Attracted by ISTS-(2)

■Bright and Cheerful companions

Come to think of it, the reason I couldn't sleep on the airplane and had a headache was that we were given first class seats because of airline's convenience. Surprisingly it cost only about 300$. This led me feel excited too much. What a shame!

When I went out of the airport, the beautiful blue sky was overwhelming. The sunbeams were strong enough for me feel summer, despite it was February. The temperature seemed over 30 degree centigrade, though, it was comfortable for me due to the breeze and dry air.

The seminar began in the evening. What surprised me at first was that people there were so cheerful and bright. When a lecturer asked "Are you happy?" they promptly answered "Yes! I am happy!" This kind of response made me feel crisp. They also expressed their joy as much as they wanted.

But what embarrassed me was that everyone hugged each other from the first day, without distinction of age or sex, as greeting. However, I was getting accustomed to this habit and become not to mind quite soon.

As all lectures were delivered in English, I could, even if not completely, understand them. When I listened to a lecture teaching our organization's main concept, "A man is a child of God and perfect," I felt relaxed even if it was delivered in English. This amazed me a lot. I felt SNI has been desperately accepted, transcending nationality, race and language.

As I had been suffering from headache during the lectures, the first days was over before I knew it. I got a good night rest. When I waked up next morning, my headache disappeared completely!

In the seminar, there is usually a time when participants can express their impressions of SNI, and how they have applied SNI teaching in their everyday life and improved their life. I was selected as a presenter and presented my testimony in English for the first time on the second day. I wrote the draft before I left Japan and had it checked out by one of my colleagues, a fluent English speaker. As the time for my presentation drew near, I became very anxious. But when I was on the podium, in the midst of audience who emanated warm atmosphere, I found that I could speak unbelievably well. After the presentation, some participants spoke well of the presentation. It really pleased me.
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