The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.115).

2019 • 10 20 eature 200 households. However, the Master reviewed the aid recipient rosters and proposed for the criteria of households eligible for aid to be relaxed in order to benefit more families. My father reworked the rosters and presented a renewed relief plan, but the Master again recommended a wider margin. After three rounds of modifications, the number of households in Taitung eligible for aid from Tzu Chi increased to over 500. My father, an elementary school principal at the time, arranged for the relief distribution for typhoon victims to take place at the local Jie Shou Hall. In addition to reimbursing train fares for those who travelled by rail, the Master chartered a bus to ferry those who lived in townships with no train service. My father was deeply moved by the Master’s consideration for the disaster victims and her spirit of great compassion to all. Continuing the relay of love The Master, whom my mother revered, would stay at a designated guest room in our home whenever she arrived in Taitung to visit the care recipients. My mother forbade us from entering the room and would clean the room thoroughly in anticipation of the Master’s visits. I was studying in Taipei at the time. On the occasions when I returned home and saw the Master, I addressed her as “Grandmaster”. In 1979, I settled in Xingang, Chiayi County, southern Taiwan – the hometown of my wife, Yan Yu-zhen. I learnt from backdated issues of Tzu Chi Monthly that Tzu Chi had started extending care to underprivileged households in Yunlin, the county next to Chiayi, from as early as 1973. Tzu Chi first reached out to a household in Chiayi in 1977. Back then, cross-region Tzu Chi commissioners from either Taichung or Tainan would visit these households. I was guided by the Master on my first household visit after I moved to Chiayi. The Master travelled from Hualien with Master De Rong, Master De En and a senior commissioner, Sister Jing-xian for the occasion. I led the way on a motorcycle while the Master and her companions followed my lead in a taxi. We entered remote areas in Yunlin and Chiayi to visit families in need. After guiding me through the home visit, the Master said to me, “From now on, you’ll be in charge of this area.” Since then, I gradually assumed responsibility for following up on cases of households in need as well as Tzu Chi’s charity work in the Yunlin-Chiayi region. The Master prepared me for my first time conducting year-end visits to the households receiving long-term aid from Tzu Chi by instructing me to bring along a tape measure to take the measurements of each member of every household. The purpose of this action was initially lost on me, until I received the supplies for the upcoming winter distributions. Every household received three packages containing food supplies, toiletries and clothing, including winter attire and student uniforms. Each item of clothing was well- fitted, neatly folded and labelled with the name of the intended recipient. Warm woollen coats were provided to the elderly, while the school uniforms for the children were made from quality khaki fabric. The Master’s attention to detail demonstrated her thoughtfulness and due consideration of the recipients’ needs. Back then, I had to deliver material supplies and a living allowance to the care recipients monthly. I was especially busy with deliveries during the annual winter distribution season. My wife and I could not afford a car, so we performed