I would like to share with you some positive changes that I experienced after I joined the Food Arrangement Divine Service Team.
When I took over the Team Leader position from previous person in charge, Mr. Paul, I was anxious because I thought the only reason the center chose me was that I was a doshi (Divine Light Minister) before, so I accepted the offer on a temporary basis until the center could assign someone else. To be honest, I didn’t really think I could perform as well as Mr. Paul because he seemed to be an extremely dedicated and caring member. On the other hand, being Japanese I have a complex with my English skills, so I was extra nervous at first. What’s more, I am extremely obsessive about what people think of me and what I say, and I easily get nervous and uncomfortable. So I thought, “I am not good at being around people.” However, I soon found that communicating with others during the service work was fun. The team is still new and the service work is a once per month occasion, so I thought it would be difficult for the members to memorize the specific how-to’s of each of the rituals, but, I concentrated all my efforts on the service work in order to conduct my work without problems and so the members could remember the proper way. I no longer feel any discomfort or fear at all when I talked to them.
In addition, after the divine service, almost every month I was told “Your aura looks very bright,” and “You look very happy. Did something good happened to you today?” or “I do not know what it is, but have you changed?” by the people who visited center with me. I believe my spirit was cleansed by Su-God’s Divine Light while we were working on the Food Arrangement because we were working close to the Divine altar. After this realization, I feel more joy and gratitude to be able to participate in the Food Arrangement service work.
Regarding the team, there were only a few people who could participate in the Divine Service on a regular basis, so the team needed the Language Training Doshi’s help every month when I first started. But recently, the number of volunteer members has increased and their attendance has stabilized. Now, as a team, we can conduct the divine service work even without the assistance of the doshi’s.
When I was a doshi assigned to Yoko College for a year, at the training section at Headquarters, one of my tasks was teaching doshi trainees proper etiquette and giving demonstrations. Unlike at Yoko College, some team members in Irvine center are so new that they have little experience in handling the equipment that belongs to the divine altar, so I had to think hard to figure out the best way to explain it to them every month. In fact, this opportunity was quite motivating. Each individual member is very creative and unique. I am also learning from them. There are still so many things to explain, but my final objective is to share with the team everything I know and everything I have learned at Su-za so that each one of them can have the knowledge to be able to one day conduct the service work as a chief.
One more thing that I am grateful for is my wonderful husband Mike. He used to say “No” to participating in the Monthly Ceremony before, even though I begged him to go a few weeks in advance. But soon made the effort to attend and serve as Emcee at every Monthly Ceremony after I joined the Food Arrangement. We need to take separate cars to get to the center on Monthly Ceremony Day because I have Food Arrangement (installation) in the morning, but he still comes to the center by himself. It was like a dream to have both of us there at the Monthly Ceremony. My dream came true. I am so thankful. I also realized the importance of prayer and practice. I strongly believe that practicing Food Arrangement Service work definitely affected our family’s spiritual level in a positive way.
I would like to keep up my best effort to fulfill my assignment and objective, and spread the testimony of this fabulous divine service work as much as I can so that many people can participate. Thank you very much.
– Yoko Moro