| Panorama of Events
USA
Missouri
A
Big Step Forward
With the support of Indiana, Kentucky, Baltimore, New Jersey and Rhode Island Centers, Missouri Center participated in the Route 66 Summer Fest in Rolla, Missouri, on June 2 and 3, Golden Year 3 (2006). Missouri is located in the middle of nowhere and everywhere, and has always been rather conservative. Therefore even in this 21st century, some have never heard of vegetarianism. To introduce this concept, we offered the public a variety of easy-to-make delicious vegetarian foods, and we wore T-shirts with Alternative Living messages printed on them. 
Vegetarian food samples caught the attention of many people. They were very surprised at how good everything was. Some even came back for more, bringing with them friends and relatives, encouraging them to try also. Recipes of all the foods were provided upon request. Initiates also took this opportunity to pass out Alternative Living flyers and to introduce Master’s TV programs to people during the Fest. Amazingly, many people said that they knew of our beloved Master and had attended our seminars before. Some took time to ask spiritual questions. On one occasion, three teenage boys stopped by our booth. Not completely convinced that vegetarian foods would be tasty, one boy decided to give them a try. To everyone’s surprise, he loved them and told his two friends that they should have some, too. The three boys then stood in front of our booth for a while, sampling every single item that we had. Before they left, they all took recipes with them Some time later, a group of teenage girls stopped and tried our vegetarian food. One of them was so happy and excited; she told us that she is a vegetarian but does not have many opportunities to eat out. At another time, a couple from St. Louis came by and bought quite a number of the vegetarian foods. While eating, they told initiates that they wished to see a vegetarian restaurant opened up in Rolla. They were very thankful for having the chance to eat such delicious food. Furthermore, one gentleman also enjoyed our food so much that he ate almost every item we had at the booth. While eating, he sat down and enjoyed watching Master’s lecture. He actually stayed with us for over two hours and reluctantly left even when initiates closed the booth at around 11:30 pm. To our amazement on the Saturday morning, when initiates were setting up, there were people already lined up and waiting for the tasty vegetarian delicacies. One initiate curiously asked them how they knew what kind of food we had since the menu was not yet posted. They said they had tried our food last night and liked it very much or they had heard from their friends who had bravely tasted the vegetarian food the day before. One woman told initiates that her doctor told her to eat less meat and lots of vegetables due to her medical condition. When she knew our food was all vegetarian, she bought a lot. Indeed, many people came back several times to buy from us. On the Saturday, initiates also set up a display of Master’s publications, photos, pictures and lamps. One gentleman who came had a lengthy conversation with a sister initiate about his wondering spiritual journey with different teachers, his thoughts and frustrations on this human life. Being a young westerner, he seemed to be a Christian, but showed great respect for Lao-Tzu because he believed there is a truth in his teachings. The sister prayed to Master to help her respond to the man in a way that would be meaningful for him. She then explained to him that Supreme Master Ching Hai said that Jesus, Lao-Tzu and Confucius were all enlightened masters and taught the same truth when they lived in this world. The wisdom of our beloved Master seemed very convincing to him. He was very happy to know a little of Her teachings, and asked whether there was any contact information he could have for any future seminars. Even though the initiates had participated
in this festival last year, there were many more people interested
in vegetarianism and Master’s spiritual teachings this year.
It is indeed a big step forward for Rolla, Missouri.
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