Heritage Gateways

Osamu Sekiguchi Journals

May 4, 1997

Location: Grand Island (Sturh Museum), Nebraska - Location: 40:55:30N 98:20:30W Elevation: 1864 feet

Summary: Sunday, May 4, 1997 (Clear Day) Grand Island, Nebraska

Journal entry: [Translated by Hajime Nakagawa]

We don't travel on Sundays. We have a breakfast around seven o'clock which is later than usual, then we take the sacrament at ten o'clock under the auspices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We sing hymns, pray, and listen to speakers. It is quite pleasant to have sacrament in the open air. I can't understand the talks, but it is good for us to spend time singing and falling into a doze on the grass. My children are quiet. They are reading books or lying on the grass during the Sacrament Meeting. Other families are relaxed, too.

Today, about 700 people attended the Sacrament Meeting. As I saw these American people gathered together and thanking God, I felt a part of American powers which came from Christianity. It was different from our Buddhist faith. We don't thank God daily. Americans, who thank God daily, might be enriched spiritually more than the Japanese I know. Many Japanese are Buddhists, but they are more like non-religious people spiritually. This Sunday passed while I meditated about it.