Responding to our request to celebrate Christmas and New Year for others, Ms Debra Chrystal from the United States donated food items and warm jackets as Christmas and New Year gifts to the poor and needy Tibetan elders in Dharamsala.

She made the purchases online and gave our address as the final recipient of the purchased items. The donated items included rice, wheat flour, sugar, spices, jams, toiletries, jackets etc.

Our home nurses who regularly visit the poor and needy Tibetans in Dharamsala then sat together to make the list of such elders who may benefit from such items. More than 15 individuals were identified and the gift items were then divided in each individual’s name as per their living condition. As the number of jackets was less, they identified such elders whose living condition is poorer than the rest.

On 19th of this month, the home nurses then went to the house of each of the elders to gift the items on behalf of Ms Debra Chrystal. They all expressed deep appreciation of the gifts and they asked us to thank the donor profusely for the gifts they have received. In fact, for many this is the first such gifts they have ever received in their life.

We must say that the joy we have seen on the faces of the elders who received these gifts were very heart touching. We could see that they were all deeply moved by this once in a lifetime experience. Less candles may have burnt in your house but you have lit so many lamps of joy on the faces of these elders.

All religion teaches us to serve the less fortunate ones but we believe more in praying which we feel will bring us more merits that would help us in our journey from one life form to the next. But we have no doubt that the practical service we offer for others and the prayers we get from them will be far more meritorious than mere praying lips.

Our next program is to organize a Losar (Tibetan New Year) celebration for those elders who are living alone and have no one to celebrate Losar with. This will be a one day program that will be organized a day or two after the third day of Tibetan New Year (9th to 11th February 2016). These elders will be invited to Tibet Charity House to join the others in the celebration. We invite kind hearted philanthropists to be a part of this noble cause by making necessary contribution(s).

We take this opportunity to thank Ms Debra Chrystal for her kind gesture in response to our request.