Architects of Our Love: The Power of Listening with Empathy
The Latino chapter of the Women's Federation for World Peace (WFWP) collaborated with WFWP Maryland to organize the inaugural bilingual program, "Architects of Our Love." The event took place on December 2, 2023, at the Washington Times Building in Washington D.C., drawing an audience of around 100 individuals (70 in person and 30 online). Attendees included both men and women, husbands and wives, as well as brothers and sisters, all gathering to explore strategies for enhancing family bonds through improved communication. Recognizing the universal importance of family stability as a cornerstone for peace-building, the seminar received enthusiastic feedback, equipping participants with valuable tools for contributing to this shared endeavor.
The presenter, Bento Leal, talked about empathetic listening and how to practice skills to improve our relationships. Mr. Leal, is a certified relationship skills trainer and best-selling author of "4 Essential Keys to Effective Communication." He said "...listen fully to what they are saying...without interruption or thinking what you'll say next.....listening actively, giving your full attention and saying back to them in your own words what they said.'' Mr. Leal is an expert on communication and has taught hundreds of seminars. His presentation included lively discussion groups and pair shares.
The event began with welcome remarks from WFWP President Kaeleigh Moffitt followed by former WFWP President Dr. Angelika Selle who introduced the main speaker. Dr. Achille Acolatse from New Hope Family Church blessed the event with a prayer in English and Sonia Reyes, founder of The Family Life Consulting Services prayed in Spanish.
The event had two mistresses of ceremony, Concha Marchitelli, Chairwoman of WFWP Latino Chapter spoke in Spanish and Rika Betencourt, teacher at New Hope Academy, in English. Both languages were spoken throughout the event to make all the participants feel special and warmly welcome.
During the event, there was a short presentation about the Schools of Africa and a call to support this project of WFWP. The attendees felt moved and we raised $268.00.
The evening continued with a delicious dinner, served by the volunteers from the New Hope Dance Team. The food was organized by Isabel Quevedo, Isabel Aleman and Julia Aguirre from the Latino chapter and Andrea Rissanen and Emiko Butler for the local Maryland chapter. After dinner, the New Hope Dance Team did a Hip Hop Dance, representing the USA culture followed by dancing salsa and rumba, representing the Spanish culture. Everyone was invited to join in the dance and we ended the fun with the song "Feliz Navidad", a well known song for English and Spanish speakers.
This successful event is a follow up of a Bridge of Peace ceremony held last August in Maryland. We concluded with prayer and an invitation to our next event on peace building "The Power of Forgiveness” which will take place on March 9, 2024. More details will be announced later.
A husband's testimony: I thought I was going to get bored but I had a great time and I learned good things to apply in my marriage. I will definitely come again.