Johrei News WORLD MESSIANIC CHURCH OF AFRICA – CENTRAL HEADQUARTERS Year 4 – March, 2011 – VOL. 10

More than two thousand people assembled in Benguela

in honor of the 188 men and women receiving the

Ohikari in their wish to share the Johrei light with the

general society by practicing altruism and adopting

a life-style based on the Teachings of Meishu-Sama.

At the time, the president of the Messianic Church of

Africa, Min. Claudio Leal Pinheiro, stressed that creating

Paradise starts in people´s hearts.

Page. 8

Kyoshu-Sama teaches us that we must

return to the original feeling, if we are to go

back to God

Page. 3

And the World President of the

Messianic Church emphasizes that harmony and the

feeling of unity among the members of a family

is fundamental

Page. 4

Two experiences of faith, two exciting

life stories, two people who changed their

destiny in two different countries of the

continent

Pages. 5 and 6

Children´s Johrei Marchgathers more than 400

children in Luanda

Page. 7

Special Event in Benguela

Teaching

The Kyoshu Throne

World President

Experiences of Faith

News

Countries

2

Teaching

edito

rial

Johrei News is produced by the World Messianic Church of Africa – Rua da Escola 28 de Agosto – Futungo 2 Kawelele – Luanda – Angola – P.O. Box: 1310 Registration No.: MCS - 390/B/2004

President: Min. Claudio Cristiano Leal PinheiroVice-Presidents: Min. Ernestina Olinda P. Coimbra (AngolA), Min. Glauro M. S. Leite Filho (MozAMbique), Min. Afonso Quifuta Pereira (R. D. of the Congo), Min. Jaime Fortuna (SAint

thoMAS AnD PRinCe), Min. Roberto L. C. Cândido (South AfRiCA)

Johrei News

President´s Office: Min. João José da Cruz

Communication Consultant: Min. Gilmar Dall’StellaCommunication Assistant: Maria do Céu Editorial Board: João José Tavares, José Armando Estrela and Avelino da CostaEditing and Electronic Copydesk: Ana Cristina StabelitoPhotography: Silvério Txixi and João Mavinga Contributors: Domingos Sebastião Álvaro and Telma Trindade

Distribution: IMMA

Printed by: Damer

Press Run: 1500 copies

A quarterly publication

E-mail:ascom@johreiafrica.com

WM

CA ANGOLA – PHONE: 244 222 00 9385

244 222 00 9416

MOZAMBIQUE – PHONE: 00258 21 300-275

DEM. REP. OF THE CONGO – PHONE: 243 315 102 187

SAINT THOMAS AND PRINCE – PHONE: 00239 227805

SOUTH AFRICA – PHONE: 27 12 320 5484

T he world is in turmoil. There have been

earthquakes, tsunamis, civil wars, nuclear

threats. There is conflict, financial unbalance,

and disease is causing death, everywhere.

Some think it is the end of times. But there

are people who believe that a new world is

emerging and that it is possible to participate in

this new creation.

We can´t help it but to weep together with

the victims of nature´s harshness. In solidarity

we give, we get organized in collective efforts,

and volunteer humanitarian help. But it is

important to realize that we have reached the

highest point in our distance from nature and

its laws. This is a time for deep reflection and to

start changing the way we think, act, and live.

Meishu-Sama teaches us that the accumulation

of bad thoughts, bad words, and bad deeds leads

to catastrophes. So, as a extreme precaution, we

should stay at God´s side and serve humanity

by practicing good deeds, raising ourselves

spiritually, and enhancing our altruistic

love, using words to convey truth, always.

We must form a network of paradisiacal people,

who through love and gratitude act to build a

better world.

In this edition, you will find the teachings of

the current Spiritual Leader and of the World

President of the Messianic Church, experiences

of faith, and news on the expansion of Meishu-

Sama´s work in Africa. For more details, go to

www.johreiafrica.com.

Enjoy your mission and see you in the next

edition.

AN ANALYSIS OF MIRACLE

Briefly speaking, what we call a miracle is when something deemed impossible happens, but in reality, nothing happens by chance. Anyone who does not think so is completely wrong. This may seem complicated, but I will explain why I am making this statement.

The preconceived notion that a given thing could never happen is mistaken, because it takes into account only things with an external manifestation, that is, outward appearance. Because until now, people´s general thought has been based on materialistic concepts, whenever anything unexpected happens, it is thought to be a miracle. For example – a child may fall from a cliff and not die; a car may hit a bicycle and cause no injury or material loss; a person may be saved by being late to catch a train that will soon derail, turn over or collide with another train; a person may recover what had been stolen; a fire that could have also burned a neighbor´s house may be diverted thanks to a sudden change of the wind; all this as effects of Johrei.

Believers of our church are constantly blessed with big and small miracles, that is, out-of-the-ordinary events. Why do they happen? Where do they come from? I suppose everybody wants to know.

It is clear that the true source of miracles is the Spiritual World. Some miracles, however, result from a person´s own personal strength, while others result from other people’s strength.

Everyone is surrounded by an aura; it could be described as the clothing of our spirit. It takes the shape of the body, which seems to be enveloped by a kind of white haze that is invisible to people of ordinary sensitivity. Its width varies according to the spirit’s level of purity; the purer the spirit, the wider the aura. In ordinary people, it varies from three to six centimeters, while the aura of the virtuous measures from sixty to ninety centimeters, and that of the saviors of humanity is infinite. Conversely, if the body and the spirit are impure, the aura is thin and weak. In cases of disaster, for example, if a car – which also has a spirit – is about to run over someone, it will not if the person has a thick aura. The person will be saved, somehow pushed aside. People like that, when they happen to fall from a high altitude, even falling toward the spirit of earth or of a stone, will never hurt themselves, because they will be hit lightly.

Houses also have a spirit, so if the owner is a virtuous person, the house aura will also be thick; in case of fire, the spirit of the fire will not reach it, because it is hindered by the aura. So, during the great Atami fire, the temporary headquarters of our church was miraculously spared. The opposite will happen – which is difficult – when there is a need for impurities to be burnt, according to God´s Plan.

Next, we will examine miracles that occur thanks to other people’s strength.

Man has three spirits – the Primordial, the Guardian, and the Secondary spirits. I will not explain how they relate to each other, because I have done so on other occasions.

The Guardian Spirit is chosen among the ancestors; it saves us from danger, or gives us important warnings through dreams. When the protected one is a person on special missions, occasionally a divinity will come to him/her for help (generally the person’s birthplace patron). For example, if a train is about to collide with another one, this divinity knows and can stop the spirit of the train immediately, even if it is happening a thousand kilometers away; the divinity will get there with extraordinary speed.

So, a miracle does not occur by coincidence or by chance; there is always a reason. If one understands this, one will see that there is nothing supernatural about it. As far as I am concerned, it is only natural for miracles to occur; what seems strange to me is when they do not.

Sometimes, when I am faced with a hard problem, of time-consuming solution, I start waiting for a sudden miracle to happen, and it usually does, solving the problem. This happens very frequently. I think that people with profound faith, who have accumulated virtues, have already had many similar experiences. So, if one starts thinking and practicing good deeds, accumulating virtues and making efforts to expand the aura, no unexpected tragedies will happen.

In our contact with others, the thicker their aura, the warmer we feel, creating great affections. These people always captivate others, who flock around them in large numbers and help them to succeed and move forward to their jobs.

Meishu-Sama – June 5 th, 1951

www.johreiafrica.com Always something new. Access!

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The Kyoshu Throne

With a deep sense of awe, I acknowledge that the Supreme God is alive forever, and that His Plan in creating the universe is to return all of humanity to His Heaven and cause them to be newly born as His true children, so that paradise on earth can be established.

Following this Plan of God, all of us are being nurtured in God’s blessings and energy, together with all of humanity and their ancestors and everything in the universe, being connected with Meishu-Sama who was newly born as a Messiah. I am grateful that we are able to welcome this bright New Year, and humbly offer my greetings.

Happy New Year!

I am grateful for your continuous efforts, in serving in God’s work of salvation and fulfillment of yourselves, and of sharing that salvation with as many people as possible, while being nurtured and raised in God’s Love through your daily life and through many experiences.

“God’s work is growing and expanding more and more, year after year. I am pleased with this development, and just celebrated the New Year.” This verse is one of many in the series of verses titled “New Year”, which he composed in 1954, which is the year before his elevation to heaven. At that time, the construction of the Atami Sacred Grounds, one of the prototypes of paradise on earth, was making rapid progress, and God’s work was expanding by leaps and bounds, and he was having a very busy life.

In December of that year, the Crystal House, which was designed by Meishu-Sama in his unique style, was built as the last construction project while Meishu-Sama was alive. Now, we decided to renovate this Crystal House, for the first time after Meishu-Sama’s elevation, and started its work, as part of the improvement and construction of the Sacred Grounds. It is a significant and happy event, and I am grateful for this development. I pray that this innovation will go smoothly. Meishu-Sama once said, “This Crystal House is not to be monopolized or to be used exclusively by our members, but I want as many people as possible to visit this place and enjoy this God-given scenic beauty.” Once the renovation is completed, I hope that all visitors to the Crystal House will find peace and tranquility here.

Along with the renovation of the Crystal House in Atami, the construction work to complete the “Spring and Autumn Villa” (Shun-ju An) in Kyoto will begin, too. Meishu-Sama must be very happy if many people will visit our Sacred Grounds and come in touch with the beautiful and uplifting spiritual atmosphere there, and will remember the eternal Sacred Grounds which exist at the center of

their consciousness and be healed. Let us do ourpart fully, with gratitude and hope, to continue this important work of construction of the Sacred Grounds as Meishu-Sama’s instruments, so that Meishu-Sama’s happiness become our happiness, and the happiness of all.

Sekai Kyusei Kyo, our religious group, belongs to Meishu-Sama, and it is one religion, and one membership for Meishu-Sama. As we reported in the “Daikeirin Magazine” 12, published in October 1 of last year (2010), we decided to step into a new phase, where we believe that all three member corporations comprise our Sekai Kyusei Kyo, and we recognize that each of these member corporations is connected to Meishu-Sama and is being nurtured and guided by Meishu-Sama, so that all members belonging to any one of these 3 member corporations can practice their faith freely, with a bright outlook of their own.

I am truly grateful for the sincere efforts of all those on the Board of Directors of the umbrella Sekai Kyusei Kyo and those on the Joint Project Promotion Committee, who met many times and had their serious discussions for about ten years. In the past, the umbrella Sekai Kyusei Kyo and the three member corporations under it operated with the premise that they would merge into one organization eventually, and therefore, it was thought to be a tentative and provisional system.

I believe that the time has come to end this “temporary” situation, and prepare a new and better system, appropriate for our one Sekai Kyusei Kyo. We will take a fundamental review on everything we have been doing, so that we can better serve our members in Japan and throughout the world, and open a new and big path for our future. It is encouraging that many of our members are now trying to understand that we are one church in the eyes of Meishu-Sama.

Moreover, many of you are applying this new viewpoint, which is a 180-degree change from the past, to their daily life and their relationship with others around them. You are trying to accept those people who have different ways of thinking and different values, understanding that all of us are being nurtured and guided by God in the process called the “Great Harmony.” This is also a learning process for me personally.

Many of our members now live in countries and regions with different languages, different customs and different spiritual backgrounds, but all of them have faith in Meishu-Sama, and are studying Meishu-Sama’s teachings diligently, and making efforts to practice them. This means God is connecting all our members throughout the world to Himself through Meishu-Sama, and making us unified with Him. Our motto is for us to return to the spirit of Meishu-Sama and become one with it, and that means we return to and become one

with God, who is at the center of Meishu-Sama and at the center of everything. We can accept this humbly, and be grateful that God is allowing us to be united with God and return to Him through Meishu-Sama.

The New Year has arrived, and we begin our activities for this New Year. There is a saying in Japan, “Remember your initial intention.” In order for us to return to God and become one with God, we need to return to and remember our initial intention. Our initial intention, our initial motivating force, is the one we originally received from God, along with Meishu-Sama, when we resided in heaven, which is the realm of cause for everything.

By Kyoshu-Sama, Our Present Spiritual Leader (Yoichi Okada)January 1, 2011

New Year Greeting

Our initial intention, our initial motivating force, is God’s Plan of making us all His true children. With this intention, God gave birth to us as His divine essence, as an individualized divine soul. Therefore, all those souls are filled with God’s total love. All those souls are breathed into and endowed, along with God’s breath of life, God’s intention of nurturing and guiding us to be His instruments and representatives for the salvation of humanity and construction of paradise on earth; in other words, to nurture and guide us to become the ones who can inherit and carry on His work of Creation, to forgive, renew and revive everything.

Our purpose in life is to serve this initial purpose given by God. We would like to return to this initial purpose constantly, remember our initialmission given by God, and experience the joy of serving in the new work of God for this New Year, together with Meishu-Sama.

In conclusion, I pray that God’s new breath of life will totally renew and revive all of humanity and everything in the universe. I offer my sincere gratitude, along with all of the members throughout the world, that I can praise Meishu-Sama who resides within all of us, and praise God who is with Meishu-Sama always. Thank you very much.

“We would like to return to this initial purpose constantly, remember our initial mission

given by God, and experience the joy of serving in the new work of God for this New Year, together

with Meishu-Sama.”

4

World President

Happy New Year, everyone!

With the blessings of the Supreme God and Meishu-Sama, involved by Sandai-Sama´s prayers and Kyoshu-Sama´s orientations, and in unison with all of you, I would like to give heartfelt thanks for the permission to greet another New Year with a renewed spirit.

I would also like to thank for all the services imbued with the true feeling offered by all Messianic believers in the past year.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish that in 2011 you may all go on giving yourselves in sincere service to the Divine Work of Meishu-Sama. Last year, all of us gave our best in the Practice of Gratitude Sonen and in small altruistic actions, besides Johrei, Natural Farming, Natural Food, and Beauty-related Activities as ways of taking Paradise to people around us; the same Paradise that already exists in each one of us. In 2011, I would like for all of us to go on developing these practices, sharing the happiness of making other people happy with the greater number of people.

The world is undergoing various crises that need solving, such as intensified conflict among ethnical and religious groups, more and more problems in the political and economic spheres. As Messianic believers, we need to face these facts positively and keep in mind that the stronger the light, the thicker the shadow.

People are constantly striving for happiness. It is remarkable, however, that in Japan, according to a poll taken by the government, when people were asked about how they rated their happiness on a scale from zero to 100, most said 65.

This figure is not compatible with a country like Japan, which ranks third among the biggest economies in the world. So, why is it so?

It has been said that behind this answer lie money-related factors, such as recession and lack of jobs. It seems that many people are convinced that without continuing economic growth happiness is not possible.

Meishu-Sama wrote the following verse: “When man tries to find happiness based only on material goods, happiness escapes him.”

He made it clear that in our pursuit of happiness, if

we focus too much on material wealth, we will never find true happiness.

Conversely, in another poem Meishu-Shama tells us the basic principle of faith that Messianic believers must assimilate: “Let it be known that true happiness is the happiness that is born in the hearts of people who want their neighbours to be happy.”

Hardship is part of life. Regardless of what we are undergoing, however, we must believe that putting other people´s happiness before anything else is the way to God´s love and the absolute condition for attaining happiness – for ourselves and for our neighbours. For this reason, I want to go on working on the practice of altruism.

You all know that January 1st is also the day we celebrate the foundation of our Church, back in 1935.

On that day, Meishu-Sama said that if we do not save the individual, there will be no way we can save the world. And he went on saying that: “If the home is the prototype of the world, to save it we must start by saving the family, changing it into Paradise.” So, based on his words, I would like for all Messianic believers to work hard on the practice of altruistic love, starting by creating a home that is upheld by faith.

Faith is grounded in harmony. Therefore, harmony in the home is especially important. When the feelings of all family members are unified, faith works its strongest power. The ideal is for all the members of a family to receive Ohikari and give themselves in the service of others with only one purpose in mind, that is, mutual cooperation. In order to achieve it, the family member that serves the most is also the best equipped to unify and harmonize the feelings of the whole family.

Meishu-Sama also said: “Since the time I was young I liked bringing joy to people, to a point that it became almost like a hobby to me. I am always thinking about what to do to make people happy. When I wake up in the morning, for instance, my first concern is finding out how the members of my family are doing. If there is one single person that is not in a good mood, it makes me feel bad.”

This may sound like an easy thing to do. However, if we put ourselves in Meishu-Sama´s place, we will see that it isn´t. Let´s say we start worrying about the mood of

just one person. We will have to pay close and constant attention to the glimmer in this person´s eyes, skin, face expression, tone of voice, and even the simplest gestures. There are too many details to pay attention to!

Moreover, when Meishu-Sama says “my family” he also means all the servants in the household – and that is a lot of people to worry about every morning! Taking all this into account, I think it becomes easier to grasp the amount of love he had for each one of those people, 24 hours a day.

This is why he was able to perceive, in just a few seconds, what was going on inside those he met: “Oh, she is being purified...”, or “Hum, this one seems very distracted...” He would then kindly invite the person to receive Johrei with him.

Meishu-Sama always showed through personal example, what we must do daily to attract people and to wish happiness to everybody we meet.

I think that the best way to spread out Meishu-Sama´s Salvation Work is to follow his example. To carry out the altruistic practices with much love and to pass on the same kind of human warmth that envelops our home -- unified by the bonds of faith – to everyone around us, be it at school, at work, or in the community.

This year will be a very meaningful one, for it celebrates the 80th anniversary of Meishu-Sama´s receiving of the Age of Night to the Age of Light Transition Divine Revelation.

In Japanese, the number eighty is made up of two ideograms representing the numbers eight and ten. According to the sacred explanation of the meaning of numbers, the number eight represents expansion and the number ten, represented by the ideogram of a cross, symbolizes God´s immense power. That is, the year of 2011 will be the year of God´s Power full expansion!

So, let´s add an extra effort to the practice of altruism, always under the guidance of Kyoshu-Sama and the protection of Sandai-Sama´s prayers and, through our service for building the Sacred Grounds, give thanks to Meishu-Sama for all the graces received and for our spiritual uplifting and an even greater expansion of God´s Work. With this wish in my heart I end my greetings message. Happy New Year!

New Year´s Greetings Message, January 1st, 2011Rev. Tetsuo Watanabe, President of the World Messianic Church

When the feelings of all the members of a family are unified, Faith operates its true power.

HARMONY IS ESSENTIAL IN THE HOME

5

“I heard about the Messianic Church in August, 2008. I had been afflicted with disease and troubled with family conflict for twelve years. I felt sharp pains in my bladder, had nightmares, dreamt about “nocturnal men”, and had very little appetite. I couldn´t get pregnant. Trying to solve these problems, I went to hospitals, black magic houses, and prophetic churches, but found nothing that could eventually put an end to my suffering. I was desperate, and so thin, that I never left the house - I was too ashamed of looking people in the eye.

This is how tormented I was, when I came to the World Messianic Church. At the religious unit, I was welcomed by a missionary, who after hearing me out, told me to receive ten Johrei a day, to keep the Flower of Light at home, to grow a homegrown vegetable garden, to serve in the Natural Agriculture Center, and to attend services.

I had no problems in carrying out these orientations. Two weeks later, I was already feeling better. Changed, I decided to become a member of the World Messianic Church to help other people overcome their suffering. A member, I started giving service to others more frequently and was chosen as the unit´s Teaching assistant.

During the preparatory interview to give Ohikari (Divine Light Baptism), I had doubts about the donation, because I thought, ‘the money will go to the minister and the person in charge of the Johrei Center’. But I made my donation, anyway.

I went three months without checking my savings account. When I did, I saw that from 27 thousand Kwanzas, my salary had gone up to 45 thousand Kwanzas (approx. US$ 450) a month. Grateful, I made another donation.

In the following month, I checked my balance statement again and saw that my salary had gone up to 60 thousand Kwanzas (approx. US$ 600) a month - an amount that has been maintained ever since. I gave deep thanks to God and Meishu-Sama for my health and for the fair salary they gave me.

In spite of all these blessings, I still wanted a child. Apprehensive about it, I had a conversation with my husband and asked the minister for guidance. He guided me to the Practice of Sonen and told me to let go of my wish to get pregnant and wanting a child above all else.

I followed his orientation and, after two weeks, purification started with heavy vaginal bleeding, which got me really worried. I sought the minister´s guidance again, and he explained me that impure blood was being purged from my body. With Johrei, the bleeding stopped. This happened in 2009.

Since I still didn´t get pregnant, I said to my husband that I needed the help of a well-known herbsman from Quibala. He told me to challenge the Messianic practices, but said that, in the end, I should do whatever I felt most comfortable with.

What worried me the most, though, was a negative reaction from my husband´s family, because they could, at any time, make comments about the fact that we could not conceive an embryo together. And even though those comments never came, I was beginning to think about leaving him.

And if this wasn´t enough, in March, 2010, I was diagnosed with an acute pelvic infection, which only added to my despair and made me think that I would never be able to conceive and give birth to this much desired child.

My husband took the doctor´s prescription and went to a pharmacy to see how much the medication would cost. He made a donation of that same amount. After that, I completely forgot what was happening to me.

Four months later, I noticed that I wasn´t menstruating. Although a little concerned, I didn´t tell anyone about the missed periods, not even my husband. As time went by, I felt my belly getting bigger, but since I didn´t feel anything moving inside me, I thought it was what is commonly known as ‘water belly’.

On December 3, 2010, at 7 o´clock, my whole life changed; I gave birth to a 3,6 k baby-boy, which brought great joy and much love to my family - both the biologic and the Messianic families.

I felt that just a donation would not be enough to express my gratitude. Much more would be necessary. I decided to open a Johrei Nucleum that operates in the patio of my home. Today, we have ten members and, since there is much adjoining land, we decided to donate a portion of it to the World Messianic Church that will start building, still in 2010, an improved religious unit.

From all this, I leaned that the practice of the Messianic faith strengthens us and allows us to grow both materially and spiritually. Today I am sure that Meishu-Sama is truly humanity´s long-awaited Messiah.

I am committed to building the Johrei Center and to accomplishing further personal development through the Teachings of Meishu-Sama and by following the guidance of my superiors.

I thank God and Meishu-Sama for salvation. I am eternally grateful to the person that guided me toward the path of personal discovery, where there is salvation for the whole of mankind. I am also thankful to all of those who have greatly contributed and still contribute to my material and spiritual growth. Thank you very much.”

Experiences of Faith

Delmira António Wanga, 31, is a member of the World Messianic Church of Angola, gives services to others

at Waku Kungu Johrei Center, and is in charge of the Teaching Group. She introduces her newborn son

“I learned to be sincerely thankful and was granted permission to fulfill my greatest dream”

New ReleasesVolume 1 of the Meishu-Sama´s Teachings Collection – A sAúde revelAdA por deus (portuguese) – can be purchased by anyone wishing to know more about the teachings of the founder of the Messianic Church and about one of the problems afflicting humans the most: Health.

Another book released by WMCA – World Messianic Church of Africa – is sAlmos & & orAções, that includes all the Messianic prayers and Psalms written by Meishu-Sama, with their Japanese pronunciation.

“True studying leads to further development and guides culture.”

Meishu-Sama

6

Experiences of Faith

“I started living in the streets when I was 18. My father kept saying that I wasn´t his biological son and started to abuse me, insulting and hitting me. Unable to endure that circumstance, when my mother passed away, I decided to run away from home, thinking that it would be for the best, even if I were to suffer.

Living in Niassa (north of Mozambique), I had to do menial work to survive, like washing cars, carry bags and try to make money to get to Maputo, the country´s capital city. There, I hoped to be free from my suffering and lead a better life, but this is not what happened. I started living in the streets, sleeping wherever I could. Since I had nothing to eat, I started looking for food in garbage cans, taking drugs, robbing people, and drinking uncontrollably. Sometimes, when I was lucky, I washed cars, helped people carry their shopping bags, and made some money.

On top of all this suffering, I started having nightmares. I dreamt that people were after me to kill me or beat me up. I dreamt that snakes were twisted around my legs, and with airplane crashes. I would wake up in a state of panic and sweating a lot on account of these dreams. I asked several people what they meant, but nobody really knew. Some said that I shouldn´t worry and that, over time, these dreams would go away, but it never happened. Because of all this suffering, I became a different person, isolated, worried, frustrated, and afraid of everything. I became furtive, as if people were after me.

It was in the midst of all this suffering that, in 2010, sister Ulanda Chilave (see next testimonial) saw me going through a garbage can in front of the church. She greeted me and said: ‘I have the solution to your problems. Forget about this garbage can and let´s go inside the church. You are young and I am going to take care of you, as if you were my son. Come.’

I immediately accepted her invitation, because I was tired of suffering. I went inside the church with her and she led me to the altar, where she offered me a Flower of Light and gave me Johrei. She told me to receive ten Johrei a day, to worship my ancestors, to serve by cleaning the bathroom, to keep to the Practice of Sonen and make daily donations, to keep my heart in a state of gratitude, to bring people to the church, and to keep a Flower of Light with me, at all times, to be able to give one to my friends.

That same night, I went to bed and slept very well: I dreamt

Testimonial

The missionary that helped Carlitos

“When I decided to serve others by cleaning after the service, as I was putting the garbage out, I met a 25-year-old man that was going through the garbage in search of something to eat. I thought: `This must be the person put before me by Messiah Meishu-Sama for me to save´.

The young man was very dirty, hungry, and desperate. So, I took him inside the church.

After staying by his side and caring for him, I was able, for the first time this year, to give Johrei to a family of five. In 2010, I still hadn´t given Johrei to a single member. Besides, I was promoted at work, and my salary is now higher than that of older workers in the company.

Thanks to these services, I feel happier by the day and receive many blessings. From these experiences, I have learned that we need to put into practice the orientation given by our superiors, because by letting go of our problems everything becomes much easier.

I am committed to participating in the Devine Work by taking care of other people. Today, I care for seven homes, with 22 people, and I have led more than one hundred individuals, 35 of which became members.

I thank God and Messiah Meishu-Sama for leading me to the path of salvation. Thank you.”

with my family and my friends talking and laughing. When I woke up, I decided to go back to the church. I began to follow the orientation I had received, because I wanted to change and felt that this was the ideal way. Sister Ulanda stayed by me, served with me, and gave me guidance me every day. Four days later, I felt like taking a shower and, after changing my clothes, I continued to dress neatly.

As I continued to follow the orientations, purification began. Every time I left the church to meet my friends, they searched me and asked me for money, because I was different, I was clean, and I changed clothes every day. Sometimes my friends beat me up, tore off my clothes and took the food I had on me. One day, as I was going to meet them, the police arrived and arrested us, for no reason. I spent three days in jail, kept to the Practice of Sonen, leading all my ancestors suffering, since they were beginning to manifest. On the third day, I was released with fourteen other people that had been in jail for some time. I went to church to thank for the purification, where I was told to take an Ikebana arrangement to the jail officer on duty, who was very happy to get the flowers and promised to visit the church.

After three weeks, I was blessed with a job, where I get three daily meals, and extra money for transportation in addition to the salary. In this job I found out that the manager is a relative of mine, and was very happy. After some time, I was received by a family, where I live ever since, hoping to get permission to rent my own place. I also overcame drug addiction and drinking, thanks to God and the Messiah Meishu-Sama. Grateful for these blessings, I made a special donation, gave Johrei, and became a member to save other people.

Through this experience, I learned that Meishu-Sama is the long-awaited Messiah, and that me must follow his guidance. I have brought eight people who used to live in the streets with me to the Messianic Church, I have a homegrown vegetable garden, and I keep a beautiful flower garden, where I live. I am also taking guitar lessons at the church.

I thank God and Messiah Meishu-Sama for leading me to salvation. Today, I feel like a normal human being. I feel like studying and I am committed to participating in the Divine Work and to taking the Messiah´s light to a lot more people. Thank you.”

Carlitos Laitone Aíde, 25, is a member of the Johrei Center Central, in Maputo, Mozambique

No longer able to endure family

conflict, Carlitos Laitone Aíde ran away

from home and started living in the

streets, at age 18. Not having enough

to eat, he started looking for his meals

in trashcans. At that same time, he took

to taking drugs, stealing, and drinking

uncontrollably. His life changed,

however, when he started receiving

Johrei, keeping to the Practice of Sonen,

and making daily donations.

Back to life“I got a job, a place to live, and stopped taking

drugs and drinking excessively”

Ulanda Chilave’s

7

Johrei March Mobilizes More Than 400 Children

Saturday, February 19, 2011, was a particularly special day - CriançÁfrica organized the first Johrei March for children at Africa´s Central Headquarters, in Luanda, attended by more than 400 participants, including some parents. The march´s goal was to make children aware of the importance of the Practice of Johrei.

The organization handed out invitations, through Johrei Centers, asking children to participate and bring along their friends and neighbors. This led to a considerable number of “first timers”, resulting in more attendees than members. The best part was the joy on children´s faces for being allowed to participate in this altruistic practice that raised their awareness about the importance of doing good deeds.

At the end of the March, all the attendees - especially parents - were asked to prepare their children to channel Johrei, taking them to give Shoko or Ohikari.

News

In his talk to the congregation attending the 52nd Salvation Network Conference, at Africa´s Central Headquarters, on January 30, the President of the World Messianic Church of Africa, Min. Claudio Cristiano Leal Pinheiro, emphasized that “the word is God”. “We can no longer use the spirit of the word lightly, in ways that hurt people. Gossip, slander, and intrigue debase God”, he said. Then, he invited everyone there to change their attitude toward the Practice of Sonen. “Paradise begins in our hearts, our thoughts, our feelings, words and actions. The moment I say something bad about someone or gossip, through the spirit of the word I start transferring this person´s impurities to myself.”

The attendees applauded heartily, when the results of the exam that qualified five new Adjunct-Ministers for the Messianic Church in Africa was announced. They are: Min. Afonso Quifuta Pereira, Min. Alberto Faria Suzano, Min. Filipe Tuta-Tuta, Min. Mário José João, and Min. M’buku N’landu Afonso. Another moment of great joy was the announcement of the expansion of Meishu-Sama´s Work in Russia.

Min. Claudio Pinheiro, President of WMCA, with pilgrims from South Africa, Mozambique, Saint Thomas and Prince, and Zambia

The Expansion of the Devine Work

Meishu-Sama´s Birthday in the Midst of Art and Culture

The Second Messianic Culture and Art Festival was held at Africa´s Central Headquarters, in Luanda, on December 19, 2010, to enhance the Birthday Service of Mokiti Okada, the founder of the World Messianic Church. Officiated by the President of the Church of Africa – Min. Claudio Cristiano Leal Pinheiro – the service was attended by a large audience of believers and guests.

Sixteen groups participated in the festival, in the singing, poetry, theater, and dance categories. Worthy of special mention are the performances by Solange Lemos of the Methodist Church (Congregation of Samba, in Luanda), who was the winner of the singing category; and by the Baixa de Cassanje Musical and Artistic Group, which succeeded in conveying through music, dance, and mime, and with great accuracy, the cultural habits and customs and traditions of the peoples of East Angola. The group delighted the audience with songs and dances of the Tchokue people - an ethnolinguistic group of the Eastern region. The “CRIANçAFRICA” children moved the audience with their singing in homage of late Rev. Franciso Jésus Fernandes. The winners received material awards presented by Africarte.

The Messianic Church Coordinates the Social Activities of Samba´s Religious Institutions

The World Messianic Church of Angola was chosen to coordinate all social activities planned by the Administration of Samba (Southern coast of Angola´s capital city) throughout 2011, as part of an ecumenical committee created by the government for the celebrations of April 4, the date symbolizing Peace and National Reconciliation in Angola.

Min. Francisco Xavier Hatewa, of the World Messianic Church of Angola, heads the Ecumenical Activities Organizing Committee of Samba, which has already brought together more than thirty religious congregations to think about the project to celebrate the 9th Anniversary of the Peace and National Reconciliation Agreements in Angola.

In addition to an Ecumenical and Religious Chants Festival, this year´s program includes lectures to university students attending the 1st and 2nd General Teaching Cycle about themes such as Natural Agriculture, Sanguetsu (floral vivification), education, citizenship, health care, hygiene, the environment, and moral and civic education.

In the year´s first ecumenical meeting, Samba´s administrator - Mr. Pedro Fançoni - praised the churches´ initiative “for such a grandiose social project”. He asked them to help out during a vaccination campaign and for additional help to teach citizens about the proper use of toilets, garbage disposal (proper disposal in plastic containers or bags, depending on the type of garbage - metal, plastic, organic, and so on),

and building u p k e e p , p a r t i c u l a r l y among people already living in or moving to new centers, as a result of t h e u r b a n relocation program that is being implemented by the Angolan government all over the country.

For Min. Francisco Xavier Hatewa, “this is a tiny seed that will grow and spread all over the country, all over Africa and the world, as a way of implementing true ecumenism.”

8

Countries

Angola

Members of the Viana Congreation

Plant Trees in Huambo

Two hundred tree saplings were planted, last January 15, by 43 Messianic youngsters associated with the Viana Expansion Department (Luanda, Angola), in the surroundings of Quissala Education Center, in the province of Huambo, on the Angolan Central Plateau. The center trains people in the fields of agriculture and environmental protection.

The missionaries also participated in other social and religious activities. The highlight was the visit to the Johrei Center of Ombala Chicaua, in the Lunge community, more than 90 km from Bailundo, where they expressed their solidarity with the local congregation for disseminating the Messianic faith.

Expansion at Waku Kungu

In early February, Johrei News witnessed intense missionary activity by members and attendees of Waku Kungu´s religious units. Johrei arrived at Cela, in the province of Kwanza South, in Angola´s middle-western region, in mid-2003, through the hands of a missionary from Luanda.

Today, this region already boasts three Johrei Centers, with a total of 185 members and 150 attendees. The units also has two natural agriculture development centers with about 3.5 hectares. And more... there are 153 home-grown gardens registered. A plot of land has been identified for the construction of another Johrei Center, and the building plans are well under way.

“The creation of Paradise begins in our hearts”

The “Acácias Rubras” Pavilion, in Benguela – the capital city of the coastal province of the same name in Angola´s middle-west – was home to a special Johrei-giving service for 188 new members, last February 27.

The president of the World Messianic Church of Africa – WMCA, Min. Claudio Cristiano Leal Pinheiro, as he talked to a congregation of more than two thousand people, expressed his deep gratitude to the local missionaries for spreading Johrei, the teachings of Meishu-Sama, and especially for organizing the event that “marked a new stage in our mission in that part of Angola”, an example for missionaries in other parts of Angola and Africa. He emphasized that the preparation of such an event is not limited to easy work carried out the night before, but rather, that it is the result of everyday work.

In fact, the organization of the event was highly praised by several guests attending it for the first time, and who benefitted from the collective Johrei channeled by WMCA´s president. They also learned that “Messiah Meishu-Sama didn´t come to substitute Our Lord Jesus Christ, or any other religious leader of the world.”

The WMC´s president also asked the congregations of the Province of Benguela and of the Provinces of Cucando Cubango, Huíla, Namige, and Cunene, to attend the event and to participate in the building of Cacuaco Holy Grounds, the first prototype of Paradise in Africa, and to commit to the basic practices of our faith to create a positive Sonen, since “the creation of Paradise begins in our hearts.”

Before going back to Luanda, on February 28, WMCA´s president addressed 135 missionaries at Lobito´s Johrei Center.

The President of WMCA, Min. Claudio Leal Pinheiro welcomed Benguela´s Culture Director, Dr. Mário Cristóvão Cagibanga, represented by the province´s governor Dr. Armando da Cruz Neto. On Saturday, an orientation session was held for approximately fifty children,

addressing moral and civic education, Johrei, flowers, and home-grown vegetable gardens.

On Friday, February 25, on the eve of the event, WMCA´s vice-president,

Ernestina Olinda Prazeres Coimbra, took the Image of the Devine Light into three

Benguela homes.

On March 6, the Maputo Improvement Center – World Messianic Church of Mozambique – hosted the special Hatsu-Ikê (first flower of the year) ceremony. For the first time, the Ikebana Sanguetsu Academy of

Mozambique included the Hatsu-Ikê celebration in its official calendar. The ceremony preceded the Monthly Gratitude Service was held simultaneously with the official opening ceremony of

the Ikebana Sanguetsu Academy of Mozambique.

The Hatsu-ikê ceremony consists in creating a floral arrangement that is offered to God and Nature as a token of the deep gratitude felt by the attendees for the blessings and protection

received during the past year. It also celebrates the beginning of a New Year and Beauty through the flower seen as the path to the development of people´s esthetic and spiritual awareness.

The ceremony was headed by Professor Selma Florêncio Cândido, in charge of the Ikebana Sanguetsu Academy of Mozambique, assisted by three student representatives. The event gathered 1,055 people, who were impressed by how purity, lightness, and most of all, love and gratitude filled

the floral arrangement. The final result was an incredibly beautiful Ikebana.

During the Monthly Gratitude Service that ensued, Min. Glauro Marques dos Santos Leite Filho stressed the importance of flower decoration in creating paradisiacal homes.

The Sanguetsu Academy hosted the 1st Ikebana Sanguetsu Exhibition at the Maputo Improvement Center, in Mozambique, on October 1-3. The event drew together twenty students who helped to make the floral arrangements. An estimated 1,300 people visited the exhibition. It was a time of much joy, in a paradisiacal environment, where many people of the Mozambique society showed great interest in taking Ikebana Sanguetsu lessons. New classes start on February 2011.

MozambiqueDemocratic Republic

of CongoEvent Highlights the Importance of the Flower

These are pictures of Messianic

Church land in the city

of Mbuji Mayi, in the

Eastern Kasai province.

Three crops are grown on the 3-hectare

area: corn, manioc, and “jinguba”.

Nature Farming Practiced

in the Country