Sharing Today's News About True Father

Joon Ho Seuk
August 29, 2012

To all members of the Unification Family worldwide:

I thank you for your tremendous offering of Jeong Seong night and day with a fervent heart for True Father's recovery and continued health. I pray that our Jeong Seong can reach the Heaven so that True Father can recover even one day sooner.

This morning, True Father's capacity to take in oxygen decreased and thus they have increased the amount of oxygen being injected into his blood.

Currently, the entire Unification Family and many from around the world are offering Jeong Seong for True Father's recovery and health. Members of the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC), for example, have sent messages and letters praying for the recovery of True Father who went beyond religions, nations and race to live his entire life for the sake of God and humankind. Bishop Carolyn Arnett sent a letter wishing for True Father's recovery and also her prayers for the health of True Mother and the True Children who are staying by True Father twenty-four hours a day. Rev. Lal Singh of Jamaica wrote how he felt excruciating pain in his chest when he first heard that True Father was in critical condition, saying that he wished that he could be sick in True Father's place if only it were possible. He conveyed his fervent prayers so that True Father can recover quickly.

Many others have sent messages and letters praying for True Father's recovery while showing how they were sharing the pain of True Father's illness. This I believe shows how they sincerely respect and love True Father who has lived his life while sacrificing everything for the sake of God and humankind.

Let us pray so that True Father's physical body can quickly recover and continue to offer greater Jeong Seong.

Thank you.

7.12 by the heavenly calendar in the 3rd year of Cheon-gi (August 29, 2012)

Dr. Joon Ho Seuk

International Vice-President
Unification Church
President of the Korean Church 

Mother's Visit to the ICU

Tim Elder
August 28, 2012

I spent most of the day today offering Jeong Seong at the hospital where True Father is being treated. A major typhoon was blowing through the Korean peninsula, closing schools and slowing life in general.

In the afternoon, I saw True Mother enter the ICU to visit Father. She was accompanied by Kook Jin Nim, Hyung Jin Nim, Ye Jin Nim and Hoon Mo Nim. When Father first arrived at the hospital Mother was visiting him many times a day. Now, the doctor limits her visits to two a day. Between visits, she stays in another room in the hospital.

The typhoon did less damage than was expected. Let's hope it was a "good" typhoon that blew away all the evil spirits on the peninsula. 

Sharing Today's News About True Father

Joon Ho Seuk
August 28, 2012

To all members of the Unification Family worldwide:

I thank you for your tremendous offering of Jeong Seong for True Father's recovery and continued health.

This morning, True Father's condition has not changed much since yesterday.

Currently, many members around the world are praying for True Father's recovery and are offering Jeong Seong in various ways. There are members who are offering vigil night prayers as well as 120-day gyeongbae bow while doing a three-day and even forty-day fast. There are also congregations that have made thirty-thousand paper cranes, offering Jeong Seong for each crane they make with the single desire for True Father's recovery. Furthermore, we have been flooded with messages and letters wishing for True Father's recovery from many Christian ministers who are members of the clergy association in the United States. I think this is because they remember True Father's tearful life that he has lived for the sake of Heaven and all of humankind.

I am convinced that your precious Jeong Seong will gather and accumulate and aid True Father in recovering his health. I pray that you continue with this special Jeong Seong.

Thank you.

7.11 by the heavenly calendar in the 3rd year of Cheon-gi (August 28, 2012)

Dr. Joon Ho Seuk

International Vice-President
Unification Church
President of the Korean Church 

Jeong Seong at True Father's Intensive Care Unit

Tim Elder
August 27, 2012

I spent a few hours this evening with a group offering Jeong Seong outside the entrance to True Father's intensive care unit. The atmosphere was hopeful but tense. We felt that if we could protect Father a little while longer -- a few days, a few weeks, a few months -- perhaps he will return to us and let us hear his voice again.

He is still attached to many machines that are sustaining his life. There is no word on when he might be able to remove these machines and come out of intensive care. 

Letter to Father from Dr. Mort Kaplan

Dear Reverend Moon:

You are the most courageous and warm-hearted human being it has been my privilege to know.

We are entering a period of crisis. We need you to take better care of yourself so that you can assist us in this time of crisis. Please get well and stay well because we need you.

Mort Kaplan. 

Updates About True Father's Health Situation

Joon Ho Seuk
August 27, 2012

To all members of the Unification Family worldwide:

I thank you all for offering intense Jeong Seong during the past week for True Father's recovery and continued health. Like the old saying, "Sincerity moves Heaven," I believe that our Jeong Seong offered sincerely for the sake of True Father's recovery has reached Heaven and as a result True Father's condition has been showing slow but steady signs of improvement.

This morning, True Father continues to show slight improvement. His lung functions are slowly improving and through his lungs, the oxygen supplied through the tubes is enhancing the oxygen saturation in the blood. True Father's dependency on artificial oxygen is slightly declining.

However, True Father still remains in sleep and under treatment at the intensive care unit, and continues to battle his illness each moment. During the Sunday Service at Cheon Bok Gung yesterday (7.9 by the heavenly calendar), the International President, Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, mentioned how True Father's health had deteriorated at a time when the entire world, especially in northeast Asia, is teetering into chaos, and conveyed to the members that True Father is fighting seriously with life-or-death resolve while investing himself completely in order to rise again for the sake of providence. Once again I ask for our brothers and sisters to continue with this special Jeong Seong so that True Father can recover even one day sooner; no matter how insignificant it may be it can provide strength to True Father who is in an intense battle.

Furthermore, during yesterday's Sunday service at Cheon Bok Gung, the International President Rev. Hyung Jin Moon has explained in detail about True Father's present condition. A video of this service will be available at the Korean Headquarters homepage (www.tongilgyo.org).

Thank you.

7.10 by the heavenly calendar in the 3rd year of Cheon-gi (August 27, 2012)

Dr. Joon Ho Seuk

International Vice-President
Unification Church
President of the Korean Church 

The Cross of True Father

Hyung Jin Moon
August 26, 2012
Korea

Hello, everyone. First, I'd like to express my gratitude to the many members throughout the world who have been offering Jeong Seong last week and this week. Those prayers have given Father a lot of energy and also have given a lot of power and energy to True Mother, who is protecting and being with True Father day after day. The True Children are with Father around the clock, 24 hours, taking turns; the staff members are with True Parents as well; and the CARP [Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles] students are also taking turns to be with Father at the hospital. We're very grateful for everyone's Jeong Seong.

Last week, as you know, Father had to struggle against many circumstances. This is not an easy fight. I will go into detail a little bit more a little later, but last week there was an infection in his blood, so we were concerned about that. Fortunately after the week was over, that was caught and resolved. We could eliminate that infection, so we're very grateful about that.

Also last week, as you have heard, the oxygen saturation level in Father's blood was similar to the previous week, and he's still attached to many machines. Right now he is fighting, investing himself fully in a struggle of life and death. This is not an easy thing, not a simple thing at all. Please understand that.

Spiritual and Physical Salvation

Let's begin with Father's words. Let's read these together, on page 685 of Cheon Seong Gyeong.

"The Messiah goes from the bottom of hell to the top of the most glorious place in the world of humankind. This means that there is no place that he would not go, even at the risk of his life, to save humankind."

Aju.

Now when I look at this, I'm reminded of John 3:16,

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Aju.

We've learned from the Principle that Jesus came to offer not only spiritual salvation but physical salvation as well. However, because of the insufficiencies of humanity, Jesus died earlier than he should have, and he was able to give only spiritual salvation to humanity. When God had to send Jesus the way of the cross, this was a very painful thing for God. Also, this was not the path that God originally desired for Jesus. If only humanity had received Jesus and accepted him as Messiah, he would not have gone that course!

Jesus went that way, however, in the end. Even though this was not God's first choice, God was able to use that course to give humanity spiritual salvation. In other words, the crucifixion and resurrection course of Jesus made it possible for humanity's mind to go to God, and humanity could receive salvation in the world of the heart and the mind.

When the Lord of the Second Advent comes, however, we have the opportunity to go to the world and to the place that God desires us to go. That is the mission of the returning Lord. So Father came, and True Parents came, to provide to humanity not only spiritual salvation but also physical salvation.

The Government as the Archangel

Father and Mother have gained victory through an incredible struggle. But still when we look at our world, we see that in humanity's history we've had tyrants and dictators, and until now we've been living in the realm of Satan. We see that the government, which is in the position of the archangel, has dominated human beings. That is the world we have lived in.

We know through the Principle that by taking advantage of Adam and Eve's freedom of choice the archangel took away Adam and Eve's position as lords of creation. Now we need to return to that position and to restore the three great blessings. In the past, no matter how much we may have tried, humanity was always in the position of slaves. The kingdoms that should have allowed humanity to go to God instead oppressed humanity. As we analyze any and all countries, we know that although government is necessary, the position of the government should be to assist humanity to develop and grow toward God. But not only in the modern age but also throughout history we see that all the nations that have existed have always pushed down humanity.

If we look at the current world as well -- as we saw in the news last week and as we see what's going on in the world -- we can see that the world we live in is very unstable. It's not just the weather. I know, the weather was poor last week. It seemed like heaven was crying. It's been raining in Korea for the past two weeks. But also we see instability in the countries around the world.

The Weakening of the United States

Father spent 33 years in the United States, investing himself in order to save America, but America has fallen a long way. It is becoming weaker and weaker. The government is growing larger, and as it does the freedom of its citizens is lessening. In the last four years the president of the United States has increased the debt about $5 trillion. There's an election going on now.

Father always challenged America. He challenged its president and always tried to meet the president of the United States. The United States needs to go on the correct course in order for the world to be able to go on the correct course. Now America and the world are going in the direction of socialism. The position that America occupied in the world is going down. You've all heard the Strong Korea lecture, so you see that another force is growing stronger. This is a force that does not pursue freedom. Instead it pursues strength and power -- not power that tries to give freedom to other countries, but power that has the character to try to take away the freedom of other countries and other peoples.

We see that the force of China is different from the force of the United States. China is not a country that will sacrifice itself in order to give freedom to other countries. If the 21st century were to be dominated by that kind of a force, then this will be a very dark century. It would be a world that is under an oppressive force, very different from the United States. Until now the United States has protected Korea and Japan. Father was always telling America that it had to fulfill that responsibility, and America did that.

In the current situation the United States is drowning in debt. The government is growing larger, and America itself is becoming smaller and weaker. It has a lot of debt and it is wasting a lot of money. As a result, America is becoming weaker, and as a result the world is becoming more and more dangerous.

The Growing Power of China

We saw last week already that what Father prophesied in 2005 is coming true: The island countries are now facing a problem in the Pacific. You remember Father's words of 2005, don't you, about the Pacific realm? He said that the island nations must be careful and must quickly come together, otherwise, large countries such as China and Russia may be able to take over such countries in just a day and make them their own. This is what Father prophesied in 2005. From 2005, Father was concerned about this kind of thing. We were not aware; we heard those words, and we couldn't understand what he was talking about.

If you saw the news last week, I'm sure you know what kind of thing is going on. We've prepared a number of slides. This one shows Chinese activists landing on the Senkaku Islands, saying, "Oh, this belongs to China." And Japanese activists have landed there saying, "This belongs to Japan." These are very small islands. This was last week. Because of these activities, the atmosphere within China is changing very much.

Let's go to the next slide. Now there are demonstrations going on in China as anti-Japanese feeling is growing. People are saying, "Let's fight Japan." They're turning Japanese cars upside down. This photo was taken in Guangdong last week. Something needs to be changed.

Religion Must Give Truth to Politicians

We are a religion, but we cannot just look at religion. This is what Father has always said. We don't just speak about spiritual things. In the ideal world, religion, politics, and economics must move together. Religion cannot just sit still. Religion is not just prayer and meditation. That is not all religion does in the ideal world. If politics goes bad, then in the ideal world religion in the Abel position needs to take care of that. If the world goes too much in the wrong direction, then religion must stand up and oppose that. That has not been done by religion until now because religion was under the government or was under a certain dictator. But in the ideal world it cannot be like that.

That is why Father has always told religious leaders that religion must challenge political leaders to say the right things, to give truth to the political leaders. This is how the world must go.

Last week we saw problems in the Middle East. You're aware of this, aren't you? Peace is not coming to the Middle East. Last week Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu said that by September 25th the United States must make a decision; otherwise, because Iran is developing nuclear weapons and Israel is worried about this, there's a high possibility that Israel may attack Iran.

What kind of world are we living in? Are the citizens of Korea thinking about this, or are they just living comfortably? In the Middle East, there is a high possibility of war. It's not just fooling around. And if there's war in the Middle East, the United States will have to become involved. If the U.S. becomes involved, then probably Russia also will become involved because it has a lot of interest in the Middle East. If the United States becomes involved, other countries will not be able to stay still.

The First World War began with a very small conflict, and it developed into a world war. Why is it that modern people think erroneously that war cannot occur in our generation? We are going into a very dangerous and fearful time. It is not fooling around.

In the Principle, there is the prediction, the prophecy, that the third world war must come. It may be an ideological war, or it may be a hot war. But the direction that the world is going now is not the direction of an ideological war. This is a situation that is deteriorating very quickly.

Some religion, some faith has to stand up and fight for the freedom of the world. It has to shout out for the safety and security of the world. Some religion must stand up -- not simply standstill, but stand up -- and shout out for the ideal world of freedom. It must let people know how precious freedom is, how precious is the gift that God has given us. Until now humanity has lived like slaves under tyrants and dictators and we must not repeat that kind of history.

Father Is On The Cross

In this ominous age Father suddenly became ill. I was with Father for a year and a half, as you know. He would have colds and he would become ill, but I saw that he would recover very quickly. For maybe a few days, he might feel some difficulty, but a few days later he would come back to Hoon Dok Hae and be as strong as ever. I saw that continuously.

Whether he's in Las Vegas or wherever he might be, I often heard him say, "I'm going to live until 117," and I believe that. But why, suddenly, is Father suffering this excruciating pain now? As I said last week, 10 years ago in the United States Father had a serious operation, and the day he went into the hospital was the day on which the Iraq war began.

Who is the Lord of the Second Advent? He's the most precious existence to God. He's more precious than the entire cosmos put together. Now, when the world is going into an immensely dangerous time, why is it that Father again must take up the cross? This week, Father's pulse and oxygen saturation rate were stabilized, and we're grateful to God for this. People say, "Oh, I heard Father's improved a lot," but Father is still fighting.

The doctor said it this way. He said generally people might recover at a speed of 55 kilometers an hour, for example. Comparatively, Father might improve a little bit but the speed of his improvement is like five kilometers an hour compared with a normal person's recovery. So, Father is fighting day in and day out.

When the world is standing on the cliff and appears about to head into war, Father is experiencing this kind of pain. This week as we watched Father -- and if you've seen older people in the hospital, maybe you can understand -- in order to help Father's oxygen saturation and his breathing, a tube must go through his mouth. If that remains in the throat for too long, then it causes problems, so the tube had to be changed this week. Otherwise bacteria might get in.

In the past when we would go to see Father, we would see the tube in Father's mouth and there was a plastic part that covered the mouth. We had to change that, and it was extremely uncomfortable for Father. It was so painful for him that he bit down on the tube so hard that one of his teeth fell out. We took out that plastic part. It was very difficult for us to go to Father.

We've always seen Father being so strong, but now he is lying down, and the part covering his mouth is not there, so he has to keep his mouth open. Of course, he must be kept in a state of sleep because his situation is so painful.

This week the doctor will make a decision whether to keep the tube in Father's throat or to open a passage into his throat. Think about it. Throughout Father's life, he has given us God's word; he's always been active, always moving around. For almost two weeks now, he's been restrained because there are so many tubes in him. To keep them from coming out, his arms have to be restrained. Also, he cannot express himself in words. This is more difficult than the cross, greater suffering.

This past week as I have seen Father, I really feel that Father is on the cross. It is as if he's been nailed to a cross. Even Jesus was in that situation only for a few hours. But Father is in this situation day after day. This is not just our father. This is your father. He's the father of the world. You offered a lot of Jeong Seong last week, and I'm very grateful to those who did that. Members around the world are offering a lot of Jeong Seong. I'm receiving e-mails and other messages.

Really, we don't know what is going to happen. We need to offer Jeong Seong with greater effort. What's most painful for me is that I'm not able to do anything for Father. I'm not able to bring him water; I'm not able to talk with him in a relaxed way. I cannot talk with him about anything. There's nothing I can do for him, and that for me is the most difficult.

Jesus' disciples, as they saw him on the cross, felt helpless because they couldn't do anything for him. They wanted to do something for him, but they couldn't. In that situation the disciples denied Jesus. If Jesus had been on the cross for a long time, then the disciples may have said, "It's difficult for me; I'm in difficulty; why do I have to continue to withstand this situation?" But I'm sure the members of the Unification Church are not that kind of sons and daughters.

Yesterday, for example, we were able to see a photograph of Father's lungs. The right lung was not recovering, so we were concerned. But when we compared the photograph with one taken two days before that, the doctor showed us that the right lung had not been recovering, but yesterday there was some oxygen getting in through the right lung. But he's still in the ICU, and it's still very painful for him.

Truly we must give more power and strength to Father. We must offer Jeong Seong together for that.

(End of audio) 

Sharing Today's News About True Father

Joon Ho Seuk
August 26, 2012
From Tongil Kyohe World Headquarters

To all members of the Unification Family worldwide: I offer my sincere and heartfelt appreciation for the special Jeong Seong that you are offering day and night for True Father's recovery and continued health.

This morning, True Father's condition has not greatly changed but continues to show slight improvement. True Father still remains in sleep and under treatment at the intensive care unit, and continues to battle his illness each moment.

I ask brothers and sisters to continue with their special Jeong Seong so that True Father can recover even one day sooner.

Thank you.

7.9 by the heavenly calendar in the 3rd year of Cheon-gi (August 26, 2012)

Dr. Joon Ho Seuk

International Vice-President
Unification Church
President of the Korean Church 

Sharing Today's News About True Father

Joon Ho Seuk
August 25, 2012

To: mission@tongil.or.kr
Subject: [August 25] Sharing today's news about True Father
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2012 20:30:28 +0900
From: mission@tongil.or.kr

Below is a letter from Dr. Joon Ho Seuk, the International Vice-President

To all members of the Unification Family worldwide:

Thank you for the special Jeong Seong that you are offering with the single-minded hope for True Father's recovery and continued health. This morning, True Father's condition this morning has improved slightly compared with yesterday.

His dependence upon the artificially supplied oxygen is diminishing little by little, according to what the doctor said. This, I believe, is a result of True Father's firm will to overcome his illness and recover for the sake of providence while battling his illness each moment, and also because of the members of the True Family beginning with True Mother and True Children who are looking after True Father twenty-four hours a day without leaving his side, and the fervent Jeong Seong being offered by all of the Unification Family with one heart. 

We Sincerely Pray for True Father's Recovery

Joon Ho Seuk
August 25, 2012

Dr. Joon Ho Seuk's message from the Korean monthly magazine Tongil Segye

Beloved brothers and sisters, warmest greetings! I offer my deepest appreciation to all members who are offering much prayer and Jeong Seong for the sake of True Father's speedy recovery and health.

True Father has put up with everything

I am fully aware that all members of the Unification Family worldwide have been overwhelmed with great shock, concern and inexpressible sorrow due to True Father's illness. With so many members in shock and distressed, the International President, Rev. Hyung-jin Moon, personally took the podium at Cheon Bok Gung last Sunday (7.2 by the heavenly calendar) and gave a detailed explanation on True Father's illness. In addition, he emphasized that we should all become of one heart through offering greater Jeong Seong for True Father's health.

Even at this time (7.5 by the heavenly calendar), True Father is in critical condition. His doctor has said that this week (7.3 ~ 7.9 by the heavenly calendar; August 20-26) will be the most critical. Currently, we, the Unification Family, are in a state of emergency. Even as I am writing this message, the circumstances are such that we cannot relax even for a moment.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Up to this time, despite his advanced age of 93 years, True Father had time and again harshly pushed himself well beyond his physical limitations. While leading the providence, he has been offering deep Jeong Seong constantly with a serious, restless and intense heart, unable to even find sleep at night, all for the sake of victory of Foundation Day.

Though we are unworthy, True Father always turned on the lights in the early morning hours and presided over Hoon Dok Hae for, on average, five to six hours each day in order to establish the Hoon Dok Hae tradition for us. He has immersed himself in the Hoon Dok Hae Jeong Seong while repeatedly pushing himself to his limits, once speaking for twenty-three hours and forty minutes, and once for twenty-two hours and at other times staying up all night without closing his eyes.

Last autumn, while his legs were in a cast, True Father would still stand up from his wheelchair. He once spoke to an audience for more than four hours while remaining standing. Even when he returned to Korea after presiding over many providential initiatives in the United States, he would not indulge in taking the time to adapt to the time difference or take rest due to the fatigue incurred from his journey. As soon as he returned, he would preside over rallies and gatherings to speak and offer Jeong Seong. And this is not something that happened just once or twice.

Notably, unlike most ordinary people, True Father had already gone through much physical tribulation and many difficulties while shouldering the heavy and crucial will of Heaven under the providence of restoration. Thus, it was inevitable that all of this would accumulate within his body.

True Father has been imprisoned six times during his life. Including the helicopter incident, he has overcome more than seven life-or-death situations. During his time at the Hungnam Special Labor Camp he had to suffer, for two years and eight months, the laborious task of filling bags with nitrogenous fertilizer and carrying them. It was a harsh ordeal, where one team of ten people had to fulfill the quota of filling 1,300 bags a day. Even professional laborers would have difficulty filling an average of 700 bags a day. In this light, the forced labor at the Hungnam prison was just one method the communist captors used to mercilessly kill people. Most of the people imprisoned in this labor camp ended up suffering hemoptysis within half a year and tuberculosis due to the toxic ammonia acid, and countless prisoners died within a year and a half to two years. Although Heaven blessed True Father with a healthy body, he was not exempt from the adverse effects on his physical wellbeing. It was truly a victory and nothing less than a miracle that he was able to survive under such circumstances.

During Japanese imperialistic rule and later under communist dictatorship, True Father was whipped and suffered harsh torture that rang his bones and shook his flesh. More than a few times he vomited blood. He suffered countless atrocious and brutal tortures whose descriptions we would not bear to hear. Even after arriving in a free and democratic world, he faced persecution, scorn and contempt countless times, and was again imprisoned.

True Parents shouldered even our burden

True Father said "Even now, if one person were to look into my heart and speak a word of sympathy, I would burst into tears and they would flow like a great waterfall." However, True Father kept all the pain and bitter sorrow of the past years in his heart, sublimated through true love. All these tribulations he overcame with the indomitable spirit of getting up eight times after collapsing seven times, all for the sake of God's liberation and salvation of humankind, and fulfilling God's will for the realization of a world of peace.

In 1997, on the foundation of his tremendous work and Jeong Seong, True Parents at last proclaimed Chil Pal Jeol -- "The Declaration of the Realm of the Cosmic Sabbath for the Parents of Heaven and Earth." True Parents would find repose because they had laid the foundation to rest completely, from the era of the individual to the era of the cosmic kingship. However, True Parents did not rest at all. Instead, they carried on with even greater urgency than before, marching ahead with eyes unwaveringly on the goal.

Thirteen years later, on 5.27 by the heavenly calendar in the 1st year of Cheon-gi (2010), True Parents held the "Assembly for the Settlement of the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind and for the Proclamation of the Word by God's Substantial Self." Through this assembly, True Parents proclaimed to the cosmos that they had ultimately perfected, completed, and concluded the providence of restoration. They proclaimed this on the foundation of having perfected, completed and fulfilled all their responsibilities and mission to come to this earth and had accomplished everything. Furthermore, this proclamation was made on the foundation of having completed their firm establishment in heaven and on earth with the stature and authority of the king of kings, the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind. Consequently, it was only natural that True Parents should comfortably rest and enjoy a time of peace.

Yet, what happened? Did True Parents comfortably rest? Are they enjoying a sense of peace? Even after The Declaration of the Realm of the Cosmic Sabbath for Parents of Heaven and Earth, or after having achieved everything and attained victory through the Settlement of the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind and for the Proclamation of the Word by God's Substantial Self, True Parents did not rest for a single moment. True Father continued to subject his body to extremely harsh and serious challenges beyond his physical limitations. He further invested himself completely with life-or-death resolve, indeed bringing suffering on himself while walking the path of a pioneer. Regrettably, I think these circumstances might have detrimentally affected the health of our elderly True Father.

This year alone, he has visited the United States four times as he spearheaded the providence by himself. On 3.4 by the heavenly calendar, the day he was departing for the United States a second time, he told the members "Today I am once again going on the path of a pioneer," indicating his resolute determination towards God's will, the deep resolve of a pioneer that he has shown throughout his entire life. What do you think is the reason for this?

It is because we have been unable to fulfill our responsibility and mission as tribal messiahs. True Father has once again taken this on in order to somewhat lessen, if not alleviate, our providential burden and portion of responsibility. He did this in order to guide even one more person towards salvation and the path to the kingdom of heaven.

When we think about for whom True Parents, especially True Father who leads the providence while pushing his aging body at 93, is following this precipitous path, we should repent hundreds and thousands of times and ask for forgiveness. Yet still this would not be enough.

Deeply repenting and resolving to follow the way of loyalty and filial piety

Beloved brothers and sisters,

To this day, not only were we unable to decipher True Parents' heart, we have trampled on their hearts too many times. We have burdened True Parents not only physically but also in their hearts with a heavy weight and deep pain. Our inability to become one as brothers and sisters has caused indescribable concern and pain to True Parents.

I think that it is because of our being unfaithful and undutiful sons and daughters, True Father's heart has been deeply scarred and grieved, which has had the aftereffect of undermining his health. In that sense, we are all undutiful sons and daughters before True Parents. We must clearly confess this transgression and pray in repentance. We should fervently pray to God and True Parents for forgiveness.

Dear members,

At this time all our brothers and sisters worldwide are of one heart and mind in offering Jeong Seong for the sake of True Father's health. Taking this opportunity, the brothers and sisters who have become distant in heart from True Parents should repent for the past days, and be reborn as the new people True Parents would wish them to be. They must come back to True Parents' bosom.

During this state of emergency all members should unite. Furthermore, let us unite with our central Abel figure, the International President, Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, whom True Parents have appointed as their successor and heir, and fulfill the way of absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience that we have failed to accomplish before True Parents. Let us sincerely atone, through our tears, for our disloyalty and faithlessness of the past. Let us pledge and take action to fulfill the dutiful way of loyalty and filial piety.

True Parents have lived in hardship and have offered Jeong Seong throughout their lives, pushing their physical bodies beyond their limits in order to give us even greater blessings and greater love.

We should poignantly feel how much love we have received until now. We should feel, deep in our hearts, that we are fortunate to be people who can experience this happiness.

"For us there is no stopping"

Currently True Mother is devoting her entire being to caring for True Father twenty-four hours a day. And as she has done in the past, True Mother is sharing the tribulation, sorrow and all of the accompanying pain that True Father is going through. Finding no sleep, hardly having time to eat, she is offering deep Jeong Seong solely with the ardent wish for True Father's recovery. In reality, True Mother herself needs to rest in this situation where her heart and body are exhausted from nursing True Father. We should offer our deep consolation to True Mother as well.

Beloved members,

The inexpressibly difficult circumstances continue even now. True Mother is doing her best not to lose her calm. She is doing her best not to show tears and instead is encouraging the members.

As you are aware through the announcement from the World Mission Headquarters on 7.1 by the heavenly calendar (August 18), True Mother conveyed to the regional presidents and a few of the heads of providential organizations who came to visit True Father at the hospital on behalf of all the members worldwide, that "for us there is no stopping" in terms of carrying out Heaven's will and providence. Although True Father is fighting strongly against his illness, True Mother expressed her concern for us, comforting the members in the field, telling us not to be disturbed, but to continue on unwaveringly. She also reminded us that we should have the firm resolve to achieve everything that True Father has been striving to accomplish.

True Mother reminded us that although we have all worked hard until now and done our best, we need to now feel that the standard of having done our best is no longer enough, underscoring that we should "work harder, ten times or even a hundred times more; the harder you work, the more Heaven will remember you." Mother once again emphasized that there is no stopping on the way and asked that we do our utmost in the preparations for victory of Foundation Day.

In keeping with the words of our True Mother, there is no stopping for us on the way. Let us do our best to create the ideal world of one family under God, which is True Parents' desire. Let us become true filial sons and daughters who accomplish without fail the responsibility and mission as tribal messiahs given to blessed families in this era along with privileged grace, so that we can welcome Foundation Day in victory and return glory and praise to True Parents. Let us now truly pledge to God and True Parents that we will walk the path of loyalty and filial piety, and put our firm resolve into action.

Furthermore, our first and foremost priority at this time is offering even more prayer and Jeong Seong for True Father's recovery and health. Throughout the world, members of the Unification Family are even now offering fasting and vigil night prayers. There is the saying, "Sincerity moves Heaven." True Father will surely regain his robust strength and health as he once had. I take this opportunity to offer my deepest appreciation to all members who are offering prayer and Jeong Seong.

Once again, I ask for even greater Jeong Seong from all our brothers and sisters so that True Parents can be restored to a state of peace and joy even one day sooner.

My heartfelt appreciation goes to our brothers and sisters who constantly yearn for True Parents, who think about God's will and who sincerely carry out their work. I pray that you may always be overflowing with Heaven's abundant love and blessings 

True Father's Condition

Tim Elder
August 24, 2012

True Father's condition remains stable but critical. He continues to be treated in the intensive care unit. His lungs and kidneys are not functioning well enough to sustain his life, so he is attached to various machines that supplement these functions.

Senior members and leaders are being given opportunities to go to Father a few at a time and see his situation directly.

With True Mother's permission, Kook Jin Nim Thursday kept a scheduled itinerary to travel to visit the Japanese Church. Because of his U.S. tour and other projects, he had not been to Japan in more than a month, an unusually long absence when you consider that he has been to Japan more than 90 times since February 2009.

According to the reports Kook Jin Nim received yesterday, the Japanese Church organization continues to do well. Membership, church attendance and donations all continue to grow.

The "Strong Japan and Korea?" campaign is reconnecting us to many of our conservative friends from the IFVOC days. At the same time, the campaign differentiates us from chauvinistic right wing organizations by setting unity with South Korea and other democratic Asian countries as a major goal. 

Sharing Today's News About True Father

Joon Ho Seuk
August 24, 2012

To all members of the Unification Family worldwide,

Thank you for the special Jeong Seong that you are offering with the single-minded hope for True Father's recovery and continued health.

True Father's condition this morning has not changed greatly but continues to improve gradually. However, True Father still remains in sleep and under treatment at the intensive care unit and continues to fight against his illness every moment.

In her message on 7.1 by the heavenly calendar, True Mother clarified that what is important to us at this time, and what we should be doing more than anything else, is offering Jeong Seong for True Father, rather than simply focusing on the details of Father's health condition.

I remind you again that this week will be most important; thus, I ask for your continuous Jeong Seong so that True Father can recover as soon as possible.

Thank you.

7.7 by the heavenly calendar in the 3rd year of Cheon-gi (August 24, 2012)

Dr. Joon Ho Seuk

International Vice-President
Unification Church
President of the Korean Church

Sharing Today's News About True Father

Joon Ho Seuk
August 23, 2012

To all members of the Unification Family worldwide, Thank you for the special Jeong Seong that you offer with all your heart and body for True Father's recovery and health.

True Father's condition this morning has not changed greatly, but is showing signs of slight improvement. We were informed that his blood pressure and pulse are stable.

This, I believe, is a result of True Father's firm will to overcome his illness and recover for the sake of providence even though it is a difficult struggle, and also due to the fervent Jeong Seong being offered day and night by all of the Unification Family centering on True Mother and the True Children.

However, True Father still remains in sleep and under treatment at the intensive care unit. Once again I ask for your continuous Jeong Seong during this important week so that True Father can recover as soon as possible.

Thank you.

7.6 by the heavenly calendar in the 3rd year of Cheon-gi (August 23, 2012)

Dr. Joon Ho Seuk

International Vice-President
Unification Church
President of the Korean Church 

How We Are Reacting to True Father's Condition

Tim Elder
August 22, 2012

Sun Myung Moon

I heard a person with direct knowledge of True Father's condition say this afternoon that there is no change since yesterday.

This person said: "'No change' means that Father's body has a chance to heal itself, so we want to keep hearing 'no change' for the next week or two."

He also pointed out: "Father is still in the Intensive Care Unit, and his situation is still critical. If his condition starts deteriorating, it could become very bad in a matter of hours. We need to keep praying."

---

Today is the half-way point in the very important week for Father's recovery. His condition remains critical but relatively stable. True Mother and the True Family are still either in the hospital itself or in the nearby hotel.

The atmosphere is still very serious.

Kook Jin Nim starts each day with a visit to the hospital, and keeps as close to the hospital as possible during the remainder of the day.

He also keeps as much of his scheduled appointments as possible so that the Providence can keep moving forward. On Monday, he traveled to the northern suburb of Uijeongbu to meet the mayor and give the "Strong Korea?" lecture. He spoke to an audience of Ambassadors for Peace and other community leaders. Uijeongbu is close to the North Korean border, and so has the largest number of military bases in the country.

---

One thing we are grateful for as we go through this difficult period is the treatment of True Father by the Korean media. He is no longer a "cult" leader. Instead, he is being given the proper level of respect for someone who occupies a major position in South Korean society.

Most South Koreans recognize that, when all is said and done, Father has done a lot for the national interests of Korea.... People these days talk about a "Korean wave", but Father was the Korean wave before that term was even invented. He is the original Korean wave.

The initial report of his illness was reported in many television news broadcasts. KBS, the main national television station, has been following up by publishing almost daily updates on Father's condition in their news ticker that runs at the bottom of the screen during news programs. Many newspapers are also publishing regular reports on his progress. The information in these reports is consistent with what Dr. Seuk has been sharing with us on a daily basis.

True Mother has instructed that the work of the Providence must continue. At Tongil Foundation, that is what we are doing. But our work is always mixed with prayer for Father's quick recovery. 

Sharing Today's News About True Father

Joon Ho Seuk
August 22, 2012

Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han

To all members of the Unification Family worldwide,

Thank you for your ongoing Jeong Seong and ardent wishes for True Father's recovery and health.

True Father's condition this morning is the same as yesterday. At this time he remains in sleep and is still being treated at the intensive care unit.

As this week will be critical, let us continue to offer special Jeong Seong for True Father's speedy recovery.

Thank you.

7. 5 by the heavenly calendar in the 3rd year of Cheon -gi (August 22, 2012)

Dr. Joon Ho Seuk
International Vice-President
Unification Church
President of the Korean Church 

Sharing Today’s News About True Father

7.4 by the heavenly calendar;
August 21, 2012

To all members of the Unification Family worldwide, I offer my heartfelt appreciation to you for doing your utmost in offering Jeong Seong day and night in our common desire for True Father’s recovery and health.

True Father’s blood pressure has stabilized after rising slightly yesterday. I am sure this is the result of the very serious Jeong Seong and nursing True Mother and the True Children are offering, and the special Jeong Seong the entire Unification Family is offering night and day for True Father’s recovery.

Currently, not only the Unification Family but many people in the Republic of Korea and around the world are showing keen interest in True Father’s health. I believe it is because they are aware of the tearful life True Father has dedicated for the sake of Heaven.

At Sunday Service on 7.2 by the heavenly calendar (August 19), international president Rev. Hyung-jin Moon spoke about True Father’s health situation. On that day he explained that this week will be critical. Therefore, I sincerely ask all members to continue offering their special Jeong Seong so that True Father can quickly recover his health.

Thank you. 7.4 by the heavenly calendar in the 3rd year of Cheon-gi (August 21, 2012)

Dr. Joon Ho Seuk
International Vice-President
Unification Church
President of the Korean Church

Unification Church says Ailing Founder Sun Myung Moon Getting Better

The Korea Herald
August 21, 2012

The condition of Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the Unification Church founder, has improved five days after he was admitted to a Seoul hospital with complications from pneumonia, the church's current leader said in his latest sermon.

The 92-year-old is in the intensive care unit of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital in southern Seoul where he was admitted last Tuesday.

Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, the head of the church and the youngest of Moon's seven sons, gave the information and a detailed description of his conditions while delivering his latest Sunday sermon at the main church building in Seoul.

The church posted a video of the sermon on the church's Web site on Monday.

"Only two days ago, the hospital had to operate an oxygenator at full capacity. But yesterday, oxygen was being provided sufficiently even though the operation rate was lowered to 30 percent," he said.

"We feel hope because he began to take thin rice gruel through a nose tube and started having bowel movements two days ago."

Despite the improvement, he said the founder is still gravely ill with 13 medical machines being connected to his body.

"Please keep praying for him as things may change at a moment, and he is an old man," he added.

A refugee from North Korea, Senior Moon founded the Unification Church in 1954, one year after the Korean War ended.

The church, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, now claims some 3 million followers in 194 countries around the world.

It gained fame for conducting mass weddings among followers with one wedding ceremony held at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium in 1992 involving 30,000 couples.

Despite various controversies, the church has built a vast business empire all around the world, including 10 corporations in South Korea alone.

The church also has news media outlets such as the Segye Times of South Korea, The Washington Times and the UPI news agency in the U.S. under its wing. (Yonhap News)

Upcoming Week “Critical” for Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Says Church Official

Ariana Moon
August 20. 2012

Unificationists worldwide continue to pray for the health of Unification Church Founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon, 93, who was hospitalized on August 14, 2012 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul and who continues to be treated for complications related to severe pneumonia. International President of the Unification Church Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, during Sunday Service at the Cheong Bok Gung in South Korea on August 19, 2012, reported that his father is breathing through a respirator, being treated for kidney failure, and continues in critical condition. Physicians discovered that Moon’s lungs were found to have contaminants he likely inhaled at a fertilizer factory in North Korea during his imprisonment at a labor camp from 1948 to 1950.

According to Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, Rev. Moon’s successor in ministry, his father entered St. Mary’s hospital first on Aug. 3, 2012 with a severe cough. He said: “The doctor did a number of tests. What was found in one part of the body was that Father’s lungs are different from a normal person’s lungs. Coal miner’s lungs. The doctor asked, ‘How is it that so many particles have entered into his lungs?’ The explanation was that when Father was in Hungnam Prison, he breathed in ammonia as he was moving the materials there. When we told the doctor about the Hungnam Prison experience, the doctor said, yes, that’s possible that he was affected by that.”

In the six days since news of Rev. Moon’s illness, thousands of members have held prayer vigils, completed bowing conditions and undergone a three-day fast in a manifestation of Jeong Seong, a term coined by Rev. Moon that means “true and sincere devotion.”

“Our national congregation of several thousand families has responded to Father’s condition with an unprecedented outpouring of love, prayer and support,” Rev. Joshua Cotter, Unification Church USA vice president said Monday. He continued: “Brothers and sisters young and old have offered their prayers, fasting and acts of devotion for True Father and our True Mother. Our entire nation is witnessing a unity of heart we have never seen before. We are responding to our True Mother’s call to our members to work ten times and even one-hundred times harder to fulfill our Father’s direction he has given for Foundation Day, and that is what we are doing.”

In his sermon, which was broadcast nationwide in the United States as well, the younger Rev. Moon explained in detail about his father’s condition and the recent events that led to his hospitalization.

Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon’s Words of Guidance

On August 18, 2012, regional presidents of the Unification Church representing the members of the world and heads of church-affiliated organizations gathered in South Korea to meet Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s wife, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, Rev. Hyung Jin Moon and Kook Jin Moon, chairman of the Tongil Foundation, who are attending the senior Rev. Moon 24 hours a day. Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, known by Unificationists as “True Mother,” provided the following instructions to members worldwide.

“We will never stop,” she said. “Please engrave these words in your heart. We must certainly accomplish the teachings that True Father [Rev. Sun Myung Moon] has been giving us until now.

“Currently, True Father is fighting intensely against his illness. However, brothers and sisters, please do not grieve. Please do not be disturbed, but continue on unwaveringly. You should have the firm resolution and determination to achieve all the things that True Father has been striving to accomplish.

“I believe you have all worked hard until now and done your best. However, you need to feel now that the standard of having done your best is no longer enough. And so let’s work harder, ten times or even a hundred times more. The harder you work, the more Heaven will remember you. Please go forward with this knowledge that you will become blessed families remembered by Heaven.

“What is important to us at this time more than anything else is offering Jeong Seong for True Father. Please gather Jeong Seong while praying for True Father’s swift and complete recovery.

“Once again I ask of you, please take to heart that, for us, there is no stopping on the way. Please do your best. You should absolutely not neglect the various things you are preparing for Foundation Day. You should do your best in these preparations. Thank you for coming here as you have. Let us work diligently together.”

Letters from the Vice President of the Unification Church in Korea

Vice President of the Unification Church in Korea Dr. Joon Ho Seuk released a third letter to Unificationist communities on August 19, 2012 that comforted members with a hopeful account of Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s health, reading: “This morning, True Father’s blood pressure and pulse were both found to be stable and his lung functions have improved somewhat. …However, even now True Father remains in a deep sleep in the intensive care unit. We believe that the next week will be critical.”

Yet the relief such a letter provided was quickly dissipated when Dr. Seuk released a fourth letter on August 20, 2012 that read: “This morning we were informed that True Father’s blood pressure had risen slightly compared with yesterday. Currently, they have slightly increased the amount of oxygen being injected into his system. The reason for this increase was that they replaced the tubes supplying the oxygen with new ones and needed to be sure they were supplying sufficient oxygen from the start. Overall, the condition of Father’s health has deteriorated slightly since yesterday.”

As he did in each of his earlier letters, Dr. Seuk closed his report by urging members to continue to offer Jeong Seong to support the recovery of Rev. Moon.

Sharing Today's News About True Father

Joon Ho Seuk
August 20, 2012

Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han – July 10, 2012

To all members of the Unification Family worldwide,

I offer my heartfelt appreciation to you for doing your utmost in offering Jeong Seong day and night in our common desire for True Father's recovery and health.

This morning we were informed that True Father's blood pressure had risen slightly compared with yesterday. Currently, they have slightly increased the amount of oxygen being injected into his system. The reason for this increase was that they replaced the tubes supplying the oxygen with new ones and needed to be sure they were supplying sufficient oxygen from the start. Overall, the condition of Father's health has deteriorated slightly since yesterday.

Brothers and sisters, let us all offer even greater Jeong Seong so that True Father can recover completely as soon as possible.

Thank you.

7.3 by the heavenly calendar in the 3rd year of Cheon-gi (August 20, 2012)

Dr. Joon Ho Seuk
International Vice-President
Unification Church
President of the Korean Church 

A Report on True Father's Health to Members Worldwide

Hyung Jin Moon
August 19, 2012

Hyung Jin Moon – August 19, 2012

Good morning, everyone. First, I would like to give thanks to God and True Parents. We also have to give thanks to those who have come from a long way across the seas. To the True Children I would like to give thanks because they have come such a long way. Please give a round of applause.

My older sister Ye Jin Moon and her family are here. Please recognize them. And my sister In Jin Moon. My younger sister, Jeung Jin Moon are here, and Yeon Jin Moon just left for the Britain. Please applaud for my two younger sisters. And Sun Jin Moon's family is here. And also Kwon Jin Moon's family is here. Right now in the hospital surrounding True Mother, there is Kook Jin Moon's couple, and the daughters-in-law are there. They are staying with True Mother during this time.

Kook Jin Moon, Hyung Jin Moon, Yeon Jin Moon, Sun Jin Moon,Ye Jin Moon and other family members in happier times – May 21, 2012

I would like to give thanks to all of our brothers and sisters across the world. Many, many brothers and sisters from all countries, whether it's Brazil or Russia or any other country, are offering Jeong Seong and prayers -- an incredible amount of prayers for the sake of True Parents. And so today my words are not just addressed to the Cheon Bok Gung but to all members around the world. So let's give a round of applause to all members around the world.

Bodies Connected to the Providence

We need to remember that Father is not just a normal person. Father's body is not just a normal body. About 10 years ago in America, Father went through a very difficult situation with his health. I think many members already know about this, but at that time Father had to have heart surgery because water [blood] kept coming in. On the day that he went into the hospital, the Iraq war began. [Rev. Moon probably had heart valve surgery.]

[Hyung Jin Moon's emotion overcomes him.]

My older brother is telling me to take deep breaths.

True Parents' minds and bodies are always connected to the providence. If we look at the world today, there are many dangerous situations. In 2005, Father predicted the pan-Pacific age, and he said that particularly the island nations are in danger. He said that Russia and China may use their overwhelming strength to take over the island countries, that this kind of a time may come. Seven years ago he predicted this. And now we are witnessing that reality. We see that Chinese citizens landed on Senkaku Island, and the Japanese police took them into custody. That is a situation where there's a great possibility for conflict.

You have seen the statistics that Kook Jin Moon gives in his lecture "Strong Korea." Even now Korea and Japan are having conflict because of various issues, whether it's the Dokdo [Island] issue or other issues. Actually these free countries need to unite as one to stand up against the countries of communist dictatorships: They need to defend themselves against this challenge. This is a very important period in that sense. But instead we are fighting over a small island, and that's what the world is witnessing. The United States, economically now, is just standing by quietly.

In the Divine Principle words we see in Part II the prophecy about the third world war. Depending on the human portion of responsibility that war may be an actual war, or it may be a conflict of ideologies. But the Divine Principle says that a third world war must come, one way or another.

In this incredibly important time, Father, who is responsible to save the world, pushed himself way beyond his limits. He went back and forth between Korea and the United States. And as soon as he would arrive, he would have assemblies, and he would speak for three hours, four hours, and he would have Hoon Dok Hae for 13 hours, 14 hours, 15 hours. I've been attending True Parents for the last year and a half, and this is how it has been continuously.

Sun Myung Moon, Hak Ja Han, and Hyung Jin Moon – July 10, 2012

It may be confusing, so I will make references according to the solar calendar. On July 16th, Father returned from Las Vegas to Korea. When he was still in the plane, he contacted Korea and told all the members to gather in the Cheongshim World Center. I'm sure you remember, and you all attended there. Then at that event he sweated as he spoke for three or four hours, giving us his words. And then the next morning he spoke again at Hoon Dok Hae. The workshop for the Original Divine Principle was going on at that time, so he received the participants in that workshop.

Lungs of a Coal Miner

Then from that time his health seemed to be a little bit strange. As I was attending Father for a year and a half, when Father would catch cold, or when he would have a slight fever, or when he would be feeling bad, I would see him recover many times, dozens of times. When it was difficult, then he would take a rest; after that, the next day, he would come to Hoon Dok Hae again and would be very active and animated. I saw that many times.

But this time Father continued to cough. He was coughing a lot. We did not think that it was such a serious thing. Who could have predicted it would have become like this? He was just coughing a little bit. But he continued to push himself, 10 hours' Hoon Dok Hae, meeting the Itinerary Workers for 13 hours and then at Geomundo Island. He would push himself beyond his limits constantly. He was so active that it was difficult for even a young person to keep up with him.

As he went on like that, the cough became more serious, and gradually the people around him started to become concerned. On August 2nd of the solar calendar, he visited the Osan School. Do you know the Osan School? In our history this is a middle- and a high school. He suddenly said he had to come to Seoul and visit the Osan School, which is located hear Hannamdong. That was a weekend, so there was no staff or teachers there. But he just sat there in the lobby, called all the leaders of our church, and told us to speak about the history of the Osan School. He had the leaders of our church report on that.

On that day, the cough was very serious. Every time he started speaking, he would start to cough and he couldn't begin speaking without also beginning to cough. People were saying, "Mother, I think that cough is becoming very serious." People were very concerned on that day. Then Father went to the Cheon Jeong Gung, and he continued to cough. And Mother said, "This is too serious. Let's go to the hospital." She said to Father, "Let's go to the hospital."

But you know about him! You know how his personality is, what an incredible personality he has. He doesn't listen to anyone. Mother continuously was saying, "Please, please, Father, let's go to the hospital; you need to go to the hospital." In any case on August 3rd, without anyone knowing, Father was admitted to the Holy Mother Hospital [Gangnam] in Seoul. No one knew about this, just the people who immediately attend Father. The hope was that he would be cured of his cough very quickly. [Soon Ae Hong – Dae Mo Nim – was treated at Holy Mother Hospital in September 1979.]

He was admitted to the hospital on that day, and the doctor did a number of tests. What was found in one part of the body was that Father's lungs are different from a normal person's lungs. Coal miner's lungs [Emphysema]. The doctor asked, "How is it that so many particles have entered into his lungs?" The explanation was that when Father was in Hungnam Prison, he breathed in ammonia as he was moving the materials [burlap bags of ammonium sulfate fertilizer] there. When we told the doctor about the Hungnam Prison experience, the doctor said, yes, that's possible that he was affected by that.

But as you know, the lungs' function is to provide oxygen to our bodies. If there are a lot of particles in the lungs, then what do you think? Can oxygen go to the body easily, or would it be difficult for oxygen to get into the body? It would be more difficult than a normal person for the oxygen to be absorbed. So in that situation, when the lungs' function was weakened, there was pneumonia, which made it difficult for Father.

When he first was admitted, three or four times a day he would breathe through an oxygen mask. The nurses would apply the mask to him so that he could breathe in better oxygen. Of course, he was taking medicine as well, and he was on an IV at that time; he was also being given nutrients and medicine through the IV.

At that time when he was in the hospital, the Olympics were going on. We watched Father and saw him watching the Olympics, and we thought he seemed weaker than usual. When he would take our hands and walk, it was more difficult for him to walk at that point.

In any case, he was there for 10 days. You know how urgent he is: All our members know about Father. His character is always very urgent. He wants to go someplace. He gets angry if he wants to go someplace and he can't. In any case, he said, "It's like being in a prison here. I feel like I'm in a prison." He was scolding people around him, "I feel like I'm in a prison." He needed to stay there until he was completely cured, but his character is so incredible. Even the doctor finally approved, and after 10 days Father returned to the Cheon Jeong Gung.

Pushing Beyond Physical Limits

But he promised Mother that he would rest. He made that promise, that he would not go back and forth, and Mother made sure that he promised that before she took him to the Cheon Jeong Gung. I remember that day. But as soon as he got into the car -- he was still connected to his IVs -- he said, "Where's the helicopter? I want to go to Geomundo." The moment that he got into the car!

We said to him, "Father, you can't take the helicopter now. You need to rest." So he returned to the Cheon Jeong Gung on August 12th and he rested for a while. Then at 10:00 p.m. that evening, he started coughing. He got out of bed and received a lot of revelations at that point. He did a special ceremony then, covering North, South, East, and West. He spoke a lot of words. It was important that he not speak because his lung function was very weak, so he needed to stop talking, but he kept speaking through the night.

He rested a little while, and then he got up in the morning. It was difficult for him to walk normally, so he was in a wheelchair, still connected to the IVs. He said, "Go over there." The people attending him together with True Mother took him to all the corners of the Cheon Jeong Gung, to the east, west, south, and north. He went outside the Cheon Jeong Gung, to all the major points of the Cheon Jeong Gung. Not only a person who is 93 but also a person in a very weakened state, he did this for hours and hours; he pushed himself far beyond his limits. He feels the urgent responsibility to save the world.

A Man Protected by Heaven

I remember that day that even when he was lying down, he was not comfortable because it became more and more difficult for him to breathe. He could not lie down normally. He had to sit because when he would lie down, it would put pressure on his lungs. So he would prefer to sit, to breathe that way. But it was very uncomfortable for him. You could see that he was uncomfortable.

Cheongshim Hospital

That night Father could not sleep. Every 30 minutes or hour, he would get up and try to change the way he was lying down. Mother would see that, and she said, "Father, I don't think your body is very healthy." In any case, we did our best, and Mother convinced him to go to the Cheongshim Hospital. Very suddenly he went to the Cheongshim Hospital. He went out even before we could join him.

At that time there was an oxygen tank, and he needed to breathe through the oxygen mask. When we got there, the doctors and nurses were doing their best to help him, but it was becoming more and more difficult. The doctors felt that it was more and more difficult for them to care for him. So that day when Kook Jin Moon returned from the United States, we had a meeting at the Cheongshim Hospital. They were giving him an oxygen saturation test to see whether enough oxygen is getting into the blood. The doctors confirmed that the body was not absorbing oxygen as much as it should.

Many people felt that Father would be comfortable at Cheongshim, but Mother said "No, we need to go to the Holy Mother Hospital. They have an intensive care unit, so he needs to go there. If this gets any worse, then we need to move him to Seoul." Mother made that decision. In that situation Father was very weakened, and at that time he was eating rice gruel, very soft rice soup. Because his lung function was weak and he could not breathe normally, doctors were trying to feed him the rice gruel in order to give him more energy. But on the way to Seoul the gruel that he had eaten went down the wrong pipe, and it went into the trachea. Because he had pneumonia, this was a very dangerous situation. As soon as he arrived at the intensive care unit, they immediately gave him artificial respiration with their hands.

Then Mother said, "You should all go to Hannamdong because Father is going to be here." But as soon as we arrived at Hannamdong, we got a call saying, "Quickly come back." So we returned to the hospital very quickly from Hannamdong. We arrived in the ICU; Mother was waiting, and we waited for about an hour there. Then the doctors said that if Mother had made that decision to come to Seoul even half an hour later, then Father would have gone to spirit world that day. That is how serious it was. But Heaven protected him, and just at the right time he was moved to Seoul.

Stabilizing Oxygen Saturation

We had a small opportunity then to stabilize Father's situation. Oxygen was not being absorbed as it should, so an oxygen tank was placed next to his bed, and he was given an oxygen mask. But even that was not enough. He had less than 80 percent saturation of oxygen in his blood. In other words, more than 20 percent of oxygen was not being absorbed by the body, so it was a very dangerous situation. The oxygen mask was not enough, so they had to go to the next stage.

The next stage was to pump Father's lungs with a machine to move the lungs to their maximum extent. This is an artificial respirator. So Father used an artificial respirator, and the oxygen saturation began to rise to a stable level. So we were a little bit encouraged by that. [Father had to be intubated to use the resperator – a tube was put in his mouth and down his throat to get air into his lungs. The intubation tube makes it impossible to talk.]

I'm sure our older members have experienced something like this: When you go to the hospital and you are connected to a respirator, you know that a tube is inserted and a device is placed to keep the mouth from closing. That is what Father needed from the first day. He had a tube in his mouth, and he could not speak because he needed to recover. Of course he was receiving medicine by IV.

We feel a gagging reflex when something goes down our throat, so when you have a tube in there, think how uncomfortable it is. It's difficult for old people to endure this. When they are connected to a machine, the breathing is not natural because the machine is forcing the breathing. The throat is very painful. So from the first day Father was given medicine [anesthesia] to put him to sleep so he would not feel the pain.

Undergoing Additional Operations

I have seen how Father has overcome all difficulties, whether it's a cold or anything in our church, so I felt that he would probably get out of bed in two days and say, "Everyone, gather together and have Hoon Dok Hae." This is what I expected. But for people who are old, I could see that their health can deteriorate very suddenly. As Father went to the second stage and was breathing through the respirator, the doctor called True Mother and us to the conference room and said to us, "He's been on the machine for a day or two. Now the pneumonia bacteria is in the bloodstream and has gotten into the kidneys. Now the kidneys are not able to function normally [renal failure]. He is not able to create urine, so in that situation the blood itself becomes acidic and itself becomes a poison." So Father needed to be put on a dialysis machine.

I'm sure you know that when dialysis is done, a large tube has to be placed into the body, which requires an operation, and then it takes out the urine so that other organs can recover. Approval and a signature were given for that, and the doctor was told to quickly do that. We went to see Father after that. Now Father had a tube in his throat, and he had IVs in his body for nutrients. He could not eat, so he was being given nutrition and fluid through the IV. Then they had to cut into his body again to place the dialysis tubes. So when we saw Father, we were very concerned. For an older person, even one dialysis operation is difficult.

The respirator had to force Father to breathe so enough oxygen would get into his body. But the next day, the doctor then told us that even though the machine was using maximum force, Father's oxygen saturation rate was still falling. He said that there was a final stage remaining. Modern medicine only allows for one more stage, and that would be to go into an artery in the leg, take blood from there, put oxygen into the blood, and then put the blood back into the body. Tubes needed to be placed in two arteries, one to take blood out of the body and saturate it with oxygen outside the body, and then another to put the blood back into the body. So more and more machines were placed around Father. He could not move. Sometimes the patient tries to take out the tubes, so he was placed in a deep sleep, and his body was made so it would not move. The situation kept getting worse like this, and he was deteriorating very quickly. It was shocking to us to see how quickly he was deteriorating.

Receiving Jeong Seong from Members Worldwide

In any case, in that situation by now all members around the world were offering Jeong Seong and offering prayers for Father's quick recovery. What I'm very grateful for is that in this situation all members around the world are concerned. Mother made a very wise decision to put out official statements so everyone could offer Jeong Seong when Father was in the ICU: "Let's all pray and offer Jeong Seong." This was the content of the first statement.

Even when that memo was going out, already the True Children were coming to Korea from around the world. Mother met them, and, of course, she would take them by the hand.

She would also massage Father's feet and say to Father, "Father, I love you. Father, I love you. Please be strong. Please get up and slap me on the cheek. Please get up fighting. Please rise up." Every day Mother would go down to the ICU. She went so often that the doctor said, "Now you need to let him alone. If he becomes too excited, then for a person of that age in that situation to become excited, it would be more difficult if his heart rate rises." Mother's visits were reduced to twice a day by the doctor's order.

What I was very grateful for is that the members acted very quickly to offer Jeong Seong and gave the "Chambumonim, eog mansei." We received many tweets and e-mails from members around the world.

Of course, still Father is in a very dangerous situation. He's still in the ICU. He needs to remain there. The next week is really very important. He needs to be there for at least a week. Some people say, "Oh, he got up and ate some gruel," but they don't know what's going on. Father needs to remain in his sleep. He has tubes in his arteries; really, he has so many tubes in him that you cannot put any more into him. He's in that kind of situation.

Two days ago Father was able to have a bowel movement. Now he's lying down, and so his bowels need to move.

Something is being put in through his nose. Just two days ago the respirator was at the maximum, of course, as well as the machine to oxygenate the blood before putting it back in, and now it is down to 50 percent. Now Father's oxygenation rate is at 97, 98 percent. That means that he is receiving enough oxygen.

From the moment that people started offering Jeong Seong, we were very encouraged. We saw that Father's infection was going down, that the swelling was going down. We saw that the respirator could be reduced to 40 percent of maximum, and he could still receive enough oxygen, even at that level.

Yesterday the True Family visited Father in the morning and again in the evening. We're really very grateful to see the work of Heaven, to see that Father has really improved a lot from the prayers being offered. We visited him last evening. The respirator was reduced to 30 percent, and Father was able to receive enough oxygen even at that level.

Now this morning Yeon Ah Moon and others visited him with Mother, and the situation is the same this morning as last evening. Father continues to sleep. There are still about 13 various machines attached to him. It's still very serious. Of course if we see him improve a little bit, we feel hope, but for a person of this age, the situation can change in a single moment. If a little bacteria goes in, things can deteriorate very quickly.

At least the next week is extremely important. That is the situation Father is in now. It is important for us to offer Jeong Seong. We should offer Jeong Seong, shouldn't we?