Water sustains everything; without water, nothing
grows. Even the great land of India that has given birth to innumerable
sages turns gloomy without water. However, while water sustains lives,
it can also destroy them. Towards the end of April 2003, on the other
side of the planet from India, the rain god sent roaring waters down
on Argentina. In just a few hours, most parts of the country's Salado
River overflowed, flooding one third of the towns and villages in Santa
Fe Province. It was the heaviest flood in Argentina in five hundred
years, and the disaster came so suddenly that many people lost all their
possessions overnight!
Upon hearing news of the flood, members of the
Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association in South America
acted promptly based on Supreme Master Ching Hai's loving instructions.
They acquired medical supplies, blankets, towels and other relief materials,
and did not forget to prepare candies for the children as well. Oblivious
to the risks and charged with love and concern for the victims, the
fellow initiates then went deep into areas that were most in need and
in the gravest danger to distribute the supplies.
In addition to relief provisions, fellow initiates
also brought spiritual gifts -- Supreme Master Ching Hai's sample booklets
-- to offer a timely spiritual comfort to the victims, who knew they
were not just receiving material help, but also love and energy from
a spiritual Master. Adults and children alike showed their heartfelt
gratitude with kisses and hugs, and some even rolled up their sleeves
and joined the volunteer workers to convey their care and distribute
the relief materials.