Issue 129 - June 23, 2019
Inspirational Note ...
In 2015 a Satsang held in the divine presence in Singapore. A devotee seeks guidance on guiding the mind.

And here is what Swami said:

You should not follow the mind, you should only follow the heart. The mind should follow the heart. The heart is like the master sitting in the car, the mind is like the driver, and your body is like the car. The driver should drive the car according to the command of the master, not according to his own ideas. If the master wants to go to a certain place, the driver’s job is to dutifully obey the master and take the car to where master wants to go. Therefore, always follow the heart; there’s no need to follow the mind. The mind needs to follow the heart - that is what you must ensure. Whatever the heart says, the mind should know how to do that. Do it in a way which is sweet; you cannot always oblige. Learn to speak obligingly.

The truth should be spoken, but in such a way that it does not hurt anyone, that sounds sweet. That way, you’ll be able to follow your heart without hurting anybody in any situation. Giving up the heart and following the mind will always lead to accidents. Thus, it is the heart alone that you need to follow. If there’s something that others may not like, use the mind to say it in a way that will not hurt them. Speak obligingly, even if you can’t oblige them.

Your children also are there. Sometimes, they don’t listen to you. When you tell them good things and they don't listen to you, do you leave them alone and tell them to do whatever they want? No. They may be angry with you for the moment, but eventually, they are the ones who will benefit.

Therefore, look at the higher good of others, and don’t try to please them temporarily. That temporary joy will lead to permanent pain. Look at what is permanent and not at what is temporary. Follow the heart only; there is no need to follow the mind. It is the mind which needs to follow the heart and take the body and engage it in actions accordingly. Nothing will go wrong, be assured; when you follow the heart, nothing will go wrong.
Service Updates
Argentine Seva Activities
The Sai youth groups in the different locations of Argentina continued serving the needy in their respective locations. Even though the youths are separated physically, they spread their love in their own cities and provide food to the homeless. During May, the youth served 1873 homeless.

In Buenos Aires, there are five different groups that distribute food to the homeless every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On Wednesdays, a new group started distributing food to needy families in La Boca, a neighbourhood located in the centre of Buenos Aires City. 
Selfless Service in Canada
The Canadian youths continued to serve food packets to the needy. The food packets consisted of Ciabatta rolls/homestyle buttermilk biscuits, banana, strawberry banana/apple Juice and healthy granola bars. 

Assistance was also provided to the Mother and Child program along with fun activities for the toddlers.
Narayana Seva in Chihuahua
Ladies Serving girls, boys and women
The Chihuahua devotees continue cooking meals for the Tarahumara Indians who live in the foothills of “Cerro Grande” in the city of Chihuahua.

As of the month of May, 3005 complete meals have been served. Out of these, 1490 meals were served to adults and 1515 meals were served to children.
Seva Collaborations in the Region 4
The youth of Region 4 were preparing for the youth event with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, a two day youth retreat that was to be held on 16-17th June in the “Center for Human Development” in Carlisle near Boston, MA. The youth had organized a Seva activity in Boston on June 15, 2019 as a part of youth meet activity. What a wonderful opportunity for the Region 4 youth to come together to do Seva just before the Regional youth meet, blessed by Bhagawan ! Youth volunteers were from seven countries and from 13 different states in the USA. There were two different sets of kits packed by the youth of Region 4.
Huntsville, Alabama Seva
for Lower-Income Individuals
June 13, 2019
Bhagawan’s visit to the United States is fast-approaching! The excitement in the air is palpable. Last minute preparations are being made externally. What we often overlook as His devotees is the inner preparation necessary to receive Him properly and fully. But our ever-vigilant Lord does not neglect his duties as our Master, even when we do so as His pupils. The opportunities He provides for us to do Seva in His name are also opportunities for Him to mold and reshape our character.
Feed the Need in Houston, Texas
With immense excitement for the upcoming divine visit, the youth of Houston came together on Sunday, June 2, 2019 for their monthly offering of Seva . The Seva consisted of preparation and distribution of meals to their fellow embodiments of love living in the downtrodden areas across the city. 
​
The youth prepared 108 lunch bags – each consisting of mayo-pickle tofurkey (vegetarian tofu) sandwiches, crackers and a juice. The group chanted nine Aumkars followed by three Gayathri’s invoking Bhagawan to bless the Seva and headed out to downtown Houston.
Seva Collaborations in the Kansas
As spring turned to summer, the Kansas City youth continued their monthly service to provide dinner for the local displaced youth. This month, they ordered in pizza, breadsticks, and cinnamon sticks - a definite youth favourite! But before they could enjoy that, the roughly 20 youth and shelter workers gathered for a community presentation by a local activist. This was a very informal discussion centering around what the youth can do to be a more positive part of the community, anything from prioritizing their education to not creating distance between law enforcement and their community. At the very least, the idea was to educate the kids about how certain decisions are made at local governments and how they could be active citizens.