Last Modified : 2011-08-30 6:31 am
Categories : News
For 18 days from 7th to 24th August, six students (leader: Mr. Takaharu Odo) of Tenri University Yoboku Association Australia Group visited Australia. Staying at the Oceania Centre as their base and engaging in various activities including door-to-door missionary work, they played an active role in conveying the teachings of Oyasama to as many people as possible from the local communities in Australia.
The Yoboku Association has a long history as a religious club of Tenri University. Since 1953 they have conducted missionary work at various places throughout Japan every summer, making use of the long summer vacation. This year they have conveyed the teachings through missionary work at Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan from 6th to 11th August. The association has also looked overseas since 1970, organised the ‘Overseas Missionary Group’, and conducted missionary activities mainly in Hong Kong until 2000.
The Australia group was first organised in 1999, and the twelfth group has visited us this year. Throughout these 12 years, a total of 68 students from the Yoboku Association have visited Australia so far. During their stay at the Centre, they sincerely conveyed the teachings of Oyasama to the local communities of Brisbane not only through door-to-door missionary work and cultural exchanges with such educational institutions and local facilities as primary and high schools, a university and a nursing home, but also through homestays. Then having successfully completed their schedule without mishap, they left for Jiba on the very early morning of 24th August.
The following is a report on their main schedule and activities.
- 7th Arrival in BNE, Orientation,
- Lecture, Welcome Party
- 8th Nioigake 1, 2, Discussion
- 9th Nioigake 3, 4, Discussion
- 10th Exchange at Junction Park State School
- Cultural tour 1
- 11th Nioigake 5, Hinokishin, Discussion
- 12th Exchange at Carindale Court Nursing Home
- Visit and stay at Taiten BNE Mission till 14th
- 14th Return from Taiten BNE Mission, Hinokishin
- 15th Exchange at MacGregor State High School
- 16th Exchange at Sunnybank Special School
- Exchange at Griffith Univ., Homestay till 18th
- 18th Hinokishin
- 19th Nioigake 6, Hinokishin, Discussion
- 20th Hinokishin, Service practice
- 21st TOC August Monthly Service
- Luncheon party inviting host families
- 22nd Cultural tour 2
- 22rd General cleaning, Thank-you party
- 24th Departure for Jiba
This year’s group consisted of six students: four boys and two girls. As four students among them major in Englsih, the group this year seemed to be much better at English than usual. In such a situation, we put ‘door-to-door missionary work’ as a direct method of missionary activities in the schedule as many as six times for the first time during their stay. Having prepared well to convey the teachings to others in English before they left Japan, all the members actively walked around to talk to those whom they visited without wasting a minute, which deeply impressed us. Since Oyasama might accept their spirited minds, all of them were able to administer the truth of the Sazuke, the Divine Grant, more than once. This made them feel very fulfilled and delighted. It is very significant that through engaging in door-to-door missionary work, each student experienced joy and wonderfulness in sprinkling the fragrance of the teachings, felt the difficulty in engaging in salvation work, and enhanced the willingness of missionary work in their future.
Furthermore, this year’s group looked more coherent as a group than those in the past, showing unity of mind throughout the period, which is the most important to engage in group activities. This is not completely unrelated to the fact that all the members could vigorously go through the entire period without getting sick or injured. Hereafter, it is important for each of them to consider how to utilise what they learned and experienced through their activities in Australia, and also how to keep in touch with people both whom they met and who took care of them during their stay for overseas mission in their future.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank those who warmly took good care of the students in such various programs as the fellowship stay and homestay, and earnestly hope that the Australia Group of the Yoboku Association, which has just completed its 12th tour, will plan more fruitful activities and take a continuous and steady step in the future, and thus will be a great power in the prosperity of the path in Australia as well as for world salvation.
