An Unforgettable Seva

[Guest guest]

An Unforgettable Seva in Gujrat

 

It was a day Barry Speck would never forget - his country's national

holiday - Australia Day, 26 January, 2001. It was also the day of the

devastating earthquake in Gujrat, India. Barry spoke with

Amritapuri.org about his experiences in helping with the relief

efforts:

 

How did you get involved with helping the M.A. Math's earthquake

relief project? (news)

 

"I remembered the previous four years that I had been following

Amma's housing project at Her annual programs in Australia and was

extremely impressed when I read about how Japanese students would

spend their entire school holiday of eight weeks donating their help

towards constructing houses for the needy. So, a few months later,

after reading Br. Shantamrita's website message concerning the need

for volunteers to rebuild the destroyed villages, I signed up on the

email list and waited for a reply. I was more than ready to serve

Amma."

 

So, when were you finally able to come to India?

 

"In August 2001. I, along with another fellow Australian, met some 13

additional sevaks in Mumbai before embarking for the Gujrati villages

of Dagala, Mokhana and Modsar."

 

In what way were you able to serve?

 

"Because I had a technical background as a civil engineer, I was

frequently consulted during my four-week stay. Beginning in Mumbai,

my team members and I explored the possibility of using solar power,

and were able to obtain solar lanterns free of charge from the Indian

government. Although my role was as a laborer, my technical expertise

was sought concerning different phases of construction, including how

to implement an efficient sewage system. When I observed workers

swinging pick-axes as they dug the foundation for the new houses, the

suggestion was made that a backhoe would be extremely useful. One

magically appeared within a few days."

 

What were your impressions of the local relief efforts?

 

"I noticed that Amma's teachings of "no waste" had been instilled in

the local volunteers. The leftover wood shavings at the carpentry

shop on the construction site were saved and used as kindling for

fire to heat water for cooking. In speaking with one of the older

village men, I learned that instead of mixing stone and sand for

concrete on site at each separate house, by which concrete was often

leftover and wasted, a plan to mix at one central location and

deliver to each site as needed was in the making."

 

Can you describe a typical day of service?

 

"The seva schedule began at the crack of dawn right after chai, and

finished up at dusk with a rest break in the heat of the day. Bhajans

followed in the evening. In those four weeks, I helped with the

foundation of a medical clinic and seven houses, often moving and

putting into place 30-kilo (60+ lbs) concrete blocks."

 

What impressed you most about your experience?

 

"The immensity of Amma's work, the dedication and organizational

skills of the brahmacharis, and most of all, the people's faith in

Amma. Amma had wanted this project finished within 18 months. This

included over 1200 houses in three villages. Sometime after my return

to Australia, I contacted the project managers and was surprised to

learn how quickly the completion was near. With Amma's grace of 900

workers on site in two daily 12-hour shifts, the project that had

begun in August 2001 was nearly completed and ready for the

dedication ceremony in March 2002."

 

Barry's sadhana is seva. His main focus is to give Amma maximum

service. Back home is Australia, he participates with his local

satsang where they tirelessly run various fundraising projects for

Amma's numerous charities. These include car washes, handmade

products and catering to name a few. He says his wife, Elizabeth,

first introduced him to Amma in 1997, and is a satsang coordinator in

Adelaide, where she is constantly researching and creating ways to

contribute to Amma's charities.

 

Barry spent four weeks laboring in India's heat, using his entire

vacation leave from work to serve Amma by serving others, and never

even sought Amma's darshan. His love for Amma was helping him to see

Her in all. It is this spirit of selfless sacrifice that Amma wishes

all Her children to strive to express. In such a spirit our hearts

become expansive, and slowly we develop the awareness of the

fundamental unity of all hearts.

 

When we find that Unity, we find Amma, and enjoy a permanent Darshan.