Hanamatsuri was beautiful with the flowers that many of you donated for the Hanamido. The service was beautiful and then the potluck luncheon was fabulous…from what I heard. We were in Hawaii to celebrate my sister’s 50th anniversary so we missed Hanamatsuri at SLOBC. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make the day special for everyone!

We attended the Moiliili Honpa Hongwanji Temple in Honolulu for their Hanamatsuri service so we did not miss this special observance altogether. They also had a beautiful Hanamido decorated with Hawaiian flowers and a statue of the Buddha that we poured tea over. Rev. Fujimoto said it is not sweet tea but Starbucks tea.

If it’s May, it must be SLOBC Golf Tournament time! Start practicing and sign up to play in the tournament. Let me know if you need more information about the tournament. We will need help on Friday, May 15 making musubi (rice balls) and packing up the tee gifts for the players. If you can help, please come to the church at 9 a.m. We also need help with serving at the Ranch on Saturday. Please let me know if you can help!

In June we will be having an Enchilada Sale! Look for more details in this newsletter. The enchiladas are homemade, delicious and can be frozen for a quick lunch or dinner. Please support our fundraising efforts for SLOBC by ordering many trays!

Coming in October 2026 is the 48th BCA FBWA Conference in San Diego, California. The theme for the conference is “To Remember As We Build for Tomorrow”. The conference dates are October 2-4 at the Double Tree Hotel in Mission Valley. The BCA’s Southern District is hosting the event and I know they will do an excellent job of planning activities, speakers, and workshops. There will be people coming from across the United States, Canada, Hawaii, and Japan. I sent an email with details to BWA members and friends but if I missed you, I apologize. Please let me know and I will send you the information packet. There is a discounted registration fee of $250 if submitted by June 30 so if you are interested, please let me know by that date. The fee goes to $275 from July 1 to 31. After July 31 the fee remains at $275 but you may not be able to attend the banquet, get a
welcome gift and get a discounted hotel rate.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

In Gassho,
Sandy Hongo