, which was highly appreciated (photo 3). The relief team then left Kelowna and headed for the Louis Creek/Barriere area to determine what types of aid the affected families needed most. For many, it was cash and for others schooling for the children. The initiates responded by giving the fire victims financial aid and purchasing school supplies for families with school-age youngsters. Among the families visited, the initiates' attention was captured by the head of one household, who seemed to be kindly but also deeply distressed. About a week after the visit, the man called to say that he had tried all available organizations, but none could help him with a vehicle that he needed to get back to work. Due to the infinite generosity of our beloved Master, the initiates were able to buy a truck for the man at a very reasonable price. His boundless gratitude was evident as with sincere emotion he said, "I hope the Master realizes we're sincere. This is God-sent. Every day of my life until now, I've been getting up at 5 A.M. to work to take care of my family. Now I can again take care of my family, and I'd be happy to work seven days a week. Other relief funds are not set up to deal with people from the heart like Supreme Master Ching Hai does. She takes people's inner soul to heart, and wants to help mend the heart as well as the material level." The relief team also purchased a car and three trailers for four families to resolve their transportation and lodging problems and thus resume their normal lives.
One elderly couple said that they prayed every day, but their house had burned down and they had no insurance. They were living temporarily in a small trailer and were worried about the cold and discomfort of spending the winter in this makeshift home. When the initiates helped them rent a place for the winter, the couple's joy knew no bounds. "I read the Bible every day. I pray every day. Now God sends us help. No one does that. I believe your Master is God," said the old man (photo 4). In another
case, the head of a family whose house had burned down was going
through the rubble to see if he could salvage anything. He found
only one page of the Bible that said, "Blessed are they that
mourn for they shall be comforted." Indeed they have been comforted!
Our beloved Master not only provides for the material needs of Her
children, but also blesses people with infinite love. The residents
of Louis Creek will never forget the kindness and compassion of
a woman they have never met - Supreme Master Ching Hai. Some said,
"It's a miracle." And one man told us, "When all
hope was gone, your Master gave us a way to start our lives again.
Now I know that I must care for others the way your Master has cared
for us." Thank You, Master, for Your infinite love and meticulous
care of every living being. Expenditures
for Aid and Relief to Fire Victims
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