In Jin Moon
Lovin' Life Ministry
1) In Jin Nim (In Jin Nim) greeted everyone and shared about the Lovin Life Ministry (Lovin' Life Ministry) trip to Costa Rica
2) They held the International Women's Conference there. The theme was women in leadership -- how they should lead in the 21st century. Woman came from all around the world. There was an incumbent First Lady and several former First Ladies. They had a wonderful time. Angelica Selle did a wonderful job organizing the event. Angelica received a warm round of applause.
3) It was a great treat to worship with the brothers and sisters in Costa Rica. Costa Rica means the rich coast. The first settlers who arrived there were in search of gold and material riches, but what God intended for that nation and all of Central and South America is to inherit the true love of God.
4) God wanted the people of Costa Rica, not to just seek riches and materialistic wealth, but riches in terms of the internal gifts that He/She wanted to share with His children -- the gifts of love, of wanting to live our lives for the sake of others.
5) The 150 brothers and sisters in Costa Rica desire to do just that, to inherit the true love of God, and of putting into practice, not just true love and true life, but actualizing the true lineage going through the beautiful Blessing Ceremony and experiencing the joys as well as the hardships of building that ideal family that we all long for.
6) For In Jin Nim and the team that traveled with her, they were moved by the hearts of the people. When she was asked to be the keynote speaker at the woman's conference -- in the morning she opened her eyes and she prayed. God speaks to us sometimes through visions or dreams or what we hear in our ears, but that morning In Jin Nim felt that God was with all the woman representatives from around the world. Because, as she was looking over the women's Federation brochure, the (stage) curtain cast a shadow that resembled a beautiful butterfly.
7) In Jin Nim thought about the symbolism of the butterfly. It represents all womankind who have gone through the process of being the Caterpillar, and then the chrysalises, (cocoon), where they were literally surrounded and many times repressed, going through difficulties and hardships, looked upon as a second class citizen, being seen as someone not worthy of being heard.
8) In particular when you look at the history of religion you realize this so clearly. Woman never had the right to claim their dignity because of the fall. The process by which a woman finally makes the transformation and is reborn as the beautiful butterfly took a very, very long time. But with the advent of our True Parents and our True Father, proclaiming the Pacific Rim Era, when women would take on the responsibility of guiding the nation and world into a peaceful millennium for the sake of the future generations and the world -- In Jin Nim felt how fitting that God could show her this beautiful gift of a butterfly. It gave her so much incredible hope for being a woman, and for the success of the conference.
9) Just as God made her feel so inspired and empowered, all the woman who attended the conference felt rejuvenated. There they were, hundreds of them, coming from all different positions and backgrounds, overcoming all the barriers, coming with different perceptions of what the conference would be, but once they were all there -- many woman came up to In Jin Nim and told her that for the first time they were so inspired to be a woman. They were so inspired that this conference was initiated by Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, and the fact that they could take part in this conference was such a privilege. These are the words that In Jin Nim heard over and over again.
10) Truly in the heart of Central America, when we talk about the center, the center of ourselves is our heart. It is our heart that longs to be moved, that inspires us, that longs to be inspired. The WFWP international woman's conference being held in Central America is very profound. If Central America can be the heart through which North America and South America can truly be united and reawakened in this revolution of the heart of true love, and truly come to understand and unite together with the our True Parents and the work that needs to be done.
11) In Jin Nim told the South American brothers and sisters, "I am sure many times you felt the same way that I felt as a woman in your life of faith, like a second-class citizen, maybe unheard or unseen or unappreciated."
12) The Bible speaks about a time when the last will be first and the first will be last. In a way the last, the womankind of the world, are being asked to be first, to lead and guide. And likewise if Central and South America can truly inherit the heart of God then they can make the North Americans work harder. Because, infused with a heart of God and our True Parents it might be your time to be the first, to be the ones that guide even North America -- to understand what we need to do as eternal sons and daughters of God.
13) They were so grateful for this opportunity, to not just have a conference and fellowship with our South American brothers and sisters, but to again realize to our bones, to our core, how precious our True Parents are. Because, without our True Parents there is no way this would be taking place. There would be no occasion for the women of the world to come together in this atmosphere of reclaiming our dignity as woman, and wanting to do good work as an agent of change and wanting to work together to create a harmonious world of peace and love. None of this could take place without our True Parents.
14) The interesting thing about Costa Rica is that our father appointed Costa Rica with a television ministry. We have a channel their called Televox. It is basically one channel. It is a testament to how one channel, or one person, can make a world of a difference.
15) In Jin Nim, as someone who believes in the power of media and entertainment, felt like she was preaching to the choir. Because, ever since 2002 with our True Parents blessing our Costa Rica members started a broadcast station. For the last eight years they have been broadcasting the Divine Principle lecture series from morning to night. Now they are broadcasting 14 hours every day.
16) This one channel alone reaches more than 70% of Costa Rica. The majority of members that joined, joined through this TV ministry. Just by clicking on a channel, and sometimes they don't know what it is, but it looks interesting, and they begin to watch. Men and women are having profound spiritual experiences while they are hearing the Divine Principle for the first time. Other than a few missionaries and leaders, most of the 150 members joined through the TV ministry. There was no overt street witnessing or door-to-door witnessing, it all came through this one channel. Men and woman, for whatever reason, turned on this channel.
17) There is one story of an 11-year-old boy who started to listen and found the lectures to be entirely engrossing. Then he invited his father to listen, and then his mother, and eventually this 11 year old boy witnessed to his whole family.
18) This is the power of media, of television, and it's the power of just one single channel, or one person, or one agent of change making a difference. For the last eight years they have been broadcasting the Divine Principle series, but starting this year they have been broadcasting the Lovin' Life Ministry twice a day, every day.
19) Prior to the WFWP international conference they advertised one month in advance. The capacity of the hall was for 800, but the number of members is only 150. The regional leader Rev. Kim must have been wondering how will this turn out? Will the viewers of the Lovin' Life Ministry be coming, will they show up on time? It was like a field test, but interestingly and miraculously by the time the Lovin' Life Ministry started at 10 AM the hall was filled. They all came to worship together with the Lovin' Life Ministry because they wanted to experience what we experience every Sunday.
20) When In Jin Nim stood in line to greet the brothers and sisters of Costa Rica, one after another they showed their heartistic appreciation, thanking our True Parents and our movement for paying attention to Costa Rica, and allowing them to worship together, what they had only seen through television.
21) Brothers and sisters, this is the new era, it is a new time. When True Father talks about 2013 and how we need to do our work so we can share the breaking news with all brothers and sisters around the world, how incredible it is to have our True Parents with us. We need to know that people are ready to listen. It's just a matter of us articulating what needs to be said.
22) Rev. Kim, having witnessed the success of this field test, is now so overcome with a renewed determination, that with that one channel alone -- so many people could be reached. Imagine if just one person, just like that one channel, one after another, decided to become that beautiful butterfly, that beautiful butterfly that will share with the world the breaking news of our True Parents. Imagine how many people we can catch, we can inspire, and encourage to lead good lives.
23) When In Jin Nim thought about how one person can make a difference her thoughts always go to our True Father and his life of faith, his life dedicating everything that he has for the sake of his mission. And of course our beautiful True Mother who was there with him every step of the way, regardless of the tears, how many hardships she had to overcome on her own.
24) In Jin Nim was also reminded of one woman, her name is Sandra Kay Yow. She is known as a (member of) Basketball Hall of Famer. She was inducted in 2002. When In Jin Nim heard about her life and read about her life she said, "there we go. Here is another example of how one woman deciding to do good work for the sake of the world, can change the lives of multitudes and give so much joy, and give so much promise for the future generation with her life."
25) When she read her story she realized that she was a very quiet woman, but definitely gifted in the art of basketball. She was the champion of her high school. Her average score per game was 34 points. But even though she was a fantastic basketball player she was a very humble person, a very quiet person. When people asked her what do you want to be, what would you want to do with your life? She answered that she wanted to live a life serving other people. She wanted to be a teacher. She was thinking about becoming an English teacher.
26) But God works in mysterious ways. Because, sometimes we ourselves don't realize what we are fully capable of. Sometimes it takes someone outside of our own sphere, or our own sphere of relationships, to look at us and think, "mm that girl Kay would make a great coach as opposed to a great teacher." When she was applying to different high schools -- the high school she applied to, its principal had seen her play -- this girl whose average score was 34 points per game. He had watched her play when she was in high school. And when he got her resume he got so excited that this was the very Kay Yow that he had watched. So he called up the school administrators and told him that they had to get this young lady to teach. When she came for her interview he realized, that even though on the court she was a fearless fighter and a fantastic player, but off the court she was very humble.
27) When he asked her if she would be interested in being the head coach of their basketball team, she answered that she had not applied to be a coach but an English teacher. He told her if she agreed to be the head coach she could also be the English teacher.
28) That is how she got started. She herself many times doubted, could she really do this? Was she good enough? She had never taught before.
29) Many times our own thinking is the biggest enemy to overcome in our pursuit of big things, and Kay was no exception. Her mind was playing tricks on her saying, "you've never taught before, you've never led a high school basketball team, how can you do this?"
30) But because the Principal so firmly believed in her capabilities to rise to the occasion, she said yes. And so she started the beginning of an incredible career. She spent four years at that high school and she brought back four conference titles. Then she decided to go back to her alma mater high school for one year where she brought victory. Then she was asked to teach at a college, where again because of her character and work ethic she was able to create a team that won many many victories. Finally by 1975, North Carolina State University was looking for a head coach for their basketball team and they decided that they had to get her. When they asked her to come in and interviewed her they realized that she was this quiet, soft-spoken, slender woman, not really sure whether she was able to rise up to the occasion and lead that basketball team into many victories. But with the urging of the school officials she decided to take on that job.
31) It was when she took on the job at North Carolina State University, that she was invited to attend a Christian workshop. At that workshop she experienced a life changing cathartic experience. She had an epiphany. It was a question that was asked at the workshop -- "Kay, if you were to die today do you think you would go to heaven?"
32) For Kay, this question struck her almost like a lightning bolt. Because she always strove to be a good person, a woman of moral character, a woman who exercise discipline and who set short term goals, accomplish them, and set long-term goals -- she always felt that her life was motivated in a good way. But at that moment when that question was asked she realized, "I don't have a relationship with God." The only thing she had thought about was basketball. She had lived and breathed for basketball. She had never really thought about, did she want or need a relationship with God. Did she long for a relationship with God?
33) It was that question that started her on the path of self-discovery, to realize that she was God's daughter. Instead of understanding that question as, "I want to understand God because I want to go to heaven." She sincerely wanted to understand and have a relationship with God so that she could deeply and more effectively serve the people that she was serving in her life -- the girls on her basketball team, Wolf Pack.
34) Now infused with an understanding that she belonged to God, that God is her parent, she became determined like never before. Under her leadership Wolf Pack went on to win 20 NCAA tournaments, and it went on to win the 1986 Goodwill games, and went on in 1989 to win the Olympic Games in Seoul Korea. And in the midst of all these winnings, including the world championship, in 1987 she found out that she had cancer of the breast. But that did not deter her from the work she felt she was called to do.
35) So even while battling chemotherapy, losing her hair, losing her teeth, and strength, she carried her team to victory after victory after victory. The Goodwill games, the Olympics, and so on and so forth.
36) This one woman's determination carried this basketball team into incredible heights of glory and victory, not just for North Carolina, but for America. And because of all the good work that she had done she was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. She ranked sixth in the world in terms of the woman's career list. She achieved something most people only dream about. What she did was, she quietly worked and persevered. One of her favorite quotes that she shared with her team, whom she called her children, is work hard -- hang tough -- and go the distance.
37) And every time when In Jin Nim feels tired she loves to repeat those words; work hard, hang tough, and go the distance. In her ears she hears her grandmother. She would always chastise the True Children. She lived with them at East Garden for a good number of years before going back to Korea for the twilight years of her life. While she was at East Garden, she spoke to them in Korean, but as she learned English she would yell out "work hard In Jin!!!" (with a strong Korean accent) "hang tough -- go distance!" It makes In Jin Nim smile. It reminds her of her grandmother and her youth. And it reminds her that this woman (Kay) lived by this mantra and she overcame incredible odds -- three bouts of cancer treatment. Finally she succumbed to cancer in 2009. But the amount of good work that she had left behind, the multitudes of young woman that she inspired -- because of her un-relenting desire to see everyone achieve their full potential, by getting them excited about sharing their passion of basketball with the world. This inspires In Jin Nim to this day, and she is sure it continues to inspire many, many women and men who hope to be inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame.
38) Our True Father, when he spoke to a group of workshop brothers and sisters who had come back from witnessing (and quite a few of them were tired and beaten by all the persecution and negativity) -- True Father spent some time talking with them. And one of the most inspiring words that In Jin Nim keeps in her heart to this day, that father shared July 17, 1960, True Father spoke about the importance of having this great resolve of heart, this new resolve of heart. He spoke about how we can do incredible things if we only have this great new resolve of heart. To pour out every passion, everything that we are, what ever we are passionate about -- as much as we are passionate about basketball -- poured out to the world, because we are proud as God's representative.
39) If we can have this great resolve and pour out with every passion as God's representatives on earth, then just as Kay inspired millions and millions of men and women, just one woman alone -- can you imagine what would happen if every one here decided to be that agent of change, decided for themselves that we are going to make a difference, we are going to make a difference by starting to work on ourselves, and understanding that life is an incredible gift.
40) But Kay also went on to say that excellence is not a gift. Life is a gift. But excellence is not a gift. Excellence comes from preparation and hard work. When In Jin Nim talks about the Generation of Peace, be an excellent man and woman of God, internally and externally excellent -- it is not a given that because we understand our True Parents and our Heavenly Parent that we will become excellent. We will become excellent when we prepare ourselves to become excellent through hard work, through hanging tough, and by going the distance.
41) The great anthropologist Margaret Mead many years ago said, when we look at the history of humankind it has always been a small handful of people that change the world. In Jin Nim believes that just as the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ, carrying on his memory, changed the world, if our movement can inherit the fire in the heart of this revolution of heart -- in wanting to share with the world the message of our True Parents, the message of true love and the beauty of the blessing, and how incredible it is that at this time we can overcome death through the beauty of the Seunghwa ceremony -- we can share this with men and women from all around the world. And we can encourage everyone to see him and herself as belonging to one family -- we, you and I, can change the world.
42) Brothers and sisters, here we are in the month of January, the beginning of a brand-new year. Last year was a fantastic year and it was also an incredibly difficult year. But if again in this new year we can pledge ourselves to be absolutely united with our True Parents, just as the Monarch butterflies make the journey of over 2500 miles annually, from North America to the mountain ranges in Mexico, they do that because something in the heart, something in their internal compass is telling them this is what you need to do.
43) If we are really honest with ourselves, and if we can really have this relationship with God and our True Parents, our hearts will be the first to tell us, just like the inherent compass of the Monarch butterfly guides it where to go, our hearts will guide us where we need to go. And just as the Monarch butterfly can navigate the long journey, orientating themselves based upon the magnetic fields of the earth, if we can have this relationship with our Heavenly Parent, and allow the genuine love of our True Parents to guide us in our lives -- it will guide us in the way that we need to go.
44) We need to open up our hearts, to allow God to work mysteriously in our lives. Instead of being bottled up or burdened by, or being put off by small details, this is really the time when we, every one of us, as beautiful butterflies need to travel the beautiful course that God our Heavenly Parent wants His eternal sons and daughters to go. He and She wants us to fly, wants us to substantiate our purpose, wants us to be the agent of change that ushers in a new millennium.
45) Brothers and sisters we need to know that no matter what we do, where we are, or where ever we may find ourselves, that our Heavenly Parent and our True Parents are always there. They are always right there waiting for us. The only thing we need to do is wake up, open up our eyes, and realize that we are so beautiful in God's eyes.
46) Have a wonderful, wonderful Sunday and a beautiful week. As they travel to Korea to celebrate the Lunar New Year and True Parents birthday please be with them in your prayers and your spirit. God bless!