Interesting Stories

Discover the Personal Story of the Greatest Peacemaker of our Time

Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon was born on February 10, 1943 in Anju, South Pyeongan Province, in what is now North Korea. At the age of six, she fled to South Korea with her mother and grandmother, risking their lives to cross the border in the dead of night.

From a very young age, Mother Moon developed a deep relationship with God in a close father-daughter bond. When she married the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon in 1960, their mutual desire to see a true world of peace led her to join him on a pioneering course as the Mother of Peace.

While preparing for our wedding, we [Josiah and Sandra Larson] discussed possible ideas for our honeymoon. Separately, we had talked about traveling, possibly for work or for volunteering internationally. With nursing and engineering as our professions, we were looking into how we could offer our skills to another community.

For me, one of the core values of Unificationism is transcending differences. It doesn’t mean we don’t have clear beliefs and ideals of our own. It means we continue to value, respect and love others who may be different from ourselves. It means we actively find ways to connect with “the other” and work together with “the other” until there is no longer a feeling of “otherness.” This may be just my interpretation, but I believe in it strongly.

Over her 50 years of public ministry, the Mother of Peace, affectionately known as Mother Moon, has dedicated her life to the realization of peace. Acting in the role of humanity’s parents, she and her husband created non-profit organizations, businesses, conferences and awards spanning every facet of society and culture to support resolving historical wounds and finding solutions to the world’s many problems.

Dr. William Selig discussed his three take aways from his experience in Niger.