SOWING AND CULTIVATING SEEDS OF PEACE: ON FAMILY'S PATH

Four years ago, a tract of land was donated to Mr. and Mrs. Young Dae Lee from Kwanju, South Korea. They planted crops and gave the proceeds to low-income families. They did this from the goodness of their hearts. As members of the Universal Peace Federation founded by Father and Mother Moon in the mid-1990's, the Lee family took seriously the mandate of UPF to promote peace, unity, and harmony among people, beginning with their neighbors.

Taking it to another level, Mr. and Mrs. Lee sought an even deeper manifestation of cultivating sustainable peace. Earlier this year they visited Japan, the historical enemy of Korea, to promote brotherhood and sisterhood relationships in an effort to erase the deep enmity between the two countries.

Hwa Jeong and Benjamin Martinez, emcees and program organizers

In June, Mr. and Mrs. Lee travelled to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Denver with thirty other committed-to-peace activists. Their desire was to continue the efforts to embrace people from all walks of life, no matter what faith, race, or ethnicity. Some among the group were members of UFP, others were not.

In Denver, June 15, Mr. and Mrs. Lee's daughter, Hwa Jeong and her husband Benjamin Martinez, hosted an American-Korean Brotherhood and Sisterhood event. Sixty-five participants, including Mr. and Mrs. Lee's two grandchildren, attended the event. Activities included the recognition of the Korean and the American flags, the signing of a brother/sisterhood declaration, a gift exchange; Japanese congratulatory songs; group photos; and a Korean taco dinner accompanied by entertainment.

Women's Federation for World Peace (WFWP) teamed up to give welcoming addresses. Mrs. Lee, WFWP Chairwoman in Kwanju, Korea, was thrilled to participate in the historic Peace Ceremony in Denver with Denver WFWP members.

Deep appreciation is offered to Mr. and Mrs. Lee and all of their guests for visiting Denver and giving the opportunity to join together with UPF and WFWP to honor the cooperation between Kwanju, South Korea and Denver, Colorado, USA. It truly fulfilled a vision of bridging world peace on a personal level among people from different nations and cultural backgrounds.

Singing to honor the Korean guests