WEBVTT 00:00:02.962 --> 00:00:07.483 Teresa Hsu has spent much of a life dedicated to helping the poor. 00:00:07.483 --> 00:00:09.157 More than 100 years old, 00:00:09.157 --> 00:00:12.675 Teresa still spends her time reading, learning, meeting people, 00:00:12.675 --> 00:00:16.541 gathering and distributing food and money to help the needy. 00:00:16.541 --> 00:00:19.086 Her organization, "Heart to Heart," 00:00:19.086 --> 00:00:23.447 began in 1929 under the name "Friends of the Needy." 00:00:23.447 --> 00:00:24.827 Here's Teresa: 00:00:24.827 --> 00:00:28.236 [Lessons my mother taught me] 00:00:28.676 --> 00:00:30.227 Teresa: We were very poor, 00:00:30.227 --> 00:00:33.111 and we took food from the earth: 00:00:33.111 --> 00:00:36.243 sweet potato and bamboo shoots. 00:00:36.243 --> 00:00:39.165 Then one day, we were sitting down 00:00:39.595 --> 00:00:41.108 to a meal. 00:00:41.108 --> 00:00:44.080 One woman came with her child 00:00:45.020 --> 00:00:46.036 and said, 00:00:46.036 --> 00:00:48.494 "We haven't eaten for two days, 00:00:48.494 --> 00:00:49.599 please help us." 00:00:49.599 --> 00:00:53.545 So my mother took things on the table, 00:00:53.545 --> 00:00:55.690 things that we were sitting down to eat, 00:00:55.690 --> 00:00:56.904 gave it all to them. 00:00:56.904 --> 00:00:58.538 And she said, 00:00:58.538 --> 00:01:00.138 "We ate yesterday. 00:01:00.138 --> 00:01:02.672 They haven't eaten for two days. 00:01:02.672 --> 00:01:05.773 They have more right to the food than we." 00:01:05.773 --> 00:01:08.311 And it was a very good lesson to me. 00:01:08.311 --> 00:01:14.155 All my life I think of people who have less than we. 00:01:14.472 --> 00:01:17.979 That has been guiding light all my life. 00:01:18.145 --> 00:01:21.145 [Heart to Heart - How it All Started] 00:01:21.651 --> 00:01:24.551 Oh, I started "Heart to Heart" under a different name: 00:01:24.551 --> 00:01:28.425 "Friends of the Needy" in 1923. 00:01:28.425 --> 00:01:31.009 Wherever I go, I do the same thing: 00:01:31.009 --> 00:01:32.085 put my bags down. 00:01:32.085 --> 00:01:37.503 First thing I look for is people who don't have enough to eat. 00:01:38.108 --> 00:01:40.591 Then when I came to Singapore, 00:01:40.591 --> 00:01:43.616 I called myself "Heart to Heart." 00:01:43.616 --> 00:01:48.421 Heart to Heart is we give whatever we can: 00:01:48.421 --> 00:01:52.428 food and money for their rental, 00:01:52.428 --> 00:01:56.760 and help them see the doctor, whatever. 00:01:57.399 --> 00:01:58.814 We - 00:01:58.814 --> 00:02:02.483 Sometimes people hear my talk, 00:02:02.483 --> 00:02:04.019 and they donate money. 00:02:04.019 --> 00:02:07.213 We pass it on to those who need. 00:02:07.213 --> 00:02:08.323 At the moment, 00:02:08.323 --> 00:02:11.418 we have 15 old people in Singapore, 00:02:11.418 --> 00:02:13.103 five families, 00:02:13.103 --> 00:02:17.371 and 34 blind people in Ho Chi Minh City. 00:02:17.371 --> 00:02:19.501 [Poverty, Hunger, and a Promise] 00:02:19.501 --> 00:02:21.617 There was a time 00:02:22.547 --> 00:02:26.023 when we were very, very poor. 00:02:27.033 --> 00:02:31.253 I went to the river to wash the family clothes. 00:02:31.253 --> 00:02:37.107 And while the clothes were drying on the low bush, 00:02:37.977 --> 00:02:43.504 we went to look for whatever food we can get. 00:02:43.724 --> 00:02:45.864 I was so hungry, 00:02:46.004 --> 00:02:49.192 I looked around, nobody was watching, 00:02:49.192 --> 00:02:51.092 so I stooped down, 00:02:51.092 --> 00:02:52.697 got a handful of grass 00:02:52.697 --> 00:02:55.165 and shoved it in my mouth. 00:02:55.165 --> 00:02:58.088 It didn't satisfy my hunger. 00:02:58.088 --> 00:03:02.876 At least it satisfied my thought of hunger. 00:03:02.887 --> 00:03:05.704 So it did taste nice, 00:03:05.704 --> 00:03:08.095 and didn't stop my hunger, 00:03:08.095 --> 00:03:09.747 so I said to myself, 00:03:09.747 --> 00:03:16.146 "As long as I am able to, let nobody need to eat grass." 00:03:16.927 --> 00:03:19.615 So this is my guideline now. 00:03:19.615 --> 00:03:25.711 Whoever is hungry, I do my best to see what I can get for them. 00:03:25.711 --> 00:03:28.074 Till now I still do it. 00:03:28.074 --> 00:03:31.315 I still go around and see who is hungry ... 00:03:31.525 --> 00:03:34.391 I will share my rice bowl, 00:03:34.391 --> 00:03:37.745 my bowl of rice with you. 00:03:37.745 --> 00:03:40.758 This is now my life - 00:03:40.758 --> 00:03:46.141 is to share what I have with those who are hungrier then I. 00:03:46.141 --> 00:03:48.432 Even equally hungry, 00:03:48.432 --> 00:03:50.415 we share half a bowl. 00:03:50.415 --> 00:03:52.415 ["HaHa" and Multiplying Joy] 00:03:52.415 --> 00:03:54.997 One man asked me why. 00:03:54.997 --> 00:03:57.941 "Why don't you stay at home enjoy yourself 00:03:57.941 --> 00:04:00.930 instead of going around to 20 people?" 00:04:00.930 --> 00:04:02.017 I said, 00:04:02.017 --> 00:04:05.146 If I eat food by myself, 00:04:05.146 --> 00:04:08.365 I alone (Chinese) laugh with mirth. 00:04:08.365 --> 00:04:09.925 I will share with 20 people, 00:04:09.925 --> 00:04:12.493 21 people (Chinese) laugh with mirth. 00:04:12.493 --> 00:04:16.880 You see, my joy is multiplied 21 times. 00:04:17.223 --> 00:04:21.036 So six months later, we attended a meeting. 00:04:21.036 --> 00:04:25.134 In the recess, tea time, tea break, 00:04:25.134 --> 00:04:28.075 he came up to me, and he said to me, 00:04:28.075 --> 00:04:33.231 "Thank you for teach me how to smile 21 times." 00:04:33.505 --> 00:04:38.387 I said, "Next time we meet, we will smile 42 times." 00:04:38.387 --> 00:04:40.956 But the 42 times hasn't come yet. 00:04:40.956 --> 00:04:45.087 Still waiting for the time to smile 42 times. 00:04:46.447 --> 00:04:48.547 [In life there are always problems.] 00:04:48.567 --> 00:04:52.129 In life there are always problems. 00:04:52.129 --> 00:04:55.957 You solve your problems to the best you can, 00:04:55.957 --> 00:04:57.815 accept the rest. 00:04:57.815 --> 00:05:00.096 Don't think of the problems all the time. 00:05:00.096 --> 00:05:02.283 It's (Chinese) boo hoo. 00:05:02.283 --> 00:05:03.973 Because when you (Chinese) boo hoo, 00:05:03.973 --> 00:05:07.169 you need to pay money to buy handkerchiefs. 00:05:07.599 --> 00:05:09.787 (Male voice off-screen): And then you "hahaha." 00:05:09.787 --> 00:05:10.868 TH: Then we "haha." 00:05:10.868 --> 00:05:14.227 No need to spend money, no handkerchiefs. 00:05:14.227 --> 00:05:17.145 "Haha" is better than (Chinese) boo hoo.