#118 – March 6, 2020 – Volunteer Opportunities in Wisconsin!

Dear Friends,

ISHA is pleased to announce the schedule for the 2020 summer volunteer (seva) opportunities at Ishwar’s dera project in Bruce, Wisconsin.

Here are Ishwar’s words on this seva:

“Hello Friends,

Great Master said — and I agree with him — that if you do seva service for the Master, for a friend, for people in general, without expecting any reward, it prepares you better for meditation. Indeed, at one time Great Master said it is equal to mediation, and that you can see the result in meditation by how quickly you can make progress. So that is why service is so important in our spiritual lives. I thank all of my friends for their service to my humble tribute to Great Master Baba Sawan Singh in Bruce, Wisconsin. When the Dome is finished, I will dedicate it as the “Dera Baba Sawan Singh,” and I will then give discourses in the building. In addition, upon its completion, I will be living there much of the time, and will be having frequent satsangs for anyone who can attend.

Love, Ishwar”

Here are the dates available for seva. These dates are set up to coincide with the ISHA Community Meetings in Chicago and with long holiday weekends. There are also seva opportunities in April to coincide with the Bhandara event, and in September to coincide with the ISHA Meditation Workshop and Mitti Seva. Note that all of these seva dates are dependent on the weather.

- - April 4 – 12 (Bhandara in Wisconsin is March 31 to April 3)
  - April 18 – 20 (Community Meeting in Chicago is April 17)
  - May 9 – 11 (Community Meeting in Chicago is May 8)
  - May 22 – 25 (Memorial Day weekend)
  - June 20 – 22 (Community Meeting in Chicago is June 19)
  - July 3 – 6 (Fourth of July weekend)
  - July 18 – 20 (Community Meeting in Chicago is July 17)
  - August 29 – 31 (Community Meeting in Chicago is Aug 28)
  - September 4 – 7 (Labor Day weekend)
  - September 12 – 17 (Meditation Workshop in Wisconsin is Sept 18 – 20)
  - September 22 – 27 (Mitti Seva is Sept 21)

To register for dera seva, please visit this ISHA webpage https://ishanews.org/seva/.

This year, there will be a great variety of volunteer opportunities, with no limits on physical abilities or construction skills. Here are some of the many tasks that will be in need of sevadars:

- - Gardening – cultivating, planting, watering, tilling, mulching, weeding, fencing, composting
  - Greenhouse – plant starting, watering, thinning, transplanting, management
  - Construction – carpentry, plumbing, electrical, concrete, painting, insulating
  - Landscaping – cleaning, pruning, planting, mulching, tree trimming and removal
  - Garden shed – general carpentry
  - Picnic area for sevadars – basic carpentry and landscaping
  - Bird, bat, butterfly and bee houses – build and install
  - Walking trails – clear and level trails, remove and mulch branches
  - Erosion control – dig ditches and install silt fences to improve drainage
  - Food service – prepare and serve food, clean up, wash dishes, recycling, harvest and process garden produce
  - Office maintenance – cleaning and maintenance
  - And much more!

All volunteers will be provided with a hearty lunch. You will be responsible for your own lodging and transportation. At this time, there is no camping on ISHA land.
All volunteers should understand that there are risks associated with working at an outdoor construction project. ISHA will provide a safety lecture and protective gear for all workers. All volunteers must sign a waiver holding ISHA harmless from any injuries that might occur while on ISHA property. You will be asked to sign the form upon your arrival at the work site.

Thanks for your interest in volunteering for Ishwar on the ISHA lands in Bruce!

With warmest regards,
Paul Bauer
Chair of ISHA Building & Fund-Raising Committee