10th Anniversary Celebrations Grand Finale

CELEBRATION     CELEBRATION    CELEBRATION!!

Lotus Healing Seva Group concluded its series of 10th Anniversary seva events with a Grand Finale on 19th November with a beautiful outing for 190 children and 33 adults from the informal settlements (Hawkers Market Girls Centre, Kangemi, Mukuru, and Ruai) around Nairobi that we have trained in Reiki over the last 3 years and 57 disabled children from a home in Ruai. The total was 288.

It had been raining on most days before the event. We had surrendered to the Divine that all was happening as it should, and that our special guests would indeed have a lovely day. And that is exactly what happened!

The guests arrived from 10 am onwards. As the children stepped out of their buses, the LHSG members were ready to receive them. Each member was entrusted with 12 – 15 children in her care. The special needs children were lovingly received by LHSG members and the girls from the Hawkers Market Girls Centre. Those on wheel chairs were made comfortable, those that had to be lie down, were settled comfortably on the carpet on the tent floor.

After a welcome treat of juice and biscuits, they were asked to relate their experiences with Reiki healing. The special needs children from Ruai were given milk and scones. Next, the importance of trees, and of looking after our environment was discussed with them by their LHSG leader. Each leader showed her group how to charge water with Reiki. They then trouped down to the LHSG plot of trees to water the trees with the blessed water by pouring it over their hands first, chanting Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Then off they went to a little stream nearby to pour the blessed water in the running water, chanting the same peace mantra. They also gave Reiki to the stream. Since all waters of the world are interconnected underneath, the High vibrations of Reiki and Peace will have spread to all waters of the world and then to all people of the world! Thus they contributed to world peace!

Walking back to the tents, they hugged and loved the trees and touched them and blessed them with Reiki!

Back under the tents, they received a delicious lunch of puris (Indian fried chapatti) and a beans, carrots, potato and peas stew. The disabled children were given khichhdi (Indian rice and grean beans porridge) and stew.

There was lots of singing, dancing, kicking footballs, swinging, see -sawing, sliding, skipping rope, and running around. The disabled children showed their joy too, by laughing and clapping and screaming!
This continued till about 2.30 in the afternoon when they started to leave. Some of them walked onto the waterfalls first before they boarded their buses for the ride back home. But not before they received a ‘goody’ bag containing crisps, biscuits, juice, an excercise book, an erasor, a pencil. The guests from Ruai were given smoothys, and fruits – bananas, water melons, mangoes and pawpaws since they could not have biscuits, crisps and juice.

On our part, we the Lotus Healing Seva Group gave our utter gratitude to the Universe for the opportunity of being a vehicle for bringing so much joy to the underprivileged members of society; the joy of seeing monkeys for the first time, for seeing squirrels for the first time, seeing birds for the first time, seeing waterfalls for the first time, and best of all, being in the unpolluted open fresh air with unlimited running space for the first time in their life!

Indeed, we took away much more than we gave that day!

We wish to extend our gratitude to these sponsors, who donated so generously for our event: Beta Health Care donated Sh 40000/=, Tropical Heat donated the crisps snack packs, Avni Rach of Healthy U donated the flour for the puris and Mr. Sandeep Wadhwa of Teh Corner Shop who donated the bananas, Avni Shah who donated the plastic containers for serving the food. There were many other donors who wish to remain anonymous: to these too we are very grateful!

Thank you to all our Lotus Healing Seva Group who made this event possible, and to all those who quietly took out the photographs and the videos!

The sevaks on this day were: Mamta, Punita, Shalini, Bindi, Cooky, Sheela, Rashmeen, Dee, Jean, Priya, Safura, Karima, Shariffa, Kulmeet, Gauri, Pratima, Bubbles, Laveena, Neena, Anuradha.

Please read the lovely write ups of our members below, and do see the pictures and watch the video at the end. The joyful faces of the children say it all!

The photos are in this order: Kangemi, Mukuru, Ruai and General.

Kamal Tolia, Founder Member LHSG
Karura Forest LHSG Seva

A Plan to Celebrate

Decision Determination to Dare and Do

As we planned our LHSG Seva to commemorate the ten years of Seva and group work, we chose an outing with almost three hundred children to the Karura Forest.

This is a grand idea, however November is our rainy season in Kenya!!

The young LHSG members enthusiasm was infectious indeed! Timing, food, water, snacks, take away bags, what can babies eat and what will be palatable to adults and youth? How we transport all these people and make sure they arrive in a staggered manner so that each group, after a long trip, come and go to the bathroom, settle down and then we can begin to talk about Reiki, talk about blessing the water, blessing the trees, revise, talk about success stories, have a snack and play games, sing songs, and dance, eat and then just run around. Our time table was full.

The back drop of course is that Nairobi has the facility for large groups to get together; the traffic the infrastructure is by and large navigable. Nairobi has beautiful forests with indigenous trees, ponds full of lilies and rivers that flow, tall trees that are huggable and can be climbed.

LHSG members are so well organised, our leaders are meticulous and have a keen eye for detail. Nothing, simply nothing shakes our vision, determination, focus and action … The three most important ingredients of good leadership. Once organized, we let go, in our true Reiki training and go with the flow. We are indeed remarkable

That week we asked for fair weather. Checked and rechecked our schedules and plans and duties, the enthusiasm was high.
Thursday arrived with morning showers and rain coats were in order. Our Deep purple shirts were covered!! As we drove to Karura, the horizon showed promise of sunshine, our hearts lightened.
Here we were assembled with tents, tarpaulin, food and drinks.

The bus loads of children from the nearby informal sectors arrived. The girls from the Hawkers Market Girls Centre in their well marked T shirts. They were ready to carry, feed, and care for those less able.

The Kangemi children were heard at once with their chant of ‘Shivo Hum. I,am not the body I am the soul.’ Such deep chants of wisdom from such little children. They filed out in well disciplined order, no pushing, shoving. Each holding hands. Patiently waiting to form groups as each LHSG member took over and we proceeded to the washroom, a tearful moment to see the sun shining in the eyes of children whose living conditions are far from hygienic, safe, conducive to ideal upbringing, here they were full of life!! Led by their teacher Nancy?

Then came the children from Makuru, children from different schools, led by Josephine and her team. With Martina Lordan backing them.
The children from Ruai came with Ann Njeri who herself has challenges with her leg and arm. HMGC girls had to lift and carry some of the children to the bath room, some were led as they cannot see, some were walking but not so well. A sharp pull at our heart strings as we watched these very special children, their first trip, out from their Compassionate Hands Home.

As we helped the children to have a snack, hold up their cups of milk, guide their food to the mouth watch their silent eyes, as they ate with such dicipline and relish and gratitude, a humbling experience.

They absorbed the idea of blessing the trees, and water and loved doing it. Their voices were vibrant as they sang ‘ It’s All right’ The time to be Happy is Now, Bind us Together in Love, We are happy today so Happy. There is only One God, There is only One People. Our voices joined in and the song went heaven ward reverberating through the forest spreading our intention of love and light and healing and giving.
The children went up in the swings, down the slides, up and down on the see saw. They played ball, skipped a rope, ran at random, hugged the trees. The forest gave them the safe verdure and the children gave back in laughter of joy that only children can give.

Yes, we had a vision and a mission, but it was not that we had to execute and complete the task, it was all about what energy we brought with us to the vision, mission, and to the event itself

Thank you God, thank you Kenya, thank you LHSG, thank you HMGC, thank you Mukuru, Ruai, Kangemi and all the teacher, leaders and children. Our hands come together in humble gratitude for this season of giving unconditionally from the core of our hearts. The privilege has no words.
Fulfilled was our wish to, reach out as ten years come to a conclusion with a hope of those to come.

Shariffa Keshavjee

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Our Grand Karura event was a great success! Karura forest looked totally different compared to the quiet place we have known it to be -it was vibrant with laughter, joy and the happy energies of the children !

Mother Nature surely smiled as these little hands and pure hearts -poured blessed water on the trees and into the stream !As they hugged the trees, sang songs, danced, ate and played!

I am grateful for this Sewa opportunity – to Kamalji and to the universe!

Mamta

Sheela Shah : Words seem too simple to express how I felt yesterday. The reward of seeing and hearing the joy and laughter of the children was all that mattered. Yes it was a challenging task organizing this event with the numerous variables that seemed to keep changing every week….. and some. But with Reiki on our side and Kamalji’s guidance and driving force, the superb team work of every Lotus member brought forth an excellent morning in Karura. The culmination of our 10th anniversary celebrations couldn’t have been done better. My immense gratitude for this wonderful experience.
Lnl.

Gauri Gupta: Today was a blessing in more ways than one… Gratitude to all of LSHG for today fun day …

Priya Sud Chaudhary: Gratitude for being part of such a lovely group
Was a beautiful experience and the kids continue to amaze every time … Today is the best example of when we are determined we can convert any challenge into a beautiful memory. Love u all

Lata : Even nature was kind to us by giving us such a beautiful day. All is well. Supreme works in miracle way and this day was part of his lila, it seemed his flute was making everyone to do what was meant to do.
Loved every moment seeing little Krishna in every child.
Kamal thank you thank you thank you. For every opportunity we are growing within.

Bubbles Dhadhialla: Lost for words…..heart brimming with gratitude
Thank u Kamalji,thank u all

Laveena Keswani: Thursday was one of my best days of my life. Lovely experience. Gratitude for being part of such a lovely group. Thank you kamal Aunty thank you all. Love you all.

And lastly, a lovely poem by Shariffa!

Karura Forest LHSG event.
The chant of Shivo Hum Shivo Hum
Heralded the Kangemi children
Their youthful voices filled the air
Stirred amongst the leaves
Fresh from rain
The sun shine through rain clouds
The LH S G team was all in readiness
Then came the children from Mukuru
The RUAI children lifted and carried
The universe conspired with this event
It flowed with a magical gift
The children sang from their hearts
They danced and clapped in celebration
They skipped with ropes and laughed
The chased after the ball in abandonment
Throwing bean bags and catching
Up and down the slide up into the swing
They blessed the waters and the trees
Hugging the ancient trunks of trees
Their carefree hearts were enlarged
There was no restraint in their stride
Love abounded and with gratitude
We ate in appreciation and drank with relish
The gift of giving and receiving
There was balance peace and joy
This blessed day etched into our hearts
A memory of what gifts there are
When we reach out with pure hearts
It is with the heart that we can see

Shariffa Keshavjee

KANGEMI

MUKURU

RUAI

GENERAL

VIDEO