[3077] A little bit of charity makes the whole world a warmer place

Reported by Chen Wei-chien

Written by Lydia Ma

A Christian man who witnessed his parents begging for loans to pay medical bills when he was a young boy vowed in his youth that he’d do whatever it takes to help others in similar situations. His childhood memories left an indelible mark in his heart.

Hsieh Jui-li grew up in Tsaokang Presbyterian Church near Changhua. One day, after reading Taiwan Church News and finding out about the needs of Happy Christian Homes for Disabled Children, he decided to become a long-term donor. “People usually vow to donate money after they’ve attained a certain threshold of wealth. For me, I vowed to donate money to charity as long as I didn’t have any debt,” he said.

With that in mind, Hsieh has donated more than NT$100,000 to Happy Christian Homes and more than NT$100,000 to other social service organizations such as Taiwan Fund for Children and Families over the past few years – some of these donations made through payment installments he arranged with local banks.

Three years ago, the 69-year-old Hsieh was diagnosed with cancer and it soon took its toll on his family and his finances. As he laid in a hospital bed in Changhua Christian Hospital in Lukang, he was surprised with lots of help from various Christian and Buddhist hospitals and organizations.

As it turns out, Taiwan Fund for Children and Families is now helping his 9-year-old daughter get some after-school tutoring at Tsaokang Church and Happy Christian Homes visited him 2 months ago and delivered a financial gift for him.

“In the past 3 years, I’ve been embraced by different sectors of society, including Buddhist organizations and Christian hospitals. I’ve also had many visits from pastors. These gestures have really comforted me and I’m grateful for these people,” he said.