Heart of a Child Week Kicks off to a Start!

The annual “Heart of a Child - Children’s Week” event, which is organised by YAD this year, kicked off to a start on the morning of 10th November. The first group to participate was a family of four; father and mother, Robin and Linda and daughter and son, Kalika and Toby.

The program that morning was hosted by YAD members. YAD 1 President Jason Liu and Temple Staff Shenghan Lim took the Temple tour and led the fun games, while Temple Staff Benny Wong was the photographer and YAD member Fujian served the delicious finger food for the day.

When the guests arrived, Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery South Island Public Relations Officer Seeshen Lee introduced to them Fo Guang Shan South Island and its YAD as she warmly welcomed the first group of the weeklong event. The family was first taken for a tour of the entire Temple building, starting at the “Way of Life” photography exhibition in FGY Art Gallery.

The children and their parents were very much fascinated by the Chinese style building of Fo Guang Shan North Island Temple’s building, and also praised the artistic design of Fo Guang Shan South Island. The second stop was the Time Capsule hallway where the series of portraits illustrated the chronological periods of Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s life.

The family was amazed at the fact that Venerable Master has managed to establish Fo Guang Shan Temples in all corners of the world within four decades. The Buddha Hall came to be one of the favourite places for the young children. The Buddha statue and the decorations and set up for the Medicine Buddha Dharma Function were a fresh sight for them, in which resulted in their enthusiasm for answers to their never ending questions.

After learning how to prostrate before the Buddha statue, everyone was given the chance make a wish at the wishing bell. The “Egg Art” exhibition came as another surprise for the guests and became another favourite for the children as they admired the delicate and inspiring artworks.

At the conclusion of the Temple tour, they children were brought to the Dining Hall for the second half of the program organised for them. The youth members began the activities session by teaching the children how to make an origami heart in which they got to draw or write a message on the paper before folding them. On completion, the guests stuck their paper hearts onto the wall, creating a display of colourful hearts.

The youth members then performed the song “Come and See” accompanied by hand gestures bringing the morning to its climax. Both the children and the adults were touched by the music and eagerly joined in with the youth group in song and dance. The performance marked the end of the program and the guests were treated to a delicious morning tea prepared by the Temple. As they enjoyed the refreshments, the parents inquired about the annual events organised by the Temple, showing great interest in what the Temple does.

After a group photo, the first day of “Heart of a Child” arrived at a fruitful conclusion. The visitors were more than satisfied with the contents of the program and expressed their gratitude for the youth group in taking the responsibility of organising such a meaningful event. The next visiting group of 20 people will be on 12th November, and the youth group will seek out to achieve as much as they can.