As Drops of Water Flow Together to Form a River: Pure Waters from Around the World Meet in Korea
Pure Water Assembly 2026, which brought together young members from around the world, concluded its 14-day journey with a closing ceremony on August 26. Organized by the Human Resources Development Institute, the event welcomed some 650 young people from 46 countries, who gathered in the Hyojeong Cheonwon area of Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, for lectures, pilgrimages to holy grounds, and cultural exchange programs.
First held last year as part of the “Holy Mother Han Special Devotion Workshop,” Pure Water Assembly marked its second year in 2026. The theme of this year’s assembly was drawn from True Mother’s words to Pure Water youth around the world: “Just as single drops of water gather to form a river and flow out to the sea.”
HJ PMC followed the entire journey with cameras in hand, documenting what the younger generation saw, heard, and experienced along the way.—Editor’s note
46 Countries Gather in One Place
On August 13, young people from around the world arrived at Hyojeong Cheonwon. Participants were organized into “families” of seven or eight members, each including young people of different nationalities. Several families formed a clan, and several clans formed a tribe. The four tribes were named P, U, R, and E—the four letters that make up “PURE.” The groups were intentionally structured to build connections between young people from different regions of the world.
The following day, August 14, the opening ceremony was held in the multipurpose hall of Cheon Won Gung. During the ceremony, Missionary Moon Shin-chul emphasized that the Pure Water generation must move beyond prayer and devotion and put their faith into action.
Doh Hyun-seop, chair of the Human Resources Development Institute, encouraged the participants to “learn from one another, love one another, and grow together over these 14 days,” expressing his hope that they would become a clear and powerful stream capable of transforming the world. Following the opening ceremony, the participants set out on a pilgrimage to Cheon Il Sanctum at Cheon Won Gung.
Finding Their Roots Through True Parents’ Teachings
Lectures on True Parents’ life course, Chambumo Ron, and The Great Epic of the Chosen Han People of Korea continued throughout the Assembly. As participants learned about Heavenly Parent’s providential history and the life course of True Parents, they reaffirmed their sense of pride and identity as Pure Water.
What they learned through the lectures was then carried forward through a series of pilgrimages. Participants toured the Hyojeong Cheonwon area, including the Cruise Deck and the Gapyeong Begonia Bird Park. In Seoul, they visited the Former Headquarters Church, the War Memorial of Korea, Heukseok-Dongjak Church, and the Cheon Il Guk Embassy, reflecting on the roots of their faith and the historical significance of each site.
Face-to-Face with the Two Inheritors of Heaven’s Love and Blessing
On August 20, a dialogue session was held with Missionaries Moon Shin-chul and Moon Shin-heung. As fellow members of the younger generation living in the same era, the two Inheritors of Heaven’s Love and Blessing sat down face-to-face with the participants. This was not a session for simply listening to prepared answers. Rather, it was a space where participants could bring forward their own questions. Candid questions were raised about faith, career paths, the Blessing, and the life that lay ahead—some of them questions the participants had carried in their hearts for many years.
Running Together, Walking Together, Singing Together
The sports festival that followed featured team games such as “The Rose of Sharon Has Bloomed” and tug-of-war. The participants then traveled to MONA Yongpyong in Gangwon Province for a global youth camp. They visited Sacheon Beach and Mount Balwangsan, and gathered for a praise and prayer service that evening. As the praise continued, they held hands with those beside them and prayed for one another through tears. When the final song began, the tearful gathering erupted in cheers.
Connecting Through Music — 2026 Moon Hyo-jin Music Festival (MMF)
On August 23, the 2026 Moon Hyo-jin Music Festival (MMF) was held at the Cheongshim International Youth Center. Organized under the theme “Eternal Love — Practicing Everlasting Love,” the festival brought together approximately 900 people, including Pure Water participants, young people from around the world, and members of the church.
The festival addressed the question of how love can be put into practice in our daily lives amid the challenges facing modern society, including the rise of single-person households, a lack of communication between generations, fractured relationships, and emotional isolation. In addition to performances, the program featured exhibitions and interactive activities that highlighted, from various perspectives, the spirit of Hyo-jin nim, who did not merely speak about love but practiced it in his life.
In his opening remarks, Choi Hyung-seok, director of the Cheonshim Cultural Center, expressed his hope that “young people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds will become one through music.” He emphasized that the gathering should not end with simply remembering Hyo-jin nim, but should become “a new starting point for carrying the love he left behind into our lives and culture today.”
The festival’s main event, Eternal Stage, began at 3:30 pm. Six teams, including DJRAY, HJ Harmonics, From JtoHJ, and THE BABO, filled the stage with their own music and performances. As the highlight of the program, Missionary Moon Shin-heung and Cadet Moon Shin-jin took the stage and shared Hyo-jin nim’s music with the audience, bringing the program to a powerful close.
Before the concert, an exhibition, The Journey of Love, opened at 2:00 pm. Through Hyo-jin nim’s music, stories of his life, and the memories of those who knew him, the exhibition explored his life and his desire, until his final moments, to share True Parents’ love and words with as many people as possible.
The Love Village program, conducted at the same time, offered a variety of hands-on activities. Through these experiences, participants had an opportunity to reflect on how they could carry the culture of heart and the spirit of hyojeong forward in their own lives.
Sharing Their Experiences
At the PWA Challenge Showcase, participants shared testimonies of their own witnessing and volunteer activities. Through these presentations, they conveyed the message that even one person’s small action can be a starting point for bringing change to those around them and to the wider world.
On the morning of August 24, a program centered on the Blessing was held. The program included a lecture on the Blessing, group discussions, and Real Talk sessions with older members with international Blessings. Participants had an opportunity to clarify their thoughts about the Blessing and relationships. In the afternoon, sessions introducing the activities of the Wonmo Pyeongae Scholarship Foundation, UPA, and Heavenly Top Gun were followed by gatherings for participants from seven regions.
That evening, PWA participants were joined by members of Pure Water College, a youth organization in Japan, for Cultural Night. Participants from various countries introduced their cultures through song, instrumental music, dance, choir, traditional performances, and theater. This was followed by a prayer service, during which participants sang the PWA theme song, “Reaching Us,” together and prayed for one another.
Looking Back on the 14 Days
On the morning of August 25, Rev. Ken Doo, director-general of the World Mission Headquarters, delivered a Hyojeong Special Lecture. He offered the participants his personal accounts and testimonies about their identity and value as Pure Water, as well as True Mother’s love for and expectations of young people.
This was followed by a reflection program in which participants completed worksheets, looking back on the moments that had made the strongest impression on them and recording the insights they had gained during the workshop. They also exchanged letters expressing gratitude and encouragement to one another.
That evening, Korean and Japanese participants joined together to record “Reaching Us” and “Filled with Sunshine” as an offering to True Mother.
Flowing Out to the Sea
On August 26, the closing ceremony was held in the Main Hall of the HJ Heaven and Earth CheonBo Training Center. Beginning at 1:30 pm. with praise led by the participants, the ceremony continued with a prayer of gratitude by Executive Coordinator Kobori Kunika, a floral offering, and a commemorative video capturing the journey of the Assembly.
For the reflection presentations, Bold Enkhjargal of Mongolia and Jeong Won-da of Heavenly Korea took the stage. Bold shared that he had “rediscovered his identity and responsibility as a child of Heavenly Parent and a member of the second generation,” and expressed his determination to “become a Pure Water who shares the love I have received with others back home in Mongolia.” Jeong Won-da reflected, “Through the experience of becoming one family over these 14 days, I came to realize how precious our brothers and sisters are.” She pledged to “share the love I have received with those around me and continue to grow by taking a public mission.”
Missionary Moon Shin-heung then delivered words of encouragement. He told the participants that “each and every one of you is a precious child of Heavenly Parent.” He urged them to remember, even when facing difficulties and growing pains, that they are not alone, but have brothers and sisters from around the world whom they met through this Assembly, and to walk their own path with confidence.
Doh Hyun-seop, chair of the Human Resources Development Institute, presented certificates of completion to the representative participants and encouraged them, as Pure Water, to share love with those around them through small actions such as “being the first to greet others, the first to care for others, the first to love, and the first to reach out.”
At the conclusion of the closing ceremony, the participants sang the theme songs “Reaching Us” and “Filled with Sunshine” together. The official 14-day program then came to an end with three cheers of Eok Mansei, a bow, and a commemorative group photo.
The workshop provided an opportunity for participants to grow as true sons and daughters united with True Parents, contribute to the settlement of the three-generation realm centered on the Inheritors of Heaven’s Love and Blessing, deepen their awareness as chosen people, and strengthen the younger generation’s community grounded in the culture of heart.
Through the experience of connecting as brothers and sisters across nationalities and languages, participants reflected once again on their identity and role as Pure Water, and then concluded by resolving to make a new beginning.
