Johrei NewsWORLD MESSIANIC CHURCH OF AFRICA – CENTRAL HEADQUARTERS Year 5 – December, 2012 – ISSUE 15

Teaching

Kyoshu Throne

Special

Expansion

“Upon realizing how limited and small human power

really is, we feel God’s living soul in our hearts”- stated

Kyoshu-Sama

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Rev. Tetsuo Watanabe laid the stepping stone of the

Higher Education Polytechnic Institute, in Cacuaco, and gave a talk at the Central

African Headquarters, where he stressed the importance of being pleasant to man’s

personal fate and to the transformation of society

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The challenge of opening up the path to prosperity on

African territory

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The grand-opening of the first Mokiti Okada Nature Agriculture School by Rev. Tetsuo Watanabe may be credited to the altruistic

love of the thousands of Africans that work hard to change the fate of nations in particular and the world in general.

PRESENTATIONS . ExPERIENcES OF FAITH . NEWS . TEAcHINGS . VIDEOS . MUSIc . INFORMATIONS www.johreiafrica.com

African Pleasantness is Contagious

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Teaching

edito

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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. Roberto L. C. Cândido (MozAMbique And South AfricA), Min. Afonso Quifuta Pereira (r. d. of the congo), Min. Jaime Fortuna (SAint thoMAS And Prince)

Johrei News

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The grand-opening of the first Mokiti Okada Nature Agriculture School’s architectural project is harmonious with nature and will train much more than just technicians and specialists, but multipliers of a new agricultural paradigm. Nature Agriculture acknowledges the existence of the original force of the soil, the natural recovery power of soil and plants; it acknowledges that both plants and animals were created by God and that they share His essence and spirit. Nature Agriculture has been developed for the benefit of human health and the environment. So, healthy soils will produce healthier plants plagued by fewer pests and, therefore, need less pesticide.

Dissiminating the respect for Nature and the recovery power of the soil concepts is equivalent to planting the seeds of human health recovery. Healthy plants contain the necessary ingredients required to fully develop the human body. And when humans are healthy they are able to work, they prosper, and when they are fit they have good ideas, they have the strength to smile and to help their neighbours to find happiness too. So, when cultivated areas are free from chemical products and pesticides, be them homegrown-vegetable gardens or large planted areas, they will produce healthy food for the body and the soul. Healthy food satisfies hunger and promotes good health. Healthy people produce healthy and natural foods. By making jams, preserves, and using other food preservation methods to keep food that was produced in excess they can provide for themselves and their families. This is why this grand-opening was so critical to the development and health of African people, in addition to inspiring people from other places around the world to follow this example.

The recent trip of Rev. Tetsuo Watanabe to Angola was marked by the cornerstone laying ceremony for the Mokiti Okada Higher Education Polytechnic Institute to be built in Cacuaco, followed by the building of the first Sacred Grouds of Africa.

This is just the beginning; we still have a long waty to go! But with hard work and lots of enthusiasm and deep understanding of the Divine objectives – big, strong, and ongoing Sonen – the project will go from paper to reality, breaking free from the classroom walls to reach the infinite.

A PLEASANT PERSON

Perhaps there is no word that sounds more agreeable than “pleasant.” Think about it. To get along in the world, being pleasant toward others is more important than we may realize, for, it has a very great influence on the society in which we live, to say nothing of personal fortune.

For example, when a person comes in contact with another individual who has a pleasing personality, that person begins to feel pleasant, and this can happen over and over until a very amiable society can be brought about. The result can be that all the deplorable problems, especially those involving conflict and crime, steadily decrease. Naturally, this means that a spiritual paradise can then be realized. And, to achieve this we don’t have to spend a penny; no effort is required; we can begin to do it right now. What could be better?

This may sound very easy, but it clearly is not, as I think everybody realizes. I say this because the mere external appearance of being pleasant is not enough to achieve it; it must be something that emanates from sincere love within. So, everything depends on the spiritual and mental attitude of the individual. In other words, the spirit of love for others is of primary importance.

Let me write a little about myself in this regard. It may sound rather odd for me to say it, but, since my youth I have seldom been disliked or resented by others; most people have been attracted to me wherever I have gone.

One reason for this especially strikes me. I am always careful to try to do first only what satisfies others, what makes them happy, taking care of my own interests or pleasures later. I don’t do this to uphold some moral standard or spiritual viewpoint; it all happens quite naturally. Perhaps it is simply because it is in my nature to act in this way. I really enjoy being kind to others and trying to make them happy. People have often told me how lucky I was to have such a disposition.

Since I became a spiritual leader, this quality has grown more prominent, of course. Whenever I see a sick person suffering, the desire to help and heal is so strong I cannot refrain from doing something. I give Johrei, and when I see that person recovering and rejoicing, that feeling of joy reflects on me and I begin to feel happy, too.

Though my disposition has occasionally caused personal hardship, it has helped me in advancing the construction work of prototypes of Paradise on Earth and especially of art museums. So, I believe God has given me this kind of nature for a specific purpose. Whenever I find a wonderful art object or come across a place of superb scenic beauty, I cannot enjoy it by myself. The desire begins to well up within me to share the pleasure with as many people as possible so they can be happy as well.

In this way it gives me the greatest joy and satisfaction to be with other people and watch them also enjoying those things and feeling happy, rather than appreciating nice things all by myself.

Meishu-Sama – April 21, 1954

(From Meishu-Sama’s Teachings Collection, Vol. 2 – Faith in Everyday Life)

LAUNCH!

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Kyoshu Throne

Kyoshu-Sama’s message Grand Ancestor Service Hall of Worship, Atami Sacred Grounds July 1-2, 2012

Congratulations everyone on the Grand Ancestor Service.With a deep sense of awe and fear of God, I say that God is the source of all consciousness and is eternal life itself. You, at the central and single point of your consciousness, have this source of all consciousness, namely, God’s consciousness.You are the ones who have been born from this God’s consciousness, from this central point of your consciousness. In other words, the true parent of your life lives within you at this very moment.When I say I am in awe and fear of God, I do not mean that we therefore have to revere and look up to God who is as if far up in the sky and distant from us. Neither do I want you to interpret the word “fear” in the conventional sense and think that God is one who punishes us with our sins and wrongdoings. Rather, I am in awe and fear of God because God who is the most noble, holy and precious existence of all and who is all-powerful and has already forgiven all of our sins and wrongdoings – be they of the past, present or the future – is within each one of us and is nurturing us every single moment as the true parent of our life.You might have forgotten and disregarded this God within you for a long time.But still, He is wishing for you to recall that He is the true parent of your life and is calling you, always, to come back to Him, to His home, to your real birthplace.On this day of the Grand Ancestor Service, I would like to express my gratitude to God that I, together with many of my ancestors, can return to His home in the name of Meishu-Sama, and to reaffirm my commitment to serving God who is in heaven and is with Meishu-Sama.As you may already know, the renovation work of the Crystal Hall at the Atami Zuiun-kyo Sacred Grounds was completed just a few days before the Paradise on Earth Service last month. The Crystal Hall is now revived and brilliantly radiating white and pure light on the hill of Atami.For Meishu-Sama, the construction of the Crystal Hall, along with the Messianic Hall (rebuilt in 1972 as the Hall of Worship), was a task he took on with a great deal of passion, walking around Zuiun-kyo and checking the progress of the construction almost everyday. Knowing this, I cannot imagine how happy Meishu-Sama is at this moment, now that the Crystal Hall has been renovated so beautifully.Looking at the new Crystal Hall, I think of all the volunteers who, more than 50 years ago, gathered from all over Japan and constructed Zuiun-kyo under the direct command of Meishu-Sama. They too must be extremely happy to see the renewed Crystal Hall.Also, I will never forget that the reason the Crystal Hall is shining beautifully now is because of the sincere support – spiritual, physical and financial – of you, and all the followers who believed that rebuilding and maintaining the Hall were divine tasks given to you by Meishu-Sama. I am truly appreciative of all your support until today. Thank you.When you are at this renewed Crystal Hall, I hope that you will not only feel at peace and joyful but also direct your heart toward the soul of God within you – the soul that is pure, without any cloud and shines like a crystal. More importantly, I sincerely wish that, wherever you are, the existence of each one of you can be like a sacred grounds, or a prototype of paradise on earth, welcoming whoever comes to you and giving peace and salvation to them.Now, I hear that you members of Izunome Kyodan aspire to be “a pioneer of salvation” and are diligently practicing the teachings of Meishu-Sama, such as Johrei, Nature Farming and Natural Food, and Art, so that Meishu-Sama’s light can be extended to as many people as possible. I also hear that you are always striving hard to perform altruistic acts. I am grateful for your continued efforts. May I also say that I am truly encouraged to know that many of you continue to work on “the practice of sonen.” Reading your faith experiences on this practice inspires me greatly.Meishu-Sama repeatedly taught the importance of the workings of sonen. In particular, we have a record that Meishu-Sama, in 1954, a year before he passed away, said many times to those around him, “Things are different now. Sonen is what is important from now on.” This, I believe, is an important message from Meishu-Sama especially when we consider that it came toward the end of his life on earth.In one of his tanka poems, Meishu-Sama wrote, “God works through us, using each human being as an instrument in the Divine Plan of salvation for humanity.”

holding the “Provisional Ceremony Celebrating the Birth of a Messiah” on 15th of June, 1954. If we claim to be the followers of Messiah Meishu-Sama, we must aim high and be like him. We should ask Meishu-Sama, “Could you, if possible, teach me what it is like to be born anew as a Messiah?”, even though you may not understand what it means “to be born anew.” And you never know, Meishu-Sama might teach you something about being born anew as a Messiah.It is my strong belief that each one of us is predestined “to be born anew” just like Meishu-Sama, and what we do in our daily life has no value if we forget this predestination – we live in order to fulfill our predestination. However, we and our ancestors have been living a life without knowing our mission, our predestination. Instead, for a long time we have been living an ignorant and selfish life, disregarding God, the true parent of our life, and using all of God’s creations as if they were ours. Despite this, God forgave us with His immense love, delivered us from the world of night in which we were blinded by our ignorance, selfishness and anxiety, and accomplished a great transition by putting the world of night to an end and establishing the world of day where light abounds. In other words, God accomplished what Meishu-Sama called the “transition from night to day.”Fortunately, we came to know this “transition from night to day,” or God’s forgiveness, but many of our ancestors are still uninformed about it. As Meishu-Sama taught you that you are “a sum total of your innumerable ancestors,” you should know that all these ancestors who were uninformed of God’s forgiveness and of their mission to be born anew are, at this very moment, with and within you.Common sense tells you that they are already dead, but they are not. They live within all the cells of your body and within your consciousness. And that is why, however mundane and subtle, every thought you think and every feeling you have is intimately linked with the thoughts and feelings of your ancestors who are with and within you.Whatever the trigger is, we often perceive feelings that are not pleasant to us such as anger, being dispassionate and dissatisfied. Or we may worry and be anxious as we try to judge what is right and wrong when we, for example, watch the news and observe events affecting society and the world.You should not deny all of these feelings that arise within you because they are all signs from God – the signs that God is saving your and your ancestors’ hearts which are and were filled with selfishness and narrow-mindedness.Sensing these negative feelings is the very moment when God is trying to teach you that He already forgave your characteristics that did not look right in His eyes, and it is the moment when He is purifying them and welcoming you and your ancestors into His heaven.When you realize your selfishness or narrow-mindedness, your task is not to simply regret that you held such feelings and try to improve as a person. Rather, your real task as a representative of your ancestors is to let your ancestors know of God’s forgiveness and of the need to return to God’s heaven as ones who are already forgiven.So, in your daily service and prayers or any other time you think about your ancestors, say to them, to the ancestors who exist within you that “I know life was tough and full of difficulties for you, and I truly appreciate your efforts until today. I say to you that all of you were already forgiven. Through Meishu-Sama, you should return to heaven as ones who are forgiven, alive and still exist, not as ones who await punishment, are dead and already perished.” With these words, surrender all of your ancestors as well as your whole self to God through Meishu-Sama, and I know that Meishu-Sama is waiting for you, patiently, at heaven for you to do this.If our ancestors are told that their sins have been forgiven and that God now wants to nurture them to be born anew as His children, I cannot imagine how happy they would be, and it must be a huge salvation for them.Referring to all the works he accomplished, Meishu-Sama said that “It is not because I am great that all these works have been accomplished. The one who is great is God who has been giving me His wonderful power.” Meishu-Sama, in other words, never considered that human powers can accomplish something but he attributed his accomplishments to the power of God.We must make this attitude of Meishu-Sama toward God ours. Whenever and wherever we are, either at work or at home, and no matter how small a task it may seem, we should praise God by saying something like, “It was not me but in fact you who has accomplished this task. Thank you.” You do not have to voice these words out loud, but still I am sure Meishu-Sama will be delighted to know when you attribute any accomplishment to the power of God.Though I say this, it is extremely difficult for me to always praise God and attribute everything to His power. Yet, without conscious effort, I believe we would not be able to know and learn what Meishu-Sama wanted to express in the following poem: “Since I have realized how weak and limited human power is, God’s living soul has started to dwell and shine within my heart.”If you put a conscious effort to always praise God, I am certain that you can gradually sense God’s presence within you and that Meishu-Sama will lead you to become a person who can share the happiness of being with God together with many of your ancestors.To close, I pray that the blessing of God who is with Meishu-Sama be shared through you upon all of our ancestors, all humanity and all nature. Thank you very much.

When we read this poem, we might assume that it is only through practices such as Johrei, Nature Farming or altruistic deeds that God advances the work of salvation.These actions are, of course, an extremely important part of God’s work. However this poem, in my opinion, also suggests that God is using our mind and thought, that is, sonen, too as His instrument in order to advance His work of salvation.On sonen, Meishu-Sama wrote that “…even though you are not able to see it, sonen can travel not only around the earth but also around the whole, infinite universe instantaneously.” He also composed a poem to express his view that while visible and material power is limited and finite, invisible and spiritual power is unlimited and infinite.Yes, it is true that sonen is not visible to the human eye, but, as we can see from the above words of Meishu-Sama, the power of sonen is extremely strong, far beyond the level of what we would imagine, and I believe it actually has a potential to change the real, outside world.We feel as if sonen is ours and use it freely and naturally – we can feel, think, wonder, imagine or pray, seemingly without any hindrance. But I must say to you that your sonen is in fact God’s. You sense as if your sonen is yours only because God lets you.Wrongly assuming that sonen is our own, we may sometimes say things like, “she has a good sonen, but I am so egoistic and have a bad sonen,” or “he must have a good sonen because he is in a high spiritual position.” In these ways, we tend to focus on the differences of our sonen from others and, consequently, judge the level of its workings.If, however, you realize that your sonen belongs to God and is in fact under the command of God, you must first and foremost admit that you, within you, have this precious creation of God and return it to Him.If it actually belongs to God, aren’t we making a grave mistake by comparing its difference with others or judging the level of its workings? Doesn’t this mean that we are judging the power and the workings of God who actually is all-powerful and omniscient? I must confess that I have been doing all of the above: judging God’s power and considering sonen as mine.Yet, I believe we should not be ashamed of how we have been ignorant and using God’s sonen as if it is ours. God knows this, our weakness. He knew that we would be selfish and use God’s creations as ours when He created us at the very beginning of His Creation.God already forgave such ignorance of ours and our stubborn insistence on not wanting to let go our sonen and return it to Him.Accept His forgiveness and express your intention to God that you would like to return your sonen to Him, to whom it truly belongs.When returning, be careful not to take credit for the act of returning. You are able to return your sonen to God only because God, through Meishu-Sama, is telling you – though you may not be able to hear God’s voice – that God wants to receive it and you are, in fact, simply responding to His call. The credit for this act of returning, therefore, should always be given to God.Now, on this day of the Grand Ancestor Service, I wonder: “How is God trying to save all my ancestors?” In order to know this, I feel we firstly have to think of why God has given us and our ancestors life to live on this earth.I believe God gave us life to live on this earth, not so that we would one day die, but so that we would be “born anew” and live an eternal life.We might have forgotten this, but Meishu-Sama taught us to recall this truth through recounting for us his experience of being born as a Messiah on June, 1954, a year before he passed away. At this occasion, Meishu-Sama strongly emphasized that he has not been “reborn” or born “again” but born “anew” or “newly” born as a Messiah, as a child of God, and he made it clear that his experience was different from “rebirth” or “reincarnation.”Though you may not be able to remember it, God had connected you with Meishu-Sama at heaven, at the world of your origin, before you were born on earth. At heaven, God assigned you the mission to be born anew as a true child of God and acquire an eternal life, just as He did to Meishu-Sama. Now, you still carry this mission you originally received in heaven and must accomplish it. Meishu-Sama did so. He accomplished his mission and was born anew as a true child of God. That is why we, with God’s permission, can call him a Messiah or as Messiah Meishu-Sama.I believe Meishu-Sama encouraged us to follow his footsteps by

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Special

Good morning! How are you? It is so good to be here in Angola and to be welcomed with a typical dance of the Uíge province! It was spectacular! I also paid close attention to musical director Isaú. He sings very well! In 2009, he sang a Japanese song: “A THOUSAND WINDS”. When I came in, I thought I was hearing a recording. I asked Minister Claudio: “Where did you get this recording?” And he answered: “It is Musical Director Isaú singing!” And I said: “Wow, he sings much better than the Japanese!”

I feel very good in this environment created by thousands of Angolan singers. One of the chantings has stuck to my mind, no matter where I am, be it Japan or Brazil. You sing: “Taambula tataaa, taambula tataaa, ommboolo yetooo, ni henda yoossooo! Taambula tataaa, taambula tataaa, ommboolo yetooo, ni henda yoossooo! (Receive, Father, receive Father, our offer with all our love, or receive Father, receive Father, our bread with all our love…” This chanting was taught to me by Minister Tininha (Ernestina Olinda Prazeres Coimbra) as I was about to leave. Thank you, Tininha!

Well… Before leaving for Japan, I visited our Spiritual Leader, Kyoshu-Sama, and I told him that this time I was going to Brazil first and then I would visit Africa. So, Kyoshu-Sama asked me to send his regards to all the members of the Messianic Church in Africa.

Today, we are celebrating the 37th anniversary of Angola’s independence, and 21 years of expansion of the World Messianic Church in the African Continent by our dear Rev. Franciso, who is very happy with your efforts. Rev. Francisco is always with me; from the Spiritual Kingdom he accompanies me as I go about developing world dissemination.

As I told you before, yesterday I attended the grand-opening of the Mokiti Okada Nature Agriculture School and the cornerstone laying ceremony of the Mokiti Okada Higher Education Polythecnic Institute, in Cacuaco, and the future building site of the Sacred Grounds of Africa. My wish is that in the future Sacred Grounds, every student, from all over Africa may, in a period of four years, become a pastoral minister, an agronomist, and at the same time a Sanguetsu instructor. This is how we are going to educate future members, who will take Meishu-Sama’s Salvation Testament to the whole African continent.

From Min. Claudio’s report I learned that more than 50 thousand families have homegrown-vegetable gardens, here in Africa.

In Brazil, as well as in Japan, many people are beginning to learn how to set up a homegrown-vegetable garden. We even received an invitation from the President of the Republic of Brazil to set up a vegetable garden at the Planalto Palace.

I heard in the faith testimony that you are taking big strides in becoming salvation pioneers. But, this is not unique to Africa. In Brazil, Japan, and all over the world Messianics are studying ways of becoming true salvation pioneers.

Last month, during the enhancement training of the Atami Sacred Grounds employees, each person revealed

Lecture given by Rev. Tetsuo Watanabe, President of the Wold Messianic Church at the African Central Headquarters,

on November 11, 2012, during his fifth trip to the country

The main purpose of the fifth missionary visit of the President of the World Messianic Church (WMC), Rev. Tetsuo Watanabe, to Angola was the grand-opening of the Mokiti Okada Nature Agriculture School and the cornerstone laying ceremony of the Mokiti Okada Higher Education Polytechnic Institute, in Cucuaco, on November 10, 2012. On Sunday, November 11, he gave Johrei and spoke to more than 30 thousand members of the Messianic Church, who gathered at the African Central Headquarters, in Luanda, where he emphasized the Teaching of Meishu-Sama that states that being pleasant is so important that it impacts the fate of man and transforms society. He ended by appealing to all the attending members to be more pleasant, happier, and to make every effort intended to have the Spiritual Leader of the WMC, Kyoshu-Sama, come here two years from now to participate in the grand-opening of the Mokiti Okada Higher Education Polytechnic Institute.

TRULY PLEASANT PEOPLETRULY PLEASANT PEOPLE

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who was the pioneer of faith in their family.

An employee that gives service as a secretary in my office, called Yumi, told a story that touched me deeply. She said that everything began with her grandmother, who lived on a small island in southern Japan. One day her grandmother witnessed the miraculous cure of her sister’s eye cataract after just one Johrei session. Out of gratitude, she decided to receive Ohikari to give Johrei to all the inhabitants of the island.

She took care of her plantations by herself, raised nine children, and had to look after a disabled husband after an accident. All this did not stop her from visiting people in distress and taking the Light of Salvation to all of them. She also said that her grandmother learned about Nature Agriculture and practiced it in her plantations.

But Yumi also said something else that called my attention. When she was 11, her grandmother passed away. She went to that small island for the wake. When she got there, she saw a huge line of people that started at the harbour and went on towards the main temple, which stood a little higher than the foot of a mountain. It was such a huge crowd – more than a thousand people – that she was amazement and asked an island inhabitant: “Is it a custom of this island to have everybody come to the wake when somebody dies?

The lady explained: “Oh, no! This is because it is your grandmother. Not even when the mayor died was there such a crowd. Not even one third as many people came. Everybody in this line wants to pay their respects to you grandmother, who always gave love and compassion and tried not only to help the dwellers of this island, but of the neighboring islands as well. Everybody knew that she was poor, that she had many children, and a disabled husband. Nevertheless, she was always keen on helping people. If a person refused to receive Johrei, she would then give them the natural food she produced. And whenever people needed her support, she was always there to serve them. And this is how it was for years and years on end.”

On hearing this, even as young as an 11-year-old girl, Yumi was deeply touched, because until then she had heard nothing about her grandmother or her story as a pionner of salvation.

Meishu-Sama taught us that the greatest virtue of all is giving Johrei to as many people as possible, leading them on the path of faith, teaching them how to become instruments of God in order to be happy and to make others happy too.

Yumi found out that her grandmother had chosen to live according to Meishu-Sama’s orientations, always trying to become a salvation pioneer, until her death. That was why there were so many people in that line with feelings of gratitude for her. And so I asked Yumi: “Are you happy today? Are you feeling happy?” And she answered: “Very happy, Reverend!”

And I added: “You are reaping today the benefits of the spiritual heritage your grandmother left. So, don’t waste this heritage. From now on, try to add more virtures, like your grandmother did, and you will leave a great spiritual

heritage to your decendants, too.”

She said: “This is what I want to do. I am happy thanks to my grandmother!”

The story of Yumi’s grandmother proves that the virtues we accumulate in this life will one day become the spiritual heritage of our descendants. This is what Meishu-Sama taught us in the Psalm: “Don’t try to become an important person; instead, aspire to be admired as a benevolent one.”

I am sure that Yumi’s grandmother’s culture is the true stance of a salvation pioneer.

Today, taking this opportunity, I would also like to talk about Beauty, one of the pillars of salvation. Until very recently, many people thought that Beauty, a pillar of salvation, was restricted to the art of Ikebana, music, and painting. But salvation through Beautry doesn’t mean just the appreciation of art.

Meishu-Sama taught us that humans are the most sublime artpiece created by our God, the Creator! If humans don’t become beautiful through their attitude and stance, it means that they are not practicing Beauty as a pillar of salvation.

Meishu-Sama also teaches us that being pleasant is so vital that it influences the fate of humans and their society. But it is important that it is not just apparent pleasantness. True pleasantness blossoms from inside, meaning, people must be sincere in their hearts.

The other day, as I was writing my book that, by the way, is going to be called “O cultivo da felicidade” (Nurturing Happiness), I started talking about the pioneer diffusion in Rio de Janeiro. Then, Min. Bellinger, who is currently responsible for the expansion in Brazil, said to me: “Reverend, at that time it was usual for Messianics to be seen as pleasant people. Whenever a pleasant person was asked if he/she was a Messianic, the answer would be yes! And the opposite was also true; an unpleasant person was never a Messianic.”

Then he asked me: “What was your orientation at that time that rendered all the members so pleasant?”

I answered him: “Bellinger, I never gave specific orientation on how to be a pleasant person. At that time, before receiving Ohikari, every member had to be interviewed by me; I was the only one doing the interviewing. Many people wanted to receive Ohikari and so, whenever I interviewed an unpleasant person, I usually told them that it was still too soon. Pleasant people, however, were immediately allowed to receive Ohikari.”

Unpleasant people were told to “receive at least one Johrei a day, for a month, and try to receive 20 ‘thank you’ a day. Even if it is just a small altruistic action, do something to receive a ‘thank you’. It can be at home, at work, at school, on the street, wherever. Come back after a month.”

Some people came back after a month and they had already become pleasant. For others it took three, five months; the longest it took for a person to become pleasant was eight months. Only after that did I give them permission to give Johrei.

That is why all members were naturally pleasant. They became pleasant before receiving Ohikari.

A pleasant person is someone who has awakened to altruistic love. This is very important, because even when going through a purification, a truly altruistic person will never stop being pleasant.

People were not allowed to give Johrei just because they had recovered their health by receiving Johrei. They also had to promote other people’s happiness. Whenver someone had not yet awakened to altruism, I would say: “Look, you need to receive more Johrei and also thry to do good onto others, even if it is just a small deed. You need to be thanked at least 10 times a day, for a month, be it at home, at work, wherever you are. Consequently, you will become the object of other people’s gratitude and this is the way to be useful to God. People who are useful to God will always enjoy His protection.”

After hearing this, Min. Bellinger said to me: “Reverend, now I understand! There are no secrets. Those who try to be altruistic will naturally be pleasant. Is that it?”

And I said: “Yes, that’s it! For example, when I go out to buy a shirt in a store, if the salesperson is pleasant, helpful, I feel like buying two, even there shirts. Conversely, if the person is unpleasant, I simply say: “Thank you” and I never go back there again. The same happens when I go to a restaurant. If the waiter is pleasant, I feel so good that I always want to go back there.”

Think about it: a plesasant employee will never be dismissed for petty things. Pleasant boys will have more girlfriends, better wives, and will themselves make good husbands. Usually, all Messianic ministers, even if they are ugly, always marry beautiful women!

Yes! All the Messianics here are pleasant and this is why you are happy! But if you want to be even happier, it is enough to be even more plesasant. After all, a pleasant person harmonizes with the environment and attracts happiness.

I believe that each one of you strive to practice all that has been said here today. Maybe we will be able to build the Mokiti Okada Higher Education Polytechnic Institute in less than two years. So, who knows, we will be able to open the Institute in Cacuaco and the day of its grand-opening I would also like to lay the cornerstone of the first Sacred Grounds of Africa, with the permission of having Kyoshu-Sama among us.

Yesterday, before talking about that, I called Kyoshu-Sama and said: “Kyoshu-Sama, if the African Messianics succeed in building the Higher Education Polytechnic Institute, would you come join us in the corenestone ceremony of the first Sacred Grounds of Africa?”

He answered: “If it is Meishu-Sama’s wish...”

I replied: “It has been Meishu-Sama’s wish for a long time!”

This is why we have to intensify our efforts; I can already picture Kyoshu-Sama here speaking to you.

A good mission to all and thank you very much!

6

Special continuation

In April 2011, missionary Patrick Chingumbe Katoti, who had become a member in May, 1997, went back to attending the world Messianic Church of Angola. After receiving orientation from the head of the Johrei Center on how to practice the Basic Practices of the Messianic Faith and handing out the Maximum Building Effort donation, participating in Religious Assistance marches and carrying out cleansing in other members’ homes, he gained permission to give Johrei again after the arrival o Rev. Tetsuo Watanabe, in August, 2011.

After performing the Deep Reflection, making the Special Donation for Construction and Leading, his labor problems got worse and he was expelled without receiving any indemnity pay. He cried bitterly, because he took that job very seriously. He contacted the head of the Religious Unit, who said: “Everything God does is well done. For some reason, Meishu-Sama doesn’t want you to stay where you were. So, let’s be thankful for the outcome.”

That said, he received orientation to give thanks by making a special donation, because he was going through that unfortunate situation in order to receive a greater task and carry out that which pleases God the most: leading many people to the Faith.

So, Patrick made his Gratitude Donation for his purification, went on carrying out construction activities, lead 25 people, carried out Sorei-Saishi (settlement) of the lineages and of the father, and sent out his CV to other institutions, trying to get a new job.

OUTCOMES:1. He was called by the institution he was fired from to work on his dismissal papers, because they were not legally accurate;

2. To his surprise, three weeks later he was summoned by a UN agency for a position as UNICEF’s regional logistics representative in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea Conacry, with a higher salary than the one he was paid in the previous institution;

3. He received permission to start the expansion in those countries, with the commitment, as an instrument of Meishu-Sama, to create a Salvation Network in the Republics of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea Conakry, creating the proper conditions for the Messiah to get settled and expand from there. With this Sonen, he was successful in reaching people’s hearts in these nations.

In March, 2012, I went to the Republic of Sierra Leone, representing my superior, where I received permission to allow the first thirty new members to give Johrei, one of them from the Republic of Liberia.

In May 2012, 221 members received permission to give

Johrei, of which four shokos (children’s medal), 24 new members from Freetown, 29 from Makeni, 34 from Monrovia, and 30 from Gendema.

In the third visit, 153 new members received permission to give Johrei: 86 from Kenema, 43 from Freetown, 14 from Gendema, 8 from Makene, and 2 from Bo.

Until now, there are 270 members from Sierra Leone: 87 in Freetown, 86 in Kenema, 51 in Makene, 44 in Gendema, and 2 in Bo.

In Liberia, there are 35 members and, in Guinea Conakry, four. At present, there are 351 attendees in Sierra Leone, 56 in Liberia, and 10 in Guinea Conakry. In the Republic of Kenia, there are seven attendees awaiting training in Nature Agriculture.

In Guinea Conakry and in the Republic of Sierra Leone, the Messianic Church has already been recognized and in the Republic of Liberia it is about to be recognized too.

In September 29, 2012, after dedication, a group of people from the community came to us. An old man was carrying a child in coma and people were crying: “Minister, please, save this child.” The father, in utter despair, said that his wife had died three months earlier. We started giving Johrei and did the Practice of Sonen. Ten minutes later, the child jumped to my lap. The father immediately ran away. Fifteen minutes later, the child was fully recovered. Later, the father thanked us with a gratitude donation. The whole group went back to their community screaming: “Johrei, Johrei, Johrei…”

All that time I wandered why missionary Patrick was so much-loved by the people. In the city, when he met people, everybody wanted to talk to him. I later found out that he is known as “Salon Bobo”, which means, “the foreigner that works for the well-being of citizens”, a term that is not used to describe just anybody, but rather those who are seen as being sent by God.

From these miracles I learned that we are but instruments of Meishu-Sama, and we should not do things out of vanity and arrogance, because we are instruments of God; I learned that we need to be humble in carrying out our tasks, and to work in teams.

For this reason, I am committed to paying more attention to signs from the Spiritual World, to receive permission to participate in the education of 100 members who firmly believe in the building of the agricultural school and the training of human resources in Africa and all over the world.

I would like to thank the Supreme God and Messiah Meishu-Sama for their permission to serve in this grandiose Divine Work of Human Salvation and creation of Earthly Paradise.

Filipe Tuta Tuta is the minister in charge

of the Luanda South Region (Angola) and

he holds the same position in some West

African countries. Seriously committed

to the Messianic diffusion and to his

mission, he has put in place several basic

World Messianic Church practices that

have resulted in a series of experiences,

some of which of extraordinary relevance,

which he shares with us in this issue.

The Divine contagion of Wanting to Render Others Happy, Wherever We Are

“

“

7

The grand-opening of the Mokiti Okada Nature Agriculture School, which will intensify the teaching of Nature Agriculture practices taught by the founder of the World Messianic Church, took place on November 10, 2012, in the Funda region, municipality of Cacuaco, province of Luanda (Angola).

The school, managed by AFRICARTE (Association for the Development of Nature Agriculture, African Art and Culture) was accredited by INEFOP (National Institute for Employment and Professional Training) of the Ministry of Public Administration, Employment, and Social Security, last November, as an institution devoted to professional training.

The goal of AFRICARTE (philanthropic institution of the World Messianic Church of Angola – WMCA, whose statutes are published in the 3rd Series of the Diary of the Republic, no. 6, of February 11, 2000) is to guide and foster the training of a new generation according to Mokiti Okada’s trilogy “Truth-Good-Beauty”.

The new School of Agriculture will begin with two courses: Nature Agriculture Basics and Environment Basics. The Nature Agriculture Basics course will have a 432 hour load, based on eight disciplines: Philosophy of Agriculture, Natural Agriculture, Home-Grown Vegetable Garden, Soils, Project Methodology, Agricultural Tools (Irrigation Techniques), Practice and Internship.

The Environment Basics course, in turn, will have a 360 hour load and will be based on the following disciplines: Principles of Ecology, Biodiversity, Natural and Healthy Foods, Natural Resources, Solid and Liquid Wastes, Project Methodology, Practice and Internship.

According to the school principal, agronomist Marques Zambo Bambi, the unit has the capacity for two 40-student classes per period. He stated that “all big projects begin with a small model” and “this is why we are going to start with Nature Agriculture basics, and later we will add other courses that will enable people to develop to perfection, and on their own, Mokiti Okada’s principles on several fields of human activity.”

Following the Nature Agriculture basic training school, AFRICARTE will take further steps in training with a more encompassing focus with the

opening of the Mokiti Okada Higher Education Polytechnic Institute, in 2014. In addition to training technicians in Nature Agriculture, environmental management, and art, the institute will also offer a course on Messianic Theology.

Additional specialization courses to be taught at the higher education institute are under study and the project’s administration has further expectations. For the time being, the challenge remains the construction process and the preliminary architectural proposals are being carefully analysed be the several areas.

The grand-opening ceremony of the Mokiti Okada Nature Agriculture School was attended by the governor of the province of Uíge, Paulo Pombolo; by the assistant director of the FAO-Angola, engineer Paulo Vicente; by the general and assistant secretaries of the Teachers Association of Angola, Julião João Jerónimo and Domingos Marcos, respectively; and by traditional authorities of the Funda region, Miguel Francisco João; and other government authorities of Luanda and the rest of the country.

First Nature Agriculture School opened in Cacuaco

...like Miguel Francisco João

Paulo Vicente greeted the President, with Julião João Jerónimo,

The governor of Uíge, Paulo Pombolo (on the right), honoured the event

8

Johrei has currently expanded to 23 countries on the African continent, namely: Angola, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saint Thomas and Prince, South Africa, Zambia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea Conakry, Kenya,

Namibia, Congo Brazzaville, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Botswana, Ethiopia, Cape Verde, Gabonese Republic, Benin, Senegal, Algeria, and Malawi.

The Challenge of Opening up the Way to Prosperity

2012 was a year of many challenges but also of many accomplishments for Messianics and the effort of each and everyone was vital in attaining the final outcome.

Thousands of Messianic families practice Nature Agriculture in their home-grown vegetable gardens. This practice results in homes inhabited by healthy and happy people.

Nature Agricuture is growing in productivity in several African countries, and its goal is mitigating hunger and poverty.

In Angolan provin-ces, grand-openings of new religious units were attended by thousands of believers.

In Mozambique, the Central Headquar-ters is under construction in the district of Marracuene, in the province of Maputo.

The Johrei, Nature Agriculture, and Ikebana Sanguetsu principles were the topics addressed by the media in Angola, Mozambique, and Serra Leoa.

Johrei in Serra Leoa

JC Dundo

JC Luena

TPA TV Zimbo

Polo Agrícola of the Ngolo, in Uíge

Expansion