Report from Canada

Material and Spiritual Food Giving   

Inspired by love, the Vancouver (Canada) Center conducts its monthly food-distribution activity.

<Vancouver> After visiting downtown Vancouver, one sister felt very sad about all the poor people she saw there. When the Vancouver Center initiates heard her story, we decided to help by starting a monthly food distribution program. We went to an area of town where many poor people congregate, and set up a food and drink stand. So many people were attracted to our stand that we had to learn to be well organized, forming lines to give away sandwiches, soft drinks, and fruit. We also gave each person a flyer about Master and the Quan Yin Method, with a phone number that they could call for more information.

  The people we served were for the most part very appreciative, and one man even asked if he could have the picture of Master that we had in our car. Our only regret was that we had only brought 100 sandwiches, which went very quickly. We felt sorry about turning people away once all the food was gone, so for the next distribution we plan to make 200. We also will bring more soft drinks, as they were real treats for the people. Afterwards, we felt very good, as though our beings had expanded.

  Later, during the weekend following the Korean retreat, returning Vancouver initiates had the wonderful opportunity to share Master's love by participating in the Vancouver "CityFest" on May 20th and 21st. This is a community event where different cultural groups perform songs and dances, and other people sell or distribute their products. Many people stopped by our table to enjoy presentations of Master's video, to pick up flyers, sample booklets, or magazines, or to peruse the books, pictures, and video tapes on display.

  After watching Master's video for about twenty minutes, one woman commented, "She is a goddess. She's radiating love. She talks right to my heart." An African man became very excited when he saw the picture of Master on display, and said to his wife, "Remember Her?" He went on to say that Master is well known in Africa as a very good person, and that he had read the sample booklet and knew a lot about Her from Africa. Another man stopped by our booth, and later came back with a friend. He had picked up a sample booklet two months earlier, and had immediately stopped eating meat after reading it. He was very curious to find out more about Master, and picked up some copies of the News magazine.

A great opportunity for members of the community to learn about Master.

  This was our second year of taking part in the CityFest, and while setting up this year, we were greeted by a man who asked if we remembered who he was. Of course we did; he had been our neighbor at the adjoining table last year, and we had given him a sample booklet. He was delighted to see us again, and was eager for more news about Master. Luckily, we had a video in English and Czech, his native language, which he borrowed. Since then, he has phoned us and asked to learn more about Master and meditation.

  We ourselves learned a great deal from this event. For example, we found that interest in spirituality is not confined to spiritual fairs and expositions. Alhough we participated in a spiritual expo a few months ago, and will continue to do so, in fact we found that people's response to Master's teachings was even better at this community event. From now on, we will look for any community or cultural event that we can take part in.

  We also found that it is helpful to keep going back to the same event year after year to renew our contacts. For example, the woman at the CityFest's coffee kiosk remembered us from last year, so we were able to chat with her and give her a sample booklet. Furthermore, in a multi-ethnic city like Vancouver, it is good to have sample booklets in as many languages as possible.   

Members of our group were delighted to share their blessings with the people of Vancouver.

Several people who came by our table had already read the sample booklet. We hope that every person in Vancouver and the surrounding area will be able to see Master's picture, read the sample booklet if they choose, and have the chance to learn the Convenient Method or receive the blessing of initiation. We thank Master for this wonderful opportunity to share our love and God's blessings with our brothers and sisters in Vancouver, and hope to have more such opportunities in the future. We are especially looking forward to the summer, when we plan to participate in the many cultural events that will take place here.