Divine Visit to Argentina
June was a very blessed month for all of Argentina due to the visit of our beloved Master and His entourage. The youth were committed to the preparations for Swami's arrival in the country and carried out different service activities such as food preparation, assembly of altars, decoration, preparation of Bhajans and mantras and accommodations for guests. They also continued the delivery of food for the homeless in different parts of the country.
The group of the City of Buenos Aires meets every Thursday to cook and distribute food to the homeless in the centre of the city. They cook rice with vegetables and legumes and also offer them hot tea due to the low winter temperatures. During the month of June, they distributed 268 food items and some donations of warm clothes. After Swami's visit, the youth planned to open another day of service during the week to distribute food in the city.
At another point, in the city of Buenos Aires, there is a complementary school called “2Sai Prema” located in the La Boca neighborhood. A group of devotees receives food for the families of children who attend this school. A group of young people goes to the school on Wednesday nights and the families receive hot food. In June, 239 food dishes were served to the families of the neighborhood.
In Escobar, the youths met two Saturdays at the Prema Shanti Ashram to cook and serve food to the children of a dining room in a poor neighborhood. They also delivered donations to support the snacks that the coordinator of the dining room serves during the week. In total, they served 151 children and their families.
The youth group of La Plata meets on Fridays and cooks polenta pizzas to serve the poor children who attend two dining rooms. In addition, they serve fruits, “alfajores” (a typical sweet of Argentina), croissants and cookies for children.
Every Sunday, a young family prepares homemade pizzas for people who are in a street situation in Moreno. In June, they distributed 121 portions to the families in Moreno.
The Salta youth group meets on weekends and cooks for the children of a dining room. They cook every Saturday for approximately 150 children. This gives a total of 590 meals served.
A young family from Iguazu, together with some friends, cooks rice with beans for people in a poor neighborhood. Many times, they do not have access to the neighborhood due to heavy rains that flood their mud streets. In June, they distributed 75 servings of food.
During the month of June, young people from different parts of the country served 1,905 people. The young people have made the conclusion that small groups of people, with the intention of helping the needy, can reach more people and multiply the love they serve at meals!
During Swami's visit, all the youth in the country and Latin America had a meeting with Brother Sumeet and Sister Bhuvana, the worldwide youth coordinators. They gave an inspiring talk to expand service and human values to younger people to transform their hearts. The young people were very motivated and moved by the words of Bhuvana and Sumeet and have planned to open more days of service to reach more people.