A Bermudian woman was profoundly moved when she met Buddhist monks during their trek across America on a mission to promote peace.

Geré Scraders presented the monks with a Bermuda flag during an emotional meeting in Snellville, Georgia, on New Year’s Day.

She said: “I am in tears just thinking about it. That’s how amazing it was, just being in front of them — that’s how much it touched me.”

The Walk for Peace was launched by a group of Buddhist monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Centre in Fort Worth. The team set out to walk from Texas to Washington DC - a 2,300-mile trek spanning ten states.

Since starting the walk on October 26, the monks, accompanied by their dog, Aloka, have garnered the support of thousands of followers on social media.

Ms Scraders was one of the many who learnt about the monk’s mission online.

She said: “I just randomly came across a post on my TikTok about them. I had always been fascinated by Buddhist monks and what they stand for, their spiritual aura.

“Because I was travelling to the US, I checked out their page to see if they might be anywhere near me and it happened that they would be.

“I knew I had to meet them. I had to figure out how I was going to see them and meet them. I posted on Maj’s List and asked if anyone had a Bermuda flag to give them and thankfully there was someone able to help so it ended up working out.”

On New Year’s Day, Ms Scraders drove for an hour to a Buddhist temple in Snellville, Georgia, with the donated flag in hand, only to be told that she would not be able to speak with the monks before they continued their walk.

“They said they weren’t going to talk to people and have conversations with people as they had in other towns,” she said.

“I was quite upset. I wouldn’t be able to present them with the flag and I would only see them walk by. Once they start their walk they want to keep moving.”

Ms Scraders and others were passed a microphone to speak to the monks and she told them that Bermuda stood in solidarity with their quest for peace.

Soon after she spoke, the monks decided to change their plans.

She said: “Suddenly they decided they wanted to meet people and they pushed their walk back by an hour or two. The head monk did his speech and then there was time for them to meet with the people.”

Ms Scraders met with the head monk inside the temple, presented him with the flag and reiterated Bermuda’s support for their mission.

She said: “I told him that we appreciate that they are walking for peace not just for Americans, but for the world.”

Ms Scraders said the monk prayed over the flag and presented both her and her son with peace bracelets.

The experience left her in tears and she is still touched by it days later.

She said: “It felt really great. It was definitely an experience. You feel their peace when you stand before them. It just changes you.”