Surrendering to God's Plans
Leads to Freedom

By brother-initiate Vincent Nguyen, Virginia,
USA (Originally in English)

On September 1, 2005, after Hurricane Katrina struck three states in the southern US, two sisters from the Maryland Center and I set off to conduct relief work in the affected cities of Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi.

On the way, we received several conflicting sets of instructions. For example, at first we were told to go to Gulfport, Mississippi and then later our destination was changed to New Orleans, Louisiana. However, as we approached the scheduled meeting place in New Orleans, our instructions again changed and we were told to head back to Gulfport. At this point one of the sisters asked in a frustrated tone, “Why are we constantly changing our meeting place?” and I replied, “We’re just following orders.”

After arriving in Gulfport we discovered that no one else from our rescue team was present. However, we were still given orders to find a room and form a makeshift command center. Since all the hotels in the area were closed due to a power outage, we had to drive north more than 90 miles (145 km) past the city of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. After checking numerous local motels and hotels, we finally found a place that had electricity and planned to book a room, thinking that after driving over 1,000 miles (1609 km) in about 24 hours, we could take a shower and relax. But just as we were about to pay for the room, we suddenly received instructions to move back to a house in Gulfport.

The sister again asked why we had to move back and forth as if to suggest that the operation was in disarray. So I told her, “We’re just ‘soldiers’ so we need to follow orders without asking why. During a crisis, situations change constantly, and as a result decisions often change to best suit the conditions. So the best approach is to follow orders without questioning them.” At the same time, I experienced a feeling of inner peace and serenity as though Master had arranged everything, and all that was necessary was to simply follow the “master plan.”

Moreover, during the subsequent relief work, several brothers and sisters had different ideas about how to distribute the supplies to the victims. This posed a problem since in a van of fifteen people, there might be up to six different opinions. So I told the group, “According to the training I received in Hsihu, Formosa, the best approach is to follow the orders given by the group leader. Otherwise, if we follow everyone's suggestions, there will be chaos.” Upon hearing this, everyone agreed to be "soldiers" and follow the group leader, who was the only "general" in charge. From then on, the relief work went smoothly as everyone stopped arguing about logistics and instead focused on helping the hurricane victims. Thus, in just one day, we distributed all the gifts in a 24’ U-Haul truck we had rented and brought Master's love to over 300 families in the city of Biloxi.

Looking back on my training in Hsihu, I can recall that each time I went out to work with Master’s monastic disciples, my mind constantly tried to find more "efficient" ways to do things. I thought that "I" was older, that "I" used to own businesses and that "I" had more experience. So "I" used to offer many suggestions about how things should be done, and my automatic self-talking mind would create unnecessary arguments and tension. And due to my stubborn head I was often scolded, lost my composure and was unable to concentrate a hundred percent on completing the task at hand. But thanks to this training, along with the teachings presented in Master’s videos, I began to understand that we only need to follow instructions without using the mind to question every minor detail.

Consequently, during the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, I was blessed with a feeling of peace and "freedom to follow orders" and did not worry about the best way to work since I knew Master had arranged everything. If we just follow Her plans as transmitted by the person in charge, everything will turn out perfectly! After many years, of dealing with various crisis situations the Hurricane Katrina project was the first time I was able to work while experiencing inner peace and harmony, and the other initiates ultimately seemed to have similar experiences. Thus, the effort was a success and we were able to bring God's mercy to the people of Biloxi while at the same time raising our spiritual understanding.