Departure
On November 3rd at around 4 or 5 AM, two others and I departed on a plane ride from Asuncion, Paraguay. Along the way, we stopped by Concepcion before arriving at Fuerte Olimpo. In total, the flight lasted around three hours and cost around $50 per person. It wasn’t costly, nor was it hard or complicated to travel this way.
Once we arrived in Fuerte Olimpo, we were brought to the church building there, the house that True Parents often stayed at whenever they were in the area. It was also the place where Father held many fishing workshops for National Messiahs from all over the world. In essence, the house was no doubt a precious historical site that held providential history in its walls. This was where the others and I were to stay for the couple days we were there.
On arrival, we immediately saw that it hadn’t been well maintained over the years, not to mention that the initial construction of the building itself wasn’t professional. Because of these factors, there were cracks along the walls, the yard was outgrown, and the boats that were there were stuck in place because of overgrowth.
Since we weren’t going to visit Nabileque right away, we had time to do what we could with cleaning the place up a little bit, such as cutting away overgrowth, weeding, etc.
Eventually, Peter Paulo came to meet us during our stay at Fuerte Olimpo, and he guided us to the Nabileque Holy Ground on November 4th.
Peter Paulo Alves Pinheiro
Peter Paulo Alves Pinheiro is a Brazilian brother who had served as a boat captain for True Father whenever he was in the Pantanal. He was also the main witness to the subjugation of Satan, the liberation of Lucifer, and the meeting between God, Father, and Lucifer in Room 14. True Father had told Peter Paulo to keep what he witnessed to himself until the right time came, and it wasn't until recently that Peter Paulo revealed his account of the liberation of Satan and what happened in Hotel Americano.
At the time, after Lucifer's subjugation, True Father had told Peter Paulo to never leave the Pantanal and to protect it.
Nabileque
At around 1:30 PM of November 4th, we departed Fuerte Olimpo and traveled the Paraguay River via a small motor boat, all the way to Nabileque, Brazil. Because the water levels were low, we weren’t able to boat our way right to Hotel Americano, but rather had to opt for disembarking onto land a few kilometers away from the actual Holy Ground.
From there we walked for around an hour to reach the hotel. Along the way, we were able to see a bit of what the Pantanal was. Though the water was low and took away a lot of the water meant to be found in wetlands, we were still able to see a lot of the Pantanal’s nature such as tall palm trees, plants growing to be as tall as an average man’s hip, colorful flowers, butterflies, and more.
There were also fish that would send ripples in the water, almost every one or two seconds, showing that even the waters were full of life. The nature that we saw in Nabileque could very well explain an aspect of True Parents’ fascination and love for the Pantanal here in South America, even a little bit.
We eventually arrived at Hotel Americano, the very place where Father had named the Original Holy Ground.
Hotel Americano - the Origin of Heaven
Hotel Americano in Nabileque, Brazil, is one of the most important holy grounds in the world. On August 8, 1999, True Father said:
Finally we built the site that can become the Origin of Heaven. First it is the Original Holy Ground, secondly the Root Holy Ground and thirdly the Victory Holy Ground. There are various holy grounds but they are not the original holy ground. This place is the complete, original holy ground. (08/08/1999 Original Holy Ground, Root Holy Ground, Victory Holy Ground Consecration and Dedication Ceremony)
Hotel Americano's Room 14 was also the very place where Lucifer was able to meet God through True Father. Not only this, but True Father had also proclaimed that Hotel Americano's land was the "Original Holy Ground," "Root Holy Ground," and "Victory Holy Ground." It was also the place he wished to build a water palace and eventually a God-centered city, rivaling that of the famous city of Venice in Italy:
Millions of Unification Church families will come to this place so it will become a flourishing city. Venice, the city on water in Italy, will not be able to compare with it. This place will be built as a greater city than that. (08/08/1999 Original Holy Ground, Root Holy Ground, Victory Holy Ground Consecration and Dedication Ceremony)
Hotel Americano Now
When we arrived, however, Hotel Americano wasn’t a pretty sight - it was no longer the place where Father had imagined a water palace so long ago. Against the bright green and colors of the nature around it, Hotel Americano was a pile of scorched stone and wood, blackened by ash and cracked tiles. Though referred to as a holy ground, it only looked like an abandoned ruins. The reason for the way Hotel Americano looked was because of a sudden fire and robbery that had ravaged it in 2021.
Peter Paulo led our group to a spot adjacent to Hotel Americano where we could see its ruins, and Paulo began to explain some of the history that had been made there. He talked about Father and his time in Hotel Americano. Soon after, he gave a representative prayer before our group joined in unison prayer.
Once we prayed, we were guided to take a closer look at Hotel Americano. One of the still standing structures were brought to our attention, and we were able to climb its stairs and stand on what was once a nice hotel.
Paulo pointed at the different areas of the ruins and painted a picture of what the hotel was like in the past. He pinpointed where True Father’s room had been and where some of the members would stay during their time there. Nearer toward the water, Paulo pointed out the spot that Father and members would usually go fishing.
Further in, Paulo brought us to room 14, the very room where True Father had liberated Lucifer, and the room where God, after 6,000 years, had been able to finally meet Lucifer, not as Satan, but as Lucifer himself. However, even this precious spot wasn’t able to avoid damage from the fire. There was very little left that indicated that room 14 had ever been a room. It really was reduced to crumbled and burnt stone.
Paulo, though, who had been there that day of Lucifer’s liberation, still remembered where everything was and what happened where. So he explained the different spots in room 14 - he pinpointed the spot that used to be the bathroom that Lucifer had hid from God in. He highlighted the spot that True Father had sat and prayed on that day, and he talked about the place where God had been during the event.
Despite the fact that what had been before us at the moment was a pile of rubble and ruins, that very spot, that very area that used to be a room, still holds the history of that day. Some of the soil and remains were then collected from the Holy Ground to later be sent to Japan.
The fire may have brought Hotel Americano’s building to ruins, but the fire didn’t burn away the history and providential significance of the land. That history and meaning is still there and will continue to be forever. I hope that some day soon, more visits like this one can happen, and that more blessed families can come to see the land. Perhaps one day soon, we can even rebuild it back to what it once was, and maybe even more. Let's preserve what is left and raise it up again.
As a nation, Japan must preserve the holy ground and extol its name. That is why the Japanese national messiahs are taking responsibility for the management of the Pantanal. (304-110, 1999.9.10)
As followers of True Parents and children of God, let us cherish this place - this Origin of Heaven - and the Heart of our Parents left there.
We are thankful for letting us love this place, take care of this place and consider this place like our body, allowing us to have the starting location where the whole nation's families begin as a reciprocal existence as God's body. Please help us to cherish the memory of this place for the rest of our lives and remember in our hearts the efforts of True Parents and God. (07/27/1999 Prayer for the Original Holy Ground, Root Holy Ground, Victory Holy Ground Consecration and Dedication Ceremony)
We are currently working with Peter Paulo to come up with a strategic plan to restore the Pantanal Holy Grounds. We have already taken the first step to bring this plan to fruition - the restoration of the good-go boat One Hope (OH-304SA). We will continue to take steps toward restoring what Father has left for us to inherit in the Pantanal, including cleaning and fixing the Fuerte Olimpo church, mobilizing local blessed children to help and volunteer, beginning a tourism business as a way to create funds, erect a museum that displays the hidden history of the Pantanal providence, and eventually bring blessed families from all over the world to see this Origin of Heaven.
We will continue to update and post about this project and plan in the future here on Ocean Hobby Seminar. Please stay tuned!
Thank you for reading, and please support this effort by taking the time to learn about Nabileque and the Holy Ground. God bless!
*Link to full Prayer and Speech at Hotel Americano, Nabileque, Brazil: http://www.tparents.org/Moon-Talks/SunMyungMoon99/SM990727.htm
*Link to Peter Paulo's Account of the Subjugation of Satan and Liberation of Lucifer:
*Link to Nabileque project progress page: