The world of Tzu Chi March-April 2022 (Vol.140)

TZU CHI 140 45 The volunteers have not visited for two years. Before my partner’s demise, he told me to donate RM10 monthly. So, I now owe Tzu Chi RM240 over the past two years. Please remember to hand over the RM240 to Tzu Chi after I depart this life…” Ean Nee, who has cared for the elderly residents at the leprosarium for over a decade, then posted some updates about Grandma Heng and what seemed to be her last words on Facebook. At the same time, she contacted Tzu Chi volunteers Tan Chee Wei and Koay Si Hui, hoping that the volunteers could visit Grandma Heng at the leprosarium. Over the past two years, the leprosarium had suspended services by voluntary groups due to the raging Covid-19 situation. Tzu Chi volunteers were also concerned that their visits would increase the risk of infection towards the elderly residents. Hence, they halted their monthly visits, which had been consistently ongoing for more than 20 years. A much-anticipated reunion On January 24, 2022, with Ean Nee’s arrangement and special permission from the leprosarium, Chee Wei and Si Hui visited Grandma Heng. The familiar blue and white uniform they donned, brought back fond memories of the granny’s first meeting with Tzu Chi volunteers back in 1997. Jolting her memory with clarity were volunteers like Tan Eng and Wang Yue Juan, who gave her warm hugs. She recounted her wish to do good deeds by saving money in the bamboo coin bank. “When the coin bank became full, I would give it to Tzu Chi volunteers. In the past, Tzu Chi volunteers would bring us to the hall at Chong Hwa High School or Thean Hou Temple for a year-end distribution event, where vegetarian food would be served. Later on, when the KL Tzu-Chi Jing Si Hall was built, they put us in wheelchairs and pushed us around to visit…” Grandma Heng recalled that be it an external venue or Jing Si Hall, there was always a vegetarian reception, performances, and a bamboo bank corner at the annual year-end distribution event. On numerous occasions, she took the opportunity to pour her savings collected over the whole year from her coin bank into the large collection urn. She described gleefully that she could feel the joy of helping others when she saw the gathering of love and kindness in the urn. In addition, Grandma Heng and her husband also became Tzu Chi donors, contributing RM10 monthly since they got acquainted with Tzu Chi volunteers. She has continued to donate after her husband’s demise. Even during the volunteers’ absence in the past two years, she has persisted in putting aside and safe keeping the monthly donations. Now that the volunteers have come to visit her, she gladly handed the filled coin bank and accumulated monthly donations totalling RM240 to Si Hui. She expressed her utmost happiness in seeing Tzu Chi volunteers again, which also allowed her to personally handover her contribution to them. She also reiterated what she had told Ean Nee regarding her funeral arrangement wishes—she wanted to have the mourning hall set up in the Gospel Hall within the Valley of Hope, and three Christian hymns playing in the background. Her calm demeanour towards death moved the visiting volunteers. Chee Wei