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Seicho-No-Ie News

REV. AND MRS. MASANOBU TANIGUCHI’S VISIT TO AMAZON


JOY SPREADS

COMMEMORATIVE TREE PLANTING IN AMAZON

On August 3, Rev. and Mrs. Masanobu Taniguchi left Sao Paulo, where the Special Conference for World Peace was held, and went to Belem in the State of Para in the North to lecture at Public Lecture. Belem, located about 160 km from the equator, has a tropical climate with high temperature and humidity.

Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi visited the newly-built Amazonia Spiritual Training Center on the same day. They received a warm welcome with a gift of unusual fruits and other things. The President subsequently planted a young “ipe” tree, Brazil’s national tree at the front of the garden of the Center in commemoration of his visit. “Ipe” grows to bear flowers similar to cherry blossoms in three different colors— white, yellow and purple. Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi then visited the Belem Missionary Center.

On August 4, Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi went to see a restoration and virgin forests in the "Amazon Gunma Forest” owned by the Gunma Prefectural Association of Brazil. They each planted a young mahogany tree.


REV. TANIGUCHI PRESENTS HIS SKETCH TO THE BELEM MISSIONARY BRANCH

On the morning of August 5, the day after the Public Lecture, Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi went up and down the Amazon for two hours on an excursion steamer. They saw, with great interest, the magnificent river and a virgin forest which spreads to the river bank and took pictures.

From 7:00 p.m. Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi attended a welcome reception, which was held at the Hilton Hotel Belem by about 60 local leaders and followers.

Rev. Taniguchi addressed the attendees and expressed his gratitude that the Lecture Meeting of the previous evening drew more than 1,000 attendees and that all the programs went well, making it a wonderful day. He also blessed the attendees.

At the end of the reception, Rev. Taniguchi went forward again and announced that as a token of appreciation he wished to present the Belem Missionary Branch with the sketch, which he drew that day of the steamer anchored at the pier on the Amazon. There was a big, joyous applause.

Mr. Masakazu Shimizu, Chief of Para Missionary Branch (Japanese Language Group) remarked, “We are all deeply moved to receive the wonderful sketch drawn personally by the President. It is an unexpected and most memorable gift.”