July 20, 2024, is destined to be a day worth remembering. Under the blessing of Buddha's power, a week of high temperatures suddenly cooled down, and the white clouds covered the scorching sun, making this day the most suitable day for outdoor work during the dog days of summer. On this day, many important supplies for Mituo Village, after drifting at sea for more than a month, finally arrived at the village. However, figuring out how to safely unload all the materials from the giant containers became a significant challenge.
To prepare for the arrival of this forty-foot high container, volunteers had already done extensive preparation work. Yet, when everyone saw the huge wooden crates inside the container, they couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
Special thanks to the kind neighbors of Amitabha Village, who selflessly brought their forklifts from home to help us unload the goods. Unexpectedly, the first pallet gave us a tough challenge. The forklift, capable of lifting 2,000 pounds, actually tipped when trying to lift the first pallet, indicating that the pallet's weight exceeded the forklift's maximum capacity.
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For the next three hours, everyone brainstormed and tried various methods. Ultimately, with extremely basic tools and a combination of human effort, machinery, and ingenuity, we successfully unloaded all the pallets safely.
When nearly 18,000 pounds of goods were all unloaded, every volunteer’s clothes were soaked through as if they had been through a shower. After a round of high-fives to celebrate, everyone immediately moved on to the next challenge: unpacking and installing the goods. The weight and difficulty of each item exceeded our imagination.
At this point, the neighbor’s forklift had left, and we were left with only manual tools and a group of passionate volunteers.
Items such as the nearly 1,500-pound incense burner and the 1,300-pound candle cabinet had to be manually lifted and positioned by the volunteers. Despite the challenges, we managed to install them successfully.
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Particularly, the nearly 500-pound lid for the incense burner, which needed to be lifted almost 2 meters high and placed on the burner, seemed like an impossible task. However, with everyone working together and the blessing of Buddha's power, we ultimately completed the task safely and successfully. When the large incense burner and candle cabinet finally stood outside the Buddha hall, everyone felt deeply moved. We are grateful for the blessing of Buddha's power, the protection of all celestial beings, the contributions of every brother and sister present, and those who were not on site but were with us in spirit, giving us strength. We also thank all sentient beings in Mituo Village, both tangible and intangible.
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At the same time, materials and facilities needed for the renovation of the chanting hall also arrived. We will soon continue the project to prepare for the arrival of the Great Buddha.
On this volunteer day, everyone gave 200% effort. By the time they left, everyone was sore, exhausted, and drained. The dedication shown was truly touching. This experience made me reflect deeply. On one hand, these tasks would normally require significant resources and professional companies with specialized tools to complete. However, due to the limited resources at Mituo Village, we had to rely on limited resources and the physical effort of volunteers to accomplish these demanding tasks.
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On the other hand, I am also amazed that such seemingly impossible tasks were ultimately completed smoothly through the enthusiasm, unity, and steadfast faith of numerous volunteers. With belief, what is impossible to achieve? Isn’t this the essence of our Pure Land teachings?
Although our progress is slow, the construction of Mituo Village is moving forward step by step. To those reading this article, are you ready to join our Amitabha Village family? Let’s support the righteous Dharma in our hearts and work together to build Amitabha Village, so that Buddhism can be promoted. We hope more brothers and sisters will join our support team. Virtue is never alone; it must have neighbors!