Middle East Seva September - 2020
The year 2020 has given a new realisation to mankind - the frivolousness of human wealth, power and the pointless chase to acquire more of it. It has taught man that life is unpredictable, so one must always be prepared and grateful for every moment in life. For the Sathya Sai folks it has been a time to be out in the arena to offer help during these trying circumstances. Selfless Seva has no limitations of time, place or situation.
The story was not different this month, as the saga of service unfolded reaching out to many fellow beings who were in real need of assistance.
Prayers Answered
When prayers emerge out of anguished hearts, there is no doubt whatsoever that it will be answered by the All-Knowing One. What happened in the first week of August lies as a testimony to this very fact.
When one of the members of the youth group volunteered to serve delicious food as part of Eid celebrations came to know about the sad plight of fifty workers. This touch of concern turned things around for the suffering souls who were deprived of even their monthly salary. Hearing first-hand about their plight, it was obvious that they lacked any sort of resources to procure their basic needs. Unfortunately, the youth group’s hands were tied due to some approval issues posed by the company management and so they had to resort to the only way, ‘Prayers’. Within three days the prayers of the group were answered through the involvement of another like-minded group, ‘Noble Group’. 130 labourers working for the same company were served with SSSLKs (Sri Sathya Sai Love Kits). This is nothing less than Divine Intervention!
Deserved Gets Served
The members of the youth group became instrumental in being part of a virtuous deed which was nothing short of a miracle. One day, one member of the group came across a person who was pleading for money and upon enquiring, he revealed his story and that of a few others who were leading a miserable life for a month. Seven of them were spending their days and nights in the scorching heat at a park where they slept on the grass, ate whatever was offered by some generous people, but mostly left starved.
They had just a single set of clothes and no shoes, their feet and body had burns all over due to exposure to the excessive heat. Being told about their plight, the group sprang into action and immediately provided them with clothes and food. They were able to arrange for a job at a restaurant for one among them. After interactions with a similar minded noble group, the stranded people were provided accommodations. Two more are looking out for help and the youth are sure Swami will show them some way to provide the necessary assistance. In the coming days, similarly stranded people were provided with accommodations and 45 needy fellow beings were supplied with clothes and basic toiletries. The opportunity to serve is everywhere, if the heart is seeking and there is willingness to do!
A Mother’s Call
One day, as though divinely ordained, a group member got to meet nine people hailing from Sri Lanka, who were jobless and in need of food. They were immediately attended to by the youth group who providing them with SSSLKs and vegetables to cook food in the coming days. The whole attention fell on a lady in the group who was six months pregnant. This lady who had come on a visit, was stuck in the Middle East region and later could not move out as the pandemic broke out. She was deprived of medical care since conception which called out the immediate attention of the group. She was taken to a nearby hospital for a check-up and there a ‘God Sent’ doctor turned up who offered a free medical check-up. From consultation to ultrasound scan were provided free of cost. The noble-minded doctor who was celebrating her birthday on that very day was praying for an opportunity to serve and this pregnant lady eventually turned out to be a perfect recipient of the selfless service.
The doctor also provided the lady with necessary medicines and not only that, the lady was provided with milk powder, dates, almonds and so on. The next venture from the group was to procure needed approvals from the embassy authorities to safely send her back to her home country. With relentless efforts from the group, everything was done in a matter of days and the lady reached her native abode safely!