On December 26, 2004, a massive earthquake and series of tsunamis struck South Asia, causing the greatest disaster in a hundred years. As details of the colossal catastrophe continued to emerge, love and merciful concern surged forth from around the world and relief supplies, rescue teams and medical workers poured into the affected areas. Deeply concerned, Master ordered The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association to launch a prompt relief operation. So members of the Association in Formosa and many other countries immediately organized rescue teams to render relief, being among the first to provide medical assistance and emergency provisions to the most devastated regions in Indonesia's Aceh Province, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The initiates brought not only material aid, but also spiritual comfort through God's blessings and the love that encompasses the universe.