Issue 12 - March 19, 2017

Editors Note...

Swami has always reminded us youth to lead a holistic life, yearn to achieve a larger purpose and strive to be better human beings. Learning about this, in His immediate presence, offers the best of opportunities to achieve it. What more do we require when the Lord of the Universe is compassionately and patiently guiding us through all this? Swami's message to the Sai youth around the world this week:  "Love and Service are two sides of the same coin. Speak lovingly with humility. Serve lovingly with humility.  Like the scriptures say, 'Give with great faith and great sincerity. Do not give when there is no sincerity. Give in abundance, and don't hold back when you give. Give with fear that what you give may not be enough. Give with the fear that the food you give, may not appease their hunger. Give with the knowledge that the food you give is going to appease their hunger. You should know the purpose of giving. Don't give people who can feed themselves, but do not do it out of laziness! Give with great humility, that you are getting an opportunity to give.' One must serve and give with such feelings. You have to serve with more humility, as the person who is receiving from you is far greater than you, as he has put his ego aside and has stretched his hand to receive. You are the giver, hence there will always be an element of ego! All the youth must learn this lesson now, for it will serve you all well for the rest of your lives." We are living in extraordinary times. Probably...the best of times in the history of mankind, because we all have been blessed with the rarest of opportunities to participate in God’s continuing mission, and to be guided by Him in all aspects of life, step by step! Yours in Sai Service, Bhuvana Santhanam

Service in Alberta

Approximately, 425 individuals are living on the streets of Edmonton unsheltered. For the past three weeks, Edmonton has suffered from severe cold weather; temperatures ranging from -21 to -30 degrees with heavy snowfalls.

Human Values at Work

Rec ently in the Gym where the group of Swami devotees are serving  Seva , one of the  parents who has two children, suggested that Rene expand his training to not only teach  self - d e fen c e, but also include attack techniques,  such as  boxing. The father wanted to see  his children in a boxing ring, participating in a tournament, being applauded and winning  an award.  Soon the rest of members of the Gym became enthused also.  It was tempting to have a  chance to win an award, be  applauded and above all be recogni s ed in their community  and by their friends.

Brothers and sisters, an extremely emotional moment that Sai Ashraya will soon be a reality. Imagine a house for orphaned children and youth, where Love is taught, Love is fed, Love is nurtured and that too in the heart of Bay Area. Bhagawan explained the need for this, “If we serve a person who is already aged, transformation occurs more slowly because of his already constructed mind and habits. But, if we were to shower love and inspire transformation in the heart of a young mind, they will grow to be wonderful citizens and they will, in turn, touch the hearts of other people of the nation as they grow up”. Can anyone explain this so beautifully? Bhagawan continued “The only difference between your children and the children on the streets is the opportunity that was provided to some while many lacked that. Once we show children what is Love that is enough, Love will nurture Love”.  For more information, or to register, visit http://www.oneworldonesai.com

Celebrating Valentine’s Day with Soup

As a part of SAI Ashraya project (focus on permanent solution for child and youth homelessness), the young adult brothers and sisters decided to reach out to more homeless youth and adults in the bay area. By experience, the best way to carry out this was to get on the streets and communicate with homeless people and understand their needs. So, the team decided to prepare soup and serve the homeless population in the San Francisco downtown area.

Masterclass - Sai Youth USA

Swami constantly reminds all the youth to be in good company.  He  continuously invokes us to real is our divinity by chanting His name, offering  all our tasks to Him, serving one and all, cultivating friendship and  surrendering ourselves to Him. Two wonderful and blissful experiences were shared by the youth from New  York and Southern California.  Swami’s visit to  California has been scheduled for the following dates:              Northern California - Mid June Southern California - Saturday, June 24 More details on the visit and the programme: D etails including the venue and   registration dates will soon be available on the website -  http://www.itowetohe.com/

Heartfelt Valentine’s for the Homeless

Service in Santa Ana, Southern California

There are so many ways in which we can provide a service, it's not just about providing the necessities, it's also how we can express and expand the love to everyone to the best of our ability. For this month, they chose to put together breakfast burritos, served with fruit and water for the homeless. They  often  bring warm    clothes     to    distribute especially since it's very cold  these days and the recipients  will definitely appreciate extra clothing. Since Valentine's Day had just passed, the group also wanted to distribute candy and flowers.

Feed The Need - Lunch Seva

Service in Texas

It was Feb 19, 2017, the weekend before Maha Shivarathri, and these five youths were on a mission. They continued to focus on truly finding and feeding the need of their brothers and sisters in downtown Houston whose precious lives are being ignored but not forgotten - all of them riding on the wings of hope just waiting to catch a break - under the bridges and underpasses of a very diverse city.   Two of the top priorities for those being  served, based on discussions with them  during last month’s Seva, were water  and hygiene and given the scarcity of  both, the group decided to swap the  juice cartons for water bottles and add  108 individual packets of sanitary wipes  (60 wipes per packet).

Tornados in Alabama

Service in Alabama

The Alabama Sai YA’s begin a skills training programme with the residents of Jesse’s Place, the women and children’s shelter of the state’s largest city. The goal of the shelter is to equip the residents with the self-confidence and ability to take care of themselves and their families, and “the chance for transformation.” The shelter provides education remediation and job readiness to the residents”.