Creating a Compassionate and Vegetarian Global Village

 

Spirits and Flowers Bloom Together
at the Philadelphia Flower Show

By the Pennsylvania News Group (Originally in English)

During the week of March 5 – 12, 2006, fellow initiates from Philadelphia, New Jersey and Maryland attended the Philadelphia Flower Show. This is the oldest annual flower show in the United States and is currently attended by over 250,000 people during the week it is held.

Fellow practitioners stood at each of the doors of the large hall where the event was held and passed out flyers as people came in and out of the exhibit. During the week, local Philadelphia initiates distributed the Alternative Living flyers. On the weekend, local initiates went to other areas so that those coming from farther away could distribute at the flower show.

Blessings were evident to all who distributed the Alternative Living flyers. One sister initiate reported that after one man looked at the flyer, he told her he felt it was a message from God. He had been trying to become a vegetarian but somehow still ate chicken and eggs. The moment he saw the flyer, he felt he really must become a pure vegetarian since he got this powerful message from God.

Another initiate said that she offered flyers to two friends who were walking together. One took the flyer but the other one refused to take it. They looked at the flyer together and crossed the street. To the practitioner’s surprise, both friends returned again a few minutes later. This time the second friend asked for a flyer. She said she realized after looking at it that the Alternative Living flyer is very good, so they turned around and waited for the traffic light to change again in order to return for the second flyer.

One lady said she had been searching for this kind of information for a long time already because she has diabetes. She said, “I came all the way here to get this flyer!”

Several initiates who went downtown to distribute flyers also found that people were very receptive. Nearly everyone accepted the flyer as it was being offered, many saying “Thank you” and studying it with interest as they walked away. One person even tapped the initiate on the shoulder, pointed to the flyer and said, “Can I have one of those, please?” Another person was reluctant at first to take the flyer. But after she read it, she looked up (toward Heaven) and said, “You were trying to give me exactly what I was asking for, and I almost pushed it away. Thank you, God!  Thank you so much.” She told the initiate that she had been longing to try the vegetarian diet and that this flyer was exactly what she needed.

On the last day of the Flower Show, fellow practitioners had a chance to leave early since the crowds were diminishing. But everyone decided to stay until the last minute. They felt that giving each flyer was like giving a precious jewel containing God’s love. All the sisters and brothers who participated feel thankful for the opportunity to join in such a noble endeavor that could be made possible only by Master.