The past week has been full of good company and accomplishments at the Temple of Compassion ashram, thanks to the presence of kriyavans and their friends from around the state of Texas! Not only did these divine souls volunteer their time, they also donated food, funds for the VIP cottage, and supplies (like paint, dropcloths, RO filters, and so on) that they used for accomplishing their work. What an amazing blessing!
Cherri Ma from Austin came for a few days to help beautify the two monks’ rooms in the main house. The “red room” and the “blue room” were transformed by painting over the wood paneling on three walls and removing the carpeting from the fourth wall. (Sorry for not getting a good photo of your smiling face, Cherri. When you come back next week, we promise to do better.)
On Saturday, Sri Ma and her friend Priya Ma, both from Houston, worked in the garden, removing tough bermuda grass and nut grass. They also helped with a whole lot of cleaning and organizing in the main house and the VIP cottage, and Sri Ma also cooked for the hard-working crew.
Cheryl Ma from Kyle (near Austin) and Mavi Ma from Dallas tackled the dirty job of sanding, texturing, and painting the two walls from which carpeting had been removed earlier in the week. What a transformation!
Cheryl Ma’s near-constant presence at the ashram in the past several weeks has contributed in countless ways, including planning and oversight of remodeling and construction, cooking, gardening, cleaning, and much more. She was the central figure in organizing and managing this entire week of seva. She is a wonderful blessing to the Temple of Compassion, and gratitude cannot be expressed in words.
Anju Ma and Mavi Ma from Dallas worked tirelessly cleaning and sorting through a lot of stuff that was left behind in the VIP cottage.
Anyone who knows Anju Ma also knows that she was involved in preparing the delicious meals enjoyed by all who were present.
Dinesh Baba and his friend JP Baba, both from Houston, rose to the unexpected occasion of clearing the way for the electrician in the new guest housing (5-bay garage conversion.) With the wrong tools (sorry), wrong gloves (so sorry), and wrong clothes on a hotter-than-hot Texas day (really sorry, guys) they demolished shelving, removed stuff from the rafters, moved cabinets, and smiled the whole time. What a blessing – thank you, and may the grace of God and gurus be multiplied in your lives.
These two dedicated fellows also took on a few indoor jobs in the main house after lunch. JP Baba replaced the Reverse Osmosis filters in the kitchen, restoring the supply of filtered water (so nice), and Dinesh Baba fixed the squealing, constantly-running toilet off the main bedroom (what a relief).
The crew of ten went on a tour of the serene tree-covered creek area and hide-away pastures at the back of the 104-acre property before the workers headed back home. All expressed their deep love for this ashram, and spoke of feeling the presence of the Divine here.
We look forward to sharing many more days like this.
