Mother Moon, Hyun Jin and Jun Sook arrived mid-day in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, traveling three hours from Vanuatu. They were welcomed by Ambassadors for Peace and local leaders and members of UPF.

Papua New Guinea is about 120 km north of Australia. The island of New Guinea [named by the Dutch who thought that the land and people were similar to the people of Guinea in Africa, hence "New" Guinea] is divided, with the Western half being part of Indonesia. The Portuguese and Spanish first sighted Papua New Guinea. The name Papua is Malay for "fuzzy hair." At various times and in relation to various sections of the land, the Dutch, Germans, English and Australians colonized the land, until it was established as a UN trust territory. It achieved full independence in 1975.

At 1:30 Dr. Chung Sik Yong, Dr. Thomas Walsh, Mr. and Mrs. Giorgio Boin, and Mr. Ernie Ijsenbruk visited the Governor General, Sir Paulias Matane, the leading representative and acting head of state of behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. In other words, he is the highest official in the land. He received us warmly and graciously. He knew a great deal about Father and Mother Moon already. He had been his nation’s first Ambassador to the USA, the UN, Mexico and Canada, back in the mid-1970s. He praised UPF and its work and paid honor to Father and Mother Moon.

The first part of the program, emceed by Rev. Ledesma, began at 4:00 PM and featured wonderful performance by local, traditional singers and dancers.

At 5:00 PM, the Governor General was introduced and delivered his welcoming remarks. He sincerely and warmly welcomed Mother Moon and Hyun Jin to Papua New Guinea. He acknowledged Father Moon, even though he could not be present. He spoke of the need for inter-religious cooperation, especially among Jews, Christians and Muslims. He praised UPF’s work to promote unity, harmony and peace, and for its efforts to bring peace in the Middle East. He also recognized UPF’s emphasis on the family. [The Governor General and his wife celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year.] He encouraged the 600 members of the audience to commit themselves to the ideals of UPF and to spread those ideals throughout the nation. His remarks very well received and added great dignity to the main event.

Prior to presenting his message, Hyun Jin paid his respects to the Governor General and explained that the speech he was about to give represented the core of his Father’s teachings. He went on to present the Founder’s Address. Because the spirit was so high and the atmosphere so warm and respectful, the presentation unfolded easily, clearly and smoothly. As he concluded, the Governor General, who had sat attentively throughout, came to the stage to present Hyun Jin with a special necklace made of the tusks of wild pig, an important animal in Papua New Guinea.

The atmosphere was at its peak when Mother Moon entered the stage, and everyone rose with applause, refusing to sit down until she clearly insisted on it. The audience remained attentive and respectful at their seats throughout her wonderful presentation. She was fully at ease, comfortable in presenting God’s word, clearly pleased with the audience, the Governor General and the overall reception she was receiving.

Once again, as her speech concluded, the Governor General came to the stage and presented Mother Moon with a special gift, the latest of the 37 books he has written. She received it graciously and then was joined by her son and daughter-in-law for a photograph with the Governor General. The prayer for blessing of marriage was celebrated with a high and warm and respectful spirit. After the program, the Governor General gave interview to Voices of Peace TV.

Following the main event, there was a reception for about 40 Ambassadors for Peace hosted by Dr. Yong, Rev. Ledesma and Mr. and Mrs. Boin. Several of the Ambassadors for Peace shared their experiences, quite a few of whom were meeting Mother Moon for the first time or learning about UPF for the first time. They were inspired and uplifted.

The following morning Mother Moon spoke. "Until now," she said, "People have lived as orphans in history. Although people are brothers and sisters, there has only been strife, conflict and struggle. Humanity did not know True Parents. God has been working to rise up humanity through his providence, but humanity has not understood God’s providence. Even if God finds only one person, then God can move his providence forward. So, even 2000 years ago, Jesus was sent in that position. If Jesus had not had to go to the cross there would not have been so many divisions in religion, and the Kingdom of Heaven would have been established at that time. I think you are truly Blessed people. True Parents have shown you everything. In front of you there are no more barriers and no more walls. I see so many young, bright faces here, and this makes me very happy. You have the responsibility to bring all young people and the rest of the nation to be restored. True Parents teach true love and living for the sake of others. Practice this teaching. If this nation can practice this and become a model nation, how wonderful it will be!"

The people from Papua New Guinea sang, "We Are the People of the Lord." Japanese volunteers sang, and the Korean cameraman sang. Then Dr. Yong sang a song about a child’s heart of longing for the parents, longing for the father when the sun rises and longing for the mother when the moon rises.

Hyun Jin then spoke about a pure heart yearning and longing for an ideal world and the aspiration of youth seeking the flowering of true love. "Please hold on to that truth and that spirit," he said. "There is a tendency to lose that spirit, but we must keep that spirit, for that is where we find God. If you dream big and have ownership of that dream, then big things will happen." He invited Thomas Walsh, Jin Man Kwak, Enrique Ledesma and Ernie Ijsenbruk to join him in singing "If I Can Dream."

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