I was part of a group of eleven people to leave Sao Paulo on the 26th at night to travel 16 hours by van to go Jardim to attend the celebration held at Jardim, South Matto Grosso, Brazil, August 28,1998. Our National Leader, who was included in this group, had made some arrangements for us to stay at night in the city of Jardim (30 km away), because the Center for Education for the Ideal Family and World Peace was already packed with 800 members mostly from Japan and Korea. Many of them came as a couple or family including children. The Korean National Messiahs, participating in another seminar at Forte Olimpo, near the border of Paraguay, came also.

On August 28 (July 7 by lunar calendar), we gathered before 7am in the hall, on the 2nd floor of the restaurant building. Rev Kwak was in the front making the list of the representative groups to be called to bow in front of True Parents and the offering table, Rev Oyamada was helping to translate from Korean to Japanese. When he saw me, he called me to come to stand in the front row next to Rev Zin Moon Kim, and he gave my name to Rev. Kwak to represent the National Messiahs. The process of the ceremony went as usual, after the representative bows, recitation of the Family Pledge, True Father prayed, cake cutting, three Manseis and Father spoke.

I cannot report about the content of the speech, because of the language. Father spoke often in Japanese; the Japanese members were the majority in the audience. Rev Oyamada was translating from Japanese to Korean and vice-versa when Father switched back to Korean. One small group of American families were in one corner as participants of the 40-day workshop.

In the afternoon was the sport tournament, soccer, volley, running including men and women teams were competing for a $500 prize. True Father, together with the Korean elders, was watching from underneath the official tribune and listening to the loud shouting, plus the many types of noise made by the Korean and Japanese groups supporting their teams. The Japanese and Koreans teams finished equal and shared the prize.

In the evening we gathered in the main hall for entertainment which started after 7:30pm, after True Parents entered. The back stage was beautifully decorated with a large painting representing the natural surrounding of the New Hope Farm. One Korean man and one Japanese lady shared the work of master of ceremony, in their respective language. The program included: Korean drummers, singers, second generation dance and skit, Japanese songs, magician, ballet dance, etc.

On Saturday True Parents spent many hours sitting on their chairs in the shade of a large tree in front of the farm house, posing with the couples finishing the 40-day training. The couples were well dressed and made lines and waited for their turn to stand a few seconds to take a picture together True Parents.

Sunday morning we had another chance to participate in pledge service with True Parents at 5 am. Father then spoke, mostly in Japanese, at some point asked the Japanese women to stand up, He walked a few steps in the middle alley in the crowd, he continued to speak and asked them to pledge and commit themselves, with loud voice and by raising both hands.

After lunch, a little before 2pm, True Parents departed from the farm house in a jeep driven by Pres. Kim, director of the New Hope Farm. Both side of the dirt road were lined with many members waving good-bye, until the car disappear over the bridge.

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