Approximately 20,000 people gathered at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island, NY for the Peace Starts With Me rally to welcome True Mother back to America. Many more throughout the globe tuned in to the live broadcast, and experienced the rally from the comforts of their own homes. The following is a compilation of a few reflections of their experiences.

Please share your own reflections by emailing info@unification.org.

“Dear True Mother, Congratulations on the historic victory to further God’s Providence in America! We accomplished a lot over the past few months, but all I want to do is thank you. Thank you for educating America to be the elder son and take responsibility to unite the world for peace, especially the clergy who need to rediscover their important role in proclaiming the Only Begotten Daughter. Thank you for your leadership in hand-picking the amazing team that I get to work with everyday. And thank you for believing in us no matter how many times we’ve failed you in the past. In these past few months I’ve seen miracle after miracle. Overall, we’re seeing a beautiful bond with Christianity, our first generation, and our youth like I’ve never seen in my life. All of us are becoming revived like a gust of fresh air circulating through a tired stuffy room.” – Miilhan Stephens, Secretary General of Northeast Subregion

“True Mother, Your message is direct and so powerful. Your succinct history of the preparation of Israel and the life and meaning of the death of Jesus was excellent preparation for introducing the Only Begotten Daughter. You so powerfully made the point that the European failure to embody the Word was underscored by the unchristian expansion of slavery. Each Blessed Family is working now to restore the nation. This is the world’s cherished wish to achieve world peace. We were so moved when you described the motivation of True Parents’ coming to America as firefighters. Thank you for sharing your grace with everyone and proclaiming the era of Hyojeong culture. We pledge to attend God as the parent of all humanity and move together with one heart and mind. You are the example true love for all the world and we are so grateful to you!” – Ernest Patton, Southeast Subregional Director

“We are living in a world with a lot of difficulties and challenges. It’s obvious to me that the business industry doesn’t have the answer, politicians don’t have the answer. I believe the people of God have the answer. I think if everyone thought about what Peace Starts With Me means, we can spread the peace to others and the world will be a better place. We are so excited to hear True Mother’s message of peace and the 5000 voice choir.” –Bishop Orlando Finlatter, Brooklyn, NY

“I worked as part of the ticketing team for the rally. I would love for everyone to come together and bring peace after all our heard work and unite for this event.” – Satomi Rabottini, Mt. Prospect, IL

“Peace Starts With Me means we, as individuals, need to start practicing what peace is about, and then as a collective we can make a difference. Each individual will then spread to a community. I’m excited to see the diversity in all these people who came to support peace.” – Claudia Al-Amin, Co-Chair WFWP Oregon, Portland, OR

“We came out to New York for the Global Women’s Peace Network conference which had fabulous women speakers standing up for peace. Peace Starts With Me means finding peace within my own heart to influence others to live a peaceful life. True Mother will have a great, inspiring message for us.” – RoseAnn Kennett, Co-Chair WFWP Oregon, Portland, OR

“Peace means positivity and freedom. Peace is a dream that you have and the motion as well.” – Muhsin Parrish, Harvard, NY

“Peace is quite broad to encompass, but it starts with the individual from the inside out. We need to be able to expand that and bring peace to the world. I’m most excited to see if this message can spread from New York all the way to the five boroughs then to California and all over the world. We need to get this in action now.” – Randy Francis, Washington, D.C.

“When you can pull people together from different religions, nationalities and races because they have one thing in common, that they want to see the world a better place, that is what peace is. If we could put aside our small, petty differences, and come together under common values we can unite together.” – Kevin Thompson, San Francisco, CA

“Peace means the fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus. Being at this event, I saw brothers and sisters from all religions, all walks of earth, different cultures praying to one god. We were all in one room on one accord in unity loving each other as one family. I think it made God feel good to see us as a family. Peace means putting aside our denominations and coming together in the name of peace. One way to usher in the spirit of God is to praise him and magnify him. When we do that we’re looking up to God for health, reconciliation, and help.” – Rev. Michael Sykes United Missionary Baptist Church, East Orange, NJ

“If bringing all our voices together means exemplifying peace, then we should do that without a question in our minds.” – Elaine Jones, Queens, NY

“Peace means inner acceptance of who you are. When you can accept yourself, you have a greater capacity for accepting others, therefore we will ultimately come to find peace. This day last year, I was in Seoul, Korea to bring about the reunification of the Peninsula, and not a month after we left, the shaking of hands of unity between North and South Korea was broadcasted. We helped make that change happen.” – Denise Lyles-Cook, Los Angeles, CA

“There were hundreds of us in a workshop before the rally, preparing and practicing the mujugeon dance. I liked how the song was translated into English for everyone to understand and relate to.” – Amanda Jones, Boston, MA

“We took a lot of time to practice the mujugeon dance during the workshop. We made sure to be united and put our hearts into it for True Mother.” – Naomi Christiansen, Boston, MA

“I’m so happy True Mother came all the way to America to speak at the rally. It was lovely to see her face and listen to her wise words.” –Monica Schlaepfer, Hayward, CA

“The event was great. It was amazing how many people came. We felt the spirit of God moving in America. My favorite speaker was True Mother because her message was powerful and touching.” – Jesie Tenepre, Elizabeth, NJ

“Thank you so much for a great and lively afternoon! It was awesome! I loved the entertainment and Citizen Way was so refreshing.” – Cynthia Nakai, Little Ferry, NJ

“The auditorium was beautiful. We had incredible entertainment and I cried in joy that we had such high quality entertainers. It was wonderful and inspiring. Thank you guys for your hard work.” – Olivia Vozza

“When we first heard about the vision for the rally that was placed on Rev. Dunkley’s heart as he prayed earnestly to comfort our True Mother’s desperate heart to save the 7.6 billion people of the world. I believe all of us were deeply moved as we reflected on our own personal experiences of having God speak to us at special moments in our lives as we grew in our understanding of the heart of our Heavenly Parent and True Parents. To be given the opportunity to help bring this vision into existence, and to make it a pure offering, with a heart of Hyojeong to our True Mother, was something that we felt moved to take part in. In Connecticut, our local church was asked to donate $20,000 to this effort, and our Council unanimously agreed to answer this call. When tickets went on sale, many of our brothers and sisters responded, purchasing dozens of tickets, which many times went to subsidize other Blessed families who were in financial hardship but wanted to go. As the rally campaign unfolded, we had a growing effort to reach out and connect to our ACLC churches, some of them being new contacts that we found through their connection with A. Curtis Farrow and his choir foundation. We saw a sincere effort by our youth to connect to the rally in a substantial way, engaging in a local service project with a veterans’ home in Bridgeport and creating the winning YAYAM music video based on the “Unconditional” Song, testifying to their love for our True Parents. We also had an explosion of brothers and sisters engaged in tribal messiah activities during our preparations for the rally. In the final days leading up to the rally, one couple expressed their commitment to fulfill their Tribal Messiahship before welcoming our True Mother at the event. Even up until the day before the rally, brothers and sisters in the community went out to support this couple to finally reach their goal and make a pure offering to heaven. True Mother, we want you to know that we are committed to running with you towards 2020 and bringing total victory. We will go forth bringing the Blessing to our brothers and sisters in America and give the best of what we have to serve the world. Thank you to our Heavenly Parent and True Parents for trusting us and encouraging us to stand up as champions for your Providence.” – Family Church of Connecticut

“In 2004, when I was in Israel for the WFWP rally, I met a teenage Israeli guy who could speak English well. He helped us with the outreach a lot and attended the rally in Jerusalem. He didn’t believe in God and was struggling with many things in his life. I took care of him like a son or younger brother and for the past 15 years we have communicated regularly. He began to consider the existence of God due to our conversations. When our daughter was dying of brain cancer he came to America to see her and after she passed he came again to be sure I was alright. He recently moved to America and is working in Manhattan. Though he wasn’t religious, he always liked Gospel music, so I felt he would really enjoy singing in the choir. I invited him to join and he did. Before the event, many Christian choir members talked to him about Jesus and his love. They witnessed to him! He listened very carefully to Mother’s speech and when she talked about Jesus and about how Israel should have accepted Jesus, he turned to me with a distraught look on his face. He also realized that Mother was saying many things that were hard for Christians to hear and yet she clearly spoke the truth. He really liked that Mother said we have to make things right in the world now and not wait till we die. Thank you Omonim for speaking truth with such clarity and love.” – Catherine Ono

“In every ACLC event that is integrated with True Father or True Mother’s speech, I have always perceived that there were two different groups, the Christians and us. It has been most notable with the content of the speeches who introduce True Parents with the exception of Rev. T.L. Barrett and Archbishop George Augustus Stallings Jr. That separation was noticeably not there.  Each of the testimonies referenced True Mother in a way which showed an acceptance of True Mother from the heart. I realized how important it is to have not just the person introducing True Mother to give a testimony to her, but the two speakers before her to have the same level of belief. Rev. Noah Jones was really important because he is a big name. Usually the person with a big name has given their own sermon rather than giving a testimony to True Mother. It made what Rev. Barrett said very believable and set the stage for everyone to believe what True Mother was going to say. Then rather than sounding controversial, True Mother could lead them into her world very naturally. For those people who were allowing themselves to follow her speech, it must have been an amazing experience, and True Mother must have felt that when she spoke as well. The rally was held on the date of the 100th anniversary of the official ending of World War I.  Divine Principle states that World War I was the foundation for the Second Advent of the Messiah and was the foundation for True Father to be born. On such a significant day, America initiating this Peace Starts With Me event has great meaning, which must have made not only True Mother happy, but True Father and Heavenly Parent as well.” – Elizabeth Manaka

“My son, Benjamin, is 19 years old and is on GPA and he was on the dancing team for the Nassau Rally. I am the state leader of Missouri and was invited to the Victory Celebration dinner with True Mother after the event. While sitting at the dinner table, one sister came up to me and said that my son is outside the banquet room and wants to see me. I went out to see him and we had great reunion for a few minutes. I told him that I had to get back into the celebration with True Mother. Benjamin said, “What? Is True Mother in there!?” I said that she is. The sister told Benjamin that he can step inside and take a peak. He said “Really??” He came into the room and saw True Mother in her pink suit. He put his hand on his heart and said, “Wow! True Mother!” and just stood there gazing at her. Such is the heart of a Second Generation child towards our True Mother! His simple action and purity of heart moved me to tears.” – Bjorn Ottosson, MO

“Congratulations for the Peace Starts With Me rally on November 11. True Mother was so beautiful and very relaxed to speak to 20,000 people. She spoke like people who lost their own  identity and value and purpose for Christianity and told them their future, just like Mother told her children. It was a wonderful event for everybody, we are really blessed. True Mother told the clergy that she has hope in them. True Parents have waited for a long time for them to understand their mission for their congregation and humankind. Until now, True parents have paid a lot of suffering, sweat, tears and blood for us. Thank you so much, True Mother. We will pray for your trip to Africa, our hearts will be with you.” – Aiko Stearns, MN

“I was so inspired and impressed by True Mother’s message at this rally. She spoke clearly about the mission of America. I could see that all audiences have received the message and expressed their love and respect for True Mother. I believe that loving True Mother and practicing true love to others starts peace in the society and the world. I was also impressed by the second-generation Unificationists and young people in the audience. Their passion and their pure heart made me cry. I felt total unity centering on Dr. Kim and the other leaders. Thank you so much for this beautiful event and congratulations on the victory of this event.” – Yukiko Fairbrother, NH

“We were blessed to have a hotel in walking distance from the rally. We brought our spiritual daughter with us. It was her first time in New York and her first time seeing True Mother. During the rally, she kept jumping up and down. While on the plane ride home, I noticed the pain in my hands was gone. I couldn’t hold back my tears of joy.” – Elma King, Kings Family Church, Kissimmee, Florida