2005 International Fellowship Committee and Website Reports

Website

Earlier this year we were able to get a polylingual search engine operational on the website -- thanks to help from Barry Clark.  We now provide full search capabilities for The Urantia Book translations in English, Russian, Spanish, Lithuanian, French, Dutch, Croatian, and Korean. We will continue to provide full search services for all translations as they come online. 

Over the past 6 months work on the website has slowed substantially with the proliferation of committees appointed to look into various aspects of the website.  At present there is a web oversight committee, a technical review committee, two different database review committees, a privacy policy committee, and a new content committee.  Are we having fun yet?  Are we becoming efficient?  Virtually all work related to ongoing technical development has stopped as the website continues its slow death by committee.

The server which I was setting up to handle administrative communications and data services has been shut down.  The upgrading of our internal email list software has been suspended along with the installation of a community calendar to which members of the Executive Committee and other administrative personnel could link private calendars.  Database development is suspended as is the deployment of e-newsletter software and services.  Also suspended with the shutting down of this server is the deployment of chat software -- chat being used extensively for Urantia communications in Latin America.

I have had concerns for the past several years that it was not good for the organization to have only one person familiar with the many different aspects of our IT services.  I have created a detailed document which contains information about accounts, passwords, people who provide technical support for the various software applications which we use, as well as detailed information about how the website is structured and maintained.  At present Larry Watkins, Steve Dreier, and Michael Challis have access to this information.  I will be updating it from time to time and providing them with copies of the updated information.  A weak point in the system is the ability for other individuals to restore any aspect of the system from backups.  Putting into place a procedure for this and testing it should be a priority.

While technical work is on hold I have been focusing on content, slowly getting additional materials from print collections digitized and published on the website. Because of the growing hiatus on the English website, I am moving my efforts to the renovation of Spanish sites -- we have the regular Spanish site which is being redesigned as well as a new site coming online for the Bogota School for Students of The Urantia Book.  When present work is completed both sites will be linked by the Spanish translation of the text along with an index created by a reader who is a professor of philosophy at the University of Mexico.  There will also be cross-links to the Spanish translation of Bill Sadler's "Study of the Master Universe" which was completed by readers in Bogota, Colombia, and other translated study materials.

We either must limit our deployment of information technologies to the skill sets of our volunteers or we must hire professionals to take care of this aspect of our business operations.  For example, we can have the best database system in the world but if the people who need to use it are not confortable with basic database operations it will not be of much use.  It is similar to our accounting function -- we have professionals who take care of the organization's accounting, IRS reporting, and related work; there are many reasons why we do not farm this out to volunteers.  If volunteers, officers, or other individuals need specific information related to accounting, they can go to these professionals and get the information they need.  The same is true of the organization's IT needs, particularly in the area of database administration.

If we are going to build the foundations for an organization that is international in scope and depends on a variety of technical programs for organizational support, we need to divest ourselves of the delusion that we can simply do this with volunteers drawn from the readership of The Urantia Book.  We need to hire trained professionals and should immediately begin to include this in long term financial and organizational planning.  We have an immediate need for a database administrator and we are spending a great deal of administrative time and money compensating for our failure to take action on this matter.

A few thoughts about committees

It would be helpful if the organization developed a more integrated approach to using committees as well as supporting the work of creative individuals.  There are places where a committee is very important -- such as in decisions about how donated funds should be used.  There are places where the work of creative individuals would be destroyed by a committee, such as the work done by Agustin and Algimantas. 

Professional input and experience is also needed within committees.  Everyone has personal opinions about how things might be managed effectively but unless we have people with actual real world experience or consult with professionals, we can do no more than guide the organization with the opinions of individuals who can talk the most persuasively or wield the most political power.

One of the greatest needs for outside consultation is in the marketing and positioning of The Urantia Book.  There are considerable implications here for outreach, marketing, website, and many other aspects of our business.  We have no reliable, workable information about target markets.  Mo has probably done more work on this issue than anyone else and would be a good person to include in such a discussion.  Mo's work, as well as the data which I've developed from website traffic over the years and experience which we've had with outreach clearly indicates that Jesus is the central element that we should be promoting if we want to attract more readers and participation.  However, this information immediately conflicts with strong prejudices and fears within our organization.  Until we come to terms with the central place of Jesus in the revelation and begin promoting The Urantia Book accordingly we are likely to continue having mediocre results.  Said Jesus, "And now I declare to you that I, if I be lifted up on earth and in your lives, will draw all men to myself and into the fellowship of my Father."  Who is going to lift him up for the world to see if not us?

Our constitution says that we are to be about the business of promoting a religion.  If this is not the religion of Jesus I would like to hear an articulation of just what the nature of this religion might be.  If it is the religion of Jesus, we have a lot of work to do.

International Fellowship

I would like to start this report by mentioning Susan Ransbottom, without whom much of the work we're doing to interface with readers in Latin America would not be possible.  She is a seemingly tireless worker, taking care of lots of annoying, nitty-gritty details.

I also want to welcome Buck and Arlene Weimer into participation with the international working group.  They have attended several conferences in Latin America and are interested in working in this area.  Buck's report on the Mazatlan conference is attached.

Special thanks are also due to Dolores Nice who led a spiritual retreat in conjunction with the Mazatlan conference.  This was a first and I hope it won't be the last.  Such a program provides stimulation for attendees and it also provides an example of something which others can do as well.  It is important that we address issues of the spiritual life as well as issues related to the content of The Urantia Book. 

The scope of international work extends far beyond the International Fellowship Committee.  People such as Agustin Arellano, Nelida Oliver, Algimantas Jokubenas, Norman Ingram, JJ Johnson, Chita, Namukale, Moussa, and others are aggressively managing their own outreach efforts.  The work of the Fellowship should be the increasing support and coordination of the work being done by such individuals.

I am including with my report additional reports by individuals working in specific areas of the international effort.  The trend is toward the deployment of more individuals and to the assigning of specific individuals or groups to particular parts of the world.

Lithuanian Book Fair

Early this year the Fellowship supported a presence at the Lithuanian Book Fair in Vilnius.  This took place just as the Lithuanian translation was becoming available and constituted something of an introduction of the book. Algimantas Jokubenas managed a booth with the help of readers from Vilnius and Kaunas.  Algimantas reported a very good experience and was particularly encouraged by the number of interested youth.

Lithuanian Photo Exhibition

This summer Svetlana Braziene and I put on an exhibition of photographs in a Vilnius gallery.  The exhibition was titled, "Metaphors of the Urantian Soul." 
We provided information on The Urantia Book and the website address of the Lithuanian readers.  As a result of this exhibition we got some media exposure for the book and interested a number of people enough for them to purchase copies.  This was experimental but is an approach to outreach which could be further developed.   

Costa Rica and Ecuador

We participated in conferences in Costa Rica and in Ecuador earlier this year. 

Participating were Agustin Arellano, David Kantor, Svetlana Braziene, Susan Ransbottom, Dulce Aguirre, and Angelica Talamantes. 

The logistics for these trips are getting more complex each year and we could do a lot more if we had support from within the organization.  At present we are doing everything related to the execution of these trips.  In addition to the presentations we prepare, there is designing and printing up business cards, creating and printing literature for distribution, creating and mass-producing CDs, ordering and carrying books, etc.  Our media interviewers have always been gracious enough to ask us to provide the questions for the interview.  So our presentations also become the source of questions for interviews.  We also took a quantity of Harry's books and about 50 of the gold concentric circle pins which had been provided as a gift by the readers in Rio de Janeiro.

We could greatly expand the scope of what we are doing if some of our other committees were involved and we were working our committees in a more integrated manner.  For example, in the future publications might want to be involved in the production of introductory literature in other languages.  Education might want to be involved in the production of CDs and secondary works.  Paula and I have already begun to converse about areas in which Outreach and International might work more efficiently in an integrated way.

Local logistics in Costa Rica were taken care of by Agustin Arellano working with Dr. Raphael Arias, who lives in Cartago.  He made available to us a very nice meeting room in the offices of the National College of Medicine.  The parklike grounds complete with a swimming pool and exotic plants constituted a pleasant refuge in the dirty chaos of San Jose. 

We were met by readers upon our arrival and taken to a restaurant where we had dinner and then a long time of conversation.  Dr. Arias and his wife, Nidia, have the most amazing family I have ever encountered.  He is a physician.  Their oldest daughter is also a physician and their son is in medical school.  They all live and work together as a family.  They operate "Clinica Jerusem" in San Jose, a general medical practice.  Their waiting rooms and patient exam rooms have nicely presented quotes from The Urantia Book on the walls.  The entire family reads the book.  Their family, living together, includes Dr. Arias' 80 year old invalid mother as well as a new baby belonging to one of their daughters and her husband.  They have regular family meetings to discuss patients, the business of their clinic, and the management of their home.  Nidia is also a talented artist.  They have attended conferences in Rio de Janeiro and Guatemala City (at their own expense) and, with their study group, have created a legal entity (similar to our 501(c)3 organizations) with which to conduct their Urantia work in Costa Rica.

Approximately 35 people attended the first day of the conference.  In addition, Agustin had phone conferences with readers in Panama, Nicaragua, and El Salvador who were unable to attend.  Agustin and I both gave introductory presentations about The Urantia Book.  There was a great deal of audience interaction, lots of questions and lots of discussion.  I take this as a sign of success.

There were two Protestant ministers in the audience who use the book in their preaching in San Jose churches. 

The second day of the conference also saw about 35 people in attendance.  We estimate that over the course of the two days about 40 separate individuals attended.  Dulce, Angelica, and Dr. Arias all made presentations on the second day which were followed by lengthy periods of discussion and question answering. 

The last day we finished with a lunch at a restaurant where one of the long-time readers played piano.  From there we went to the home of one of the readers up on a hillside with a beautiful view of the central vally in which San Jose is located.  We ended up with commitments for seven new study groups, three of which are in the San Jose area with the remaining four located around the country.  This was the first time that many of the attendees had met with other readers.  There was a good level of enthusiasm.  Followup will be done by Dr. Arias and Agustin.

San Jose is a real pit.  We stayed in an inexpensive hotel downtown to save money ($45.00 per night double occupancy with breakfast included) but it was perhaps not the best choice.  The first night we were there we were visiting in the lobby with Dr. Arias and his family and we looked out the window to see someone forcing open the door of his car and making off with his CD player.  A few nights later Agustin was assaulted on the street a few blocks away and relieved of his cell phone.  But the whole city is fairly rough -- everyone lives behind heavily barred windows and doors.  In Ecuador we opted for a better hotel in a better neighborhood.

Tens of thousands of refugees have come into Costa Rica from neighboring Nicaragua to escape the dire living circumstances in that country.  Crime and unemployment rates are very high.  Noise, heavy traffic, fumes, crime, poverty, poor roads, deteriorating infrastructure, and ecological devastation combine to create a very challenging environment.   But this is the case in most large Central and South American cities. 

Prior to leaving for Ecuador on Wednesday we spent time preparing questions for radio interviewers.  We were also given a delightful tour of the Costa Rican countryside including a trip to the top of one of the volcanoes by Dr. Arias' wife and one of his daughters.

Our flight from Costa Rica to Ecuador consumed an entire day.  We were able to save $120.00 per ticket by first going back to Miami and then to Guayaquil.  Agustin had managed to find a cheap direct flight and went directly to Guayaquil.  When he arrived at the hotel about 3:00 PM there was a group of readers waiting for him.  He sat with them in the lobby answering questions until after 10:00 PM.  We have found this to be fairly typical when we travel -- we are often met by groups of readers who want to sit and talk about the book and they will stay engaged for hours.  This is always difficult after a long flight but may be one of the most important aspects of our trips.

On Thursday Agustin, Susan and I did our first radio program -- 1 1/2 hours in length.  It was all interview done from questions we had prepared but it was still challenging. 

We have been able to get easy access to the mass media in South America.  When someone comes from outside the country to present at a conference or meeting, it is a fairly big deal and we can get good publicity on radio, television, and newspapers.  Three years ago Agustin and I were interviewed by a Catholic priest on the Franciscan radio network.  Today the priest who conducted the interview hosts a regular study group in his home.  In Quito there are three Catholic priests and two monks from a local monastery who participate in a study group.

Towards the end of the Thursday program a woman called into the station to thank them for broadcasting the program.  She had been a reader for many years and thought she was the only person in the world reading the book.  She had talked with many of her neighbors about the book but they apparently thought she was a little wacky.  Then some of her neighbors heard the broadcast and called her on the phone telling her that someone was talking about her book on the radio.  She was thrilled and indicated that she would be attending the conference along with some of her neighbors. 

On Friday we did two more radio interviews.  (These three interviews were at radio stations serving three distinctly different markets)  We had a television taping scheduled but camera problems forced the postponement of the taping until Monday.  Unfortunately we were all leaving on Monday so we lost this opportunity.

On Friday newspaper articles appeared about the conference as well as a large paid ad which the local readers took out. 

All of this in Guayaquil was coordinated by Nelida Oliver.  Nelida is a remarkable woman who has been a reader for many years.  She is an excellent organizer and works on a par with Agustin in the southern continent -- an extremely valuable worker.  She spends part of the year in Argentina (sharing the care of her elderly mother with her sister) and part of the year in Ecuador where she maintains a home and where her children live. 

On Friday we had hired a van and a driver to take us to our appointments and to give us a bit of a tour of the city of Guayaquil.  The driver turned out to be a highly educated former Catholic priest who had left the priesthood to marry and have a family.  He was immediately intrigued by our conversations and we ended up giving him a book.  He was very drawn to the book and in fact spent most of our lunch break reading instead of eating.

Friday night we had a planning session in the home of Nelida Oliver.  Her core study groups in the Guayaquil area consist of about 20 dedicated readers.  These folks met to discuss how to work the audience at the conference.  As there had been considerable promotional work done, it was anticipated that a number of new readers and interested public would attend.  The plan was for a public introductory meeting on Saturday and then a meeting on Sunday for more experienced readers with presentations on topics of iterest to more experienced readers.  We also worked on the initial planning for the 2006 Conference of the Three Americas which will take place in Guayaquil.  (This year it is in Mazatlan, Mexico).  The experienced readers were to try and interest new persons in reading the book and in addition were to try and encourage anyone who was already a reader to get involved in or start a study group.  Following the meeting, tacos were cooked under the capable direction of chef Agustin. 

On Saturday nearly 100 people showed up for the meeting, about 80 of whom were new to the book and had come as a result of the promotional efforts. There was excellent discussion following the presentations.  Agustin's knowledge covers such a broad range of religious perspectives that he is excellent in question and answer sessions.  (Agustin is presently working on his Master's thesis in psychology titled, "Urantia Book Study Groups as a Gestalt for Spiritual Development".  He intends to begin Doctoral work in the fall and has been approved for work on this same topic.)

We were looking forward to the conference session on Sunday and having time with local readers.  But most of the people from Saturday came back.  We had to bring in more chairs because we had more people on Sunday than on Saturday. That night we stayed for a long time after the last session answering questions and participating in conversations until the janitors ran us out of the building. 

Urantia Foundation representative in Ecuador, Rodrigo Miño, came with his wife both days.  On Sunday I had a long and very productive conversation with him.  In the past he has been very disruptive of our efforts to the point of standing up and telling the audience that we were conducting an unofficial meetinga and that he was the official representative of Urantia Foundation and if they wanted any information they should talk with him.  But this time he was very quiet.  I had a long and very meaningful discussion with him and in leaving he assured me that he wanted to work with Nelida to foster groups in the area and that he was interested in working with her in planning the 2006 Conference of the Three Americas.

We finally returned to our hotel and then sat late into the night discussing strategies for further work in Latin America as well as some planning issues related to the Mazatlan conference in May of this year.  As a result of discussions at the conference seven readers pledged to start study groups in the Guayaquil area.  At the conference was a couple from the Lesser Antilles who said there were many readers in the islands.  I don't know what they meant by "many" . . .

We were pretty exhausted by the end of this trip and were glad to get to the airport on Monday morning and begin our journey home.  Svetlana video recorded the meetings and we will eventually have a condensed version on DVD that we can share.  We are collecting video recordings from all international groups we visit so that we can create DVDs which allow these groups to see more of what is happening around the world.

Lithuania

The study group in Vilnius this year celebrated their 10th year as a study group.  It is also the year in which they received the printed text of their translation.  For me it has been a very interesting journey with the readers here in Vilnius.  I participated in the first public presentation of The Urantia Book in Lithuaia back in 1993.  Since then I have watched the formation of study groups, the development of a translation, the publication of the translation, and now the more public promotion of the book.  It has been a blessing to participate in various steps of this process and I have come to know many wonderful people as a result. 

The third Lithuanian National Conference was held early this summer at Moletai.  Some 30 people attended over the course of the weekend.  This was the first conference at which  readers had their own books.  Photos from this conference are available on the Lithuanian website at http://www.urantija.lt.

In addition to books purchased by members of the existing Lithuanian study groups, this summer I was able to place an additional 2 cases of Lithuanian books, 2 cases of Russian books, and a few English editions.  I have maintained contact with the leaders of some of the metaphysical groups who attended our first meeting in Vilnius in 1993 (but who do not participate in Lithuanian Urantia activities) and a number of them have expressed interest in the book. 

A significant outreach effort was mounted in Lithuania this summer by Algimantas Jokubenas, who made a tour of all the major cities in Lithuania for purposes of introducing the book.  A copy of his report is attached.

Visiting a reader in Palestine

I recenty spent a week in Israel with two objectives -- to meet and visit with Maher in Bethlehem and to look into getting JANR into distribution in Jerusalem.

We were able to spend two days with Maher and had a wonderful time.  He is a very warm and serious young man and I have high hopes for his long-term service to the revelation.  He has been asked to leave his church because of his reading in The Urantia Book and was jailed for a time by the Palestinian Authority until they were satisfied that he was not trying to start a new movement of some sort.  This is only the tip of the iceberg -- his situation is very difficult and we should be remembering him and his family in our prayers. 

Just getting to Bethlehem is an ordeal.  Normally only a 20 minute drive from Jerusalem it can now take three or four hours due to military checkpoints and roadblocks.  The first day we took a Jewish bus.  Getting into the bus station was like going through security at an airport.  The bus had a double set of bullet-proof windows bolted to the outside of the bus and a nice man sitting in the first seat with an uzi, a bullet-proof vest, and a curly wire coming out of his ear. 

But the Jewish bus ends its route at a military checkpoint about 5 kilometers from downtown Bethlehem which left us with some walking and finally an Arab taxi ride.

The second day we took an Arab bus, but were stopped by military police -- 3 soldiers with uzis and pistols boarded the bus and required everyone to give up their passports.  We waited by the side of the road for almost an hour while the police checked all the passports.  When we were pulled over a large military truck pulled in front of the bus, and two military police cars pulled up behind the bus, blocking any movement.  The driver told me he has been stopped like this as many as 5 times on one trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.  The Arab bus also could not proceed past a particular checkpoint but this was closer to Bethlehem and it was easy to get a cab. (It is not possible for Maher or any other young Arab to cross through the checkpoints into Israel proper). 

I spent time giving Maher a review of the book -- his English enables him to read Part IV very easily but the vocabulary in the first three parts of the book is more difficult.  I also travel with a photo album containing pictures of Urantia activity in many parts of the world.  Readers who have been isolated from other groups really like this -- I also have a PowerPoint presentation containing much of the same material which I use with larger groups.

I feel it is very important to make contact with isolated readers such as Maher.  With no social reinforcement he has endured some great difficulty due to his interest in the book.  He is not the only one.  Two young women in a Muslim country were recently threatened with rape and imprisonment for their Urantia activities.  But they have not stopped trying to interest others in their villages in reading the book.  It is important that we work to knit these isolated readers and groups into a social network of readers in other countries.  I would be happy to see The Urantia Book spread as a grass-roots effort from many places in the world simultaneously rather than spread from one geographic or cultural source.  We also need very good introductory materials and we need materials which describe the book and our movement in ways which will not be threatening to governments in areas of the world which are relatively unstable -- and these materials need to be translated into as many or more languages than those in which the book is available. 

Budget Issues

Expenditures by the International Committee are evolving toward the support of ongoing programs such as book distribution, conference support, and translation of study aids.  There are difficulties involved with the IC conferences -- in IC conference years substantial portions of the IFC budget get consumed by the conference.  We are then unable to fund programs during IC years which we are trying to sustain long enough to get them to be self-supporting.  It would be helpful if we could carry funds from our budgets from one year to the next.  Then it would be possible, for example, to allocate 20% of the budget each year to an IC fund.  Every third year this would be the amount available to support IC conference activities and we could do a better job of planning continuity for ongoing programs.

Fellowship International budget falls far short of providing funds to support rapidly growing needs and opportunities.  As other groups and individuals pick up the slack we lose the ability to coordinate efforts and make efficient use of the total pool of resouces.  The upside is that we have an emerging decentralized outreach effort which may be a good thing.

In addition to budget items there is a need for a "petty cash" category for miscellaneous expenses encountered in the course of our work.  For example, in Lithuania it costs $65.00 to fill the gas tank in a car (close to $5.00 per gallon).  Visits to distant cities are possible but the costs for gas are almost like buying an airplane ticket.  There also seem to be an endless string of expenses for food for various groups, visitors, and working sessions.  At present these are out-of-pocket expenses but are growing to the point where they should have a budget category.

As more translations come online there is a growing need for well-written introductory materials.  In my experience, new readers are looking most for answers to questions about Jesus.  Introductions need to be constructed relative to knowledge that people already have.  If you start out by talking about seven superuniverses, master spirits, and outer space levels, you lose them quickly.  If you start out talking about the religion of Jesus, you engage their interest immediately -- "What was Jesus' personal religion?"  Even though the book repeatedly tells us that it is the gospel of the kingdom which needs to be proclaimed, we still make brochures which show diagrams of superuniverses and talk in vague philosophic terms so that we don't offend anyone who might have an aversion to talking about Jesus. 

Other international efforts include the recent trip to Cuba and JJ Johnson's work in Rangoon.  Good information on these efforts is not presently available.

A final note is a mention of Ken Reviells's chart on notable events in the life of Jesus.  This has been translated into Spanish and the charts have been received from the printer.  These will be for sale and for complimentary distribution to Spanish readers.  Thank you, Ken!  Ken's group also continues to support the work of readers in Pakistan.

Report by Buck Weimer on 2005 Mazatlan Conference

Hello to all:

The biggest culture adjustment when visiting Mexico is time perspective. North Americans tend to be exact, almost rigid, when making appointed times. In Mexico, when someone say “I’ll see you around 6:00 o’clock for dinner.” It’s a good bet you’ll be eating around 8:00 or 8:30 PM.

Arlene & I attended the 5th National Mexican Conference (also billed as the 3rd International “Conference of the Three Americas”) held in Mazatlan, Mexico from May 23rd thru May 29th.

The theme of “The Paradise Trinity” was chosen by local student of El Libro de Urantia, and sponsored by Groups Orvonton, A.C. lead by Augustine Arellano. The conference was held at the El Cid Hotel in the “Zona Dorado” beach area of Mazatlan, and began with Dolores Nice (a cross-culture/bi-lingual sister) leading us in prayer and meditation.

In a retreat-like atmosphere, she skillfully guided us through a sharing of how the life and teaching of Jesus changed our lives. Next we traveled by boat to a conference hall on the peninsula of the El Cid Hotel complex for a topical presentation, and a sunset prayer/meditation. The return boat trip was after dark, and an adventure most of us will keep tucked away as an eternal chuckle.

The remaining days continued the pattern of study and relaxation – work and play. With advanced power-point skills, the material presented was both enlightening and impressive. We especially enjoyed the power-point presentations of Nelida Oliver from Ecuador, and appreciated the tireless translation work of Augustine and Susan Ransbottom.

It was a small gathering of 15 + courageous souls. But the smallness of the group worked to our advantage because we came to know everyone by their first name and developed an intimate relationship with each person. On several occasions, we had spontaneous study group sessions with each person reading in their native language; alternating between Spanish and English (and even a little French thrown around). It was one of the highlights of the conference for us.

Another advantage of developing friendships with Mazatlan natives was seeing the city from their perspective. We visited a beautiful Cathedral, the central market, and had tea in the shade of a tree at a local restaurant. And who will ever forget the atmosphere at the open-air eatery while devouring the “vampire tacos” and guacamole dip, the night lights from atop the highest hill at the south end of town, or the shell vendors at the people’s beach at “the end of Mazatlan”?

In all, it was a wonderfully enriching experience for us, an exercise in brotherhood/sisterhood; perhaps even an example of the socialization we do on the Mansion Worlds to learn tolerance and to love those so unlike ourselves.

 Language difference need not be a barrier to communicating and connecting with each other. Language differences do present difficulties, but as Morontia Mota teaches: “Difficulties may challenge mediocrity and defeat the fearful, but they only stimulate the true children of the Most Highs.”

Differences aside, we experienced the unity as faith children of God. So now, when someone says: “I’ll see you around 6:00.” I’m not disappointed if they show up at 7:00, or 8:00, or…

Hasta Enternidad, Buck & Arlene Weimer Pueblo, CO USA

P.S. Nelida and the study groups in Ecuador and the study groups of Pueblo have agreed to become companion study groups. She has sent us additional power-point presentations (in English) and we have sent her 2 booklets of secondary works (in Spanish).

Also, the Pueblo study groups have embarked on a book fund raising money to purchase and send to Ecuador a case of El Libro de Uranita.

Report by Algimantas Jokubenas
on his July 2005 Book Presentation
Tour of Lithuania

My dears, I do desire to give you some episodes from my tour around Lithuania with the Urantia Book.

From July 8 to 19 I have traveled thru twenty seven cities of Lithuania in my car, sleeping in the tent alone with God in the forests, and presenting the Fifth Epochal Revelation on the streets of these cities. In a word I have been so fascinated by the discovery of the Lithuanian people's absolutely new facet in their character that I have not suspected of being present at all - they are all so thirsty for a living God and hungry for a living Jesus that would meet the expectations of their hearts.

And especially the youth, and even the kids of 8-9-10 years of age. No matter whether I was presenting the Urantia Book in small or big cities a general reaction was that positive that it surpassed all my expectations. The only thing they are worried about is the lack of information on the Urantia Book and the means to buy it in the books store.

But the absolute majority of them do have a link to internet and since we have our brand new website with the Lithuanian text of the Revealtion so that they might copy the text free to enlighten their hearts and establish a living relationship with a living God. And I was supplying them with two pages of quatations from the UB and our website address.

There were just very very few who were calling me as insame, a sectarian, a person misled by Satan and playing into the hands of Lucifer. There were several episodes that the police were called to turn me away from supermarkets, even though I was standing outside the supermarkets. But after a sincere dialogue with the police I was left in peace to proceed with my service. And I did realize that a spoken word of God is of great power and is necessary as a fresh air. And not only in Lithuania.

This trip helped me understand people much deeper and feel more compassion for them since they are being crushed and crampled by the life circumstances so much that by trying to adjust themselves to the environment they begin to betray their own selves thru embracing hypocricy, lies, sins, evil, and any other vice providing them a better chance to serve their own selfish interests even though they were sufffering within their own selves because of this behavior.

But I do desire to stress the point that the young people are not yet currupted as the old ones and they have a bright future with this magnificent source of the Urantia Book. And since they are ready to buy the book - and they would have already done it had they known of the existence of the source and had they been given some time for its studies they would have already embraced this souorce and would have also made their own contribution to its dissemination and enlightening of the society of all-Lithuania.

Thus, in some five to ten years we will experience a new qualitative wave in our society's spiritual development thanks to our youth's contribution to the movement. Thus at the moment we need to do our best to promote the book by any means available to each of us. And its presentations on the streets are most effective sine I have managed to inform hundreds of people in each of the major cities on the route.

I am so grateful to the donations I have received from the people. But to continue my ministry this way I also need your contribution as well. Thus at the end of this message I shall place my bank accoun no. to which you my regularly donate some money. In Lithuania there is not yet a developed tradition to donate money for spiritual means thus I cannot count on my Lithuanian brethren in this issue. The more so that Lithuanians only now shall start reading the Urantia Book in their mother tongue and shall be able to evaluate the significance of the source to the nation. And not only to this nation in particular but to humanity.

Thus I address you who understand the meaning of this source to the planet of Urantia with this issue. Anyway, we are brethren all over the planet irrespective of our place of residence. And even throughout the grand universe each creature of any higher spiritual stature is living for the benefit of the creation and not for the selfish interests of one's own self. We are all as ONE family in the Father, with the Father and to the Father. Thus our support to those who exclusively devote their efforts to this type of ministry has been commanded and commended by both the Father and our Micheal of Nebadon.

In addition, I decided to share my unique experience I have gone thru at midnight of July 11, or to be more precise going into July 11 from 00 to 02 a.m. Those who are too sceptic about possible appearances of any supernal personality may skip this lengthy account, but those who are more openhearted would feel a deep spiritual upliftment. And it is for them that I decided to share it. But first I must to give you some background for you to understand all the chain of events. Please, have patience with my lengthy message.

As I have mentioned above during this tour I was making presentations of the Urantia Book and preaching the Gospel of a living Jesus and promoting the Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man and even the brotherhood of all creation on the streets of twenty-six cities of Lithuania. Twenty seventh city was Vilnius, the capital city of my residence, to which I returned in the evening of July 19. Lithuania is divided into 44 districts, thus I managed to reach more than a bigger half of them. I took this tour because during the fall-winter-spring seasons I could travel only close to the capital city of Vilnius, some sixty-eighty miles away from this city due to my limited funds.

I do not receive any salary or wage since all my life is completely devoted to this type of apostolic service. And I have been asking my brethren for donations but since Lithuanians are not yet accustumed to giving such a support and because of their hard financial conditions at home the funds were not enough even to support my own daily living. Thus I needed to use my savings that were melting if not replenished.

While translating the Urantia Book into Lithuanian, the job that took me ten years to complete, and get it printed by the Urantia Foundation last year, but the book was available in book stores only during the spring of this year, I was trying to get some job and applied to more than thirty companies, but each time I was denied the vacancy I was applying for without any explanations. Thus I had no other choice but to very carefully live on my melting savings and carry on with the translation work of the UB and with the editing work of the translation into Litrhuanian.

And even though I set up several, the so-called, Urantia groups in different cities of Lithuania with no Lithuanian text of the UB available yet and regularly reading them the manuscript of my translation, I could do it on a weekly basis only in my city of Vilnius and on a monthly basis in another city, Kaunas, some 65 miles away from Vilnius.

But people were inquiring about any possibilities of expanding this activity in other cities as well. Thus I began to ask for donations to be able to support myself and to be able to travel to other parts of Lithuania. But only some three or four of them responded to my plea. Thus I had to put off any idea of visiting other areas of Lithuania with the UB message. But this year, after the Lithuanian translation of the UB, at last, became available in book stores and after having opened our website I decided to reach even far off places by making a tour around Lithuania in my car and spending nights in a tent in the forest.

So I purchased a small tent and began the tour on July 8. I visited different cities, some bigger some smaller, some very very small even you may. Several times I even stopped on the road to introduce the UB to the people who would never be able to get such an information. But thse stops I did not include in the total number of stops. I was carrying a small table, the legs of which could be folded so that it might be easily accomodated in the car. I would cover it with a white banner carrying the three concentric azure circles, place on it three copies of the UB - two in Lithuanian and one in English, a folder with two pages of quatations from the UB in Lithuanian and English and our website address that carries the Lithuanian text, and a picture of the grand universe just to give people a better idea of what they are being explained.

Prior to the tour I had been introducing for over two months the Urantia Book to the people on the streets of three major cities of Lithuania: Vilnius, Kaunas, and Panevezys. Thus, I had accumulated some experience of working on the streets. And even prior to this I had been talking with people about the UB on the streets, in supermarkets, and in any other environment for more than three years. So all this ministry was both increasing in scope and turning more and more complicated in the contents.

During the tour around Lithuania, in bigger cities, I was presenting the UB in several different places. But my schedule was worked out by hours. I would get up at six in the morning, make some breakfast, and then set off to a city to be about the Father's business on the street or on the road. Since I do not eat any cooked or fried food so I had to make all the meals myself. And I enjoy doing it, together with Jesus and the Father, and the Mother Spirit of the Universe very much.

All my field kitchen was in the trunk of my car. One dish, created by myself, I would like to offer you now: Take some three or four bananas, depending on their size, and mash them very well into a pulp, with a wooden fork (never eat bananas unmashed for by mashing them you turn starch, which is indigestible, into fructose, or the fruit sugar, which is useful and which is completly assimilated by one's body-mechanism; and to use a fork is preferable since the pieces of bananas do not skid the way they do if you use a spoon, plus wooden fork is better than metal, since wood is a more natural and less processed material, and a living one at that, than metal, but it is not a fundamentalistic request), mash SOME TWO HANDFULS OF EITHER stawberries ( best of all ), OR wild-strawberries, OR cherries, OR bilberries, add one peeled off and sliced into tiny pieces apple, and cut into small pieces one peach, and mix everything up in this pulp, and you shall have a divine fruit and berry salad. This is the recepe I have discovered by making this type of salad in different circumstances and by adding and mixing up different ingredients. Believe me it is worth making and tasting it. Do it right NOW and ENJOY THE MEAL. After this salad I do not eat any other food until, say, dinner, or until lunch, depending upon whether I have it as my lunch or dinner. Thus, this salad makes up one COMPLETE MEAL. It is both healthy, light, and nutritious.

This tour around Lithuania with The Urantia Book reminded me of the apostles' first tour around Galilee when they set off by twos and were preaching in the cities of Galilee. I was alone, but I was always feeling the presence of the Father, Jesus, and the Mother Spirit of the Universe. I was never alone even though I was spending night in the forest.

And on the second day of my tour I was standing on the pedestrain avenue in the fourth largest city of Shiauliai, when an elderly man approached my table and pointing with his finger at the UB in English said in broken English that he was interested in that book very much. I asked him in Lithuanian whether or not he had ever heard of the book before. He said "No" in English. I took him for a Lithuanian emigrant for he had this type of an accent, but since he preferred English to Lithuanian I turned over to English as well.

We had a very long conversation. He appeared to be a pensioner, a former high school teacher of English and that explained his interest in the UB in English. Then he began to tell me his life story, already in Lithuanian. And he was very much disappointed by the former Soviet regime, and he was still nursing a grudge against the former communists. I tried to calm him down by explaining that Jesus loved each of us and once we opened our hearts to Him He would enter our hearts and we would begin to love one another, that we were not perfect and we might make mistakes but we must forgive others for their misdeeds.

I was pointing out the most crucial thing that he would talk with a LIVING Jesus, with a LIVING Father and that he would begin to experirence God's peace within him and he would get liberated from all the pain of his bitter past. We conversed for more than a half hour. I was even thinking that he began to impede my service to others. But I patiently I was talking with him and listening to his life story since it was important for him to pour out his heart. I recalled how Jesus was patient with others and continued to listen to him and from time to time addressing other passers by, and again listening to that man.

When he finally took leave of me, I soon packed up all my gear, put everything on a wheeler and started for my car parked rather far away from that place. When all the gear was accomodated into the car, I did not know why, but for the first time both during this tour and during the other episodes of my promoting of the UB in Vilnius and Kaunas, I walked back to the pedestrian avenue and started distributing leaflets with quotations from the UB. And imagine my surprise when I encountered the same old man, a former teacher of English. And he asked me to visit the Hill of Crosses.

This place to some is already known in many a country. This hill is full of different crosses. People believe if one brings a cross over to this hill which they consider to be holy, then their dreams would come true, that they would be cured, that they would escape some dangers and get protection from on high, that their family file would be harmonious and happy and the like.

Now there are hundreds of thousands of such crosses, some of them are as small as just several milimeters in size, others are several meters in height, some are made by the people themselves, others are purchased in stores. And this tradition started at the beginnging of the twentieth century. When Soviets occupied Lithuania in 1940 for the first time, they did not dare to destroy that hill, but after their second occupation of LIthunia in 1945 they did attempt to erradicate this type of religious approach to the Hill of Crosses by knocking down the crosess with bulldozers. But the new ones would appear overnight.

And during the Soviet occupation period until 1990 there were some measures taken by Soviets to limit people's access to this Hill of Crosses. But after Lithuania regained its independence in 1990 this place became almost as Mecca to muslims. And people are going there all the time. And now from all over the world. And they are bringing new and new crosses. When the late Pope of Rome, John Paul II was visiting Lithuania in 1993 even a bigger impetus was given to visit the Hill of Crosses for he had a service at the foot of the Hill.

A huge cross to commemorate his visit on this hill was erected at the main path, that was paved with expensive stones leading to the top of the hill, and a monastery was built at the hill as well. Thus, this man was telling me that I would go and visit the Hill of Crosses on this very day, even though it was not on my itinerary. The more so that I had to leave this city and find some place in the forest to spend the night in. So my mind was already focused on this issue. I told him I had been on that hill before. He asked "when?" I said as back as Jonh Paul II was visiting Lithuania, for we were covering his tour in Lithuania with a German TV, and we were shooting him visiting the Hill of Crosses and even all his service at the Hill of Crosses.

But he insisted that I would visit it again, and on this very day by saying that now it would look different. I did not understand what might be different. I got back to the car and was pondering the man's words. Should I go or should I not? What for? Definitely the hill was not different. But my hands were driving the car to the hill.. It is some ten kilometers off my route.

When I approached the hill I saw a difference - there were plenty of vendors selling different small crosses with the crucifix, pictures of Jesus, Mary the Virgin, and other saints... I asked one of the vendors whether or not she had a living Jesus. She was nonplussed by hearing such unusual request about a living Jesus so she did not know how to react to my request.

Thus I came to her rescue: "I am looking for Jesus similar to the one I was wearing on my neck chain." And I showed her the profile of Jesus's head - with very distinctly cut out features of His face - nose, cheeks, chin, lips, leaves of the wreath on his head, long hair. Unfortunately, there was a wreath on his head which I disliked since I wanted Jesus to radiate love and joy rather than to remind one of his suffering before the crucifixtion. But she had none of the kind. And I took a chance to explain to her about the Urantia Book descriibng the life and teachings of a real Jesus. While I was explaining about Jesus, about our postmortal life some three more salesmen apraoched me to listen to waht I was saying.

And that was already a small group of those who got interested in the Uranatia Book. Some of them did put down the name of the book by claiming they would buy it. And I did the same with some other three or four vendors. And only one young fellow of 20 or 22 rejected Jesus by claiming that he had no time for such inventions as God or Jesus. He only needed money and nothing else.

So I proceeded to the main path leading to the top of the Hill of Crosses. But before reaching the main pathway, I noticed a beggar with one leg. He was a man of thirty-five or forty, but after a very brief conversation I realized that his heart was really warm and full of goodness but he was crushed by the circumstances of life. Thus I comforted him and explained to him about how to find peace within his heart. We hugged as brothers before separating.

As soon as I was putting my foot on the main pathway stones some, very strong but tender, force turned me to the left from the main pathway and began to lead me along a narrow path with thousands of crosses on both sides. I could not understand what was happening but I did not resist it. I was led to an old and rusty cross of some two meters in height made of metal water pipe. All of a sudden I began to weep, I felt such a deep deep and overwhelming love within me so that I started to kiss the cross and then I noticed there was a small crucifix on the cross and I began to kiss the feet of Jesus and to pray...

After the prayer I noticed a sign placed in front of the cross. It was all rusty, but it was still possible to read it except one word: "Lord, give me patience, and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. ...I trust you..." And a thought crossed my mind that those were the words I would often use in my prayers... ALL OF A SUDDEN I took the head of Jesus off my neck, removed it off the silver neck-chain and fixed it, by its tiny ring, gently into the hole on His right palm since the crucifix did not have the horizontal beam and His hands were not hammered to the cross, only His feet were hammered to the vertical beam. I had no idea as to why I had done so since I did like that profile of Jesus apart from the wreath on His head.

After that I renewed my journey up the hill for I desired to reach the top of it and descend along the main pathway. But, no sooner had I reached the main pathway on the top, again, I was turned, by the same invisible but very clearly felt force, and again gently but firmly, away from the main pathway and led down the hill on a very steep and so narrow path that crosses would touch my shoulders on both sides if I did not follow my way, it was like in a very dense forest since crosses were much much higher than the height of a human and there were so many of them that one could see nothing around but crosses, many more crosse, ant nothing else but crosses.

Plus all the pathway was so steep and so overgrown with big big nettles, and the steps were irregular so that I could not accomodate my steps to the steps of the pathway. And there were no handrails so that I was feeling I must be very careful not to fall down that steep pathway. While making, carefully, my way down I was asking Jesus why I had been brought to this place. And I was explained: "My beloved brother and son, I have asked you to come here that you might leave the material symbol of Me you have carried on your neck since you do not need it any more for you have Me in your heart, and you have established a living link with Me and the Father for which I commend you. You have done well to have arrived here and left the material symbol of Me to others." I was fascinated to hear that message.

I, then, proceeded to my car and drove several hundred meters to the monestary nearby. I desired to give as a gift a copy of the Urantia Book in Lithuanian. But the chief of the monestary, after a short conversation, refused to receive the gift, claiming they had the Holy Scripture and it was the only Holy Scripture for them and no other Scripture is worth their attention. No explanation about a broader perspective of Jesus's life, His childhood, adolescent years, His early manhood, and even His present status or the one prieor to this bestowal mission on Urnatia could help him change his mind. He was not even interested in postmortal life or any deeper cosmic insight.

Thus I felt a little bit uneasy in my heart. And not because of this young monk's, maybe 25-30 years old, attitude to the living truth that he refused to touch but rather because of the fact that his rank provided him such an authority of denying even those other monks who might desire this broader truth of access to this unique source of living truth and expanded living relationship with God thru knowing this Epochal Revelation.

After a tough Sunday, July 10, I was looking for a forest to pitch a tent in, but could not find it so easily. All the roads leading to the forest were closed with bars - private territory, no entrance. I chose some side road off my route, but realizing that darkness is already setting in I gave up to drive on but decided to get back to the city I had just passed since on the next day I had to work in that city, the more so I had planned a visit to another monestery in that city. Thus I made a U-turn and on my way back to the city I was looking for at least some small bushes I might enter to spend the night in. I spotted a path leading to the forest that was some three hundred meters away from the main road. I took it and entered the forest. But I also noticed that there was a bar even though it did not block the entrence to the forest.

I entered the forest and even found a place to pitch a tent in. Nevertheless, I had some feeling of uneasiness that it must be a private forest and I enetered it without permission. So I decided to leave this forest. And having gotten back on the main road I turned back to the city but some three miles short of reaching the city I spotted, on my left, some cafe, and a gravel road beyond it leading to the forest. I had no choice since a twilight was setting in. I took this side road and very soon was driving along a gravel road. Having covered maybe less than a mile I saw a small track leading to the forest. I figured out the smaller the track the more chances of finding a quiet place for spending a night. I had had a nasty experience some two nights before when I had pitched my tent not far away from some inn where a loud music was playd till three o'clock a.m., and at six I was already up.

Thus I took that track and very soon I drove to a pathway leading along the edge of the forest and a vast field. I did not want to risk of proceeding any longer for a more covered place and decided to stop at the edge of the forest with a large field on my other side. I noticed two farmsteds, maybe one third of a mile apart. Thus I decided I would not find anything better and it would suit me very well. I pitched my tent and made a vegetable salad for dinner.

After dinner I felt very exhausted and it was rather late close to 11 p.m. Thus I decided to listen to some quiet music and pray. But while listening to the music and praying in the car, for else it was impossible to stay out, because of the myriads of mosquitos, I fell asleep. When I woke up it was almost midnight. Music was playing very softly and it was a pleasure to enjoy this wonderful peace around but I decided to go to the tent for a real night sleep.

Having gotten out of the car and heading to the tent I noticed a bright light far away in front of me and beyound that huge field by the other edge of the forest. Being tired and sleepy I somewhat took it for a light placed somewhere by some warehouse, as is a usual thing in the city, completely missing the point that it was not a city but a field in the forest. But at the begining this explanation fitted very well. I did not bother myself with some deep speculation while gathering all the stuff I used to make the dinner with, and the table and a small stool. So I folded them up and put into the car. And when I was on the point of entering the tent I saw that the light size increased so immensely that it was bigger than the forest trees. And it was sliding a little bit sideways and up and down. Not permanently.

I must tell you, that I had been spotting a similar object above Vilnius for the last three years. I was even showing it to other people and asking them if they consider that to be a star or some other object. They could not characterize what was that but they did agree that the light was too close for a star. As well as too bright. Sometimes it would acquire an extended form with two slanting, going opposite directions, rays pointing downwords, one a little bit higher than the other, and sometimes I would notice even different colors changing, from red, green, yellow, white to violet.

And all of a sudden I saw this light acquire the same prolonged form with two rays extending sideways down one higher and the other lower. And it was moving like I would notice it would move above Vilnius. And with each movement there would rise some feeling within me that I see something majestic and grand. I had taken this light for a flying dish for no other human object could change such colors, would hang in the air without making any sound, and change positions.

And this time I realized I am seeing a landed flying dish. It was moving as if it were on a cushion, very gently. Having realized this, I began to call my fellows from the Urantia groups, including David currently visiting Lithuania, and who had seen me off to this tour, and telling them I was seeing a landed dish and giving those on board of the ship a signal with my searchlight which I was circling to inform them that I had noticed them and inviting them to come over to me.

I told my friends that I did desire to fly with them if they intended to take me aboard. Only I did not know the place I would be leaving my car in so that some one would take care of. I also told them if they called me the next day and could not hear from me it would mean I would be with the aliens somewhere either in space or on their planet. After some time I noticed three spikes placed on the top of the luminous image, one by one. They reminded me of Lithuanian gothic churches. I did not know why all of a sudden they were changing that form of the light. Then I saw colors change at the bottom of the light - red, yellow, violet...

The train was passing thru an opening in that far-away forest and the light of a locomotive were that dim and small as would be of a dummy train for kids to play. The light extended from almost the ground much much higher than the tops of the trees. All of a sudden it started approaching and growing in size. And the feeling inside me was such as if my chest were filled up to the full with some grander and power. And I completely and spontaneously forgot any idea about the flying dish but momentarily was feeling some living relationship that was growing and giving a sense of intimacy as well as majesty. I uttered: "Jesus, is it you?" "Yes, I am," followed a prompt and soft response. "Look more attentively."

I could not understand at what part of the image I had to look. I was so focused on the scene I forgot everything around. Nothing and nobody existed anymore but Jesus and my desire to follow Him wherever He might lead me to. Again He said: "Look more attentively." I was scrutinizing the light so intensively that it seemed to me I was reaching out for Him with my eyes. And all of a SUDDEN I began to discern the same face, the same nose, the same hair, the same cheeks, the same chin, the same eyes of the Jesus's Head I had taken off my neck on the Hill of Crosses.

I began to feel such a warmth and love, and even though my left knee was hurting, I knelt on the ground and began to thank Jesus for this magnifiscent appearance. Tears were running down my cheeks. Tears of gratitude and love. Tears of surivival and life. Jesus began to talk with me. At first, He thanked me for my brave aproach to the mission I had been performing and commended me for coraugeously preaching His living Gospel and even more. He commended me for expanding His gospel.

It happened so that some six or seven months ago I began, while teaching Jesus's gospel "the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man," to add one more extention "...and all the creation." But I had never even given a thought that it was an expansion of Jesus' gospel for I always did stress the point that it was impossible to extend Jesus' gospel for no matter how much effort one might make one would not be able to say anything more beautiful and more embracing by even including all the creation for we are all brothers no matter of what high rank spirits might be encountered in the creation.

And I was preaching this gospel "The Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man and even of all the creation so that we all, down here, on Urantia, are full members of this same vast divine family enjoying absolutely equal right to love the Father and one another by our own free will bestowed to each of us by the Father." Now I did realize what Jesus was meaning that I had extended His gospel. Only now after He spoke to me.

I was completely thrilled by what I was seeing so I asked Him wheher or not I was allowed to tell others about His appearance to me. He said to me: "You may tell anyone you deem it right to be given this messsage to. I have appeared to you not to be hidden but to be disclosed thru your experiences." I called my fellowmen in other cities whom I had just informed about seeing a dish and this time I told them that Jesus appeared to me and that we were talking right then. I described all the process of changing the shape of the light into the Profile of Jesus I had removed off my neck-chain and left on the Hill of Crosses. Jesus was also telling me: "And the light you had been taking so long for a dish above Vilnius was also Me to attract your attention. Now I called you to this tour so that you would begin to know people not only from books but also in real situations. And they behave in a different way in real situations when you meet face to face rather than when you study their character from discriptions in different books. I desire you to experience these same sensations while I was traveling alone around the Mediteranean Sea while trying to study men.

"Go on with your mission which your courageously embraced and be certain that nobody would interfere in your mission and not even a tick would bite you. So you have to focus only on your mission proper and and not be distracted by side worries.

"I have chosen you as my apostle and ambassador of the Father, our Father. "Each of you is given a mission, but that mission burden is according to one's shoulders.But even in this case this burden is placed only if one freely desires to shoulder it. You did accept the mission of being my apostle and the ambassador of the Father. I commend you for this. And I authorize you to bravely carry on my gospel, even the extended gospel that you had started to preach. And I give you My power to heal those who have faith in Me and the Father.

"I do prepare you for another mission, even a bigger one. But now I cannot disclose it yet for you might be too scared to know about it. Just study the people and be about Father's business."

I also noticed another colored light, some three hundred yards away from Jesus's luminous image. It was smaller and not that bright, since it was colored - red, green yellow. But it was exactly the the same colors that I had previously seen having taken that ligtht for a flying dish changing colors. I asked Jesus what it was. And He explained to me: "This is the manifestation of the Mother Spirit of the Universe. You have also seen it above Vilnius when you were mistakenly interpreting it for a flying object from another planet. I do desire to show you that we always work in harmony as One in the Father but we are two separate persons and two separate personalities. Now you see the Mother Spirit Manifestation as the one separate from mine. But in action we are always One."

After some time the colored image rose above the fores trees into the air. And still later I was seeing it very high above my head as I had used to see above Vilnius. But with Jesus my communication lasted till 2a.m. when He said to me: "And now your body needs some rest for tomorrow shall be a hard day for you. Rest in peace. You are carefully guarded."

And for the first time I slept so well. I fell asleep on one side and woke up lying on the same side. Oh, that was an experience... And only then did I recall my Thought Adjuster's remark - even before the tour - that I must get ready for some unexpected encounter during the tour. I was expecting some encounter either with midwayers or even with angels but with Michael, NO NO... All this surpassed all my expectations...

And in one small city there was an episode when a drunk man was passing by and I called him to my table. He appeared to be a very rude and crude guy of fifty-three and who had served a fifteen-year term in prison. He was shouting at and threatening passers-by. And he tried several times to hit my face with his fist but each time he was stopped by some unssen brethren, and each time he failed to raise his fist against me and each time he kept complaining and wondering as to why he could not raise his hand, something was stopping him from doing it even though he had never experienced this type of a thing before.

Such is the experince of Jesus's and His partner's appearence to me at midnight and in the field surrounded by the forest on my tour around Lithuania in promoting the Urantia Book and preaching the gospel of Jesus. This tour was possible to donation from the people. I am grateful to them and first of all to God, since it is thru them that He provided the funds to enable me to take this news of the Revelation and a living Jesus to many people.

I am also adressing the issue of donations to you as well. If you feel inclined to support my endeavors in taking the sipritual light to people who are thirsty of the word of God and who would never read the UB, and contribute to this light as well by regularly supporting my physical sustanence. The sum does not count as counts your open heart and sincerity. But you may address this issue to your Thought Adjuster and make an agreement with the Thought Adjuster as to how much you may regularly support my spiritual service.

Please, remit the funds to: ALGIMANTAS JOKUBENAS account no. LT057044060001373528 in the bank of the city of Vilnius, Lithuania, SEB VILNIAUS BANKAS AB, VILNIUS, SWIFT: CBVI LT 2X, thru one of the correspondent banks depending upon the currency remitted: in USD - AMERICAN EXPRESS BANK, New York, SWIFT: AEIB US 33 DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS, New York, SWIFT: BKTR US 33 JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, New York, SWIFT: CHAS US 33 CITI BANK, New York, CITI US 33 THE BANK OF NEW YORK, New York, SWIFT: IRVT US 33

SWIFT, as far as I understand, is used by all the world banks, instead of their post addresses. Each bank has its own SWIFT and because of them they can find which bank must receive the money remitted. The banks do not place bank accounts of each of their individual clients in a foreign bank.

Instead they have their own correspondent banks thru which they deal, thus once the correspondent bank receives the money remitted to SEB VILNIAUS BANKAS AB and once the account no. of an individual is given then SEB VILNIAUS BANKAS AB itself is directing this money to the account provided by the sender within it.

Anyway, the most important thing is my bank account no, the name of my bank and its SWIFT. Even though it might, at first sight, sound complicated, but it is not at all. Or you may send me a traveler cheque. My mailing address is as follows: ALGIMANTAS JOKUBENAS 5-1 VYKINTAS str. LT-2004 VILNIUS LITHUNIA

If there is a will there is a way. Peace be upon you.

With brotherly love, Algimantas

This concludes my report for this year.

Respectfully submitted,

David Kantor