In Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association Relief News from Korea…
In mid-July 2023, intense monsoon rains caused flooding and mudslides, with extensive damage and more than 40 Korean people who lost their lives. Soon after, Typhoon Kanun struck on August 10, destroying roads and bridges, while flooding homes, commercial buildings, and vital crops.
Upon hearing the news of this sudden devastation and loss, our Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) offered a humble contribution of US$12,000, “to further helping those who need most. My love and prayers for the victims, and may God – Grace, Comfort and Bless all in time of trouble. Thank you, all brothers and sisters who volunteer to aid the affected. Bless you!”
Our Korean Association members quickly formed a relief team and contacted local officials to assess the affected areas. They found that Goesan County in North Chungcheong Province and Goseong County in the mountainous Gangwon Province were among those most in need.
Traveling first to Goesan on August 12, our Association’s relief team members met a farmer whose greenhouses containing medicinal herbs and berry seedlings had been damaged by the storm. To the young farmer’s relief, our Association members helped to remove debris from over a thousand seedlings and move them back into the greenhouses.
This farmer said he had applied for a plant-based alternative vegan meat business as part of a youth entrepreneurship contest in Goesan, and he would receive financial support from the county if he was selected. Before leaving, the relief team presented him with Master’s book, “Love Is The Only Solution.” The young farmer expressed his gratitude to the helpers who came to his remote rural location.
“Due to this typhoon, we moved plants out of the greenhouse, restored the greenhouse, and now we move them inside again. As an urban-to-rural returner, I felt devastated. It was a great source of strength for us, the affected farmers, that people who were literally strangers came to help us like this. I really didn’t know what to do alone. Now, when I was hopeless, you came to say good things and help me like this. We are so grateful. I feel that this is a society that is full of compassion. In fact, the area called Goesan is not known and it is very rural, so there are not many people who know it well and how to help. Specially, like this, Supreme Master Ching Hai sent people to help those who have suffered flood damage, so I am truly grateful.”
On August 13th, our Association’s Korean relief team traveled to Goseong County, where rainfall of over 400mm had resulted in significant damage to fields, houses, and shops. Arriving at the home of an elderly disabled person whose house had been completely flooded, the relief team worked to clean out the interior and bring usable items back inside. The resident was extremely grateful for the help.
“I’m old, disabled, and I can’t use my back well. I can’t even walk well. You come here and help people in need like this. So, it helps a lot. I thank you so much.”
The relief team then used shovels to repair a gravel road that had been eroded by the rains, and they also cleared the channels of blocked drainage pipes so the water could flow freely again.
In the Gangwon Province village of Yonghwa-ri, our Association’s team members helped clear an approximately 5,000-square-meter rice paddy that had become filled with debris and branches carried by the rainwater. The rice farmer conveyed his thankfulness for their assistance.
“Due to this typhoon, it rained heavily, and the ridge between the rice fields was destroyed. Thank you very much for coming and helping us like this. It’s great that you are doing this recovery work.”
Nearby, an elderly lady’s mountain home had been damaged by a landslide. As she was running to safety, she was injured in a fall and had to be hospitalized. Our Association’s relief team was able to visit the elderly lady in the hospital and offer Master’s encouraging contribution of US$1,500. The lady was so surprised, and she repeatedly thanked Master and our members for this much-needed help.
Our deep gratitude to Supreme Master Ching Hai for Her loving care of the flood-affected Korean people. We appreciate the efforts of our Korean Association members and all who are working to bring relief to those in need. Our prayers that the gentle Korean people may smoothly rebuild and soon recover their stable and fulfilling lives.
