Good Afternoon!

It was May of last year when I first visited Hanne here in Crestone. The view of the mountains from the guesthouse was just breathtaking. Especially the sacred mountain called White Mountain captivated me.

I remember the day when Hanne was explaining to me about the spirits of Rain and Thunder who live in this mountain. When I was listening to Hanne's story, all of a sudden, a strong wind started blowing and black clouds covered the sky. The thunder rumbled in the sky and a streak of lightning appeared. "They are working very hard," Hanne said. Moments later the clouds disappeared and blue sky reappeared. Beautiful mountains surfaced again as if nothing happened. It was as if I was watching a movie scene. Perhaps the whole ordeal took 10 minutes or so but I was certainly mesmerized by this sacred mountain.

It is Hanne's concept that here in this sacred valley, on land deeded to traditional religious groups from around the world, interfaith activity can flourish. I felt her warm welcome to this sacred village. When I returned to Japan, I talked to our members about my experience. Members started visiting and all of them were fascinated by this place. These sacred mountains and their energy captured all of us.

Today, standing on this old gold mining site, I can't thank Hanne and the Manitou Institute enough for their support in building a center of Shinji Shumeikai. I am very happy to be here today to celebrate this groundbreaking ceremony. I truly appreciate Larry, Peter and many of the Shumei staff whose contribution helped us get to this point.

I am very excited about this project. I hope when this project is completed, the site can be a great addition to the interfaith community here in this sacred village and that the project will contribute towards world peace.

Thank you all for joining us to celebrate this memorable groundbreaking ceremony. And thank you, Hanne, for all your support.

Thank you very much.

Ms Hiroko Koyama

For more information about Shumei, its philosophy, and activities, please see www.Shumei.org.