Issue 16 - April 16, 2017
| |
The only purpose of our lives is to engage in service, as Swami emphatically reminds us all the time. Like He says, only through service we can redeem ourselves. The first European Sai Youth Meet was held in Germany on April 9, 2017. The theme was 'I to We to He', and Swami reminded all of us that individually we cannot do much, but together, much more can be done. Like Swami says, "From 'I', you must develop a feeling of 'we'. Individual to society, society to God."
Swami's message to Sai youth around the world:
"Time has come for all of you to arise, awake and not stop till the goal is reached. Your energy must be put to good use, positive use to lead the society into a golden future to a future of happiness, peace, harmony, unity unlike today. You can change the way things are. And when you hand it over to the next generation, they will be grateful for the sacrifices that you made to make sure that their lives were better than what yours were. This is My wish that all the youth - it can be any name, any form, any master, anybody you follow, it doesn't matter - important is that you follow the right principles." Yours in Sai Service, Bhuvana Santhanam | | The Canadian Youth with the adults continues to serve nutritious food packets; bananas, packet chocolate milk, oats and honey granola bars. | The couple in the Oilers T-shirt were once homeless, now joins in to serve the homeless on weekly basis.
| | Human Values for Parents and Children
| | The part of town where Rene lives has many abandoned houses that are used by gangs for drugs. In fact a gym in this area was once used for that purpose, but Rene, who lives next door, took it over and began fixing it up little by little.
The service group decided to support this project by donating doors and windows, as well as metal grills. | | In response to a request from Rene and his wife, and to take advantage of the additional space available, classes on human values have been organised for mothers. Aware that the best way to bring about change in society starts with the family, the group concluded it was necessary to educate mothers on family nutrition. Many of the problems detected in the medical screening result from harmful eating habits which not only affect the health but also the finances of the family. | | Swami's 2017 Visit to California | | Swami's visit to California has been scheduled for the following dates:
Northern California - Sunday, June 18, Santa Clara, CaliforniaSouthern California - Saturday, June 24, Costa Mesa, California | | Brothers and sisters, an extremely emotional moment that Sai Ashraya will soon be a reality. Imagine a house for orphaned children and youth, where Love is taught, Love is fed, Love is nurtured and that too in the heart of Bay Area. Bhagawan explained the need for this, "If we serve a person who is already aged, transformation occurs more slowly because of his already constructed mind and habits. But, if we were to shower love and inspire transformation in the heart of a young mind, they will grow to be wonderful citizens and they will, in turn, touch the hearts of other people of the nation as they grow up". Can anyone explain this so beautifully? Bhagawan continued "The only difference between your children and the children on the streets is the opportunity that was provided to some while many lacked that. Once we show children what is Love that is enough, Love will nurture Love". For more information, or to register, visit http://www.oneworldonesai.com | |
Helping People to Self-Sustenance
| |
Sai Ashraya team is now embarking on helping these homeless clients find opportunities to sustain themselves and find jobs that match their skills and interest. Sai Ashraya is teaming up with CET (Center for Education and Training) and People Shores, which specialises in training clients in various skills based on the individual's interest such as carpentry, gardening, electrician and such. Sai Ashraya will help these clients get in touch with CET and help them get trained and certified in required skills to find opportunities. | |
Homeless Service in Santa Ana
| | The youth are now bringing their families with them for the Seva activities. It is great to see children also participate in the Seva project and get first-hand experience of the condition of homeless people and how they live. There has been a lot of construction occurring within the Santa Ana area, which has unfortunately impacted the homeless. They are being forced to vacate their tents. The city has provided a temporary shelter, but it still does not seem to be enough. The Seva activity was focused on the people who were unable to find a shelter. | |
Feed The Need - Lunch Seva
| | While handing out a lunch bag to one person, the youth noticed that he was completely immersed in reading a book. When the group asked him, what he was reading, he revealed the title of the book to be, "When God Answers Your Prayers" with a smile. Through this beautiful incident, Bhagawan demonstrated that he was the doer and the young adults were merely the instruments. | | Homeless Seva - Service in Birmingham | | | The youth had several eye-opening experiences while distributing the meals. They encountered an elderly gentleman who was seen pushing the cart of an elderly lady. The lady had fractured her hand and had a bandage wrapped around it. Her belongings were contained in bags that were hanging off of the arms of her wheel chair. When the youth gave lunch packs to these two individuals, both were very happy and the lady said "God bless you!" These two individuals found a bench right next to the place where they were handed the lunch packs and immediately began to eat. The youth found a group of four homeless men sitting on the roadside who were very happy to receive the lunch packs and who also said "God bless you! | | | | | | |