One Sunday in September 2001, The Supreme
Master Ching Hai International Association's Los Angeles Center
received a letter from Mr. Venicio Albano, director of the
Culion Leper Colony in the Philippines, requesting financial
assistance. The letter was written on a scrap of yellow paper
and was scribbled in not too fluent English. It struck us
how desperate the Colony's situation seemed to be because
Mr. Albano did not even have adequate paper or a printer with
which to write a simple letter. The L. A. Center then e-mailed
the Manila Center to get more details about the situation.
The Manila Center reported that Culion was
a small island located in the southern part of Palawan, about
150 miles southeast of Manila. Natives of the island still
practice the ancient ways of their ancestors and live in miserable
conditions. Most residents suffer from leprosy, a disease
that causes damage to the nervous system, that is extremely
painful and disfiguring. The lepers on Culion receive few
visitors because people fear contracting the disease. Therefore,
their lives are plagued with difficulties.
Innocent children are contaminated with leprosy
by their parents, and many families and orphans are left homeless,
often taking shelter wherever they can find it, such as behind
markets and on sidewalks. According to the Manila Center,
the Colony was indeed in need of money, rice, food and other
materials, but the director felt it would be best if the L.
A. Center sent money instead.
Responding to this request, fellow initiates
from the L. A. Center donated US$2,195 to the Colony. The
funds were forwarded by the Manila Center to the Mr. Albano,
who then sent the thank-you letter below to the Manila Center.
With the financial assistance of L. A. initiates,
many Culion residents have now built homes and are enjoying
a better life. To comfort their lonely souls, Master's sample
booklets and magazines were sent along with the money. These
dear brothers and sisters held the booklets to their faces
and kissed Master's picture in gratitude. Through Master's
loving care, the residents of the Culion Leper Colony are
now much happier and have less to worry about in the future.
