八月二十一日，我参加了东北区的感恩户访视。我们本来准备参访两户，但是无法联络到第二户感恩户。第一户感恩户住着中年儿子和其年迈的母亲。儿子得到我们称之为“心莲”的绝症。我们和他聊了很久，了解他目前的健康状况和工作前景。虽然他的病是不治之症，不过如果他好好照顾自己和定期服药，他仍然可以有一个相当正常的生活。访视的目的是为了显示关怀，了解他的困难，而对第一户感恩户而言，尝试鼓励他走出自我，寻找一份更好的工作。
Two days later, we had our monthly Home Visit Meeting where all home visits volunteers are suppose to attend for a discussion with our staffs and CEO Ji Yu SB. The first thing that Ji Yu SB told us is, we must encourage every home visit volunteers to attend this meeting. It is only through such meetings that everybody learns and become a better person. During the meeting, we discuss the various cases send to Tzu Chi and after conducting our initial assessment, decide whether to offer or not to offer our help. I learned a lot from this meeting, understand under what circumstances Tzu Chi should offer our help and how to detect whether the family in need are telling the truth.
两天后，我参加了慈济的访视会议，慈济访视志工与慈济职工和执行长济雨师伯聚集在一起讨论访视事务。济雨师伯向大家叮咛，我们必须鼓励每位访视志工出席访视会议。只有通过访视会议，大家能精进，即修福又修慧。会议期间我们讨论了送到慈济的个案，经过初步评估后，决定是否提供补助。我从会议上学了很多，明白在什么情况下慈济才会提供补助，以及如何发现个案是否在说真话。
There is this case where a sister is studying in polytechnic and working part-time in McDonald, supporting her younger sister and herself. She is seeking short-term help till her graduation. All of us agreed that Tzu Chi should offer our help. But Ji Yu SB told us that we are missing the big picture. Yes, Tzu Chi will help, but we need to do more. We need to determine the academic grades of the elder sister and whether she is interested in studies. If she is interested in her studies, what Tzu Chi should do is to offer more of our help by asking her to stop her part-time job in McDonald. Tzu Chi will support her family till she graduate. Ji Yu SB assessment explained what Master had always being worried about: young adults' education.
有这么一件各案，姐姐在理工学院就读和在麦当劳兼职，以养活妹妹和自己。她向慈济寻求短期补助直至她毕业。我们大家一致认为慈济应该给予各案补助。不过济雨师伯说我们是一叶蔽目，不见泰山。慈济是应该给予补助，不过我们还需要知道姐姐是否对读书有兴趣。如果她有兴趣读书，慈济应该做的是提供更多的补助，让她不需要兼职专心学业。慈济会支持她和妹妹直到她毕业为止。济雨师伯一席话，道出了上人的担心：年轻人的教育。
The day after our Home Visit Meeting is our north-east zone Home Visit Gathering of volunteers to share and learn from each other. It was a simple and short event, lasting from 9.30 am to 12 noon. The main lesson is to learn to be understanding and accumulating among one another, especially home visits can sometime be required out of the blue. We also learned how to draw a family relationship chart using symbols to save time. Next is the importance of learning Master's teaching for home visits. This is to ensure that we can share the correct outlook of life with them. Lastly, we played a simple game where we lead a volunteer who pretend to be blind for a short distance and be lead by in return. The game was to let us experience the hopelessness that our home visit families are facing and the hope that they are placing on us.
访视会议的隔天，是东北区的访视联谊，让大家互相分享和吸收经验。这是一项简短的活动，从早上九点半至中午十二点。分享的经验主要是希望访视志工们可以彼此量解，因为访视可时是突发性的。我们还学习如何用符号画家系图以节省时间。其次是学习上人的法对访视的重要性，以确保我们能与感恩户分享正确的人生价值观。最后我们一起玩了个简单的游戏，带领假装失明的志工走一小段路，并互换身份。游戏是为了让我们体验感恩户的无助以及他们寄托在我们身上的希望。
I had a discussion with my dad about the home visits. He reminded me that our Community Center Committee is another venue for needy families to seek help. Furthermore there are jobs with salary of $1200 available as the Town Councils are looking for Singaporeans to sweep our housing estate. I had a discussion with Li Shan SJ during our blood donation drive. She told me that when the government pass the cases to Tzu Chi, all government grants had been exhausted. Regarding the $1200 salary jobs, she commented that this is one challenge we are facing, encouraging families to take on higher salary but tougher jobs. In this case, sweeping the estate is even a face-losing job. There are many families who are comfortable with earning a lower salary and receiving help from us. This is a fine line and hence, our initial assessment must be properly done. Furthermore, our cases are always up for review every 3 months.
我与父亲提起过访视。他提醒我感恩户也可以向联络所委员会寻求补助。此外市镇理事会正在请人打扫组屋区，每月薪金有一千两百元。我在捐血活动时享丽珊师姐提起这两件事。丽珊师姐告诉我，个案都是政府交给慈济的，都是无法申请到政府补助的个案。至于一千两百元的每月薪金，慈济面对的一项挑战就是鼓舞感恩户寻找较高薪金但是更辛苦的工作。更何况打扫组屋区是一项丢脸的工作。因为有了慈济的补助，很多感恩户满足于较低薪金的工作。因此，我们初步的评估很重要。此外，每件个案每三个月回被检讨一遍。
This goes back to Ji Yu SB encouragement that we need to attend the home visit meeting more often and read up more on Master's teaching. Our aim is not only to help the families in the short term, we want to give them a positive outlook of life and encourage them to walk the correct path of life.
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