The WFWP Washington, D.C. Chapter organized an end of the year gift exchange party with the support of Mrs. Angelika Selle, President WFWP USA; Mrs. Kim Dadachanji, Maryland chairwoman; and Mrs. Zena Ruf, Virginia chairwoman. The party was held on Saturday, December 13 in the Beech Room at The Washington Times. We managed to gather despite the challenges that on that day there were numerous other events that beckoned our participation. There were 22 attendees, of which three were young women and two were men (a teenager and his dad). It was nice to see more guests than members, as our focus was to bring guests to hear about the vision and goals of WFWP.

After the audience was warmly welcomed by Ms. Elizabeth Aihe, the D.C. chairwoman, the program started with a musical presentation by Ms. Nazeeha Howard, a music therapist. To engage the audience, Ms. Howard gave us bells to play while she performed her first song. The audience was captivated and the spirit in the room was uplifted.

After two musical presentations, Mrs. Dadachanji offered the invocation. Then we had a sumptuous potluck lunch. Most of the food was cooked by Mrs. Wasana Catalan. Ms. Howard played another song, and the ladies stood up and danced. The atmosphere was such that the ladies felt close to one another as though they had known each other for a long time even though they just met.

President Selle then introduced WFWP and gave a profound speech from her heart. In her passionate 20-minute message she connected the participants to the theme, "Let us be grateful." The life motto of Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, Founder of WFWP, has been to be grateful in any given circumstance. Mrs. Selle also explained in a real way how WFWP's vision, mission, and philosophy of peace assists women today to become better women, wives, and leaders of the Heart, which is so desperately needed in all sectors of society. Her uplifting, sincere message resonated with the ladies and gentlemen present, both young and older. Many ladies asked if they could come, hear and learn more. We are planning to have an educational program soon to address this request.

Ms. Aihe recited a "Thank You" poem she had written in 2007 to thank all those who participated, and then asked Mrs. Selle to pick a raffle ticket to begin the gift exchange. Mrs. Selle gave her gift to the person who had the number and took a photo, and then the person who received the gift from Mrs. Selle picked a ticket and gave the gift she brought to the person who had the number and took a photo. We continued this process until everyone had a gift.

To conclude our party, we had Ms. Kiyomi Schmidt, WFWP's new administrative assistant, show Lena Yasutake's membership promotion video. Two ladies signed up for WFWP membership on the spot, and others promised to do so later.

Overall, the gift exchange party was a wonderful success. Indeed, we ended the day fired up and looking forward to more programs in 2015!