A group of Buddhist monks who walked from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., spreading a message of peace, returned home Saturday morning.

Thousands of people welcomed them back as they arrived at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth.

The “Walk for Peace” was led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, who said completing the 15‑week journey was emotional.

“In front of the gate, I was touched, and, emotions by so many people coming out,” said Pannakara.

The message behind the walk was simple: peace and mindfulness.

“It is something that people really needed at this time… The more we react, the more we suffer, so our message is to ask people slow down, slow down, look back within. Feel each and every heartbeat. See each and every breath going in and out. That is when peace begins,” said Pannakara.

Daily routine and long miles 

The group of 19 began the trek in October.

“Every day we start at 4 a.m., we wake up and do our thing, chanting and meditation, and then, about six something, we start to walk. There are days that we walk 20 miles, there’s days that we walk 25, there’s days that we walk 32 miles,” said Pannakara.

Injuries along the way 

Along the route, two monks were injured. One was struck by a car near Houston.

“He got his leg amputated, and so he cannot walk anymore, but he’s waiting to put the artificial leg in. He did join us in Washington DC,” said Pannakara.

The message continues beyond the walk 

Thousands followed the journey online, and Pannakara said the work is not finished. He believes anyone can take part in creating peace.

“Today is going to be my peaceful day. Tell the universe that. Tell the universe that today is going to be my peaceful day, so no one in is world can mess it up,” said Pannakara.

A month ago, Maya Pinson and her mother sat down with News4 to discuss the duo’s movie premiere. Then, they made viewers aware of Maya’s desperate need for a kidney donor.

None of their family members were a match, and there was no one to donate a kidney to the 21-year-old Penn State senior.

“We had nothing,” Maya’s mother, Minyon Pinson said.

“We were relying on the community, prayers. We were just completely trusting God that somebody was going to come forward,” she said.

That’s when Nadia Bennett, widow of the D.C. officer who was killed after being hit by a car while helping a driver, answered their call.

Weeks later, the two finally met face-to-face. Nadia was ecstatic.

“I’m so grateful that you are recovering, you are doing well, and I’m just happy to know that Terry was your match,” Nadia said when the two first met.

“And it just, everything was just so divine,” she said.

Nadia is the widow of late D.C. police officer Terry Bennett. While helping a driver whose car broke down in the eastbound lanes of I-695 near South Capitol Street, Bennett was struck by a high-speed car, police said in a statement.

Bennett rushed to the hospital. Nadia sat with her husband for 15 days.

“Every day throughout Terry fighting through his injuries, I’m just sitting beside his bedside and I’m like, he did a good thing, he did a good job,” Nadia said.

And when doctors told her that Bennett would not recover, she knew what to do.

“They had to let me know that Terry was an organ donor and immediately, Maya popped up in my mind,” she said.

Nadia remembered seeing Maya’s social media post about her kidney disease. The two turned out to have friends in common.

Nadia coordinated a direct kidney donation to Maya, a miracle the family had prayed for.

“It’s so unexplainable,” Minyon said.

“My heart dropped then because it became real. And I said, Maya, you have a donor, because this is her first surgery,” she said.

Weeks after the transplant, Maya is grateful. The young filmmaker is taking her final Penn State courses online.

“And one of my assignments is to make a PSA about the importance of organ donation. So I’m doing a bunch of research,” Maya said.

Film is one of the hardest industries to break into, but two filmmakers from the DMV are taking the industry by storm in their own way. News4’s Molette Green spoke with the duo about their moviemaking magic and the health crisis one of them is facing.

“It’s really hard for me to put into words. I’m just beaming with joy and so fortunate,” she said.

Nadia told News4 her husband was a hero in life and now in death.

Officer Bennett died at 32 years old. He was a native of Southeast D.C.

To honor Bennett’s life and service, the D.C. Council told News4 they’re declaring July 21, Bennett’s birthday, as Terry Bennett Day.

Nadia, too, honors her late husband, by sporting a custom badge sweatshirt.

“Custom made by the 1st District. It has Terry’s end of watch date and this is his badge,” Nadia said.

On July 21st, Bennett’s birthday, the D.C. Council will honor his life and service as Terry Bennett Day in the District.

WASHINGTON (7News) — A man shot Friday afternoon in Columbia Heights has died after being taken to the hospital, D.C. police said.

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Police said officers responded to the intersection of 14th Street and Euclid Street NW around 2:17 p.m. for a report of a shooting.

When they arrived, officers found one man who was still conscious and suffering from a gunshot wound, police said. The man’s condition later worsened at the hospital, and he died, police said.

According to police, the shooter may have fled in a gray or silver Dodge Durango with dark window tint.

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Anyone with information is urged to call 202-727-9099 or text 50411.