Dear Family,

We are engaged in a most historic process. Since the 120 City World Tour and the founding of the Universal Peace Federation our work in the Middle East is going much further, much faster. The Middle East Peace Initiative is in Jerusalem now.

Though the turmoil and the struggle in the Middle East is immense and most serious, the Living God is with us. We entered Jerusalem on "Purim" the Jewish Holiday celebrating the Purim commemorates the deliverance of the Persian Jews from destruction in the reign of the Persian king Ahasuerus. This was the story of a Jewish woman named Esther who went into her husband the King, risking her life (at that time an improper approach to the King without his permission could lead to expulsion or death), she went to him abandoning all protocol and safety to save the Jewish people. Her uncle Mordecai had encouraged her to be courageous saying that she was chosen for "such a time as this." She went to the King saying, "If I perish, I perish." Her courage saved the Jewish people. We say on this night of "Purim" that we have come to liberate all people from the bonds and boundaries of the past. We want to stand and Esther and say, "If we perish, we perish. But we must come to Jerusalem to liberate the people of God from the divisions and boundaries."

Tonight Archbishop Stallings, Dr. Shuki Ben Ami and Rev. Daryl Gray and I went to Gethsemane. Dr. Ben Ami, our Jewish Ambassador for Peace is the descendant (as is his wife Shosh) of very important Rabbis in Jerusalem. Here he is standing on Holy Ground with us, Jewish and Christian, standing somewhere near where Jesus prayed. It was a full moon and Dr. Ben Ami, a Jewish scholar and man of faith took us a tour around the old city of Jerusalem. It is so amazing when you come to this Holy City. Shuki (Joshua) showed us the Kidron valley where Jesus visited and healed the lepers and on the other side... the Mount of Olives. We stood beneath the corner of the wall of the Old City. Most of the walls were reconstructed by Suleyman I of the Ottoman empire and date back only to 1538 years, but the corner that we stood beneath is the original.. dating back 2000 or more years to the time of Herod. Not far from where we stand is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

As we prayed at Gethsemane, we felt hope for the unity of Jews and Christians. As we prayed we felt the spirit of God descend upon us. The moonlight was so bright you could see the Olive Trees and their shadows. From where we prayed you can look upon the Eastern Wall of the Old City of Jerusalem and the Golden Dome of the Rock, the third Holiest site in the Islamic Faith stands brilliantly and proudly above us. Clearly, as Jesus prayed he Gethsemane he could look upon the city. He wept profoundly, because God's will for Jerusalem could not be realized because of his family and the rejection he received. Even his disciples slept. The cross would become his destiny.

However, on this night, though we felt deeply touched, no one cried. Bishop Stallings prayed that the realization of the one lineage of God centering on True Parents would now be realized, and that Jesus would be comforted. Shuki recited scripture in Hebrew and Rev. Gray gave a message offering gratitude that Jesus never gave up and that he called for us to come and to love our brothers.

Because the joy and the absolute confidence that the Peace Kingdom is coming is too immense we did not weep. We can feel that Jesus tears of sorrow are now tears of joy because his work has been completed and now his family is beginning to understand. Jesus is moving with us with deep hope that finally the time of completion has come. God's Ideal Family is the Model for World Peace. The blessed family is now being realized in every race, religion and culture. Here we stand, Jews and Christians in the spirit of Unification, with one heart and with absolute conviction that we are one family before God. Here in Jerusalem, with each journey we take, the walls in peoples hearts are coming down. The turmoil is great, but the people of faith are not in turmoil, we bring calm and stability based on True Love and the confidence that all people Jews, Christians and Muslims are engrafting onto the True Olive Tree ... as the scriptures say.... the Tree of Life.

Our focus on this journey is to concentrate on the bond of the first and second Israel. We are going deeper now to find our common beginning from one God. We are seeking the end of division and fear between Jews and Christians. From America and Europe we join with Christians and Jews in Jerusalem. We are taking on a task that has been worked on by many with great faith for 2000 years. The task of repairing and healing what should have never divided, the family of Abraham. We are starting with our Jewish elders and recognizing that our faith emerged from theirs. We are sharing in dialogue with Jewish scholars and religious leaders, together with Christian leaders. We know that there is a path that God has created now for there are no conditions left that allow for the divisions to remain. There are no barriers in the spirit world that bind us to be separated anymore. On December 22nd, 2003 a condition was made in Jerusalem in which Jesus family was reunited and historic representatives of Judaism welcomed Jesus back home and crowned him King. of Peace. Because of that this historic moment, there is no condition left that can divide us. Now we must go forward to embrace our Jewish brothers and sisters and heal our long centuries of separation. We repent and ask God's blessing to allow our historic families to become one. We know that as our hearts become one we will be able to embrace Ishmael and the Jewish, Christian and Muslim families will fulfill the hope of heaven... here ... in Jerusalem.

Prayerfully Yours,

MWJ

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