Uruguay: Report on the Event

By Raul Rey. Translated by Ken Whitmore)
Montevideo, Uruguay
July 28, 2006

Our Mother, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, arrived in Montevideo on the afternoon of July 26 and stayed at the Radisson Victoria Plaza Hotel.

The following morning, even though it had rained and was very cold, Mother visited Punta del Este (Maldonado) and the Uruguay National Garden in Montevideo.

That afternoon, the event was held in the Grand Ballroom of the hotel. Due to the winter cold and rain, the audience of 850 persons was less than anticipated. Distinguished guests included Dr. Hector Lescano, Minister of Tourism and Sports; Senator Ever Da Rosa; Senator Eng. Ruperto Long; Senator Baraibar; Undersecretary of Housing Arch. Jaime Igorra; Minister Carlos Betancourt; and former Senator Carlos Garat.

The program began at 18:30 with words from the Director of FFWPU in Uruguay, Lic. Jesus Gonzalez Losada. Afterwards, tenor Ernesto Recaite sang “Amazing Grace” and “Panis Angelicum.” Next, local activities were portrayed in a PowerPoint presentation. The official words of welcome were given by Dr. Hector Lescano, who emphasized the importance of the family as the building block of peace.

The invocation was given by a monk, Rey Banagas. Following this, the opening message was given by the Master of Ceremonies Dr. Thomas G. Walsh, Secretary General of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). He explained the significance of the blessing vows as reaffirming matrimonial bonds, the centrality of God as our True Parent, and the importance of the family in building a world of peace.

The first speech was read by Jeong Jin Nim, daughter of our True Parents. People listened with great admiration as she read “The Ideal Family of God and the Kingdom of the Ideal World of Peace.” When she finished, they gave her an ovation.

Afterwards a video presentation about the activities of UPF was shown.

Dr. Thomas G. Walsh gave a deeply-moving introduction to our True Mother, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. In addition to leading the UPF together with Father Moon, she is president of the Women’s Federation for World Peace, an NGO in general consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council since 1997. The presence and speech of Mother generated great joy. Her profound and moving words impacted all of those present, all of whom stood and cheered the “good news” she proclaimed for Uruguay.

The program ended with the prayer for blessing of the family, the nation and the world. For this ceremony, 12 representative couples were chosen from different regions of the country and different areas of work. The other couples present joined this ceremony at their seats.

The following morning, Mother spoke about the importance of assuming greater responsibilities to elevate the spirituality of Uruguay. She reiterated the importance of living with God as the vertical True Parent. As true children of God, we are to establish the kingdom of the three generations in our family and perfect the four great realms of heart. She talked about living for the good of others, which is the practice of true love, the standard Father has manifestad throughout his life. She counselled us to keep our mind and body united as one single entity, since God has given us a conscience as our guide in the achievement of this objective. She remarked that all of the people of Uruguay and the world are our brothers and sisters and that we should educate them and bring them home. As registered citizens of Cheon Il Guk, we have the mission of making this country and this era blossom and produce the fruits of blessing and glory. She also asked the second-generation children to learn Korean language as a means of understanding the heart of our Father.

All were profoundly touched by the presence of our True Mother and will strive to respond to the challenges she gave us. We give thanks to God for this opportunity to know more of His heart, through the True Parents.