Seeds of Service at Sincere
Care Home in Malaysia
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Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love. - Mother Teresa
The only way to top this inspiring quote would be if ‘we could all do small things with great love – together’! On Saturday, December 1, 2018, we had an opportunity to do just that. A group of ten Sai Ananda youth set out to spend the day serving the elders at the Sincere Care Home located in a town called Kajang - 25km from Kuala Lumpur.
Sincere Care Home is an elderly home which supports and sustains approximately 60 elders some of whom are mentally ill too. Swami had planted a seed of opportunity for the youth to cultivate and care for - and the youth wholeheartedly responded!
The youth started the day serving the elders a delicious but nutritious, home-cooked vegetarian lunch.
It was wonderful to see the look of satisfaction in the elders’ faces as they fed them, for it was as if the youth saw their sweet Lord in them - enjoying the offering of a hearty meal. The elders commented that for the first time in a long time, they had licked their plates clean. They even added that their hearts and tummies were filled with love!
The whole afternoon and evening were spent with the elders. After a heavy meal, all of them sat together and enjoyed a heart to heart session which left many of them in tears. Then, the youth played some all-time favourite songs and many of the elders danced and sang with all the youth. The home was so lively that everyone had wide grins and many let out loud, hearty laughs. From the golden English hits to the evergreen Tamil songs, all kinds of music was blasted on the tiny speakers!
Then it was tea time. Apparently, they would normally have dry biscuits and a cup of tea. But this day, they were delighted that the youth had brought them some home-baked cupcakes and fruits to eat.
The youth can only hope that this visit left a warm and lasting impact on the elders, as it did for all of them. They learnt some wonderful lessons from the elders during the short time they spent with them. They bade goodbye to the elders with a heavy heart at around 4:30 pm that evening. As the youth were leaving, the elders shared that they hoped that the youth would be back again soon - and this truly melted the youths’ hearts.
Right after they returned to Sai Ananda, the youth sat together and had an experience-sharing session. Many spoke about the highlights of their day and what they learnt and experienced serving the elderly at the home. They unanimously agreed that each of them would bring along another youth when they make their next visit to the home which will be on the December 9, 2018.
With Swami’s blessings, they will be able to share this beautiful experience and opportunity to serve with other new youths as they continue to cultivate this seed of service that Swami has sowed!
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