Roberta was very frail, but she had a lot of spirit. The first time I heard her speak, we both participated in a Bridge of Peace Ceremony in Oakland, CA., in 1996. That ceremony was about women from Japan and the U.S. agreeing to put aside the enmity of the past, by crossing a bridge and hugging each other. Later it spread throughout the world, where the women of previously warring nations or ethnicity embraced each other in peace.
Roberta's testimony was that her family lost four of it's men in Pearl Harbor attack. She abhorred the Japanese ever since. After she crossed the bridge and hugged her Japanese counterpart, the hate just lifted out of her and she experienced an amazing renewal of spirit. Roberta was so moved by her transformation, that she didn't want to leave the Japanese lady who met her on the bridge. From her she found out about the Unification Church and soon became a member. Because of her strong Christian background she worked with the clergy or other activists from the local community and involved them in a program called the Ambassadors of Peace. They traveled to the Holy Land and called the Muslims and the Jews to reconcile.
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