Jardim 40-Day Workshop: A Personal Testimony

Victoria Wilding Onishi
Vancouver, British Columbia

New Hope East Garden, the Jardim Ideal Family workshop site. Pictures don’t even come close to capturing its beauty. Nowhere in the world are there skies more majestic and exciting, and the vegetation so vivid a green. In such a warm, beautiful environment, untouched since the time of creation, one’s heart softens and becomes completely at ease. It can easily give of itself to the brothers and sisters during break-time and, like a sponge, it can naturally absorb every drop of God’s words during Hoon Dok Hwe.

As the only Second Generation couple at the time, my spouse and I felt out of place in the workshop when we first arrived on Dec. 20 last year. But we quickly became a part of the family there. We both knew God had a specific purpose for us there. Through prayer and reflection, it was up to us to discover.

One thing I could see in myself while I was there was my own relationship with God. Having gone fundraising until a few days before arriving in Jardim, I had come straight off the front line in CARP. So I was used to an intense lifestyle where defeating Satan and meeting God was part of everyday life. But when I found myself at New Hope East Garden, it was all up to me to maintain a close relationship with God. Actually, without being in the CARP environment, I struggled to take initiative for my own life of faith. Then one day someone commented that life of faith is how much you attend God and True Parents in your daily life. These words hit me. So I made the determination to "always attend True Parents" that week, by always thinking they were by my side 24 hours a day. That was very late Saturday night. Then, very early on Sunday morning, we got on the bus to visit the National Messiahs’ 40-day workshop site in Olimpo. After doing pledge on the bus, I had a dream of True Father. Father was being broadcast on TV. Our father was speaking from a podium, saying, "Husband should kyung-bae (full bow) to the wife, and the wife should kyung-bae to the husband." In the dream, these words moved me so much. Then True Father finished his speech and quickly walked off. I woke up. I felt so comforted by God. I had been accusing myself for many things, but God was telling me that He still loved me anyway and was showing me that He and True Parents are always with me. For the first time in a long time, I couldn’t help crying tears of gratitude to God as I looked up at the clear night sky.

That was one experience through which I felt a closeness to God and True Parents. And there were many others. The trips we took to the holy grounds such as Olimpo, Perdido and Salobra River and Hotel also helped me to feel a closer bond to True Parents. Riding in a motor boat up the Salobra River particularly left a lasting impact. At this very river, True Father would risk his life fishing from dawn to dusk as an indemnity condition before the ’97 and ’98 Blessings. Having been Blessed in ’98, I felt like a salmon swimming up the river to its birthplace when I rode along this river with my spouse. As I touched the deep green water and felt the wind hitting my face, I tried to understand how much suffering Father had gone through in those waters, as he invested his sweat and tears to save the world. I felt a mixture of deep repentance for not doing more to support our Father, as well as gratitude for all that he has gone through for us.

The experience I had at the Jardim workshop is an experience which could only happen there. Now that I’m back at home, I have tried to keep God and True Parents just as close through prayer and Hoon Dok Hwe. Although my spouse and I are probably the youngest couple to graduate from the workshop in Jardim, we still hope that our experience together there can be the seed for an ideal family in the future.

(I am a 19 year old Second Generation sister from Canada. I am currently at home taking care of my younger brother and two younger sisters while my parents attend the Jardim workshop until Mar. 21. Thank you very much for all your hard work and for always publishing my testimonies. 2/23/99)

Interracial Sisterhood Ceremony Held in Bridgeport

Eva Mackin -- Milford, CT

Eva Mackin is chairwoman of the Connecticut WFWP.

The Connecticut Women’s Federation for World Peace sponsored an interracial sisterhood ceremony at the Longfellow School in Bridgeport on Sat., March 6, 1999. Young girls from elementary to high school years volunteered for the ceremony, which was the first such event in Bridgeport for young girls. Twenty-six sisterhood couples from New Eden Academy, Bridgeport Hope School and the Longfellow School attended, and it was considered by all to be a great success.

The keynote speaker was Ann I., the principal of Bridgeport Hope School, who shared her experiences with an interracial marriage and the prejudices she and her husband have encountered. There was a videotape of a bridge-crossing ceremony, which inspired everyone.

The MC was Kathleen Burton, a professor at the University of Bridgeport. Mideya Wright gave a warm address on behalf of the predominantly black Longfellow School, and H. Gehring gave the address on behalf of New Eden and Bridgeport Hope.

After a wonderful bridge-crossing ceremony there were refreshments, and several of the new sisters went to New Eden Academy with their new friends for the afternoon. This was a great experience for everyone. The event required commitment and dedication from all the schools and the Connecticut Women’s Federation to make it possible.

"Beyond the dream a million voices join a million more in harmony, and walls fall down and mountains crumble, and we walk our many roads and we meet where we are free.

"Beyond the dream the world we hoped for is clothed in all the colors, only the truth can see

"And like the leaves that shade the table beneath our family tree, we are sisters and brothers beyond the dream." Mavis Staples, 1996

In Memoriam Olga Rodas

October 23, 1937-January 15, 1999

A memorial service was held on Friday, Feb. 19 in Wappinger Falls, NY for our sister Olga. The eulogy was given by Dr. David Carlson, pastor of HSA-UWC Family Church of Red Hook, NY, and faculty member of the Unification Theological Seminary in Barrytown.

Olga was a devoted mother of four sons and one daughter, and grandmother of 12. She and her husband Joseph O’Connell were Blessed at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 29, 1997.

Olga was very open spiritually, and shared many of her spiritual experiences with Joseph. Shortly before the Blessing in Washington, Olga had a dream about me. We were walking together, and were both dressed in white, trimmed with gold. When we came to Washington, we were all given white and gold scarves, and were amazed at the prophetic nature of Olga’s dream.

After the Blessing, Olga confided to me that there was a definite change in her marriage relationship for the better. Altogether, they had been with each other for almost five years, during which time Joseph developed a close bond with Olga’s family.

Shortly after Olga’s memorial service, her daughter Ingrid had a spiritual experience before sleep. She felt a warm, loving embrace; she thought it was her husband, but when she looked around, there was no one in sight. Then she realized she was alone, and that it was her mother who had embraced her from the spirit world!

A few days later, Ingrid had another dream about her mother. They were walking together, and her mother looked so young and beautiful, just like the picture of her mother which was used for the memorial service. Suddenly her mother said, "I’m clean inside. Don’t let anyone tell you different. I’m clean inside." Olga repeated this three times. Ingrid didn’t know what she meant. She shared both of these experiences with Joseph, who then shared them with me.

Of course, the Blessing serves to purify the blood lineage and remove the Original Sin through the Holy Wine Ceremony. So we understand that this is what happens to couples who are Blessed. However, this is the first time I’ve heard corroboration on this phenomenon from someone in the spirit world, especially someone not educated in Unification Theology. Olga was well-versed in Roman Catholicism, and attended the Roman Catholic Church religiously, as did her children. She lived a pure and sacrificial life, and all who knew her loved her, because the exemplified the spirit of living for the sake of others.

Joseph shared with me also the testimony of one of Olga’s close friends who is spiritually open, who had not heard of her passing away. He called Joseph and told him he had had a vision of Olga in the spirit world, and said she was in a high place in the spirit world. Joseph then told him that Olga was, in fact, in the spirit world.

I was very moved and excited when Joseph shared Ingrid’s testimony with me on the phone. And the more I reflected, the more I wanted to share this information with all of our members who are Blessed. I believe this testimony will help to inspire us to share the Blessing with all of our families, friends, acquaintances, and others. Also, I feel that this testimony will strengthen our faith in Father’s mission and inspire us to bring as many people to True Parents as we possibly can. This is especially the case since we have now begun the campaign to bring young candidates for the matching and Blessing. We are facing a great challenge to bring 800 million young people to be matched and Blessed in the year 2000, throughout the world, as 400 million couples. I feel that True Parents are desperate to protect and rescue the young people of the world from Satan’s dominion, and bring them to God’s dominion through the Blessing. We must help them in any way we can.

Health & Environment: Global Partners for Global Solutions

A Focus on Women and Youth

Friday 23rd April

At the United Nations

9:00 a.m. Check in

9:20 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Welcoming Remarks: Mrs. Motoko Sugiyama, Vice-President WFWP International

How ECOSOC NGOs can be most effective at the UN

Dr. Hanifa Mezoui, Chief NGO Office, DESA

Trafficking: The Selling of Innocence—A Video Presentation. Excerpts from an award winning video

10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Women, Youth and their Environment

Remarks by UN Officials

Dr. Gilda Glasinovich, Chair, Council on the Status of Latin American Women, STD's and Women's Health

Mrs. Rebecca Salonen, UN-Uganda Godparent's Association, Changing Unhealthy FGM Practices in Uganda

Dr. Peter Orris, Cook County Hostpital

Dr. Martiza Tennassee, PAHO, Environmental Degradation and the Health of Workers

Ambassador Betty King, Representative of the U.S.A.

Questions and Answers

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p..m. Women of the Year Awards Luncheon—UN Delegates Dining Room

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Environment and Emotional Health

Dr. Jonathan Lear, Author of the "Open Mind."

Dr. Susan Vaughn, Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons, NY

Keynote Address: Dr. Vamik Volkan, Director of the Center for the Study of the Mind, University of Virginia Medical School

Questions and Answers

Saturday 24th April

At the New Yorker Hotel

7:30 a.m. Registration

9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Plenary Session: A New Look at WFWP—The First Seven Years

Mrs. Motoko Sugiyama, Vice President, WFWP International

Mrs. Nora Spurgin, President

Mrs. Sheri Rueter, Interracial Sisterhood Project

Mrs. Kati Vigh-Brisbois, Romanian Project

Mrs. Gwen Bair, Building WFWP in Mid-America

Mrs. Karen Judd Smith, Secretary-General

10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Break

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Break Out Sessions

Presentations by the Support Center for Nonprofit Management

• Getting Known . . .

How to get the word out about your organization

• Getting and Keeping People Involved-

Members and Volunteers

• How to Ask for Money in Person

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Participant's Lunch in the Crystal Dining Room

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Open Space Problem Solving

Presented by the Support Center for Nonprofit Management

3:30 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Break

4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Break Out Sessions

Presented by the Support Center for Nonprofit Management

• Getting and Keeping People Involved-

Members and Volunteers

• Getting organized . . .

What's really Important

• Where's the Money? . . .

Targeting Appropriate Funding Sources

5:30 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. Closing Plenary

Happy Birthday True Parents

Jorg Heller -- NYC

On February 21st, 1999 (January 6th, lunar) True Parents celebrated their Birthdays in Seoul, Korea. Rev. Joong Hyun Pak wanted to make a very special offering to True Parents on this very special day.

Rev. Pak had the inspiration that the United States of America, the nation with the strongest Christian Foundation in the world and the Elder Son Nation in God’s Providence today, together with Canada should congratulate True Parents in a unique and special way.

Rev. Pak asked all the regional directors to visit the Religious, Political and Social leaders in their Regions and tell them about True Parents Birthday and invite them to write a birthday greeting to True Parents. This greeting could be in the form of a letter with the official letterhead of the government office, a regular birthday card, or any available peace of paper. It was really the heart behind the greeting that was of importance, not necessarily the paper it was written on.

Rev. Pak felt that 2100 "congratulators" (I’m not sure if that is a proper word) of the highest caliber on this North American Continent should get inspired to wish True Parents long life, success and happiness.

We only had about ten days to do it and that was not much time. Many of us were wondering whether or not we could "pull this off." But our concern was unfounded. Everybody’s response was just great. People were so delighted and even honored to have this unique opportunity to wish True Parents a happy birthday. Brother and sisters had so many good experiences.

Religious leaders representing twelve major religions or Christian denomination were among the well-wishers. This was of great significance, since True Parents have invested so much time and energy into this continent; it was so great to see the religious leaders respond so well. Many felt that Jesus had a lot to do with their response. Since Father has appointed him to spiritually take charge in North America, he is now much more at liberty to work with the religious leaders here.

But it was not just the religious leaders. Several Governors, Senators and State Representatives were among the well wishers. People from the Entertainment world, Educators and Community Leaders from all walks of life participated in this blessing.

Pretty soon the flood of names that were reported to HQ’s overwhelmed us. I had created a database to keep track of all these names and soon there were five of us entering data simultaneously. I had bought two large and very beautiful leather bound presentation books but even with that, I began to wonder whether or not there was enough space for all the names.

Victor Matos, Piotr Sucharski, Dr. Hendricks, his oldest daughter Helena, and myself worked until the last moment to include as many names as possible in the list. Rev. Pak changed his flight plans from an early morning departure, to a late night departure in order to give us an extra ten hours to work. But when we realized that even this was not enough, Dr. Hendricks arranged with Rev. Pak to meet him at the airport on his way to Korea to hand him the books there. That gave us some more time, but when eventually we ran out of time, we had 2109 names on the birthday list. I am sure that this was no coincidence. We had a goal and Heavenly Father, Heung Jin Nim, Jesus Nim and the rest of the good spirit world helped us to fulfill it. However, we were not really finished, names were still coming in and it was impossible for us to add them to the list in time.

When Rev. Pak presented the birthday list to True Father, he was very happy. He signed the front pages of each book, as you can see in the picture. On Rev. Pak’s return from Korea he urged me to add every last name that had been received late to the birthday list. In our Tuesday morning leaders meeting he explained about the significance it would have in the future for someone’s name to be on the list. The two books containing the birthday list will be kept as an historical treasure. Future generations of those who signed the birthday list will be proud of their ancestors who had the vision, the heart, and the courage to befriend our True Parents during a time where most people in power would rather not be associated with them. The list now is complete and contains 2500 birthday greetings.

We all learned that the time has come, where we can be more confident, bold and brave to reach out to anyone at any time with God’s truth and love and be welcomed and received with an open heart.

Family Study & Fellowship Evening A Big Hit at the Bay Area Family Church

Bento Leal -- San Leandro, CA

On Friday, January 15th. the first Family Study & Fellowship Evening took place at our new Bay Area Family Church – it was a huge success. More than 130 parents and children attended that first evening and thoroughly enjoyed the study and fellowship. The attendance has remained high each Friday since.

The format is simple: At 7:30 pm, everyone gathers in the 2nd floor Fellowship Hall in a big circle to sing a couple of Holy Songs. Then, each person goes to their classroom by grade (Pre K-K, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, teenagers, adults) for Divine Principle lecture and discussion. Afterwards, everyone gathers back in the Fellowship Hall for snacks, drink and sharing together. By 8:45 pm, the program is over, but many people often remain much later.

By having the classes grouped by grade and age level, the education and atmosphere can really be directed and experienced in the most productive and meaningful ways by all the participants. All the families look forward to return for class and fellowship the following week.

The value of this type of family study and fellowship together as a church community is many-fold: 1) Each person has direct give and take with the Divine Principle, the Word of Life, 2) We study and fellowship within our various age groups, dealing with the Principle in age-appropriate ways, and 3) It’s all done as families together – a real family night. In addition, one of our long-term hopes is that our Bay Area Family Church members will invite their non-church friends to attend. There are many parents in the world looking for wholesome places to bring their children; our Friday evening study fellowships can be a great answer for them.

The plan is to continue these programs each Friday evening starting at 7:30 pm.

If you haven’t attended yet, please come – you’ll love it. Also, if you’re interested to learn how to lecture, this is an ideal place to learn how.

Let’s continue to attend and grow this wonderful program. This regular and direct give-and-take with God’s holy word and each other is a most nourishing and fulfilling aspect of our lives, our couples, our families, and our community.

See you Friday evening!

Facing the Modern-Day Goliath: Porn

Gale Alves and Ina Conneally
Newburgh, NY

The last gifts had been wrapped, cards written and cookies baked; now it was time to relax and enjoy the "season to be jolly." But it never turns out that way. No angels with good tidings descended this year, but bad news -- through the news, of course. The article read: "Sex Business or Art Show?" and it was about a strip dance club which had just a few days ago opened its doors, here in our city, just around the corner, and even to minors!

With its seductive name "Lips" there was no doubt that this wasn’t some kind of "exotic dancing" as it promised to be. No Caribbean folk ballet or such. The girls would all be naked, of course, dancing suggestively to thumping music, being tipped by their audience. The owner of the business had sneaked his way through several city ordinances, using a loophole in the law: "Lips" wasn’t adult entertainment simply because it admitted minors if accompanied by their parents!

To us, that meant we would have to shake the Christmas mind-set off for now, go out and do something about it. It is always helpful in this kind of situation to be upset enough to get things done quickly. Protest was the only adequate response, so we quickly wrote up a press release and sent it to all the different newspapers, radio stations and TV channels in the area, announcing that a rally would be held in order that the sex business have its "lips" shut forever. On the day after Christmas, phone calls came in, one after the other, asking for more information, wanting to interview us -- but who were we? As it had been with another rally earlier this year, we appeared as two "outraged citizens," but this time it was useful to represent the neighborhood as "joint neighborhood associations." It wasn’t all phony baloney, because both of us had made many efforts in the past to create a neighborly spirit through street parties and meetings promoting safety in our area, with local police officers present.

One radio moderator though, had his expectations set a little too high. He was disappointed to find out that there was no big name or organization behind this eloquent press release, written with the help of two church brothers -- only two ordinary women, one feeling shy and the other awkward. Nevertheless, he had already gone ahead and invited the owner of "Lips" for a round-table discussion on air. He didn’t feel confident to have one of us meet this "six-feet-tall gentleman who knows all about his legal rights" -- neither did we. But if there was no one else to confront him, one of us would be there, facing this modern-day Goliath -- at least to voice some higher opinion on the issue, after all. We had also gained about 300 signatures from residents living close to the strip club, a petition drive to have that place closed down. Furthermore, the city council was already fighting its own battle legally, arguing that the owner had violated certain zoning codes and ordinances. But, as the radio moderator told us, we needed someone else -- as we guessed, preferably male, substantial in flesh and spirit -- to appear in the ring. It was by sheer luck (and divine intervention) that we found our name-and-fame helper: an African American minister with more reputation in the community than we could ever come up with. It was good, though, to have the interview together with our ally and to back him up with some statistics on how sex businesses had brought whole neighborhoods down in the past: crime rates had risen drastically, especially murder and rape. Probably the minister might discuss the issue in a religious way, so we were advised to throw in as many facts and numbers as possible; Jim Dougherty, a family member with a lot of first-hand media experience, gave us this valuable advice.

The night before the interview was spent with little sleep and a lot of anxiety. With butterflies in the stomach and numbers about crime increases, one of us made her way to the radio station. Together with the pastor and the club owner, three of us went inside the studio where the wrestling match was to take place. A TV station had arrived, too, adding to our butterflies. Each one of us was introduced to the audience on air, and then the two major opponents had their turns. The minister, single-minded and with a deep voice, repeatedly asked how a strip club could, in any way, add to the quality of life in our city; the owner, in turn, talked about his legal rights, as if he were the victim. Typically, in this situation (as we knew it would be) he made a point about "anyone’s right to have their own belief. By the way," he said, "I was raised Catholic myself, but the greatness of the country lies in the diversity of believing." Now it was time to pop out statistics proving sex entertainment not merely a matter of belief or personal lifestyle, but a matter of great impact on the community as a whole. The owner didn’t like that; he didn’t really want to deal with that woman who had placed herself between that nice pastor and himself. After the interview was over, he shook hands only with his opponent, telling him that in his club they also had black girls dancing ("I’ll bet you do," smiled the minister sourly").

That was the day before True God’s Day, and it had been a quite exhausting experience. Nevertheless, it made us grow in confidence that even with our limited abilities we could be the "mouse that roared." By the way, didn’t Moses have a speech defect also? After several other interviews, both on air and on TV, the day of the rally finally came. We had invited many ministers as well as residents to give speeches and to protest. We had, over the years, developed personal relationships with the clergy of Newburgh, so now it was time for them to respond and support the good cause. As it had been with the other rally earlier last year, the weather on Jan. 9 was so bad that we had to postpone the event until the following weekend.

On Jan. 16 the day finally arrived when all those "mice that roar" were able to come out of their holes. We were grateful for the support of UTS seminarians who were the first to arrive in front of "Lips" -- we were grateful also for the generous contribution of protest signs, made by one sister. We unfolded a big banner reading "Residents and Clergy United -- No Lips in the Face of Newburgh," and then Robert Kittel was the first to give a speech. Meanwhile, President Kim had arrived, as well as other protesters, a local TV station and two newspapers. During the hour we spent shouting slogans and giving speeches, about 36 people came together. Interestingly, this number matched with the number of signatures we gained during the petition drive: 360!

Media like controversy, people angry at something. The more noise, the better. Our speakers were able to fulfill that expectation, for everyone spoke strongly and with conviction against the opening of "Lips".

The rally had turned out well, but we both felt that -- after having brought all those public-minded people together -- we wanted to take another step together with our new allies.

Right now, we are in the process of forming a coalition which we call "Coalition for Family and Community." Our hope is that through this group we can move more freely and effectively for new events to come. We have committed people with us, including a Muslim imam, a city historian and Board of Education member, a county legislator, a Roman Catholic nun and a Latter Day Saint ("Mormon") activist.

Instead of having only our church come out, we believe that through the unity among different faith groups as well as community organizations, we are able to reach for higher goals and be a bridge of unification for people of conscience -- even without name or fame, and only equipped with a slingshot.

P.S.: The strip dance club "Lips" is temporarily closed, pending a final verdict in March.

Empowerment 2000 Conference

Rev. Eric Holt
February 27-28, 1999
Brooklyn, New York

Rev. Dennis Dillon, minister, author and publisher of the New York Christian Times, is a man with a vision. During the last weekend in February, (Black History Month), Rev. Dillon spearheaded a 2-day holistic empowerment conference in the Brooklyn Marriott Hotel - "holistic" in the sense that the conference focused on family, health and wealth – concepts that are demonstrably inter-related. Under the umbrella of the New York Christian Times, a city-wide Christian newspaper published in Brooklyn and circulated in thousands of churches, Rev. Dillon brought together various Fortune 500 corporate sponsors, health organizations, churches and non-profit organizations, including Family Federation. Other familiar organizations included Ocean Church, Pure Love Alliance, etc. Participants in Blessing ’98 at Madison Garden will remember Rev. Dillon as the spirited emcee for the family rally at that event.

Attendants at the conference were treated to sessions with various inspirational speakers, clergy, and experts in many fields. There were also several highly practical panel discussions on topics such as "family", "networking", etc. Over 100 exhibits adorned the ballrooms and hallway in the Marriott, including our own Family Federation table featuring a continuous-play video about the Blessing. Manhattan Family Church pastor, Rev. Chen Fong spoke in place of Bishop Joong Hyun Pak who became ill at the last moment. Panelists Robert Kittel (Pure Love Alliance) and Dr. Tyler Hendricks (Family Federation) gave presentations and engaged in a highly informative and educational discussion on the topic of "family" with, among others, Dr. Gwendolyn Goldsby-Grant, a well-known psychologist and columnist for Essence magazine.

Our own NY Metro Family Church Choir (New Jersey, New York City/State) under the directorship of Francesco Santelli performed both days, and received a very warm welcome and response. Family Church Choir member, Christine Libon had this to say: "Over thirty singers from New York, New Jersey and the Unification Theological Seminary joined together under the directorship of Francesco Santelli to perform at this exciting conference. Musical selections of our Family Church Choir included spirited songs such as If My People Will Pray (based on I Chronicles 7:14), and Ezekiel Saw the Wheel, etc. We were thrilled to have as our accompanist Miss Shin Chun Wu, a masters degree student at the Manhattan School of Music, who performed marvelously on the Baldwin piano. Inspiration flowed as we listened to the Antioch Choir performing an a cappella Jerusalem, with lyrics stating: when the battle is over we shall wear a crown in the New Jerusalem. The grand finale came from the St. Paul’s Community Baptist Church Choir, whose third number, Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land was phenomenal. Their director made a comment which warmed our hearts: ‘We saw the Family Church Choir representing so many nationalities. Well, we’d better get ready, because that’s what it’s going to be like in the Kingdom of Heaven’. Amen! After worshipping, praising and receiving information, many choir members enjoyed browsing at various booths set up to celebrate African-American culture and the community."

All in all, it was a well-organized and high-energy conference, aptly named "Empowerment 2000". Rev. Dillon is to applauded for his "big-tent" approach to solving social problems, by involving as many organizations as possible (including several of our Family Federation –related organizations) in networking and synergistic cooperation. Many thanks to all choir members and volunteers, especially Rev. Yasuhiro Hori, Ken Owens, Lourdes Swarts, Barry Geller, Francesco Santelli, David Eaton, Shimoyama-san, Merlyn Velasco, Shizuko Kato, Francesco Santelli, and Rev. Jeong Phyo Hong.