Tenrikyo Pearl Church Serving the community in spirited Hinokishin.

BGA Leadership Camp and Annual New Year Park Cleanup & BBQ Picnic

Dear Members and Friends,
Thank you to all of you for coming out to help at the leadership camp and park cleanup. From Pearl Church there was one participant at the camp and eight at the park cleanup

The leadership camp and park cleanup was blessed with 8 participants including 5 girls and 3 boys of which 2 were first timers. There was a good mixture of experienced and beginner participants which enhanced the camp for all involved. The experienced campers helped out the first timers and newer leaders.

We would like to thank leadership workshop conductors Ms. Jennifer Kakitani (communication skills) and Mr. David Inouye (teamwork & general leadership skills) for conducting their workshops. The workshops provided opportunities for leaders to develop their skills as well as fine tune some skills. With different workshop conductors from previous camps, the leaders were exposed to different styles and different outlooks. Thank you Jennifer and David!

Also special thanks to Lt. Matthew Matsuoka for inviting us for a tour of the Barbers Point Coast Guard station in which camp participants got to see actual rescue equipment such as helicopters and planes first hand and up close. They also saw a video of rescue operations. Lt. Matsuoka, a helicopter pilot, said that Tenrikyo played a big role in his life especially in joining the Coast Guard, where he could literally "save people".

The Moiliili Stadium Park Cleanup and BBQ picnic went without a hitch with an estimated 70 participants. There were some new faces in among the participants and as always, is so hopeful to see small toddlers, working so hard to clean the park. A lot of white and man made trash littered the park and you could tell what a big difference we made in beautifying the park. It was a good time to reconnect with members of other affiliations. Thank you to the YMA for setting up the canopies, tables, chairs and help with the BBQing!

Sincerely,
Rev. Owen Nakao