On April 24th, Baba’s Mahasamadhi Day, volunteers at the Sai Home planned to offer food at all the Barangays (villages) and also distribute clothing to the children.These photographs were taken in Barangay 52, not too far from the Sai Home in Tacloban. This was a particularly hot day with a blazing sun. Some people carried or held open parasols even though they are accustomed to the heat and the sun. The sea, where many people lost their lives, homes, and entire livelihoods due to typhoon Yolanda, can be seen in some pictures. The spot where we served food and distributed clothes was once the floor of the Barangay’s office; now only the concrete floor remains, and all else has been washed away.
At the beginning, we asked the children to lead us in a short food prayer. After the first day, it was automatic, and they would start the prayer once the lines were formed. To be served, people form a line with their ‘platos‘ with the children first. After eating, they return for the distribution of clothing.
In one of the photos, two boys can be seen holding their outfits. They could not wait to put them on and returned immediately to show off their new clothes! They were all very happy and thanked us for sharing our love with them.
The gentleman in the white T-shirt is the Barangay Captain. He was very helpful in coordinating the medical camp for his Barangay on very short notice. This was held at Rizal Central School, Tacloban during April 2014. The doctors served about 300 patients in 5 hours and worked late into the night. In fact, one of the doctors performed a minor surgery using a torch light, to remove an abscess from a child’s head.
Bhagawan’s love has touched the lives of many and you can see the difference in the happy faces of the Filipinos – the smiles of joy, and asking what is for lunch the next day. After being served, many of them return for second helpings saying ‘marassa,’ very delicious.
