The world of Tzu Chi October 2020 (Vol.127)

2020 • 10 30 eature to the Master’s talk on the “Life Wisdom” programme and share the learning with one another. In the early days, volunteers did not have a fixed meeting place, so they had to move from one volunteer’s home to another. Sometimes, in a vacant lot, a yard, or by a roadside wall, and there they would hold the fellowship-cum-spiritual cultivation session. Despite challenges and hardship, the volunteers and care recipients liked to listen to Denise’s sharing of Tzu Chi’s stories and the Master’s teaching. Through word of mouth, more and more people gathered to listen to her sharing. At one point, the record was having close to a hundred people crowded into a courtyard and home! This matter made the conservative chieftain quite displeased and he directly reported the matter to the police. In this socialist country, large group gathering without permit is considered illegal. As such, Denise often had to go to the police station or to the chieftain’s home to explain Tzu Chi’s charitable work. Even to distribute rice to the needy families, she must go through many challenges to get the job done successfully. All these difficulties made Denise learnt to be patient and humble. “To do good deeds in Africa, you cannot simply ask the other person for help just because you’re here to help. On the contrary, we have to be more humble and patient than usual, so that others can truly sense our sincerity. Although this process requires compromising, it’s for the sake of charitable deeds. The end result is that the Illiteracy rate is high in the rural areas of Mozambique. Due to poverty and hunger, the children are not motivated to attend school. Hence, Denise would always encourage the parents to send their children to school during home visits.