Huntsville Seva for Lower-Income Individuals
Manna House, an organisation of the Huntsville Dream Centre served 25 disabled and elderly people on May 14, 2018 between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Each person received a large box and small bags and containers full of groceries. Volunteers helped them carry the boxes and the bags.
Bhagawan teaches so many lessons during Seva and also makes sure everyone has learnt well what He has taught in the past! For some, who are fast learners, the instruction is absorbed swiftly. Others must learn the hard way, through trial and error; and for a few, in spite of making innumerable mistakes, the extraordinary patience of Bhagawan is their saving grace!
Through Seva, He teaches everyone to treat all others equally. A Sai youth, volunteering at the local food bank’s primary distributor - the Manna House, an outreach service of the Rock Church - was assigned the task of asking each person if they would like any assistance when carrying their food items to their cars. Bhagawan encourages the volunteers to Be Alert and to Be Aware that certain people may have greater needs than others, particularly the disabled and the elderly; and also, that they should be treated with loving care and kindness.
A second lesson is to quietly accept whatever experiences He provides, even without knowing how they could prove beneficial in the future. The opportunity to learn another language such as Spanish, while living in the Western Hemisphere, can be enormously valuable; especially when a misunderstanding arises between English and Spanish speaking people. Mistranslations and tensions must be diffused during the Seva activity!
The third and most valuable lesson Bhagawan teaches during Seva is that of gratitude for that which He bequeaths everyone. Sometimes the recipients can be heard praising Him or blessing the volunteers. At other times, just the opposite happens; perhaps to teach the volunteers to be thankful themselves or to strengthen their resolve and forbearance. They also absorb and embody His teachings by cooperating and coordinating their actions with their fellow Sai volunteers.
Comprehending the suffering that fellow humans struggle with each day and the harsh realities that billions of fellow human beings still face, is always an eye-opening and complacency-shattering encounter. Bhagawan said recently that He wants everyone to be strong both physically and mentally, so that all bodies - His bodies - love and serve all beings throughout this world, spreading His light and joy to them and to future generations.