The Words of the Cotter Family

Wongu Peace Cup

Joshua Cotter
September 17, 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

May the love and blessing of our Heavenly Parent and our True Parents be with you.

We are honored to announce the participation of a dynamic American team in this year's Wongu Peace Cup Sports Tournament in Korea on October 10-13, 2010. This important event was founded by True Parents after their 50th Holy Wedding Anniversary in 2009. It is intended to be a part of the Cheon Il Guk culture and True Parents have expressed their hope that it will eventually become more significant than the Olympic Games.

Our American team consists of 41 young men and women athletes, mostly Blessed Children, playing in soccer, basketball, volleyball, track, golf and ping pong competitions. They have volunteered from throughout the nation and are a beautiful expression of hope and dedication in pursuit of world peace through sports. All of us can be proud to have this team representing us in Korea.

During the next 2 weeks, these athletes will be raising funds to cover their travel and uniform costs for the tournament. Our senior national pastor, Rev. In Jin Moon, is hoping that there will be an outpouring of support for these great young men and women. They will make an appeal for help to their friends, Unification families, businesses and community organizations in their local areas. Please help them with your enthusiastic support and generous donations! We are their support team here in America. Let's pull together and send them off in October with our full support.

Thank you for all of your efforts to advance God's Kingdom in America. May God bless you and your family.

Sincerely,

Rev. Joshua Cotter
Executive Vice-President
HSA-UWC USA

Wongu Peace Cup
Testimonies -- Why I want to participate!

"This is my first time going to the WPC. I've seen photos and thought to myself, "whoa that looks like fun". Now that I have the opportunity to actually go to play one of the many sports I love. I want to build on the current friendships I have with the BC's I know and create new friendships. I would love to see different playing styles from BC teams around the world and hopefully learn new things that I can come back with. I've been to Korea twice but my experiences in Korea were not too good. This time I hope to see True Fathers nation in a new light".
Chung Sung Wright, NY

"I am interested in playing in this sports competition because it is not only a great chance to play a sport that I love at a high level, but it is also a chance to finally experience a culture I have heard so much about, in person. Having in-laws who are Korean, as well as trying to learn the language myself, I feel grateful for the chance to broaden my life experience with this trip".
Krystof Heller, CT

"I had an amazing experience last year playing volleyball. It was so awesome to see BC's from around the world and get to play sports with them. I have a feeling that this year is going to be an even greater experience".
Max Heuft, OH

"I am very enthusiastic about attending the my first Won Gyu Peace Cup in Seoul Korea not only for myself , but to represent my family, greater New Jersey community, and nation of the United States. I know that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity as an athlete and individual, and I look forward to doing my best on and off the court in order to fulfill the opportunity that has been graciously given to me. I am excited to meet players from around the world and to deepen my understanding of their respective nations and viewpoints".
Clara Brunkhorst, NJ

"I'm really excited to go to Korea to take part in the world peace sports festival. To play volleyball with awesome BC's from America and compete against young people around the world seems like a dream come true to me. I'm really grateful to be able to go and participate for the first time; I know it will be a really memorable experience".
Inhwa Hendricks, NY

As understood, the cosmos has changed due to the Wongu Peace Cup. It is a privilege to be "participating in an event so significant. The closest church community to my family is three hours away. As I rarely see outside of this small country town, the opportunity to team with other 2nd gen as I did last year is especially exciting. I am truly grateful and honored to represent my family, faith, and nation in the Wongu Peace Cup once again".
Matsumoto Koubun, VA

"I feel honored and privileged to have this amazing opportunity to return to the wongu peace tournament this year. I was a participant on the US basketball team in this tournament last year and had an amazing experience. Not only was I able to participate in international competition for the first time, I also had time to reflect on my life of faith and relationship with our heavenly father in the mountains of Chung Pyung. The love, respect and understanding that I witnessed between all the athletes involved was something I haven't experienced so profoundly anywhere else. I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Heavenly Father and True Parents, along with the coordinators (Jin Kwon Kim and Yoda De Groot) for making my return a possibility".
Markus Thiesen, FL

"I'm very excited to be participating this year, for a variety of reasons. First off, being a participant last year, I'm really looking forward to experiencing all the positive moments we shared as a team, on and off the court, again this year. Being one of the youngest on the team (last tournament) I really gained a lot from those around me and it was a great opportunity to learn as a person, not just about the game. I'm looking forward to being able to share that opportunity this year with those who are coming for the first time and to reconnect with those from last year. Another reason is the fact that I get the chance to represent my country overseas, it's always been a profound experience for me to be able to convey a positive image about our home. From a competitive stand point I'm excited to improve on our placement from last year, I feel like we can turn it up a notch with the amount of talent we have this year and hopefully the other countries will have raised there game too, providing a well rounded competition".
Kenneth Dodges, CA

"Last year I had the privilege of playing on the soccer team in WPC and it was the most memorable competition I have ever played in and experienced. Being on a full scale team of BC's was so much fun and enjoyable and we were able to connect from the get go and play great soccer finishing 2nd place. This year I hope we can go for the gold while keeping great sportsmanship and team spirit as we did last year against a tough finals opponent".
Alex C., WA

"True Father has called WPC a 'history changing sports competition' and I had the privilege of playing soccer there in 2009. I had an unforgettable experience being able to play the sport of peace and the sport i love most with BC's across the country in this phenomenal tournament. Being a part of a history-changing event is both an honor and a privilege that I will put my utmost effort and skill to play in order to make our True Parents, country, and communities proud to have sent me. I will remember this experience forever and share the beauty of the competition to all".
Chris C., WA

"For me, competing in the Wongu Peace Cup is such a blessing and honor because True Father himself founded the event and stated that it is providentially significant. Furthermore, because I will be representing America, I have the opportunity to return pride to In Jin Nim and other American blessed children. And of course, I'm looking forward to the experience of playing soccer alongside my fellow American brothers. Last year, I competed in the Peace Cup, and I will never forget the bonds I formed with my brothers then, and I'm sure this year will be just as memorable".
Isaiah Ryan, WA

"I'm ecstatic about the upcoming Wongu Peace Cup in Korea! I have heard positive feedback from the BC's who went to last year's tournament, and I am proud to be among many high-level athletes in representing the United States in an international sports competition. I have always wanted to visit Korea, and I finally have the opportunity to do so. I'm looking forward to experiencing Korean culture and playing competitive soccer with the top athletes of the United States. I am confident that this is going to be an incredible experience, and I am grateful to our church community for making this possible".
Kester Wilkening, MD

"I am really excited for the opportunity to compete with soccer players from all over the world. I have played soccer a lot and enjoy it so much, this will be a very memorable event for me. It is even more meaningful for me that I will be competing in the Wongu Peace Cup in front of True Father".
Jason Eide, MA

"I have never been to Korea, and have felt the need to go at some point but money is a big issue there. This is such a great thing for me in so many ways. I know very few church members outside of the US so I am very happy for the chance to finally meet some".
S. C., NY

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