Combined Report

[Indonesia] During the two-day holiday of Mother's Day, the Jakarta Center prepared a series of activities. On Saturday, we first visited some destitute families, bringing them rice and vegetarian food. We also visited inhabitants of urban slum areas, where we planned to build simple public toilets to help improve local sanitary conditions.

On Sunday, celebrations were held at the Center. The program included a drawing contest for young initiates, a tai chi chuan (a Chinese Martial Art) performance, a children's chorus, and an interactive quiz. The program ended with a poetry recital and a sincere prayer for our beloved Master's good health and everlasting happiness. Another climax was reached after lunch, as a group of fellow brothers participated in a cooking contest! Although they were used to daily office work, they could also cook special cuisine, perhaps a little clumsily, as onlookers cheered them on. This series of activities ended successfully amid joy and laughter.

[Florida, U.S.A.] As part of the special events taking place around the world at various centers, fellow initiates from cities in Florida and the neighboring state of Georgia joyfully gathered at a place in the serene countryside of central Florida for a two-day retreat to celebrate the birthday of our beloved Master.

After the retreat, initiates enjoyed participating in a specially scheduled performance program. The excitement was then replaced by a touching moment when everyone sang Hallelujah, while silently praying for world peace and our Master's wellbeing. The following cake-cutting ceremony was full of fun and joy, helping to wrap up the retreat in a great spirit that will forever live in our hearts.

[New Jersey, U.S.A.] On May 12-13, over 250 fellow initiates from over 10 states joined the New Jersey Center's two-day Mother's Day retreat. Fellow initiates meditated at the Center's new Meditation Hall in the forest to enjoy Master's divine love and harmonize with nature. On the afternoon of the first day, a thunderstorm passed by and brought a timely end to the drought problem that the New Jersey area had been experiencing over the previous three weeks. The rain also gave us a cooling breeze in the hot weather.

The retreat ended at noon the next day, and then fellow practitioners, together with their relatives and friends, conveyed their best wishes to Master through various entertainment programs. After the performances, a garden party featuring delicious vegetarian food, which had been long awaited by many, finally began. All participating fellow initiates thanked Master for reminding us of our Inner Wisdom through the retreat, and letting us share the joy of spiritual growth with other members of the Quan Yin family.