The World Of Tzu Chi December 2019 (Vol.117)

TZU CHI 117 27 I n late 2017, a handful of members from the Malaysian chapter of the Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Association (also known as Tzu Ching) travelled to Taiwan to witness the 25th anniversary celebration of the Association, which was first formed in Taiwan by a group of tertiary students. Tzu Ching members engage in various forms of voluntary work, from caring for the disadvantaged to participating in recycling efforts. After the celebration, the Malaysia- based Tzu Ching members stayed on in Taiwan to serve as youth volunteers with their counterparts from seven other countries. Before departing from Taiwan on January 5, 2018, the youth volunteers wrote down their pledges on slips of paper and inserted them into glass bottles to be stored as “time capsules” at the Jing Si Abode in Hualien, before leaving behind a promise to reunite in time to come. Many of the bottles contained a pledge to return to Taiwan to be certified as Tzu Chi commissioners. Two years on, three Tzu Ching members from the Taiwan-bound delegation have fulfilled their pledge. Derek Goh Chi Lun, Tham Jia Wei and Wong Kim Yean chose to commit themselves to the rigorous volunteer training programme and have finally qualified as full-fledged Tzu Chi commissioners upon receiving their certification from Master Cheng Yen on October 26 this year, joining the ranks of senior volunteers in providing relief to the suffering. Derek and Kim Yean are graduates of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and civil engineers by profession, while Jia Wei graduated from the medical degree programme of Perdana University and is currently a doctor at Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. The trio’s encounter with Tzu Ching in university marked a turning point in their lives, exposing them to the plight of the less fortunate through experiences as varied as participating in home visits to the needy, environmental conservation efforts and outreach programmes to extend care to the destitute. Qualifying as certified Tzu Chi commissioners bears special significance for Jia Wei, Kim Yean and Derek. Jia Wei recalled being moved to tears at the certification ceremony and was comforted by her team mentor, a senior volunteer who wished her well in embracing her newfound responsibility of upholding Tzu Chi’s values and missions. She was elegantly dressed in the solemn navy blue mandarin gown emblematic of Tzu Chi Commissioners with her hair neatly plaited as she moved across the stage to receive her certification from Master Cheng Yen. “We may be absent from Tzu Chi’s history, but we will stay true to Tzu Chi from now on into the future,” she declared. Although Jia Wei has left her youthful student days behind, she holds Tzu Chi and the Master close to her heart, along with fond memories of fellow Tzu Ching members and the senior volunteers who mentored them. Her firm resolve to serve as the Master’s disciple spurred her decision to devote herself to the volunteer training programme post- graduation whilst committing to her two-year housemanship tenure, giving her the strength to overcome all obstacles along the way. Taking extended time off from her hospital duties required thorough consideration given a doctor’s hectic schedule, yet Jia Wei’s