On February 4th and 5th, the Pure Love Alliance held a two day workshop for the New Eden Academy in Bridgeport, CT. The theme was "Prepare or Party?" and each presentation dealt with how to best prepare to confront the peer issues of drugs, drinking and sex that all young people ultimately face, and to prepare for their future.

"Keeping purity requires more than just keeping your pants on," Teddy Hose, a freshman at Bridgeport University, explained during his talk on developing character. He emphasized that our character is the basis for our future. People with goals for their future, should make wise decisions to avoid living a let’s party lifestyle.

Pure Love International, the video of the 1998 tour in Japan and Korea was shown. This inspired many of the young students to want to join the next tour later this year.

Mo Sook Park, who works in the PLA office in NY, closed the first day with a talk about self-respect and the importance of taking pride in oneself. She challenged the students be proud without being arrogant and to respect their families, and what they believe in and go beyond peer and cultural pressures to do the right thing.

On the second day Harumi Kawamura, another University of Bridgeport student gave a special lecture on feeling "lack of love." She directly confronted the students with a reason why we would do anything for love. "Ideally we are all supposed to experience child’s love, brother, and sister love, conjugal love and parental love to the fullest." she said. "Yet in reality many of us feel lack of love or even alienation. This feeling of alienation drives us to seek love, which is strongly connected to the issue of purity."

The four stages of love are meant to be experienced in a specific order, with conjugal or sexual love coming later, when we are fully mature. But because our culture pushes this kind of love so heavily, many young people get confused and seek sex when what they really need is to focus on building good friendships and connecting to their parent’s love.

Keiha Kim moved the hearts of students with her own personal testimony. She shared her reasons why she chose to live a pure lifestyle and how family plays an important role in her life. Following her talk, Mrs. Kim did an activity with her students called "Titanic." Ten students were chosen and given titles such as newlywed, professor, and five-year-old boy. The audience was then asked to choose five people whom they thought should be saved from the sinking ship in the last remaining lifeboat. The students ended up choosing the people whose titles clearly showed they were a part of a family. Through that activity the students learned how the family is really the center of all our lives.

"Comb Your Hair" was the title of the last presentation given by the PLA president, Mr. Robert Kittel. He pointed out that the main way we change our appearance is by how we fix our hair. Our hair, being on the top of our head is for public viewing. Our mouth, nose, eyes, and ears are used to relate with the world. In a sense the human body is a model for the proper relationship between public and private. Our head is public and meant for others to see. Our sexual organs are private and meant to be reserved for only the most intimate and holy relationships. To close the students gathered along the shore at the Seaside Park and recited the Pure Love Pledge facing the shimmering water.

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