Shin Gil means "Faith and Prosperity"
Shin Gil Nim is the first grandson in Father's direct lineage. His position is different from the sons of True Parents' daughters since man is the seed and woman is the seed bearer.
Hyo Jin Nim delivers his speech at the dedication of the National Headquarters Chapel. To his right sit, left to right: Rev. Ken Sudo, Mr. Antonio Betancourt, Rev. Takeru Kamiyama, Rev. Lorman Lykes, and President Mose Durst. Behind him sits Nan Sook Nim.
It is a great honor for me to stand today in front of so many distinguished ministers and people of social importance gathered here to celebrate this occasion together with our Unification Church members.
I truly feel that the purpose of churches and places like this building is to allow people to feel the true freedom of God and the true love of God -- love that is absolute, unchanging, unconditional, and eternal. Thus this place should be the most happy place, where every person who comes here can clearly see and feel what an ideal standard of love is. If every individual in this place substantiates the love of God 100 percent, then the love of God will be tangible to all who come here. This is a great occasion, because it represents a new dedication of our hearts as well as the dedication of this beautiful place. This is a time for us to dedicate and commit ourselves completely toward setting an absolute standard of love.
Heavenly Father needs people who will be committed to absolute love and will take action to embody it. He never meant the fall of man to occur, but because of His true love, He has been working desperately to save and restore the human race. He wants to change the fallen lineage of mankind back to His lineage. We have the responsibility to live up to Heavenly Father's standard. That is the only way to inherit the true love of God and receive the three blessings that we have learned about through the Principle. Only then can man and woman come together and be fruitful and have true dominion over the creation. We must set an absolute standard of love, and we must follow Heavenly Father's way absolutely, unconditionally. To make an ideal society with a value system based upon true love, we ourselves must become ideal men and women.
We have to take responsibility for our own mistakes and not blame Heavenly Father; our wrongdoings need to be indemnified. There is no such thing as unconditional forgiveness. If there were such a thing, God should have given it at the moment Adam and Eve fell. As the creator, He can do anything! But He couldn't, because we have our portion of responsibility.
We should be grateful even if Heavenly Father makes us go the path of suffering. Consider Abraham's situation. God commanded Abraham to kill Isaac and offer his beloved son to Him! Abraham was absolutely determined to carry out God's command, but at the moment he was about to strike Isaac, an angel came and stopped him. The angel could stop him because Abraham had set an absolute standard of true love.
What about Jesus? He unconditionally gave his life on the cross, for the sake of Heavenly Father. He did it gratefully, trusting God completely. The founder of Unification Church, Rev. Moon, lives by this tradition. It is the kind of tradition that all Unification Church members must inherit, cherish, and be proud of.
Heavenly Father needs people who can live their lives unconditionally for the sake of true love and even be willing to die, if necessary. Satan has so many people who are willing to sacrifice their very blood and everything they value for the sake of the satanic ideology of communism. What shall we do as God's children? We have to be more committed to God than they are committed to Satan. That is the only way to restore them and get them to change. That's the only way to win over communism and overcome Satan. There should absolutely be only Heavenly Father, no Satan.
This is a time of new dedication for our members, so let's not complain about anything anymore! The ministers here are inspired to work for God, but we can't just sit around and let them take all the responsibility. No, we've got to do more. As we offer this place to Heavenly Father, we must make an unconditional offering of our hearts as well. From this day on, we must carry this spirit and try to do more each day, or else this dedication ceremony is meaningless.
I am very grateful for all the distinguished guests who came to this celebration. This is our time to make a change, and I believe with all my heart that we can do it. I want to take more and more responsibility upon my own shoulders for the sake of Heavenly Father and bear my parents' responsibility as much as I can. I'll try my best to be worthy to carry out Father's mission and responsibility. And you must do the same, because this is a family. Our Heavenly Father is longing to see the ideal world of one family.
As the eldest son of Rev. and Mrs. Moon, I am trying my best to convey what I believe they feel inside and want to share with you at this moment. I don't know if I did a good job or not, but you can tell my father when he comes back! Thank you very much.
Hyo Jin Nim and Nan Sook Nim, just after cutting the ribbon of the newly dedicated chapel.
Based on an article by Richard Lewis
On the afternoon of Sunday, January 10, 1988, in a moving ceremony attended by New York area members and specially invited ministers and VIPs, the renovated headquarters chapel of the Unification Church of America, located at 4 West 43rd Street in Manhattan, was newly dedicated to God.
In the spirit of his commitment to take responsibility for True Parents in their absence, Hyo Jin Nim, with Nan Sook Nim at his side, cut the ribbon to open the dedication ceremony. He then delivered a stirring and profound talk to all the members and distinguished guests.
The building was originally designed as a hotel with a large central courtyard into which horse-drawn carriages entered. Columbia University bought the property and later transformed the courtyard into a ball room. Now it is the spacious chapel of our church.
After many months of round-the- clock restoration work, the black tar roof has been replaced with a gleaming copper one, the ceiling and walls have been restored, a central air-conditioning and heating unit is now in place, and a sophisticated sound system with the capability of simultaneous translation into Spanish and Japanese is in operation.
Dr. Mose Durst, president of the Unification Church of America, gave the main sermon, entitled "Dedication, Sanctification, and Offering." Pointing out that this building stands just two blocks away from the sordid reality of Times Square, President Durst said that, although we can see the divine in nature, we do not often sense that holy presence in the city. Now "we come together this afternoon to dedicate, to sanctify, and to offer a time, a place, and a people to God." He continued:
The house of the Lord is meant to be all places, all times, in which dwell all people. All things must be set apart, made holy, and offered to God, according to His purpose and desire, if we are to dwell in His house.... People in New York often feel alone in the midst of a crowd. I don't feel a holy presence as I enter into the busy offices on Sixth Avenue. If the world is indeed meant to be -- all of it -- the sacred creation of God, then all places are meant to be celebrated as places where we can feel the divine presence. Rev. and Mrs. Moon teach us that every place must be dedicated and offered to God, because God wants His love and truth to dwell everywhere....
When I met Rev. Moon for the first time in my life, I met a man with moral passion who tried to live the ideal. He awakened my original nature. I realized that man is recreated by the word, and in offering himself to God, everywhere he goes becomes a place where God dwells.... Today we come as people who seek restoration. We stand filled with a desire to love and to make all things holy, and a passion to overcome all obstacles.
Rev. Ken Sudo, pastor of the New York City church, explained in his remarks that "God wanted to live in man as His temple. Because of sin, God needs another temple." which are the churches and chapels of the world. He dedicated himself "to work so that we do not need these churches and chapels anymore
For his dedicated and inspired work of restoring the chapel, Rev. Takeru Kamiyama received a plaque of appreciation from the Unification Church of America and the Unification Church of New York. On it were the words:
With deepest appreciation
to Rev. Takeru Kamiyama
For his great faith and vision
in designing and directing
the restoration of the
National Headquarters Chapel.
This inspired accomplishment
truly brings honor and glory
to our True Parents.
Rev. Kamiyama was also honored publicly for his great contributions to our church over the years, first as a missionary in Japan and then here in the United States. He thanked all those who had worked so hard on the project, noting that although our brothers worked day and night to renovate this chapel, compared to world restoration it is a very small offering.
Three of the distinguished guests then offered their congratulations to the church body. All three VIPs greeted Hyo Jin Nim and Nan Sook Nim in a gracious and deeply respectful manner, addressing them as "Rev. Moon, Jr. and Mrs. Moon." Hyo Jin Nim later commented on how moved he was that each of them had compared him to his father in this way.
Ambassador Phillip Sanchez, publisher of Noticias del Mundo, spoke about "the many beautiful people I have met" from the church, noting that, "Once when I was asked if I was a church member I explained, 'No, I am not that good: "He ended by bowing deeply to Hyo Jin Nim and telling him, "You can preach to me any time!"
Rev. Linden Lindsay, a Congregational minister from Brooklyn, declared that while "some of the great cathedrals are so ostentatious it makes it hard to feel the presence of God, this chapel in its simplicity fills me with a grandeur I cannot express."
To conclude the dedication of the chapel, Hyo Jin Nim led the recessional as the congregation sang "March of the New Age" and then President Durst offered the benediction.
Hyo Jin Nim asks, "Are you going to live up to the promise you made yesterday?" Members raise their hands in affirmation of their pledge that they will live a life of true love.
Wherever you go, you must take the fire of true love with you. It should be like an enormous torch that all the human race can see. You are the children of God; you exist within God's domain, within God's love. When you love somebody, you want to embrace them, right? You want to embrace your wife, your child. Love is like that. In order for us to exist within true love, we must be living within God's embrace, not outside of it. That means we must be living within True Parents' embrace.
Whatever problems you have within your family, you can solve them with love. The more you give, the more you will see results. If you give a certain amount and you still aren't breaking through with your wife, then just give a little more. If that doesn't work, then give more! You've got eternal love, right? So there's no limit to how much you can love. How much are you going to substantiate true love in your daily life? That's what's important. That's the essence of taking responsibility.
If every man and woman knew true love, there would be no problems within marriages. Your wife may be physically unattractive, but she has everything; it's just the arrangement that is kind of awkward. Because she has everything, you must be grateful! Just imagine her with no nose! True love is unlimited. When God sees that you are making true love a reality within your family, overcoming all limitations, will He be angry or ecstatic? He will be absolutely overjoyed! Every man knows what external beauty is, right? But it is not as easy to grasp the beauty of true love. It's our responsibility to become people of true love. We need this physical body to experience true love. How close are we going to get to Heavenly Father? That depends completely on how much we can fulfill our responsibility in our life.
Many people who received revelations about the coming of True Parents actually failed Father. He was denied by the very people chosen to receive him. The Korean people put Father in jail and tortured him and even tried to kill him. He's been put into prison six times in his life, yet he came out victorious every time. You are here because of True Parents' victorious foundation. If Father had not been able to succeed in his course, I don't know how long humanity would continue to suffer. You should be grateful that you have Father, that Father established the true love victory foundation as an example for you.
Today is a happy day and a great day. So you should have a grateful heart, okay? You must know that we are all together in this. All of us in my family are absolutely united, and you must be absolutely united too. Are you going to live up to the promise that you made yesterday? Let me see your hands.
This year we must live up to our words. If we can't live up to our words, we can't reach the standard of true love. You have promised to do this for True Parents and Heavenly Father. I am your witness today! Be a true man and be a true woman. I will believe in you, and I know that Father believes in you.
Don't let me down! If you hate me, you can hurt me. But even if you hurt me, I'm not going to be weak. That's a promise! I will give no opportunity for Satan to get the better of me. Don't allow yourself to be weak. Don't allow Satan to take advantage of you. I'm living for the sake of true love. Am I going to let physical, external things distract me from this goal? Would I allow myself to become overwhelmed by petty limitations? You're armed with true love. How can you let any of Satan's puny obstacles bother you? Don't let anything stop you!
What if the ideal had been realized in the beginning? We wouldn't need Parents' Day, Children's Day, or the Day of All Things. Every day would be Heavenly Father's Day -- Hananimui Nal. That's what Father said. Every day should be a celebration of God's Day, so every day should be a celebration of the victory of true love. Remind yourself of that every morning! I do. Sometimes I'm physically wiped out, but I tell myself, "Okay, today's another true love victory day!"
Satan has the edge over you in this physical lifetime. The only thing that can overcome Satan is true love. If you substantiate true love every day of your life, there's no way Satan can mess you up. When you've exhausted yourself for the sake of true love, God will rejuvenate you. Try to have the standard to give first, instead of first wanting to receive. Then that standard will eventually become a part of you.
Today is a very happy day. You must carry this joy and happiness throughout the rest of the year, okay? If Father and Mother were here, they would have given you more love! I'm sorry, but I am trying my best! No, I did my best!
Whenever Father's speeches come out you should find time to read them, no matter what. Anyone who doesn't like coming to listen to Father's words or learn about true love is a fake person. You should want to read and listen to Father's words as much as possible. Having that kind of attitude is very precious to God.
With true love, it doesn't matter how much of it you get, it always feels good. I'm sure you don't get tired of the love you receive from your husband or wife, right? It always fulfills you and makes you happy. So carry the spirit of true love with you all year long. You promised, right?
Thank you and God bless you.
After Hyo Jin Nim's God's Day morning speech, a celebration cake is brought out. Left to right: Jun Sook Nim, Jin Hun Nim, Hyun Jin Nim Kook Jin Nim, Nan Sook Nim, and Hyo Jin Nim.
Happy God's Day. Let's think about the Ideal World. In the ideal world we would be absolutely united in the true love of God. We would not have to try to prove ourselves externally to receive God's love. Heavenly Father would relate directly with us, and He would dwell in all relationships among human beings.
If we had established an absolute true love relationship, our lineage would have been Heavenly Father's absolute true love lineage. But because we did not fulfill the original, ideal four position foundation, we have inherited Satan's lineage.
God's ideal can be realized when men and women unite under an absolute standard of true love. In that sense, God's creation is not complete. We are striving to establish God's Kingdom here on earth and later in heaven. Just as our mind and body should be absolutely united centering on true love, so should the physical and spiritual worlds be united. Until then, the conflict we experience as men and women will not be over.
We see clearly that this world is not under God's dominion. The present kind of unity we see in this world is not based on anything eternal. It is not based on a true love standard, but on some other standard. Without a true love standard, how can you start an ideal family, and how can you even begin to think about creating an ideal nation, society, and world? When men and women live for themselves, there is no way that God or mankind can create an ideal world. Only with God can you experience true love and see everyone as part of one family.
Historically, religion has guided us to deny our physical bodies and our individual external needs and live instead according to the needs of Heavenly Father, our Creator. The role of religion was to teach people to live for the sake of others. There have been many great teachers of religions -- the founders of Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity -- and they all emphasized the truth that we must live for the sake of others to attain a higher standard.
Religion is necessary only until we can establish a nation centered on Heavenly Father's true love. Originally, God never intended religion to exist, because in the ideal world, every man would have a direct relationship with Heavenly Father and would live for the sake of others. The ideal world can only be substantiated when True Parents establish a horizontal axis of absolute true love centered on the vertical axis of Heavenly Father's love. That is the ideal four-position foundation.
There are many countries that are obviously suffering from a lack of technology and external capabilities. The world is becoming overpopulated, especially Red China, which now has one-fourth of the world's population. The Chinese are having a lot of external problems now, and they need help. The Messiah must be able to fulfill all kinds of needs, motivated by true love.
Basically we are all suffering because God has been and still is suffering. Today is God's Day. Do you know what True Parents had to go through in order to establish this day 20 years ago? God's Day could be created only after the position of parents, children, and all things was restored. This day is the result of True Parents' blood, sweat, and tears. We are celebrating their cross this God's Day. True Parents went this course because they had an absolute standard of true love. For the sake of God's will, they were willing to do anything, even give up their lives.
How many of you like to be persecuted? I don't. Nobody does. All of Father's life, he has experienced struggling and misery -- you can literally see the physical scars on his body. But his heart is unchanging. He still is grateful to Heavenly Father and wants to restore this world back to Him.
True Parents are your teachers -- be their good students! Ultimately, you have to be their children, not just students. You have to understand True Parents' suffering and be willing to go through that same course, for the sake of God.
I am willing to challenge myself in order to help True Parents. I must take action, not just sit around and wait until I know everything. No. Through acting, things become clear. My experience with the blessed children is that I learn every day, even as I speak to them. Nothing comes from me. I learn from Heavenly Father and from True Parents. When I speak to the blessed children, I try my best to represent True Parents and give their love. That is my standard.
We have to do our best to understand the enemy's strategies, but we can't wait until we know everything. Many times we have to be willing to just march onto the battlefield armed only with our true love to bring victory for Heavenly Father and True Parents.
Give your 100 percent. Even when I don't feel 100 percent sure of myself, I still make absolute effort for the sake of Heavenly Father and true love. This is like a war.
True Parents' way is the only way for us. It is only when True Parents' standard of love -- nothing else -- is in our hearts that True Parents can establish Heavenly Father's homeland. Our vision should be focused on the ideal world based upon the Principle and Father and the heavenly tradition, not upon our knowledge from this fallen, physical world. You must compare your standard to True Parents' true love standard. Analyze yourselves: Am I a good person? Am I doing what is right? What do I need to improve upon? Compare yourself to True Parents to see what you lack and what you need. That's the only way to become an ideal man or woman.
If every member is focused on True Parents, how can there be problems between central figures and members? The central figures cannot think that they are ideal beings. They themselves should also want to become like True Parents. All Unification Church members must go out of their way to understand Father and his tradition.
Members have to become absolutely one body. Satan likes separation because he himself is separated from God, and he separated everything away from God. You must "unseparate" yourselves from God. If you have to indemnify something, be grateful and do it. This year, wipe your slate clean, and start new. Those words are becoming almost a cliché by now! Yet we need to continue our efforts constantly.
If you see your brother or sister suffering, go and bring them back into God's embrace. If you see someone struggling, set an example for him, a true example. We must, within this year, make the Unification Church a 'healthy body. We have to clean up our act before we can settle in the ideal world, our homeland. We must bring our minds and bodies into absolute oneness with True Parents.
This is an exciting time. The era of wandering in the wilderness is ended and it is the time of settlement. What more do you need in order to be motivated to reach your fullest? So please no more wandering and struggling. You must make a faithful foundation and then Heavenly Father will do the rest.
You represent humanity, so it is very important for you to become absolutely one with True Parents. You must look at yourselves very, very closely. You must become like True Parents. That is the only way you can influence the world. Father is one person, but he has deeply changed so many of you, hasn't he? If there are 1,000 people in this room like him, then we can change the world 1,000 times over! I'm in a hurry. Let's get there quickly. I don't want my time to be wasted!
Father said that 1988 is a symbol of a new start. He's giving you a new chance to shape up and start over. That is the greatest blessing. What greater gift do you want? The more you suffer for God's purpose, the more proudly you can say when you die, "Look, I did something with my life!" Satan is trying desperately to establish an anti-Principle way, so while we are in our physical bodies we must accomplish true love. The more you accomplish, the closer you'll come to True Parents.
They have accomplished true love more than any man or woman. You should be proud of the fact that you have True Parents. You should learn to say to yourself, "I do not exist" It makes a difference when you say that to yourself. I say it to myself. I exist because love existed. I came from true love; I came from True Parents. I am not here by my own free will. When I look at myself in the mirror in the morning, I say, "You do not exist, except within and for True Parents" When I start my day like that, the whole day is different. Try it! You'll have a totally different kind of attitude.
An ideal parent / child relationship is unbreakable. It is an endless unity of giving and receiving. Within this true love realm, even though I am an absolute object, I have to be subjective in order to give. When I give my love back to True Parents, I am being subjective in the true love sense. The archangel was subjective in love too; but he wanted to take it, not give it. That is why it is absolutely essential that you have give and take with the right ideal. Plant yourself in the Principle. Your give and take must be based on that.
In his God's day speech today, Father said,
"You should never violate your Shim Jung nor stain your lineage."
You are being brought up in True Parents' lineage. You must be absolutely pure. Your heart, your Shim Jung, has to be absolutely one with God. He also said,
"Do not violate the heavenly order or the rights of ideal men and women. You must not misuse public funds, or violate Heavenly Father's property."
This is the fundamental basis of heavenly law: not to violate your lineage or misuse public funds and property. The three blessings can be obtained through your becoming ideal men and women in this way. This is the attitude with which we must start the New Year. Is there another way? No. Only True Parents' way.
God bless you and God be with you in 1988.
Hyo Jin Nim speaks at Belvedere
Good morning. As you know, Father is in Korea, and I want to be closer to you from now on. I'll try my best to express what I feel about Father as his son and how we should look up to him as our True Father.
All Unification Church members, who are in a sense the embodiment of True Parents, must really understand Father's heart in order to represent True Parents to the world. We must understand the path he has walked. Father's course wasn't easy. From the moment he received the revelation from Jesus, it was an uphill battle all the way.
By 1945 Korea was the harvesting point of all the religions of the world, East and West. Many spiritual groups in Korea had received revelations about the coming of the Messiah not just as one person, but as a man and a woman. Father sent his followers to witness to these spiritual groups, but none of them united with him. All the prepared foundation around Father crumbled. Father had to go to North Korea alone and start all over again. And he knew he would be tested all through his life by Satan to deny God.
Many times I hear it said that Father's victory in the North Korean prison was that he forgave his enemy. But more significantly, he knew beforehand that he would be abused physically to the point of death and pushed by Satan to deny God. Still he chose to go this road by himself, and he did so without faltering. That is even more significant than forgiving one's enemy.
Father even had to walk his Danbury course by himself. Do you think God ever wanted Danbury? To God, Danbury is the most wretched, miserable place on earth. Did Father do it for himself? No. He did it because he wants you to understand true love.
As members you really have to sit down and think about this: Adam and Eve fell even though they didn't have original sin. The fall took place because they allowed Satan to take the subject position to them instead of God. Adam and Eve failed in their individual responsibility.
That the fall could take place means it is possible for a sinless person to choose to go in an evil direction. God gave us the freedom to choose, but when you choose not to go God's way, at that moment you are having give and take with Satan.
We each have to create ourselves in the image and standard of God. When is the final victory? When Satan has no object left to have give and take with.
How can we help bring that victory? You must deny yourself, totally. You have to feel, "I, in the selfish sense, do not exist." I am sorry to say, but that is the only way. Every moment you have to choose between God and Satan. In this war you can't let your guard down until you win the whole war. We have claimed many victorious battles, but the war is not yet over.
Many times when Father tells you to do something, you try to do it, but your heart is not with Father 100 percent. It may be at the most only 75 or 80 percent. Even if you are 99.9 percent united with Father it's still not enough. That's just how cancer starts -- with one cell. You have to be absolute in terms of your love. When you reach that level of heart, Satan cannot touch you. But your minds are often shifting back and forth. Many people start out with good intentions but later on become lazy. You must have an absolute standard if you want to claim true love and become true sons and daughters of Heavenly Father and True Parents.
After his speech, Hyo Jin Nim offers a prayer
I am sure the elder members tried very hard to create an ideal world. But the True Children did not grow up in an ideal world. I came to America when I was TO years old. I tried to make friends with the American kids and understand them. I admit I strayed. I used to hate all Unification Church members. I hated the world. But now I have no hard feelings. Whatever I did wrong, I have to indemnify that. It is my responsibility to realize Heavenly Father's ideals, to follow heavenly tradition and order.
The longer it takes for us to create unity with True Parents, the longer restoration will take. That is why I am preparing myself to inherit everything I can from Father, so that Father doesn't have to do it all. Father went to Danbury because God couldn't bring anybody else in front of Satan and say, "Look, this person is just like True Parents. Why don't you send him instead?" I want to be there if such a sacrifice is ever necessary again.
Many of you have good intentions, but you can't just stop at that. You must know exactly what Father is all about. You must know everything in order to defeat Satan. Don't be a casualty. Please, if one man can mess up the world, then one man can bring prosperity to the world by taking responsibility. If all of you in this room were totally committed, if all of you truly understood what Heavenly Father and True Parents were trying to say, you could be the true inheritors of their love.
If Adam and Eve had not fallen, true order would have been established. Father emphasizes Oriental culture, not because everything in that culture is right, but because the people of that culture know how to serve, how to bow down to their ancestors and their elders. Korean people were raised, according to Korean tradition, to never complain. Think about that. Unfortunately, when Father speaks, many times I see you resisting, shaking your head. You don't like what he says, because you still have that fallen nature of rebellion within you. The enemy is within. That is why Father says overcoming yourself is the hardest thing.
Whether I joke with you or tell you shocking things, inside my heart is always the same. I am trying to reach everybody. I can be wild and crazy sometimes, but actually I'm a pretty silent person. I like my own silence, because I like something that is deeper than things that I can touch.
Everything in the world ultimately belongs to Heavenly Father, not Satan. When you look at an ugly man from a fallen perspective you think, "Oh, that man is ugly!" But God doesn't feel that way. That's just the way God made him. He made different varieties. That doesn't mean one person is any better or any worse than another. When I look at you, I want to see you with that kind of heart. I want to bring total victory to everything, and I want you to do the same. The only way is to deny yourself. If you do that, I know Heavenly Father can work. All He needs is a physical foundation, and you are it. It's up to you.
Technologically, we are at the stage in history right now where we could wipe out the whole human race or we could prosper amazingly. Knowing this, I want to do everything in my power to accomplish at this time, preparing myself for the even greater things up ahead. You should be preparing too.
Father gave me permission to write some songs. I finished a condition to write 40 songs just last night. When I was growing up I asked myself, why do young people like music so much? I realized it was because kids need to have give and take with something that is eternal and unbounded. Music provides that. Music is emotional. Kids today who never grew up with love and who have nothing other than themselves really like hard, "heavy metal" music. It's not the ones who have already decided to be a doctor or Lawyer or whatever; it's the kids who have nothing to fill the void. They like the intensity of hard rock, because the love they desire is intense. Heavenly Father needs to reach these people with something as intense as their music. I want to fight that enemy with God's own weapon, with music. I am not going to play music for the rest of my life; writing songs and practicing is hard work. I actually hate it, but Heavenly Father needs this right now.
Music and all the arts have immense possibilities, but Father has hesitated to use the medium of culture because nobody can truly represent Father in the emotional realm yet. Every day, every moment, our feelings are influenced by movies, TV, music. We must touch and elevate that world of emotion. I know that time is here.
When you recall Father's Danbury course and all that he has done, you should be grateful and determined to inherit True Parents' heart. It is only when you become totally united with True Parents that Heavenly Father has a way to reach out to the rest of the world. Don't complain that it is too hard, because I know it is hard. But we've got to do it. The ideal world is not that far away. It is possible, within our grasp. So please do your best.
More and more young people are joining, but unless we can really give them Father's heart, they may not stay. Inheriting Father's heart is crucial. I want you to become a part of the True Family. You cannot go into heaven as an adopted son. There is only one God and one Father. You must connect with us, with my brothers and sisters. Please understand that the whole world must come to one Parent.
I will do my best to go where Father directs me. If there is a path of suffering I must go for you, I will do it. If it were just for my sake, I couldn't do it. But I am willing to do that, so please, you too should be willing to walk this path for the sake of others. Go over whatever specific barrier is blocking you. That is the only way you can touch true love. Knowing the Principle is the way to true love.
Just as there are limitations and laws of nature in the physical world, in the spirit world there are heavenly laws you must follow and obey in order to live in the domain of God. Only within the love of God can you feel true love. If you want to call yourselves sons and daughters of Heavenly Father, you must know how to serve your Parents and follow their tradition.
As I grow, I am realizing day by day how I should act. Some of you may think that by doing what I am doing I am trying to gain Father's favor. But if I had that individualistic motivation, I wouldn't be here. Taking responsibility for you is not an easy task. I can do things on my own very well; I have God-given talents. But I will never leave Father because I love him.
It has been hard to deny all the bad habits I picked up. But I'm giving them up because I know I have to. I know how hard it is to break habits, but I cannot do those things again. You must understand Father's heart. He is my subject and I am his object. I am part of him. I want to follow him, absolutely.
From now on I will never let anything I do go against Father's way, because I know how Satan works, down to the nitty-gritty level. And I will protect my brothers and sisters until my death because I know what the effects can be on you. I know Father has been waiting for me to say this for a long time. I will make up for the suffering Father has gone through. I am committed. You have to be the same. From now on there must be no more excuses. There is nothing stopping you.
Dying is easy, but we must live and fulfill God's will. That is our goal. At the same time we must be ready to die. I always tell the blessed children: "You must be prepared for the worst situation." That's the mind of a fighter.
You must know Father's heart, period. Did Father ever give up? Father is almost 70, and he is still going. Every day, all day long, he is teaching and guiding members and leaders. It's not easy. I have to tell the blessed children the same things over and over again until they finally understand what I am saying. I will tell you frankly, my life is hard. But I am willing to take upon myself what Father has taken upon himself. That's the only reason I stand here talking to you.
Father loves you very much. Please understand. You must give him love in return. Even the specific things you ask for, Father will try to give you, to the best of his ability.
The Cain world is becoming Abel's world, and all that Father has taught you is within your grasp. If you say, "I can't do it," you are denying your eternal capability. Please, I emphasize, we must do it. I want every man and woman to feel the same as I do. Can you do it? I trust you and I believe in you, just as Father believes in you. I will try my best to give what Father is trying to give you. That's my heart. I hope I have touched you in some way. Thank you.
At the CARP Convention, Rev. Won Pil Kim walks stalwartly with Hyo Jin Nim at the front of the march to the Berlin Wall.
After the speeches and banner waving, and the shouting of slogans and cheers of victory from our brothers and sisters, the throngs of people at the Wall slowly began to disappear. Only the technicians remained to pack away microphones and loud speakers.
The shouts and jeers died down as the crowd dispersed past the armored police, who seemed to be keeping a vigilant eye on the communists hanging around the square where we had just finished our rally protesting the Berlin Wall.
I could hear the brothers and sisters speaking enthusiastically of our next rally. "The Philippines!" exclaimed one brother. "Moscow!" said another excitedly. As I watched everyone return home, someone called out to me, "You'd best go back to the hostel, Tom. It's all over here' "Okay:' I said, but I didn't really want to leave. I kept thinking about how happy Heavenly Father must be feeling about our victory in Berlin. I sensed that what just happened here was going to change the course of history. I felt how proud Heavenly Father and our True Parents must be of our sincerity of heart and determination to unite the German people, East and West.
As I began to head back, I noticed a group of communists bunched together in a circle on the far side of the square. A few of their faces looked familiar to my eyes and to my painful back; I had been pushed off a small platform during the rally. As I started walking toward them to see what was going on, I was joined by Ray, a brother from my center.
I pointed toward the crowd, which seemed to be growing. "I'm going over there. When Ray and I reached the group, we saw President Won Pil Kim and Mr. Masatoshi Abe. President Kim was walking around the edge of the crowd. I jumped up to get a better view, and I saw that in the very middle of the group was one of our German brothers, who seemed to be getting questions thrown at him from all angles. The communists' questions were quite abusive, and this brother was having a tough time, although he seemed to be weathering the storm pretty well.
Being a Londoner, I found it difficult to understand what they were saying, but I could tell a lot by the expressions on people's faces. Suddenly, to my surprise I saw President Kim's white cap pressing through the crowd with President Kim underneath it. He made his way to the center. I found myself also pushing my way through, and I squeezed up to his shoulder. I stood there by him and his interpreter and tried to stop people from shoving our brothers back.
The crowd was relentless in their heckling. President Kim tried to silence them with a wave of his arm so he could say a few words. Eventually one guy, who seemed to be the leader, agreed to give himself and President Kim 10 minutes each to speak. But while President Kim was doing his best to express his feelings through his interpreter, everyone kept on shouting.
"Gosh," I thought. "If only they knew who it was they were addressing, or rather, shouting at!" The leader of the group could not manage to even make himself heard, so finally he yelled out, "Be quiet!" 'At last',' I thought, "the speakers can have a discussion:'
The barrage of noise suddenly stopped. I was relieved because I had already lost my voice in trying to get them to stop shouting. As President Kim began to speak, I prayed internally for the communists and their ancestors, that they might receive God's love through his words.
I could easily relate President Kim's situation to Jesus' in front of the mocking crowd, as he tried to express God's heart to them. I also realized that this communist ideology had been able to grow because of the failure to accept Father. I was profoundly moved by President Kim's attitude towards these people who seemed so arrogant. He was unchanging, always smiling and trying to embrace these wayward children of God. He sympathized with their frustrations with capitalism and the failure of democracy. Then he explained, in a very clear way, the cause of the problems, the effects, and the solution.
Whenever the communists made a valid point, President Kim agreed with them and gave them a friendly pat on the back. It started raining heavily, so President Kim took an umbrella and covered the head of the person he was talking to so he wouldn't get wet. He was always thinking of the other person and giving of himself unselfishly.
I never once saw President Kim contradict or argue or overreact; he just gave the simple, plain truth. It was incredibly effective. After each explanation he would listen attentively to the next person's question. The change in the people's faces was noticeable. While President Kim sincerely answered their questions, they started to calm down. As time passed, many of them left, no doubt with much to dwell on and think seriously about.
There were a few stubborn ones remaining who had been there from the beginning -- two and a half hours before. These were the really defiant ones. I could see they didn't want to be defeated by this small Korean man. Their leader also stayed with them. When they began shouting again, President Kim said to the leader, "You must educate your people to have self-control," patting him on the shoulder and giving him a warm smile. One by one, President Kim listened patiently to each person's question. If any person persisted strongly on a particular point, President Kim himself would go over to him, pull him into the center and give him the opportunity to express his grievance. After about ten minutes of give and take, that person would quietly disappear out of view, probably realizing he had no basis for argument.
The leader, by this time having seen all his friends crumble before him, began to study President Kim, as if he were looking for something in particular. I felt he must be wondering: What kind of person is this? And where does he get all his education, all his knowledge? I sensed very strongly that they all felt a special aura around President Kim.
As the last ones left, some apologized for having to go, saying they had other appointments. President Kim shook their hands, and before they left he insisted on having a photograph taken. Afterwards he exchanged addresses with them.
I couldn't believe my eyes. These communists had been after blood, but President Kim just melted their hearts. It was "natural subjugation" In the end they all looked like a bunch of kids having a good time.
When all the goodbyes had ended, Ray and I wanted to make sure that President Kim and Mr. Abe left safely. As they began to walk away, President Kim turned around and shook our hands, He told us to return to the hostel together. His interpreter, accustomed to repeating whatever he said, echoed the sentiment: "Yes, go home together" They smiled and then departed.
The Wall -- with a view into East Berlin.
For several weeks before going to the CARP Convention in Berlin, I asked Heavenly Father to give me a life-changing experience there. And He did. I never imagined it could be so deep.
One of the most profound moments I had was at the Berlin Wall. While everybody was singing, inside I felt something was not right, so I knelt down in the dirt by the Wall to pray. As I prayed my tears flowed freely. I realized that this wall is not just separating a nation; the wall is within me, and the way to win the other side is within me. I knew I had to break down the wall within myself.
At that point I felt I had to go out and talk to the communists who were opposing us on this side of the Wall. Looking up, I could see all our members together in a group singing.
Then I saw a line of police protecting us. Outside this line were the communists. I knew that if I made them my enemies, then there must be a wall in my own heart. So I...rent out to try to talk to them. I am not that brave, for I did feel fear, but I realized that as long as that fear is there and I do not challenge it, the wall will remain.
I was walking holding the banner saying, "Only through God can we find true freedom:' I felt it was especially meant for me to hold. As I shouted "Die Mauer muss weg!" ("The Wall must go!") I knew at one point I was shouting this to myself. The wall within me must go, so I can become free to love all people, because God loves them without any barriers. The wall in my heart must be broken.
As I began talking to the communists in my broken German, I felt how precious Father's tradition is. By witnessing directly on the street, I felt I could really love the people. Before the church, when I lived in Germany for a year, speaking to the people had been really hard for me. But this time I felt so much love for the German people that I felt like embracing them. This is because of Father's teaching and his deep love. Father's words are so powerful. I talked to a few of them about the meaning of the family and how we are all part of one family. If someone in the family suffers, then everyone else also suffers. Even they could not argue about this. I was glad to have a chance to talk to one person in particular, who had been opposing us every day. He looked mean and tough, but actually he didn't have a bad heart after all.
I even sang "Arirang" along with everyone and shouted "Mansei!" right in the midst of the communists. They were angry but could not stop me. By doing this so freely, I could break down another barrier within myself.
When Father talks of bringing about the unification of the Fatherland, it really means creating unity within myself, between my mind and body, between God and myself, and among all the nations of the world. The road that goes to Moscow begins right here within me. If I can conquer myself, then I can conquer Moscow. God already has the plan. I always wondered how we were going to do this, go to Moscow. Now I realize it will be through working on this side, through winning people's hearts right here.
I feel this rally marked a new beginning, a new start for me. Going to Berlin was truly historical for all of us, far more than we can yet perceive.
I want to talk about how we can become true CARP members. People have an innate desire to seek challenge, to be successful, to want to possess things. We have such motivation because ultimately we hope to reach God's love. The greatest thing is God. God is the Creator of the universe and the essence of all the value that exists in the universe. But since we have been separated from God, we have lost awareness of His existence and wholeness. That's why we can easily pursue individualistic, detailed things in our lives. But, ultimately, we were created with the desire to possess the love of God. That is what we want to succeed in.
We're children of God, right? If you are children of God, you want to receive your parents' love. Without it, you won't understand what love is. Parents rarely have to bribe or punch their children in order to make them obey them. Within true love, the child wants to do what the parents say, naturally. He doesn't have to be forced.
We all have the greatest gift, which is that we all desire give and take. Give and take is how love grows. Through give and take, you grow spiritually and reach a standard of knowing God's existence and the essence of God, which is true love. Father said true love is not just horizontal love, nor is it just vertical love. Horizontal and vertical love together are like a roundness. The center of that is true love.
Can God be happy all alone? I don't think so. You cannot be happy all on your own. Your happiness will not just perpetuate itself. Many people may say, "I'm happy. I'm content with my lifestyle." They like going to discotheques, dating, and driving a fast car -- that's exciting to them. But that happiness is short-lived. The only true happiness we can feel is within the domain of God, because only there can we inherit eternal love.
Natural excitement can come from looking at a star, at the Milky Way, at anything -- with God's perspective. When I see powerful things, I get excited and joyful, totally exhilarated.
As you should all know by now, God is not a happy God. He is a suffering God. In a sense, through our own suffering, we come to understand God more. If you really want to be a leader and a participant in this restorational time period, you have to grow. Growth toward becoming a better person entails many difficulties, perhaps in your relationships with your peers. You have to understand the other person, and you have to understand yourself, too. Coming to such awareness is not easy; it is real suffering. Your suffering in itself gives you a qualification to be a leader.
CARP members have to be different from other people. We must have an absolute standard and a 100- percent connection with God and True Parents. Without that, it doesn't work. We must understand Father. In the Unification Church, it's obvious we must totally unite with Father because we are Father's body. We're not separate. We might be different organs in his body, but we are within his body. When a cell denies the whole, that's a cancer cell. You have to connect 100 percent to the absolute standard.
How can you do that? Fallen human beings have the responsibility to not only cut off from Satan; they have an original responsibility, too. There was responsibility in the original world, but you haven't reached that stage yet. Just cutting off from fallen desires is not the end. After you've cut off, that's when your true responsibility begins. God cannot do your responsibility for you. You have to do it. Why did God make it like that? Because you are to be His sons and daughters. You are not animals. An animal doesn't have responsibility.
Hyo Jin Nim leads the way across three miles of salt flats in Death Valley
We must deny ourselves totally in front of Father. This is very important. I can be a critical person, but I don't want to think like that. In a sense, "I" don't exist. I'm here for you, in the essence of true love -- unbounded love. I will not look at you with tunnel vision. I do not "expect" anything from you, because I know that in your heart and my heart, we're already connected.
This is war. Satan is out to get us. Communism is out to get us. One brother shared with me recently that it was very hard for him to make a commitment and live up to it every day. Yet Satan is very committed. He's out there all the time, every day. Every second, he's committed to brainwashing you. Please understand that. We're fighting.
The knowledge that we have is a weapon. Its value is not for our own significance or preeminence. Its only value is to be used to confront Satan.
How will people live in the ideal world? Technologically, we are at the stage where everything can be automated; soon, sufficient food, clothing, and shelter will be no problem. The value system will be harmonized because we will all be restored under God. The greatest thing every person will want to receive will be the love of God. In that sense, there will be true equality. Equality itself means that the mind and body are united and that every man and woman is receiving the love of God.
In the standard of God, there is heavenly law. We must grow to reach the perfected stage, which is out there, blueprinted in nature for us to realize. There is a law of the earth. There is a right way to serve Heavenly Father. There is a tradition. It is not based simply on equality. Children are not on an equal level with their parents. In your original mind, you want to do things for your parents, don't you? Even if you are just eating humble food, you want to give something back to your parents. There is an order to things.
Why is this necessary? Because humanity has to be one body, with one absolute standard and one absolute center. Every man can come to claim God's standard. For us to inherit the love of God we must have the foundation of learning to receive God.
In 1945, communism didn't have much substantial physical power, and America was the strongest nation in the world. Korea was very religious. But because of the failure of man at that time, Father had to go down to the very lowest point on the individual level and work up to the world level. Because of man's failure, God tested Father; He pushed him all the way down and tried to tell him that he was not what he set out to be. The best way to do that to someone is to torture him physically. During the Vietnam War, the communists forced people with torture to say things against their will. Many people said to themselves, "I'm not going to break," but the pressure was so tremendous that even the strongest people broke. Father withstood the pressure. We must think about that -- his individual standard. Are you willing to adopt that kind of standard? We are here to unite with True Parents and inherit their standard. Are you that committed? The children must understand their Father and Mother. Without doing that, you cannot call yourselves sons and daughters of filial piety.
What kind of attitude should CARP members have? You have to be 100 percent united, absolutely one with True Parents. When I went to Berlin, I tried to put all thought of my family and myself out of my mind. I want to embrace the spirit of God in eternity more than I want to preserve my life. What is important in your physical life is achieving the right foundation and standard within yourself, being able to say "God dwells within me," before you go to the spirit world. Then your sons' and daughters' lives will be easier.
What do you have to do to be valuable to God? Many people have said, "Father, I've followed your ways and the mission you gave me. But it didn't work." It didn't work because you gave only 50 percent or maybe you gave 99.99 percent, but you didn't give 100 percent! When there's a hole in something, like a pressurized can, even just a needle-sized hole will cause all the gas to escape. It doesn't matter what size the hole is. Many people see the size of the hole as significant because they were raised in the limited, fallen world. In a limited world, size matters. But in the internal world, size doesn't matter.
If I've restored one hundred thousand million people and another person has restored one other person, it doesn't make any difference to me. When I go to Father, I don't want to talk about the things I've done. I hate that. You, too, have to have that kind of selfless standard. Only then can you truly understand Father. All of you here want to be with Father, so you must follow that way and commit yourself to God's ideal. I'm trying every day too. My own concepts come out, but I just try to erase them. Nothing that I do is significant to me except striving to achieve that kind of standard. Without that standard you cannot win. The enemy is totally committed to winning. Therefore, I have to be totally committed to winning, too -- and more. This is the only edge that will help you win over Satan. You cannot fight within limitations. In every specific thing there exists the image of God. Everything has to be restored back to God for you to claim it.
On top of Twin Peaks, the San Francisco holy ground, Hyo Jin Nim speaks to church members.
We must know the enemy in order to win. If the enemy is willing to fall down and stand up and fight again, I have to do the same and more. When we were at the Berlin Wall, we confronted the communists. They are human beings, too, and they have original minds. Eventually they will recognize God. But now they're very arrogant. After we confronted them, however, they changed. Satan is like this. You must confront him. That is why Father says you have to be strong.
Of course, in your heart you cry. You weep. God is suffering. Father is suffering. He is physically suffering every day. He is a 70-year-old man. When he speaks to members, he doesn't go by the clock. He works hard to give you inspiration, to point you to God. My schedule is like that, too. Be willing to give your all for the greater good. That is what Father has taught us. I must prepare to receive from him all that he does -- not just in CARP, in everything.
Do you want me to be bigger so you'll be bigger? That's the true children's attitude. When I see my younger brother getting praised by Father, I must feel happy. My brother is part of me. I am part of Father. I am the blood and cells of Father. So is he. If I don't value him, I don't value Father. Even one thought that is distracting is not right.
You must have a strong standard. You must be strong. That's why I encourage Wonhwa-do. You have to prepare in every way, even physically, for the worst. If you expect the worst, then the only thing that can happen is that things will get better. The only thing that can come out of that situation is victory. That has to be CARP's tradition. Our tradition will become the rest of the world's tradition. You have to be proud that you are representing True Parents and becoming the ideal of God. Go out of your way to cut off and separate from Satan and begin your ideal responsibility.
Without the right spiritual foundation, the ammunition you gather will only stick in your mouth. You have to rely on spiritual power. Your essence is spirit. You have to bring your own victory. In our family, we compete to bring greater love, to do better, to serve Father more, to make Father happy. That's healthy competition. It is not for my individual pride; but as a unit, as a family, we compete to bring happiness to our parents.
I want all of you to become leaders. Pretty soon, everyone will understand Father's real identity, not the false image the media has conjured up. People are coming to truly realize what he is doing. How are you going to affect those people? You must be an example to them.
In the ideal world we won't need leaders, because we will be united with God, every one of us. Having leadership is a stage. Until then, you should be proud to be a leader. The final victor is the eternal victor. This is the last battle. We're confronting Satan. This is the last great task -- eliminating communism, secular humanism, and individualism. We need more leaders in this final battle. You have to be solely committed to this.
I want CARP members to bring happiness to Father. Father is not happy. What can make him happy? Bring victory over Satan and that will make Father happy. That's what Father has been doing all throughout his life. When you stand up against Satan and beat him, that's when Father is happy. Of course he understands your suffering. He knows. Father pushes me also to do so many things. He expects so much of me, but that's love. Of course he knows all the things I need, but the way of a loving parent is to push me because I am at war.
I'm doing everything that I hate. I hate to speak in front of people. I'm a very quiet person. I go and hunt alone, I play music on my own; I express my heart in a quiet way. I'm not an analytical person, although I could be. Anyone can be an Einstein. We're eternal; we can become anything. But I must be a public person because I know this is Father's way. Father does not want me to be a casualty of the war. He wants me to be a victor in the war. There are so many people dying away. You don't want to be a casualty.
So what are you going to do? Are you going to work in a 50-50 way, half and half? That's up to you. Our responsibility is not easy. Are you willing to take upon yourself Father's responsibility, take the load off his shoulders? I'll prepare myself to confront any Satan. Physical death doesn't matter to me. It is not significant. I'll prepare more, down to all the specific details and the nitty-gritty things. That's the way to bring victory.
Everyone's original mind is good. When people realize the truth, they will change. People are changing because they have something inside to change with -- their original minds. Everyone seeks truth, and when they are confronted with truth, they will change. When you hear it, then it is all up to you.
It's because of your lack of determination that results don't come. You can change any communist. I have confidence I can change anyone. I'm preparing for this. I'll argue with them; I won't lose. You can reach any kind of level in this society; you just have to be committed. One man can change so much. Look at the foundation Father made. If we represent Father, we can bring results. How many of you are willing to die for Heavenly Father and True Parents? I am too. Please unite with me. We will bring victory.
You must treasure each other. You and your fellow warriors are truly precious. CARP members must not have conflict among themselves. Of course there will be struggles, but you have to overcome them. Without unity, you cannot win. Our standard must be much greater than Satan's. Only with the right foundation can you confront the global Satan. That's why when I see one mistake among the blessed children, I scold them all. They have to be one. I don't want to see them separated. I want CARP members to be worthy of being heavenly soldiers. If you call yourself a Unification Church member, you must be devoting your life for the sake of Heavenly Father and True Parents and following the Principle way.
You're affecting many people. A true man admits his mistakes in order to do better. Man must not yield to what is evil. You must be unchanging under God's perspective. Our responsibility is serious business, not a game or a joke.
The day we can relate to each other through heart, not narrow words, is the day I long for; but it is not that day yet. I'm a very quiet person and an emotional guy. I'm sorry; sometimes I might be hard on you. I'm hard on the blessed children, but I must do this. I cannot yield to Satan.
I feel all your sufferings with you, but what about the sufferings of the future? If I love the human race, if I love God, I'll want all the future to be for God. If I let the future suffer for your sake, that's not loving God. That's not loving the greater purpose.
Please understand my position and your leaders' positions. They might not state it sometimes; there may be a language barrier and they may have some barriers in expressing their hearts to you, but go beyond that. Love overcomes everything. Please try with that in mind. Only then can you truly be True Parents' vanguard. That is when you can truly say, "I'm representing Father and within me dwells the love of God" With that kind of love, when you look at each other, you will see true beauty. True beauty is eternal, and it comes from seeking goodness. We have an order and a principled way to follow.
We must unite under true love. Satan wants separation and segregation. Racial tensions are getting stronger and stronger. True black Americans must go out and forgive America, forgive the white people. The white people should really, truly repent to the black people. We should show the right example. If black CARP members went out to the campuses and forgave white Americans -- think about the impact that would create! Think about white CARP members going out and repenting. It would be worth 10,000 words! Together we have to restore the entire world, not just black people, white people, or yellow people. Let us restore the heavenly creed, the heavenly culture, the heavenly race.
There's a lot you can do. The campus is your home church. There are prepared people out there. When you shout out your truth, it will sink into them. Eventually, they will come. The truth will override any individual's limitations sooner or later.
You can bring about change if you give 100 percent. I want all the leaders to really connect with the members. I listen to my youngest brother. I learn from him. If my baby does the right thing, I will learn from my baby. That's the way God works. You have to have a 100-percent guaranteed commitment. I am Father's son. I am part of Father. I am not an individual "me." That's why I try to take care of my body. I will overcome any kind of sickness. This is not my body. It is Father's body; it is Heavenly Father's body. Think about the value in seeing things that way.
I know there are no arrogant CARP members, right? CARP members have a foundation of eternal spirit and true love. You have to substantialize a love foundation in your body. God will do the rest. I believe in you. Father believes in you. Believe in yourselves, too.
Please take my heart. I did not come here to give you some kind of special lecture. Love is already special. You don't need special words to describe something that is special already.
Hyo Jin Nim stands at a place marker indicating the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. Left to right: Mrs. Joon Ho Seuk, Rev. Zin Moon Kim, Mr. lttetsu Aoki, Gareth Davies, Hyo Jin Nim, Mr. Michio Fujii, and Dr. Joon Ho Seuk.
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me."
Psalm 23
On the evening of August 26, Hyo Jin Nim, the eldest son of our True Parents, led a small group of CARP leaders across a dried-up lake bed on the floor of Death Valley, California. After walking about three miles across the crusted, salty surface, they reached the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere -- 282 feet below sea level. On that spot, Hyo Jin Nim asked the others to join him in prayer.
As president of World CARP, Hyo Jin Nim had come to California to speak at a four-day workshop in Santa Rosa for members in CARP from the western regions of the United States. Many of the CARP members there had never seen him before, but before he arrived, everyone watched the video of the exciting CARP rally at the Berlin Wall, which had been led courageously by Hyo Jin Nim. The fiery spirit he showed in Berlin made a vivid impression on everyone; therefore, his arrival at the workshop generated a level of excitement too great to describe!
Hyo Jin Nim spoke powerfully and passionately at the workshop, recapturing the spirit of the Berlin rally. He spoke of the need for courage and commitment in the war against evil and of his expectation for CARP members to be the example of those qualities. "You have to be totally united with True Parents, cutting off completely from Satan. True responsibility can begin only after you cut off from Satan." He talked of the desperate need for young people to find true values in their lives. "Everyone strives for excellence, and everyone wants to possess things. Why is this? What are we striving for? Ultimately, we are all meant to experience and possess the love of God. It is in the love of God that we find the true freedom that allows us to give ourselves for the greater good."
Hyo Jin Nim himself is a clear illustration of the meaning of "fighting spirit',' and he urged all the CARP members to think of themselves as soldiers in a spiritual war.
We also had an opportunity to see other dimensions of Hyo Jin Nim's character -- his qualities as a parent, a teacher, a brother, and a loyal son of True Parents. Following his address, Hyo Jin Nim met with a group of CARP leaders for lunch. In fact, he did not eat but asked each of the leaders to either share something or ask a question. In response, he offered guidance to them that revealed his incredible depth of understanding and perception. When one brother asked how he could be more consistent, Hyo Jin Nim replied, "You need to know that Satan is very consistent. He is always there, so you must be determined. You must have more determination than the enemy. When you truly value something, you will do anything to keep it. You have to value true love in that way and never allow Satan to steal it from you. You have to constantly seek God."
The next day, Hyo Jin Nim visited the San Francisco holy ground at Twin Peaks. This was the first holy ground to be established in America, blessed during Father's tour in 1965. After quietly offering a prayer, Hyo Jin Nim asked the church members who were present to be seated. As he sat down on the rock and began to share his heart, many members were struck by the resemblance of this scene to so many of the photographs taken during the early days of our church, showing Father as a young man talking to a few followers on a Korean hillside. Again Hyo Jin Nim spoke very movingly of the need to find God and how God's love allows us to sacrifice gladly. "I do not exist when I am inside God. If I separate from God, then I exist."
A big cheer for Hyo Jin Nim after his speech at the West Coast CARP workshop.
It was after this visit to Twin Peaks that Hyo Jin Nim asked about Death Valley and how long it would take to get there. This was another indication of his desire to share Father's course and to walk, quite literally, in Father's footsteps by going where Father had also gone. He is constantly testifying to Father and attributing every victory to him, claiming nothing for himself. It was in this spirit that a small group of us accompanied him on a journey that took us to the middle of the barren valley floor.
The prayer that Hyo Jin Nim offered there in Death Valley was a declaration to God of his personal commitment to his responsibility as True Parents' eldest son. Praying in Korean, he pledged: "I will conquer hell as True Parents' representative, taking the burden from them. I will be a loyal son, returning joy and glory to True Parents. I will take responsibility for the evils of this world." For Dr. Joon Ho Seuk, the president of US CARP, and Rev. Zin Moon Kim, the regional CARP IW for California, this was a unique and profound experience; they said it was the first time they had heard Hyo Jin Nim publicly offer such a deep prayer regarding his own personal determination.
For each of us in the group, this was time to make a personal commitment of real unity with Hyo Jin Nim. After his prayer, as he began to run the three miles back to the cars, our commitment was immediately tested. We ran as fast as we could to keep up with him. By the time Hyo Jin Nim slowed to a walk, we were all coughing and gasping, but we deeply felt that unity had been forged in that desert. Hyo Jin Nim had come to a place symbolizing the depths of hell and had pledged to be personally responsible for all of hell's darkest sins. It was a declaration of war on Satan, a war that can never be fought without that total loyalty and obedience that Hyo Jin Nim himself embodies.
Just a few days later, it was Eastern US CARP's turn to be energized by Hyo Jin Nim. On August 30, Hyo Jin Nim came to a three-day CARP workshop held in French Creek State Park, Pennsylvania. He was accompanied by Jin Hun Nim, the husband of Un Jin Nim and the eldest son of Chong Goo ("Tiger") Park, the first Korean president of US CARP. Following Hyo Jin Nim's powerful speech, Jin Hun Nim spoke of his deep gratitude and respect for Hyo Jin Nim and of the many challenges he faces as a member of the True Family. In a moving expression of brotherhood, Hyo Jin Nim immediately returned to the podium to testify to Jin Hun Nim's faith and courage. "I always wanted him to be my brother," he said. "My sister Un Jin Nim is very strong, very stubborn, so when it came time for her to be matched, I recommended Jin Hun Nim to True Parents"
In the afternoon, Hyo Jin Nim again gave a stirring demonstration of how one voice and one acoustic guitar can fill a room with spirited sound!
The entire experience for brothers and sisters was an education in the meaning of giving 100 percent, and it went far beyond the capability of words in conveying Hyo Jin Nim's sheer courage, commitment, and his heart of filial piety.
Before returning to New York, Hyo Jin Nim stopped to pray at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, the scene of the bitterly cold winter encampment of George Washington's army during the Revolutionary War. In his prayer, Hyo Jin Nim appealed to the revolutionary soldiers who had died there to assist in the worldwide revolution that True Father initiated for the cause of global freedom. He prayed especially for George Washington, asking him to work alongside Father in that quest.
Through these two meetings in California and Pennsylvania, the entire membership of CARP was invigorated with a common spirit. Hyo Jin Nim's words, his actions, and his music were the means by which he injected True Parents' vision, passion, courage, and love into every brother and sister's heart. The deepest impression on everyone, however, was made by the seriousness of his personal commitment to fulfill his mission and to take the burden of responsibility from the shoulders of True Parents. As Hyo Jin Nim continues to "charge bravely forward;' the second generation will have to always be at peak performance in order to follow him, recognizing at the same time that this "Joshua" has the determination and the power to even raze the walls of Jericho on his own.