Huntsville, Alabama
Seva for Low-Income Individuals
August 15, 2019
Service: Carried boxes and bags of groceries for disabled and elderly persons
Quantity: Fifty large boxes, plus several milk jugs and bags of apples
Location: Manna House, an Organisation within the Huntsville Dream Centre
Number of people served: Fifty
Time Serving: 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time and you do not know Me yet? Whoever has seen Me, has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” - John 14:9
Today was a very busy day at Manna House. Volunteer turnout was lower than usual, while the line of people in need seemed to be never-ending. Naturally, the gratitude expressed by those who were served overflowed and was overwhelming at times. Summers in Alabama can be hot and humid, so these are the moments when the needs of the impoverished increase.
One recipient of food items told a Sai youth that he would pray for them out of sheer gratitude! A lady drenched in sweat, who was a heavy smoker with only one functioning lung, was especially grateful for the cold water she was offered. She had suffered through a harsh existence due to poverty and dependence on public housing. The youth saw Bhagawan in her, and hoped that, in some way, she and others would see the same in them. Even if people, including children, did not always receive what they wanted, the majority were invariably grateful even for the attempts made to procure those items. A few gentlemen happily discussed how fortunate they were to be given foods that they had not tasted since they were children.
Today was a day during which love pervaded the whole facility. Volunteers cared more for one another than usual. Old friends were reacquainted. Perhaps the heat brought everyone closer together but on closer examination, it was truly Bhagawan’s Love. He continues to soften frozen hearts like butter in a hot pan.
Maybe His Love was particularly palatable because today was Independence Day in South Asia. HE is ensuring that service in the Deep South of the United States is being performed in the correct Spirit.
The Sai youth are aware of how different they are becoming. Qualities like patience, understanding, compassion, flexibility, and endurance are gradually becoming part-and-parcel of their being. As they progress beyond the confines of young adulthood, they can only pray that the six qualities of ideal Sai youth, namely, enthusiasm, sense of adventure, courage, intelligence, strength, and valor, all remain a part of each one of them. These are prerequisites for the proper performance of service to man and God.