and result in actions that bring everyone together.

and gave us back a sense of community and a sense of belonging.Gardena Buddhist Church was also forced to close temporarily during World War II.

and the thoughtfulness and kindness of many more.A Tradition of Service and CommunitySince its inception.and participate annually in the Little Tokyo Services Ripple Effect: Walk for Suicide Prevention.

exemplify the kindness and strength of the Gardena Bud-dhist Church Sangha.the Japanese Lan-guage School was established.

hundreds of thousands were evacuated.

a prominent church member paid the back taxes.Ive been involved in events with Mitsuhiro Sensei at places like the Fukuoka Kenjinkai.

I learned so much from them — its impossible to name them all.and the energy Ive received from the local community has been incredibly meaningful.

Q: Were there other opportunities to engage with traditional Japanese culture in your household?A: Yes.That realization struck me deeply.