Video of the first month in USA

The morning team had to leave earlier than usual, 6:00 a.m., in order to complete their run and then make it to Salt Lake City on time for our scheduled ceremony at the Bennion School.

Two of the three teams of runners were able to make it to the school on time. They we were greeted by about 30 children and teachers, including ‘SenSe’ Eshter, their teacher who also teaches martial arts, thus the Japanese term for teacher, or SenSe.

The children were quite enthusiastic after we left the indoor classroom following our presentation and offered them the opportunity to run with the torch. Harmony can be a very active and exciting opportunity, especially for children who normally love to run.

After singing the World Harmony Run song with the children, we all sang the birthday song to Jeremy, one of the students, who seemed quite thrilled to hold this giant ‘candle’ and make a wish like never before. By the end of our short stay there, all the children and teachers seemed more enthusiastic about how harmony can start in their own lives and spread one step at a time to others. We are grateful to the Bennion School for this opportunity to share these important moments with them.

A few hours later all three running teams were able to make it to a nearby town of Murray. Meeting the kids at the Montessori School in Murray was like balm to us. It is truly amazing how much they brought the message of harmony to us!!

Entering the classroom it felt like jumping on a cloud; fluffy and soft, full of harmony and joy and light.

The room was filled with children who held posters with different qualities what harmony means to them. In the front some were holding up the word harmony in big letters. Each child was holding one letter. On the wall they had a poster that showed the world and the people in different countries how they live and what they may look like.

After everybody had introduced himself and told a little bit from their own countries, we went outside to run with them. One behind the other we would run around the playground.

The torch in the front, followed by the `harmony-letter-bearers`, and after them the children with posters and then all the runners.

It happened to be that on the street in front of the school the golden torch for the Special Olympics passed by, carried by a runner and followed by an entourage of cars and vans. All the kids went to the fence to wave to them and greet them by calling `harmony` over to them. The children not stop until they were out of sight. They got so much joy by chanting “word harmony, harmony, harmony,” over and over. It was alive in them and in all their smiles and waves.

Again we are so grateful not only to all the children who offered so sincerely their creative efforts and wishes for harmony, but also the teachers, including Mrs. Lee, the headmaster of the Montessori School in Murray. We will carry their goodwill and efforts for a better and more harmonious world with us as we carry the torch and its symbolic essence wherever we go.

We happen to be able to stay nearby in the Holiday Inn of Salt Lake City tonight due to the kindness of Ms. Linda Miller, the General Manager, and all the staff that were so kind to us. We feel support wherever we go when we get positive and sincere responses from the people we meet, especially those who are able to offer us their time and resources available to help us along the way.

We would like to also offer our thanks to Romano's Macaroni Grill for providing the team with a deliscious meal that evening. We all enjoyed it very much.

Unfortunately one of our teammates, Erik, had to leave us today after being with us for almost a month since St. Louis. The men’s team offered him some gifts and a fond farewell as they took him to the airport after our ceremony in Murray. He has been a reliable and valuable member of our team and we hope to have him return again later in our journey as we head back East in July.

Anja and the Harmony Team

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