Living in our comfortable homes, knowing that our meals are guaranteed, it is easy to forget that there is a world out there in which people have no shelter and no food. It is these homeless people, the children that LHSG Kenya went to feed on 11th August. Read below the write up from Monica Gokaldas. Read also the moving experience of our youngest member, 12 year old Pranav Acharya, …….
Kamal Tolia
Narayan Seva at Sai Centre, Nairobi
On the 11th August 2013, a few of us from LHSG went to Sai Centre on Waiyaki Way to do Narayan Seva. Narayan in Hindi means God and Seva of course implies to serve. The people of Sai Centre feed the poor children every sunday and call this feeding programme a Narayan Seva as under Hindu belief system, feeding the poor is considered equivalent to serving the Lord.
The group had paid for the meal which is prepared at the Centre’s kitchen very early in the morning. The meal consisted of rice, red beans, bread and juice. We took with us packets of milk to be distributed to each child. Besides milk we went with sweets and biscuits. Some other people had brought bananas and someone brought Mandazis.
We began by prayers at a small table altar in the kitchen, thus offering the first plate of the meal to Baba. Each of us took a bit of prasad from that plate and then the children who had lined up by 8.30 am were brought in. The children who were roughly about 500 were brought in two shifts.
As the kids came in they took up places on the wooden low benches. They offered their prayers to Baba before being served the meals. We handed out plates, spoons and cups to each of them and then served the food one by one.
I felt very grateful to Punita and Jayant whose noble thought had resulted in this event being conducted by LHSG on the sunday before Dr. Usui’s birthday thus commemorating the day with the future of Kenya – the youth and kids.
It was a day well spent as we were all very happy to feed the children and their happy expressions at seeing packets of milk and bananas (which most of them saved to eat later) made us realise, how much this one meal meant to them. Kamal told us that sometimes, this is the only meal of the day most of them get.
The LHSG members and their husbands and children that did this seva were Punita, Jayant and Pranav, Monica and Haresh, Kamal and Harish, Lata and Harish and Pratima.
Monica Gokaldas LHSG Kenya
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On Sunday 11th Of August I Pranav Acharya went to the Sai center with the Lotus Healing Sewa Group. I had a great experience there. I went to do Sewa to the needy children that had no roof on their head and food on their plate some of them were orphans and I was sad seeing them in such a terrible state. I am so grateful that I have 3 meals a day without thinking twice. And I am so lucky to have a roof over my head. Being amongst all those children I was emotionally stirred which in turn gave me a stomach ache. I went up to my mom and said I am feeling very sad and in turn it’s giving me a stomach ache. She advised me to sit in a corner and bless these children with Love and Light. This made me feel much better towards the end.
I am extremely grateful to God, and specially my parents who take me with them to do Sewa as its a very fulfilling experience
Love and Light
Pranav Acharya LHSG Kenya
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What a humbling experience, just to be able to give is our biggest gift.
Love,light and laughter
Raj