The snow fell wet and heavy the night before our WFWP 25th Anniversary event on April 29. That is April weather in Denver, Colorado. It can rain, snow, hail and then burst forth with bright sunshine, all in the span of one day. But at 8 pm the night before, I was getting worried. Fellow shoppers at the grocery store told me we were getting anywhere from four to 12 inches of snow. They held up their smart phones and gave me grave looks.

"We can't have worked so hard on this event to have it cancelled!" I inwardly cried to myself and to God. I called my co-chairwoman, Shirley Chimes. She too was concerned, but we both came to the same conclusion: let's wait until morning and then we can decide.

I took comfort in that, and focused on preparing my chicken vegetable soup for the lunch buffet we were offering as our fundraiser during the event. Then I worked on my opening remarks and other commentaries I would make as the emcee. Meanwhile, the snow continued to fall, and it was beginning to stick. "Please, Heavenly Father, help us be able to have our event!" I prayed urgently as I stirred the soup and edited my words.

By 3 am, the snow had slowed down considerably and I knew all would be well for our program and fair.

And it was. The slickness of the highway and the degree of visibility were both unknowns that thankfully did not deter 40 people from venturing forth to our event. They arrived in dribs and drabs, and we were thrilled with each new arrival.

And we thanked God for all of His support.

Our “Networking for Peace" program and fair came about because the Denver chapter wanted to expand our base of outreach. We thought it would be inspiring for us and for other organizations and businesses to see and hear what each other is doing to serve the greater Denver community. We focused on those that were faith-based, health- related, or service- oriented.

Eleven different organizations and businesses participated in the program and the fair that followed.

Each person representing their organization had five minutes to share, and then were given a free booth to hand out additional information, answer questions, and sell products to support their group.

These are the groups that participated:

Arbonne: a health and beauty business that uses only high quality, natural ingredients;
Clothes to Kids of Denver: a non-profit organization that provides gently-used clothing to kids in need;
Firefly School of Autism: provides one-on-one support and education; small group socialization;
Sierra C Yoga: in-home yoga instruction, supporting those with special health needs;
Crescent View Academy: a Muslim elementary through middle school with high academic achievements and moral values;
ARC: a hip thrift stores that employ special-needs adults and re-purposes all of their leftover inventory;
The Ideals Initiative: a practical framework for building relationships of love based on fundamental, universal truths;
Sweet Massage: supporting one's health through massage, reiki, and aroma-touch;
Family Promise of Greater Denver: providing shelter and support for the homeless;
Jeffco Center for Mental Health: a caring facility that respects each individual;
WFWP Colorado Chapter.

The overall spirit of the event was full of gratitude and excitement. A teacher from the Muslim school said, "We are so honored to be a part of this event." And Haifa Wazwaz, the principal's wife and kindergarten teacher said, “May God's blessing be upon you for bringing us all together!" Participants were happy to have had a chance to meet such a variety of people.

" It was a blast!" was the comment from the young director of Family Promise of Greater Denver. "Let's see how we can partner." Everyone felt appreciated and listened to when they shared about their organization or business. "What a receptive audience!" enthused Jas Smith from The Ideals Initiative. And Maria Arragon of Arc Thrift Stores said, “I am so glad the executives from headquarters sent me to this program. I do not want to leave!"

L to R: Fumiko Bruner, Keiko Vogenthaler, Jordan Dotson, Chie Harrison

Pretty scarves, bars of handmade soap, intricate henna designs on one's hand, relaxing neck and shoulder massages ,a hearty buffet; all were purchased and enjoyed by most everyone present. Breaking bread together around small clusters of tables enabled us to all get to know each other a little bit better.

Each organization had an opportunity to announce any upcoming events. This is what WFWP of Colorado shared: ”Help us create a culture of peace! Strong marriages and families centered on true love are the cornerstones of a peaceful society. Join us as we rededicate our marriages on Saturday, July first. Together we can transcend race, religion, culture, nationality, and language."

"Christians cannot create peace by themselves. Muslims cannot create peace by themselves. Nor can Jews, Buddhists, Hindus or people of conscience create peace by themselves. We all need to work together to create true peace. So we can all be at peace."

"And what better way to begin the peace process than to come together, inviting God, Allah, Yahweh, and Jesus more deeply into our marriages and families? Thank you very much, we be sending you more information about this event."

We brought out a beautiful cake to commemorate WFWP's 25 years of service, education, and activities of peace building here in the US and around the world. We hope our Colorado Chapter's "Networking for Peace” event expressed some of Rev. and Mrs. Moon's vision for world peace: bringing people together for a higher purpose and prayerfully creating the environment so that connections of heart can take place.