by Jim Bard
On Sept. 13 True Father spoke at the beautiful new state-of-the-art Ted Mann Concert Hall on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. About 450 people attentively listened to hear what the renowned sage from Korea had to say. Father later commented that the people attending were very pure. Coverage of the speech aired on the 10pm Channel 5 TV report. Both major papers and the University paper also covered the speech. Letters of best wishes were sent from Gov. Carlson, Congressman Ramstad, University President Nils Hasselmo, and student leaders from the U of M. Student body President Matt Musel offered welcoming remarks, and a leader of the Mil Lacs Ojibwe tribe as well as a local newspaper editor gave awards of recognition to Father. In his introduction, Col. Buford Johnson recalled the words of his grandmother who told him, at a young age, that the measure of a man is the size of his helping hand. With a robust voice Johnson then said, "Let me introduce to you a man who has a helping hand big enough for all of us, Rev. Sun Myung Moon."
Even though Rev. Moon was in the midst of a torturous schedule (we would later learn he was nearly to the point of complete exhaustion), one would never have guessed it from his delivery, for he spoke as always with eloquence and charm. Special thanks are due to Rev. Hun Suk Lee and Keith Anderson for their diligence and leadership and to the dedication and hard work of Betsy Orman, Serenity Carlson, Scott Quinn, John Reed, Glenn Willis, Bruce Smith, Steve Bohle and many other brothers and sisters from throughout the region.
South Dakota, Sept. 29
Two weeks after the speech in Minneapolis, In Sup Nim spoke at the Ramada Inn in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Dennis and Mayuri Hoffman and Dan and Rumi Weigel (with help from Nadiah Metawah, Lori Julius, Edward Batino, Michael Moyongo and others) made excellent preparations for a well-attended speech. Bruce Smith was very active and very successful in contacting the local media, as he was for each event in our region. Letters of support and recognition came from the local Sudanese, Kurdish and Ethiopian communities, as well as letters of welcome from Mayor Gary Hanson, US Sen. Tom Daschle and Congressman Tom Johnson.
North Dakota, Oct. 6
In Sup Nim spoke next in our region the following week, this time in Fargo, North Dakota. John and Keiko Foss, Larry and Betsy Orman, and Jurgen and Cindy Pfeiffer worked together with harmony and effectiveness. The speech was given on the North Dakota State University campus at the Beckwith auditorium. Nearly 100 guests attended, in addition to local church members. John Foss served as MC and read letters of welcome from Gov. Ed Schaefer and Sen. Byron Dorgan. Letters of appreciation also came from local Chinese, Sudanese and Bosnian communities. After the message was given, some of us met In Sup Nim at the Fargo church center and had an intimate, heart-to- heart chat.
Wisconsin, Oct. 18
Madison, Wisconsin was the next venue for delivering "The True Family and I" in region 6. The speaker this time was Jin Hun Nim, who gave the speech at the Wisconsin State Historical Society auditorium on the University of Wisconsin campus. Scott Ferch, Marion North, Heidi Vetterli, Jeff and Terry Porter, and Steve Bohle were some of the main movers and shakers who gave so much of themselves in preparing for this event. Dave Tebo did a fine job as MC and Jim Anderson introduced Jin Hun Nim. Later Jin Hun Nim spoke to us for more that an hour about what True Parents are doing and how the World CARP Academy and CARP in general are supporting the vision of our True Parents.
Iowa, Oct. 26
The region 6 tour concluded at the Embassy Suite Hotel in Des Moines, Iowa where Hyun Jin Nim spoke to a standing-room-only crowd. Hyun Jin Nim spoke like a seasoned orator, looked like a movie star and showed the graceful confidence of a prince. Letters of welcome came from Mayor John "Pat" Dorrian and Sen. Charles Grassley. Media coverage came on the local affiliate, which covered the speech in their 10pm report, as well as in the Des Moines Register and the front page of the Communicator. Andrew Shoultz and David Payer were the primary organizers of the event and they received support from other Iowa members, as well as members from throughout region 6. After the talk Hyun Jin Nim spoke warmly to the guests who attended the speech, asking what they thought of the speech and encouraging them to bring home a copy to read through again. Later Hyun Jin Nim spoke to a smaller crowd in his hotel room, emphasizing that Father's vision for tribal messiahs is that we should try to live close together to create a Unification community, especially for the sake of the second generation.