Personal Restoration Through the Process of Applied Restoration

by June Orland Kiburz - Westchester, IL

Desire for heaven and the state of our spirits or inner natures are like a fire that arises from within. Do you recall the words of the holy song, Song of Victory? "Brightly burn O Fire of Faith! Burn so brightly everywhere. Light of Hope, burn today, kindling every faithful heart?" We have tasted the true love of God and embraced the vision of our True Parents. As Tribal Messiahs we desire personal growth and completion and want to extend this to our families, tribes and the world. Yet I ask, "How are our inner fires doing? Are they burning gloriously so that all are attracted to the warmth and the light? Or are our fires small, smoldering flames, sputtering for life or about to go out altogether?"

When there is a pure supply of fuel and abundant oxygen, a fire flourishes. And with proper kindling and care a fire ignites quickly and illumines all in sight. Yet I have found with my own inner fire, that sometimes a "sludge" pours in, uninvited, and threatens to extinguish the flames. When my inner fire is gasping for air, I feel paralyzed and unable to contribute in the process of kingdom-building.

What is it, truly, that allows a personal spark to at least glimmer and sometimes burst into flame? The answer for me is clear: The grace of God, the Blessing given by True Parents and continued dialog with and response from God.

True Father has proclaimed the age of Tribal Messiahship and outlined three areas in which to fulfill: (1) restoration of ancestors (2) restoration of hometown (restoring the rights over everything that is connected to our parents - lineage, ownership and heart) and (3) restoration of God in us as human beings (restoration of heart). What can we do as Tribal Messiahs to hasten the process? How can we ensure glowing inner fires? Are there any tools or processes to remove the debris that can suffocate our inner fires?

The process of Restoring the Human Potential (RHP) came into my life nearly one year ago through Dr. Thomas Pearson. I have found it to be an excellent restoration tool that can be useful in fulfilling Tribal Messiahship. And I was deeply moved by the flow of requests from Unificationists in the United States as well as overseas to know more about this work in response to my article in Unification News of August 1993.

What Is Meant by Restoring the Human Potential?

What is RHP? It is an alternative medical procedure using clinical kinesiology; it is both a science and an art. Using the understanding from Divine Principle that each person is an individual truth body, a microcosm of the universe and the center of harmony of the invisible and visible substantial worlds, Restoring the Human Potential provides a highly refined tool that works with the body as if it were a biocomputer. The RHP process allows each individual to discover hidden capabilities and to touch his or her own inner essence. In this sense, it is an exquisite tool for clearing the blocks to mind/body unity. The beauty of the process is that it allows each individual to access whatever he or she is ready to work with. It has been my experience that applying this process to the course of restoration has the potential to enrich and transform our personal lives, our hometowns and our ancestors.

Here's how it works. RHP uses kinesiology, which involves neuromuscular testing and which allows a dialog with the essence of a person through his or her body. Special hand modes facilitate deeper communication with the mind-body system. A computer-type system manifests within and between the human essence, the human consciousness and the body; that is, it seems the human system uses a binary system as its language much like a computer does. This process allows the facilitator to read what may be blocking the inner self of the person from restoring wholeness. This work goes beneath any dysfunction (physical, spiritual or psychological) to explain the source of behavioral patterns, what may be missing, what may be required or what needs to be let go of. RHP examines the factors that destroy the core belief within a person. By experiencing the content of the inner self, and understanding and sensing the myriad life forces both within and outside of the self that influence, each person can change his or her state, behavior, communication with others and the quality of life with those around him or her.

There are a series of files that represent the language base used in the RHP process and these were mostly developed by a British practitioner in osteopathy and acupuncture, Solihin Thom, DO. Based on his study of the limitations, ancestral patterns and religious concepts that hindered his own development, Dr. Thom encountered similar patterns in his patients from his medical practice, patterns that prevented their own healing or coming into wholeness.

Beyond Isolation to the Restored Individual

The personal testimony of Thomas Pearson, entitled "Beyond Isolation," addresses some of the deeper points of restoration from the perspective of a 21-year American Unificationist, now a naturopathic doctor, who has tenaciously worked on his personal, family and tribal restoration. During the past year and a half, Dr. Pearson and his wife Etsuko traveled to Japan for five months and made three tours across America sharing the RHP work with the Pearson and Shibata tribe as well as Unificationists and non-Unificationists.

Dr. Pearson's personal journey and work have developed into the Process of Applied Restoration System (PAR-System). This work incorporates Thomas's naturopathic and homeopathic healing background with his understanding of the restoration providence of the completed testament as shown in his testimony, plus the work of Restoring the Human Potential. He is developing a new series of files called "Healing the Body of God" in conjunction with the work of other clinical kinesiologists, including Solihin Thom, DO, Laura Shumate, CK, and the late Alan Beardall, DC. Thomas has said, "This is very much a developing work that we are involved with, a work that improves continuously. There is an ambitious task being pursued in the creation of a 'new' science: the Science of Applied Restoration. Inasmuch as the domain of this science is any system that has involved human beings, the range is assuredly broad." Thomas encourages feedback on this developing research. Likewise, anyone with a serious desire can learn and utilize this system to aid in his or her own restoration process and extend the work to the tribal and community levels. Presently, there are many hundreds of Unificationists and non- Unificationists who have had deep experiences with this work. Introductory evening programs with demonstrations of the work, discussions of "Beyond Isolation" and personal sessions are presently available.

I'd like to encourage each of you to study Thomas's moving testimony. In "Beyond Isolation" he offers an in-depth look at the development of the victorious Jacob consciousness in the process of personal restoration, a poignant reminder of our goal of building one world family where reciprocal unity takes place through resolving Cain-Abel struggles. This is not a unity that is imposed by others but comes about through relationship. This kind of unity is essential if we as Unificationists are to build a national level to receive the Messiah. I was reminded that the reciprocal unity of brotherly and sisterly love is the Heavenly Kingdom that moved me forward on the path of restoration. The examination of Rebekah's faith and her vital position in restoration to lead the way, heartistically guiding her two sons to embrace, also was an inspiration to me.

In his testimony Thomas presents what he calls the "three points." Realization that I am not aware of my own inner contradiction is the first point in the restoration process. My mind and body are not united and therefore God cannot be present in my life. The second point has to do with the most poignant insight of the Principle: The result of the fall lives in me. That is to say, restoration occurs through my fulfilling Adam's (and Eve's) portion of responsibility. We know that this is only possible now because of the work of True Parents. The third point is that restoration takes place in relationship and not in isolation. The reminder here is the lesson of Cain and Abel: I am my brother's keeper in the restoration of heart.

Addressing why we become stuck in our spiritual growth is the work of PAR-System. The key is what Thomas calls the "missed point" in Divine Principle. This missed point appears only as we strive to fulfill our own portion of responsibility. It exists based on the law of 95 percent and 5 percent portions of responsibility for God and man, respectively. Without the consciousness of your missed point, stagnation and lack of spiritual growth result. The cost both to the spiritual lives of Unification members and in accomplishing the goals of our True Parents is incredible.

How Can I Learn More and Receive Sessions in the Process of Applied Restoration?

There are a growing number of practitioners of Restoring the Human Potential across the United States and Europe. At present several Unificationists in the United States offer sessions. Dr. Pearson's practice is in Connecticut and New York and he continues to travel. Thomas's personal testimony, "Beyond Isolation," RHP seminars and sessions are available. Please write to us with your questions, comments or requests: Jack and June Kiburz, 1801 Buckingham, Westchester, IL 60154.

Personal Testimonies

The following are a few of the many moving personal testimonies of the RHP work that have been offered. Many have been edited from much longer versions.

Freedom to be Myself

The kinesiology I experienced certainly was a mysterious process. I allowed Thomas Pearson to test different muscle reflexes in my arm and according to my body's response, different patterns of behavior were discovered. The patterns of behavior come from my ancestry, environmental influence and from all the different ways I've had to twist or bend in order to conform to life in the fallen world.

Recognition of my own behavioral patterns gave me freedom. I had pain at having illusions and defense mechanisms shorn away. But then came freedom to be ... myself. I could relate to others from a more honest place; through changing myself, there has been a change and deepening in relationships with acquaintances, relatives and brothers and sisters. In freeing myself, it has also freed others. - June Koga Canak (Reno, Nevada)

A Dialogue with Heavenly Father Present Restoring the Human Potential has been a very good experience for me. It was like having a dialogue between my inner essence and the practitioner, and most importantly through allowing Heavenly Father to be present.

I feel very much that Thomas was used by God to help me speed up the process of removing the little "black spots" of energy have hindered my spiritual growth and energy levels. Also, the experience has increased my understanding of my ancestors' situations and has helped to reinforce my original mind and intuitiveness. - Laura Blanksvard (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

I Must Purify Myself

My experience with the Restoring the Human Potential has been a valuable tool for my growth and my understanding towards the self- purification to which Father has spoken. Being the skeptic, it was astounding to me that new insights and guidance came out of my spirit and body through this muscle testing or clinical kinesiology. This practice works to facilitate understanding and "healing" through relationship. It's just as Jesus said in Matthew 18:20: "For where two or more are gathered in my name then I am in the midst of them." There is a great deal of credibility of insight in allowing God to be present in the facilitator-client relationship.

Results of my sessions with Restoring the Human Potential have confirmed guidance given to me from Heung Jin Nim years ago and focused my prayer conditions for ancestral liberation. Besides being personally aided by my experience with Restoring the Human Potential, I have been able to minister to numerous brothers and sisters by practicing the Restoring the Human Potential system after taking a few seminars. I have sincerely felt the help of God in working with other people. People have begun to notice a change in me, that I am happier and more alive. So I feel grateful to God and True Parents and ready to proceed in the work of building the foundation to receive the Messiah in America. - Caleb Thompson (Janesville, Wisconsin)

My Victory Over Isolation

Our Unification Church has very high ideals as well as very lofty goals; however, I felt extremely ineffective in accomplishing those goals or living up to those ideals in my position of leadership in our small local church community. I had just about given up and felt that I didn't really belong in this world. Sad to say, I even hoped that God would take me soon to the next world.

I'm glad that He didn't. As a matter of fact, I believe that God sent Dr. Pearson into my life. I certainly didn't seek him out, and my initial reactions after our introduction ranged from mild curiosity to a kind of resigned suspicion. But what a change has occurred in my life!

Dr. Pearson discovered the spiritual or psychological cause of my isolation and offered the hand of true friendship to give me a boost out of that isolation. During our first session, he told me, "You have no idea how powerful this process is." He was right. I was revitalized and empowered on a deep level to an amazing extent. I had hope again.

At our second session, he recommended that I read, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Steven Covey. The book is subtitled Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. The author shows how we can and must achieve certain personal victories as a foundation for public victory. Dr. Covey's book helped me understand where I had stopped growing and how to continue my growth by developing a truly principle- centered life. I recommend this book to anyone who is a frustrated member. I recommend Dr. Pearson as an able physician to anyone with either spiritual or physical ailments. I'm looking forward to and expecting great things from his continued help and friendship. - Bob Becker (Cincinnati, Ohio)

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

During my Restoring Human Potential session I felt like an automobile driver who knew that something was keeping his vehicle from moving forward but couldn't quite put his finger on the cause. Then someone said, "Hey! Your parking brake is on!" As with anyone in this kind of situation, it's kind of embarrassing. Even though we're heading in the right direction, there's something holding us back.

Just as Socrates asked questions to allow the truth to be revealed, so I found the RHP work enabled a conversation with me to reveal the truth that was previously unconscious to me.

Some doctors now claim that 80 to 85 percent of all disease is related to mind-body problems. Thomas Pearson is a doctor who knows the value of the mind-body dynamic. RHP is one of the therapies that has helped me to get better and keep getting better. Just as colon cleansing helps to rid the body of toxic wastes, RHP helps us to identify and eliminate what ails you.

What you don't know can hurt you. This work brought it all to a point and hit it on the head for me. Like a Paul Harvey commentary: Just when you think you've mastered the Principle, "Beyond Isolation" reveals the rest of the story. Suddenly my portion of responsibility became empowering rather than burdensome.

Thomas Pearson is one of the few central figures who could win my heart as Jacob did Esau's. I've known Thomas for 15 years and was always moved by his providential heart and desire. On New York MFT, Thomas's heart burned with desire to create a substantial foundation to receive True Parents. His forthrightness was always principled in that it was his sincere desire to help brothers and sisters. Now he is a doctor of naturopathic medicine and has authored an incredibly inspiring perspective on the Principle titled "Beyond Isolation." It is must reading for those serious about the providence of restoration. So if you feel your spiritual life is not moving forward and you don't know why, perhaps your parking brake is on and you need someone to let you know! - John Parker (Columbus, Ohio)

A Newly Found Enthusiasm and Passion for Life

I sincerely enjoyed my experience with the Restoring the Human Potential work introduced to me by Thomas Pearson over two years ago. I would recommend this work highly to anyone who is serious about wanting to change and who is willing to confront the obstacles that keep them from personal growth. I feel this work has helped me take charge of my spiritual growth. It's direct and to the point. An amazing aspect is that this work doesn't require any prior knowledge, simply the desire to learn and grow.

The first seminar I attended called "Your Inner Natures and the Life Forces" was a very liberating experience: it was an opportunity to share my deep thoughts and feelings in an open, honest and constructive way in a setting where there was no fear. The second seminar, Integrity of the Vessel, has helped me be aware of and understand my own life process much more deeply. For example, the defense mechanisms I've constructed since my early childhood due to a childhood trauma have led to my being a self-sufficient, analytical kind of person. Throughout my life it has been difficult to build deep friendships and to experience passion in my life. As a result of this work I've discovered I was not allowing "life" to come into my being; now I am aware and am growing in a newly found enthusiasm and passion for life and for working with others. Sharing the RHP work in sessions with others in my local area has been a life-giving and rewarding experience. - Tony Aparo (Omaha, Nebraska)

A Glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven

The merit of this completed testament age gives me great hope as I think of the unparalleled possibilities before us. With this inheritance, I always felt a hope that there would be a way for individuals to make drastic and lasting personal change in a short amount of time. I feel that my hope has now been realized substantially, through the work that Dr. Pearson has shared with me. I was actively searching for a pathway for personal growth because I was no longer happy and satisfied with my inner state. Experiences which used to give me energy and power no longer held much meaning. I felt I was unable to give fully to my husband and our daughter because I was often preoccupied with anxiety and emotional stress. Despite all the efforts and accomplishments I had made, I still found emptiness in my heart and loneliness in my soul. I asked, what is the key to the Kingdom of Heaven?

After my first session with Thomas, many of my anxieties left. I felt a different sense of being; there was a feeling of hope and confidence for the future which I had not felt for so many years. Music resonated within me in such a way that I had never experienced before. I realized that in the past there was no room in me to experience beauty. A new, revitalizing energy flowed throughout my entire body; my heart and mind became awake the moment my body woke up, so it was much easier getting up in the morning. I had a deep experience of God's grace.

Throughout my life I was always trying to do the "right things" while never allowing my real self to be present. I was feeling so burnt out because I did all these "good things" not from the real inner of my heart and therefore they did not return to me as true fulfillment. This frustration often turned into resentment and became a reason to avoid relationships with others. Now I feel so liberated to know that I don't have to become a slave of "good deeds" or a robot of hierarchy in order to be accepted by God. With my true acceptance of who I am, I offer joy to God.

My husband Jim also received sessions from Dr. Pearson. He was so thrilled to finally have an understanding and awareness of his internal struggles. He had shared with me that for many years his feelings were bottled up and had felt intense frustration. Recently I was so excited to see him expressing his feelings with insight and clarity. He started to express love to our daughter Yumi that truly springs out of his heart of joy. I feel I am now allowing my husband to enter into my life and we are beginning to work on a happy and fulfilling marriage. All the changes that have taken place for my husband and I through Restoring the Human Potential are like having a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven. I feel that Heaven is made up of people who fully manifest their pure, God-given essence. One cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven by merely imitating great people. Each of us needs to remove our own unique distortions which block us from being a true and honest human being. I am deeply grateful for the grace of God shown through this vehicle. Through personal restoration we shall find the freedom and dignity to be who we truly are, to be empowered from within and to lead happy and purposeful lives, with renewed vision and clarity. - Hong-Yu Kovic (Barrytown, New York)

Freed from Drugs

I am deeply grateful for the Restoring Human Potential treatment given by Dr. Thomas. My health had been very poor and I had been taking so many drugs; God healed my body, which was drowning in medications. Thanks to the treatment, I was freed from being a medicine maniac. - Mamie Uchida (Hiroshima, Japan)

A Gulf of Trust: Was Divorce My Only Option?

I asked for Dr. Pearson's guidance regarding my marriage and about the gulf of trust I felt in relationship to my husband. I had already given my husband divorce papers. I felt no hope. I held a divided heart; I felt my husband had betrayed me when he broke a very serious promise. How could I forgive him? I was left with bitter resentment and was not happy. In the quiet of my heart, I tried to develop my heart out of faith, trying to not blame my husband because I wanted to stay a peaceful family. Yet I constantly struggled about how we could be a happy couple when I held so much resentment.

There was a scar in the area of my essence; I sought faith to heal this scar and I was healed. God worked through Dr. Thomas in this process. I found a way and a light to heal the gulf which came into existence in my relationship with my husband. I felt as if I had to give physical birth to my husband - cooperation of the mother's labor and the baby's power working together to come out of the womb. Then I felt the pleasant sense of tiredness from having given birth, as well as being filled with a sense of happiness, thinking about the hope for the future of our marriage and family. - Kuromaru (Fukuoka, Japan)

Tools for Re-creation

How do I become a true person? Where is the starting point? I fully believe that personal restoration and fulfilling inner healing are my 5 percent responsibility. The RHP work has shown me that unity within myself is the solution - there is no Kingdom of Heaven without it. I realized that I was not conscious about my fulfillment as a human being. I am more aware of my intention to find the original point of tranquillity. Can I be like True Parents? Is God dwelling in my temple?

Instead of wanting the world to be better first, I understand that "better" originates in myself first. As brothers and sisters we need tools to re-create ourselves, to revive, to be reborn to our 5 percent responsibility, but we need the help of a mother's heart. I also realized that becoming the incarnation of God leads to the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. When I accept myself and am pulled to the original center, then I feel like a magnet of love where God can dwell. - Marlene Kluesener (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Too Young for the Spiritual World

I had been suffering with Bell's palsy on both sides of my face for some time. My hearing became impaired, I had double vision, headaches and ear infections. I was considered a very unusual case and the only diagnosis was a viral infection. I was in and out of the hospitals, given six kinds of antibiotics, sulfa drugs and steroids and ran up $70,000 in medical tests (which my health insurance covered). I was very sick. Nothing the doctors offered helped me. With the steroids I felt even more miserable and began to lose hope for my physical life.

It was at this point of despair that Dr. Thomas Pearson examined me last March and worked with me on a plan to help restore my health by going to the cause of the problem. I was referred to a naturopathic specialist and then enrolled in the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego. Thomas explained the plan as to how I would be treated so that I could be empowered to have dominion over my health. There was no way for me to have a session in RHP he said until I had done this. One of the doctors to which Thomas referred me commented that my viral infection was closely related to the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Through a couple weeks of treatment, the virus was treated. Another doctor considered my background of frequent, chronic colds. He determined that a blockage in my septum had become a breeding ground for the virus. I had a small operation to straighten my septum. I was also given some injections to place more oxygen in the blood to fight the virus. The viral infection went away. My hearing is now 10,000 percent improved. I have not had a problem since. My Bell's palsy was 95 percent cured. My health is completely restored.

Then I attended the Optimum Health Institute for two weeks. It was an enlightening experience and I recommend it highly. I learned a new lifestyle that includes all raw foods. People at the Optimum Health Institute also were amazed by my wife and I. Some comments we heard were "I'm just amazed at what an incredible couple you are. Seeing you gives us hope in marriage. You are the perfect match!"

When I saw Thomas Pearson this October and thanked him personally for his guidance, I finally was in control of my health and was able to begin the inner nature work as well. Going to the spirit world at age 44 is far too early for me! - Dieter Jesper (Chicago, Illinois)

A Better Insight into Myself

I found my two sessions given by my daughter, June, to be quite an enjoyable personal experience. I can recommend that when the work is approached with an open mind, the experience can be quite positive and worthwhile. The session allowed me to have a better insight into myself - a look at who I am as well as an opportunity to learn more about my inner nature. In my second session the use of flower essences and an essential oil was recommended, all of which I found fascinating and pleasant, a welcome addition to my understanding of the plant kingdom.

I also sat through one session with my son, Carl, who has had four sessions, all given by Dr. Thomas Pearson. I feel that the result of

these sessions is that Carl seems much happier, in a purposeful way, less troubled, and that he is trying harder in his relationships and following through better with his personal and family activities. - Phyllis T. M. Orland, MD (Forest Park, Illinois)

Light at the End of the Tunnel

My spiritual odyssey began nearly 21 years ago and, looking back, I have had difficulty realizing just what substantial restoration has taken place in my life. Beginning the RHP work has allowed me to see where I am on this path and to begin to embody restoration in conscious ways with my family and tribe.

My life of faith has always seemed like a second (spiritual) childhood and adolescence. Now I want to become the restored adult. Thomas's enthusiasm and passion gave me the jump-start I needed to move forward with my own process of restoration. My experience with the RHP work began with the Inner Natures seminar given by Solihin and Alicia Thom. At this seminar I experienced in a concrete way how I allow my mind and body to coexist in a divided state. The realization came that I must actively work to be present with both mind and body integrated in order for God to be present in me. The lessons learned through following the Principle to that time began to finally gel for me at that moment. - Jack Kiburz (Westchester, Illinois)

Greater Than Imagined Ability to Change

The RHP work has allowed profound discoveries of my inner nature and a new sense of my essential inner unity. Through attending the Inner Natures seminar I experienced a greater integration of my intellect, feeling and will (or animal or instinctive nature) and likewise, a greater flow of energy and love appeared in our marriage! In addition, I realized that many of our children's behavioral problems and my corresponding difficulty with discipline was a reflection of my own lack of attention to my inner nature. The skills I have now gained through the inner nature work allow me to be more fully present with our children. I've discovered that I have a greater than imagined ability to change and it is in direct proportion to my desire to change. I feel I've grown closer to God through this work.

Whereas I thought I could never be free of some personal anger - it now has lifted as gently as a dove in flight. I am more in touch with the inherent wholeness of my being and freer to experience and honor the goodness within my brothers and sisters and relatives. As my husband and I study this work and learn to facilitate sessions with our tribe, we grow to new and deeper levels and bonds of heart. - June Orland Kiburz (Westchester, Illinois)

My Experience with CARP West Coast

by Natalia Santiago 20 years old

I joined CARP six months ago. The reason why I joined was that I wanted to experience something different. I wanted to see another side of the Unification movement. At that time, I was going through some emotional stress and confusion about my life. Nancy Makowski had told me about CARP on the West Coast. She told me to try it out for six months and offer this time to Heavenly Father.

When I arrived at Maacama Hill, I didn't know what to expect. So far the place seemed like paradise. The mountains and valleys were just beautiful, as if taken out of a nature magazine. The weather was perfect, bright sunshiny day.

The first thing I was asked to do during breakfast time was to offer a song in Spanish. It felt good to be able to share with brothers and sisters in this way. Little did I know that this was the Maacama Hill tradition.

As the days passed by, I observed brothers' and sisters' actions and expressions. I asked myself: Where do they find the energy? How can it be possible that there could be such people, ready to sacrifice for others in spite of their own problems. I told myself: "I want to be like them!"

As I went through workshops, I became closer and closer to the people of Maacama. I enjoyed the activities and entertainment that are held every day. My favorite day is Friday, which they call Day of Heart. Every Friday is a Day of Heart. It gives guests the chance to practice unconditional love. By giving gifts as simple as poems, cards or candies. It is so wonderful to see over 30 different nations represented by different guests. Ranging from the ages of 19 to 27. Sharing together as brothers and sisters. As evening comes, we make skits, played by each group. Each skit has a lesson to be learned about True Love.

I never thought that so many cultures could get along as brothers and sisters. I have heard Father say it, but to live it, it is truly amazing!

Time had come for me to move on to 40-days workshop. I really struggled on this one. On the day of my graduation from 21-days workshop, I had received a letter from the college I applied to, saying that I had to register in two days. Thank God for mother figures because that day I was a total wreck. I had to decide between God and school. At the moment, it seemed such a big thing for me. Through my mother figure I could realize that God wanted me to go forward and go on to 40-days.

During 40-day I found out what fallen nature was all about. The best thing that has happened to me was to learn how to relate to brothers and sisters - love. I've been raised as an only child and now Heavenly Father was giving me the opportunity to have brothers and sisters. I'll never forget 40-days actionizing! There I had a taste of a little bit of everything: fundraising, witnessing, fishing, sports - and who can forget Project Volunteer!

Continued on to A.F.T.

Actionizing Fundraising Team. This was my first real fundraising experience. Living in a van for 21 days, traveling around, meeting different people, was another amazing experience. Yet to struggle was inevitable. My fight against Satan was so strong on the individual level that I got sick. But I managed to make some effort and continued on forward.

I returned to Maacama Hill after 21 days of fundraising condition. A new mission was given tome. A precious one: to take care of second- generation kids. I was determined to do my best. Not only taking responsibility for the kids, but also for the whole, my surroundings, brothers and sisters. Being the youngest around brothers and sisters was not an easy fact for me. And so, I wanted to be like them and create a deep relationship with Heavenly Father. I made conditions and built a longing heart for True Parents. Every day, going to morning service, sacrificing myself, serving others, practicing unconditional love with brothers and sisters, learning from them, having repentful prayers and confessions - all this created a new me. Little by little. Every day I made a new goal. I was determined to get closer and closer to Heavenly Father. I clung to Heung Jin Nim by reading "Victory of Love." I started to have dreams and visions about True Parents and every day I learned more.

Taking care of the kids developed a motherly heart in me. I stopped thinking about myself when I was with them and poured out my love to them. I began to think of the kids as if they were my own. I could say that every time I saw them, I saw God.

During the month of December, I had the opportunity of attending Kook Jin Nim's and Jin Sung Nim's speech of "True Parents and the Completed Testament Age."

At West Garden, waiting for Kook Jin Nim, we prepared our hearts by rejoicing in songs. When he arrived, we welcomed him with a bow and applause. He spoke about True Love so deeply, and as he expressed himself with a deep heart, I felt closer than ever to the True Family.

On Jin Sung Nim's visit to West Garden, I learned even more. He spoke about the heart of True Children and their experiences growing up. But what struck me the most was when he spoke about Heung Jin Nim and True Parents' heart. My heart was so moved that I can never forget that precious moment.

So many things were happening during this month that I had asked my mother to visit. It gave me a chance to express gratitude and love towards her by seeing her as a representative of God. She had a wonderful time. She was so grateful to everybody for helping me change. She said I was a new Natalie.

On God's Day CARP held a four-day workshop under the leadership of Mr. Oaki. 120 CARP members joined in celebration. For evening program, different groups, including second generation, showed their talents by acting, singing and dancing.

As we celebrated God's Day and Day of Victory of Love, we received lectures from some of the best lecturers: Neville LaBrooy, Alan Feldsott, Matta Kingi, Christine Frohlic and more. Also, during these four days we held a Yute tournament sponsored by Kevin Thompson. The witnessing team came in first place.

This workshop was truly a reviving experience!

In conclusion, I am grateful to God and True Parents for being part of my life. Grateful to Mr. Oaki and Neville LaBrooy for their fatherly hearts and for the support of brothers and sisters of CARP. For I have learned so much from them, I could be a different person. For knowing the truth is responsibility. And I never forget Father's words: "You must go one way. True Love way!"

Mother in Moscow and Minsk

by Renee Corley--Moscow

After her visit to Kiev, True Mother and her entourage arrived in Moscow on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 21.

This was Mother's third visit to the capital of the former Soviet Union. Almost one year ago to the day, as part of her 1992 world speaking tour, Mother had addressed an overflow crowd at the famous Oktyabrskaya cinema. At that time despite our members' best efforts, we were unable to secure the Kremlin's Palace of Congresses, but we promised Mother that next time she would speak in the Kremlin!

Nevertheless, this proved to be a monumental undertaking--virtually impossible. Because of the tense political situation following the October Revolution, the Kremlin was absolutely off-limits to any group which could be even remotely seen as religious or political. Added to this was the opposition by certain elements to having a "organization"in the Kremlin.

The time before Mother's arrival was an unbelievable spiritual battle, as we tried to go through every channel, using every VIP contact we had, to rent the Kremlin. There were many "heart attack" situations, especially when the other theaters we had rented as backups suddenly canceled. Even four days before her arrival, we still had nowhere for Mother to speak!

But thanks to Heavenly Father's help, the impossible became possible, and on Nov. 21 at 4pm True Mother walked out on the stage of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses before nearly 6,000 people.

Minsk

The next morning, Monday, Nov. 22, True Mother and her entourage flew on to Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

The highlight of Mother's visit was the enthusiastic and personal welcome given by the first lady of Belarus, Mrs. Irina Shushkevich. This warm and unassuming lady, who long has been a supporter of our activities in her country, met Mother at the Minsk airport and brought her to the hotel in the president's limousine!

Later that day Mrs. Shushkevich sat in the audience at the National Opera and Ballet Theater as True Mother addressed approximately 800 people. It was only the first lady's innate shyness and humility that kept her from taking the stage to introduce True Mother. In every other way her support for True Parents' work was evident.

The next day Mother had a few free hours before traveling to the next city, and Mrs. Shushkevich came to the hotel to visit Mother. As Mother spoke deeply with the first lady, there was a genuine warmth and affection between these two women. We also heard that Mother was very pleased because until then Belarus was the only nation on her speaking tour that had received her at such a high level.

Moonophobia

It seems that with our alternative means of rapid communication, personal letters are a rare and precious commodity. However, every Christmas and New Years', letters make their annual appearances as we join with friends and relatives in making special efforts to communicate a year's happenings and to impart best wishes for the season. One such letter that my wife received was a heart-felt letter from a high school friend of hers and his wife who are both doctors practicing in Seattle. During a one and a half year assignment with the Church there, our respective families met on several occasions in an atmosphere savored with all the attributes of a sincere friendship.

Having written of their family's growth and development throughout '93, Dr. Steve inquired of our family. He closed by expressing his personal difficulty in reconciling the images of the Unification Church as presented by the media and the image of the Church that he has formed through his long-time friendship with my wife and those conversations with us in Seattle. How incongruous the two images appeared to him! In response, my wife felt to provide some succinct explanation as to why our community is so consistently demonized and persistently ridiculed in the popular media. Aware that she was responding to a rational, thoughtful, and liberally-minded friend ("liberal" in the truest sense of the word), my wife asked me for some suggestions. And so we chatted.

My wife's eventual response to Dr. Steve's quandary referenced the historical animosity directed to all new religious groups throughout history, and in particular here in America. The only way to begin to understand the persecution of Reverend Moon and the Unification Church in America is to see it in its proper context of classical religious bigotry. In that sense it is nothing new; nor is bigotry itself a new or recent phenomenon. There are however paticular cultural levers which disguise this essential feature of moonophobia, such as: (i) the specific use of the term "brain-washing" (because the founder of the Church is from Korea, the intent is to exploit the image of the mistreatment of American POW's by Chinese forces during the Korean war), (ii) the frequent recourse to stereo-typical anti-Asian racist sentiments ("the yellow peril" out to destroy America, false allegations of the Church's connections with the KCIA and the Japanese yakuza ), and (iii) the disparagement of the Holy Blessing ceremonies.

Our conversation did raise the inevitable question: how do you explain hatred? How to rationally explain an irrational force? How to explain hatred to someone who has probably not experienced it so personally or so intensely as many have in this country, such as, Jews, Mormons, Quakers, Baptists, Catholics, Muslims, Hare Krishnas, Scientologists, or Unificationists? Though hatred can be philosophically, psychologically, or socially defined, dissected, and ultimately rejected in retrospect contemporary instances can remain illusive, hidden or disguised. We all lament the manifestations of hatred throughout history, we are aware of how it operated and weep at sites dedicated to memorialize its carnage; we are revulsed at how incestuously it fed upon itself invariably leading to self-destruction and the destruction of all in its wake. Yet current acts of hatred can often be readily excused, justified, mitigated or condoned.

The Divine Principle clearly explains the phenomenal forces at work on such occasions and expounds upon the debilitating process that so adversely undermines an otherwise reasonable and conscientious individual or a sovereign authority. To comprehensively explain in a letter the causal factors and the full effects of an ongoing specific form of hatred is a difficult proposition and I will not undertake it here. However, the following illustrations and current examples may prove instructive.

I remember some 6 or 7 years ago, there was an incident in Northern Ireland's so-called "troubles" when two plain-clothes British soldiers were discovered in the midst of a funeral cortege for a recently murdered member of the I.R.A. Just the day before, at a funeral for another I.R.A member, shots had been fired on the crowd, so tensions at this second funeral were explosive. Having been identified, the soldiers panicked and tried to drive away, only to be surrounded by an angry crowd, violently stimulated by the futile efforts at escape and the smell of fear. All of the subsequent horrific events were captured by television cameras, as the crowd swarmed the car, dragged the two soldiers out and beat them to death.

I later forced myself, at every possible occasion, to watch again this appalling event, barely able to control the revulsion which swelled up inside me. Aware of all the historical anger and pain accumulated through 400 hundred years of suffering and resentment, I still could not rationalize this physical manifestation of hatred unleashed in those few moments. I thought of Jesus and the crowd that had so violently turned on him, I thought of Reverend Moon, while imprisoned for preaching in 1946, suspended from a ceiling and being systematically beaten and broken - organ by organ, bone by bone, and I thought of a dear Japanese sister struck and killed by two cars as she crossed a Newark street, while neither driver stopped to offer any help.

The destructive power of hatred is such that it overwhelms the rational human faculties and unleashes the most ominous aspect of fallen humanity's darker reality. As Edgar A. Guest wrote:

Hate is that evil
State of mind
Which feeds the worst
In Humankind.

I am sure that many Unificationists can recall incidents when they visibly observed this process in action and some of its inevitable results: a brief and abrupt ending to an otherwise cordial encounter, a hostile eruption in the middle of a warm conversation, the sudden cessation of a life-long relationship, or most tragically, the violent end to an innocent and promising life.

With this perspective in mind, one can begin to put into context the activities of organizations in America like the American Family Foundation (AFF), the International Cult Education Program (ICEP), and the Cult Awareness Network (CAN). What appear to be benign and sincere attempts to contribute to the welfare of society on the part of these organizations, deeper scrutiny reveals alternatively, enterprises entirely beset by the power of hatred. Hatred is the very raison d'etre for these organizations. Hatred incites their every activity and it fuels their persistent efforts. While those individuals publicly representing these organizations might in other social contexts appear as rational, sincere, and conscientious, yet in their public persona as representatives of these organizations, Herbert Rosedale, Marsha Rudin, and Cynthia Kisser, appear debilitated, blinded, and otherwise undermined as a result of their manifest hatred.

Early in his career as a moonophobe, Herbert Rosedale, in an article published in The Times Herald Record, described a Unification retreat site as "a center which spreads physical and emotional disease among its members and infects the community with the results therefrom." In observing the activities of hostile apostates of the Unification Church like Steve Hassan and in listening to his self-promotional rhetoric, it is appropriate to recall another definition of hatred: "the coward's revenge for being intimidated."

These individuals and organizations, among others, have served as catalysts for the opposition to the work of the Reverend Moon in America and to the egregious misrepresentation of the Unification Church to the American public. They have pursued this endeavor through the exploitation of national tragedies like Jonestown, and more recently our government's actions against the Branch Davidians. They have systematically presented to the American people distilled images of the Unification Church elicited from individuals who they themselves have so greedily "deprogrammed". They have intentionally and knowingly presented the theories of quacks and the proponents of junk science as tenable and legitimate, while refusing to disclose to the American public the refutations of those same theories by the established scientific community. In the face of universal condemnation from the established religious community in this country they have tried to deny their own anti-religious agenda. They have accused the Unification Church of illegal conduct, while they themselves have engaged in a conspiracy to deprive individual members of the Church of their civil rights. In several instances, associates of these organizations have been convicted of crimes committed against individual members of various religious communities., including the Unification Church. Hatred is a hidden trap for the unwary and for the unkind soul.

History will eventually recognize 1993 as being a year so dramatically and so directly impacted by the irrepressible personal sacrifices of Reverend and Mrs. Moon to promote world peace. In this regard, we witnessed the historic hand-shake between Itzak Rabin and Yassar Arafat. South Africa's promulgation of a new constitution affirming the equality of all of its peoples, inspired Time magazine to name De Klerk, Mandela, Rabin, and Arafat as their "people of the year". Not yet over, we were then informed that the British government had been conducting secret talks with the I.R.A. despite their repeated public refusals to ever do so. A final serving in this feast of reconciliation, was the reciprocal recognition of the state of Israel and the Vatican city by leaders of both communities. All of these events have given rise to great hopes for the imminent settlement of the vestiges of fallen history's legacy of hate.

The key to these peaceful departures was simply, yet profoundly, the willingness to speak together. It is an historical inevitability that foes and adversaries who have chosen to conduct their disagreements in war have eventually conceded to peaceful and respectful dialogue or, alternatively, face annihilation and extinction.

So in this New Year of 1994, representatives of the Unification community in America are as willing as they have always been to meet with representatives of any community or organization (the media included!) who remain ignorant or fearful of the Reverend and Mrs. Moon's work and the activities of the Unification community. In particular, with regard to AFF, ICEP, and CAN, representatives of the Unification community would be pleased, as they always have been, to engage in dialogue with representatives of the American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee, and the Anti-Defamation League. By engaging in respectful discourse, the legitimate and respective concerns of the Jewish community, as represented by these organizations, and those of the Unification community could be resolved in the most conducive manner. It is to be hoped that these respected and influential organizations would finally withdraw their apparent support of, and condonation for, the activities of AFF, CAN, and ICEP. Such withdrawal of all and any support for these hate groups would greatly contribute to the demise of moonophobia in America, and its relegation into American history as the last example of institutionalized religious bigotry.

Manhattan Center War Stories - Tradition In The Workplace

By Tony Francisco - NYC

Sometimes a word or a statement has the feel of a closed fist, or the power of a bullet. I was struck just the other day. the spoken words hit me and sent me spinning. They brought on a sense of judgment, then sober reflection, then quickly hope and joy. I won't keep you in suspense longer then necessary, but a storyteller, like a fisherman has to chum a little to catch his prize.

I was walking through sector five, and as I passed Joe Longo's office, I heard him angrily say, Never Underestimate Father's Children, Any Of Them!

It would seem like such an obvious thing, so easy to understand and reason out. Father and Mother are the wisest, most faithful, most courageous and victorious man and woman who ever walked the earth. They have virtually redefined and recreated both the spiritual and physical worlds single-handedly. Therefore the children of this remarkable man and woman inheriting their foundation, must also certainly be beyond our ability to assess and judge. I want to state that again because it's important "Beyond Our Ability To Assess And Judge".

Perhaps it's that very simplicity that causes problems. For our life, after all, is one complex, challenging situation after another, (or it should be if your living it properly), and it's easy sometimes to lose sight of the bigger picture. I think it's the same way with our relationship with God and spirit world, We say we believe absolutely and we want to believe absolutely and when we're deep in prayer there is no other reality. But when we open our eye's and find ourselves transported to these fallen bodies and in this fallen environment, that certainty is a little different somehow.

Watching Hyo Jin Nim work relentlessly day after day, seeing his vision grow and take shape against almost impossible odds with very little support, is a sure remedy for this ailment. "This is war" he likes to say and anybody who does not think so, well, I feel sorry for you. Hearing him speak those words and watching him closely you begin to understand that for him the words are not mere imagery.

When I say watching him work or listening to him speak, I don't mean analyzing or assessing. I mean watching like a younger brother watches his favorite elder brother in hopes of learning and imitating. As in "Wow, look what he's doing now!", "Hey look how he's doing that!", or "Uh oh.... he's angry I'd better shape up!". Again, it's such a simple thing. We are a people of tradition, and these are our ways.

As with all the members of the True Family, when that subject-object dynamic is set up God has a new position to manifest and express himself through, Something that has never existed on the face of the earth before. With Hyo Jin Nim as the True eldest son, the joy and excitement of watching that unfold is beyond words. And even though Hyo Jin Nim is the kindest, warmest, and most fair leader I've ever had inside or outside the church, the ferocity and diversity with which that position expresses itself is unique, absolute and sometimes frightening to behold. War indeed and on many fronts all at the same time.

Hyo Jin Nim has been working tirelessly for quite a while now in the realms of sound and vision, using these art forms to slowly create a new culture and thereby, influence and recreate the environment. He's been misunderstood and second guessed for so long now I wonder if any one, even those who walk closest with him, really know him or understand.

Once when speaking to his staff so seriously he stopped in mid sentence, closed his eyes and in a quiet raspy voice he whispered "You listen so casually to the words I speak, in the time to come you will regret it" He reminded me so very much of Father then, so long past lonely, so very far down the road we could barely begin to relate to him.

I am just a simple man, I do security and building management at Manhattan Center. I like to look at things in a simple way.

This is war and I am just a soldier. Through some incredible grace and good fortune I find myself working with the True Family and even though I don't have much of an education Hyo Jin Nim has given me some tools and a lot of encouragement and asked me to develop my writing skills. I have no words to express my gratitude for his faith and trust in me. Even he gives away his personal belongings without a moments hesitation if he feels it will make a difference. I saw him give away his favorite guitar once, to a brother who showed interest and ability in music . For besides trying to recreate the environment, he's also giving all of himself to help us in recreating ourselves. Trying to nurture us and push us and beat on us so that we can become true artists and true businessman true electricians or whatever our callings may be. Hoping that one day we might bring to the level of art, all walks of life. More importantly he pushes us to be true husbands and wives and parents to our own families and tribes.

My deepest moments with Hyo Jin Nim are not when his words are soft and comforting. Actually, it's just the opposite, when he confronts my immaturity in that fierce way of his, I have the most incredible, sacred experience. After the storm of his anger passes, and I balance myself, I feel so uplifted, I gain deep insight into myself, adjustments are made deep into my being all the way back through my ancestors. I believe firmly in this, it is not just a way of talking, it's a real thing and I know many others who share the same feeling.

I want to put that out there as a response to what I've been hearing and reading lately from some of our members, they who feel there is no place in the kingdom for this kind of elder brother type scolding or strong language or discipline in general. As if True Love itself should not conform to the principle and just be feminine and warm and embracing. They tend to be Western, white, privileged background type characters. To them I say this. What will you do if the Kingdom of Heaven and the True Family turn out to be different than you imagined? Will that be okay with you or will you demand that they change to fit your concept? Or will you do as the Israelites did to Jesus or the Christians did to Father, and simply not believe and walk away. Never Underestimate Fathers Children, Any Of Them!

The true family are one. Sun Jin Nim came to Manhattan Center recently for a few days and I was fortunate enough to spend some time around her. The dynamic was the same. She was so quick and so intuitive, she could see through things very deeply almost instantly. And even though I am more then twice her age, because of her lineage and position she had access to wisdom and knowledge that were beyond her years. And beyond my ability to assess.

I know the name of the original guitar player for the Rolling Stones, and how to repair a 208 volt heater, and these are skills or knowledge that I could offer up to her if she needed them, but they are just external trappings, and in no way change our positions. For in that situation, clearly I was from Fathers Cain tribe, and her position was subject and elder to my position. And she occupied that position with a fierce grace and charm.

In closing I'll say this. We are a people of tradition. these are our ways. Welcome to the war.

Love, Sex and AIDS - Clearing Up the Confusion

by Paula Fujiwara - Newton, MA

In the midst of our crisis of teen pregnancy and STDs, many communities are involved in heated debate over how to educate children and teens about love, sex and AIDS. It is one of those controversial issues that "generates more heat than light." Perhaps you are concerned but anxious about taking a stand or becoming vocal because it's such a "can of worms." After all, mega-reams of information and curricula have been published on this issue. It's also one of the focal points of the cultural war that is raging. How can one get a "handle" on it all?

Well, be anxious no more. A "handle" on this issue is hot off the presses from the Center for Educational Media in Pearl River, New York. Their new publication, entitled "Love, Sex And Aids: Teaching our Children in the Age of AIDS" is a concise, readable and thoroughly documented 40-page booklet that sheds light on why so much heat is being generated around sexuality and AIDS-prevention education. According to the booklet's introduction, "a description of different approaches to AIDS and Sex Education is given with several examples of each. The intention is to give parents and educators a clearer picture of strategies being used and their results and underlying assumptions."

The first section of the booklet compares and contrasts the guiding assumptions of the two main approaches: comprehensive "safer sex" contraceptive-based versus premarital abstinence-based. The comparison includes their basis for sexual rights and responsibilities, primary educational goals, core values, parents' role and presentation of premarital abstinence. Unfortunately, the two approaches share little in common. (Thus, "heat" is generated by the friction between them.)

The following sections deal with the many other important questions that arise surrounding sex education. Some section headings include: "Does giving information lead to behavior change?", "Track record of condom distribution," "Sex education and cognitive development," "Can we teach abstinence?", "Is it true that all (or most) teens `are doing it'?", "The impact of teen sex on psychological health," "The track record of abstinence programs," and "Teens' communication with parents."

"Love, Sex And Aids" does not take a neutral stance about sex education but makes a strong case for the premarital abstinence-based "no mixed message" approach. However, this is not accomplished by omitting reference to studies done by advocates of the comprehensive approach (which include Planned Parenthood and Sex Information Education Council of the United States). On the contrary, study results reported in Planned Parenthood's `"Family Planning Perspectives" confirm the ineffectiveness of the comprehensive approach and the effectiveness of abstinence-based programs in impacting teen sexual values and behavior. "Love, Sex And Aids" is also packed with results from a wide range of current studies researching every aspect of this issue.

This booklet can more than adequately prepare you to discuss sex and AIDS education with anyone. It is a valuable tool for quickly informing members of your community who have decisions to make about sex and AIDS education. Come to think of it, that really includes us all.

"Love, Sex And Aids: Teaching our Children in the Age of AIDS" is available for $3.00 a copy plus 15% shipping ($1 minimum) from Center For Educational Media, P.O. Box 795, Pearl River, New York 10965.

In Memoriam Catherine Lappa Chesnut

March 8, 1944 to November 25, 1993

Catherine Chesnut was born Helen Catherine Lappa, March 8, 1944 in Evanston, Illinois. She was the second of four children born to her parents, James and Mary Lappa. She has an older sister, Margaret, and two younger brothers, James and William.

Her family lived in Chicago until she was five years old and then moved to Lincolnwood, a suburb north of Chicago. Her father's parents were Greek immigrants and her mother -- of Swiss-German background -- was the fifth of 13 children born to Arkansas farmers.

Catherine attended Catholic elementary and high schools, graduating in 1961. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from Northeastern Illinois State College in 1959. After college, Catherine taught first grade on Chicago's Westside for six years.

In the summer of 1975, Catherine was vacationing in California where she met the Unification Church. She studied the teachings for three weeks before returning to Chicago to resume her teaching post. The Chicago schools went on strike that fall and she decided to return to California to study the Principle further. She remained with the California church for about three years, during which time she worked in day care centers and with Project Volunteer, distributing excess farm produce to the poor.

In 1979, Catherine moved to New York City to work as a secretary and ad sales person for News World Communications. She lived in Harlem while with the newspaper and did volunteer community work there. She was then a secretary at Unification Church National Headquarters in Manhattan. While in New York, Catherine was wed to Jerry Chesnut in 1982 in a ceremony for 2075 couples in Madison Square Garden.

It was in 1984 that Catherine was first diagnosed with cancer. She spent six months in Ishiin Hospital in Japan receiving treatment; the disease went into remission at that time. Catherine continued work as a legal secretary until 1990. She returned to teaching in Brooklyn in 1991. Their son was born at the Brooklyn Unification Church in January 1990. A gift from close friends and fellow church members, Barry and Mariko Geller, his legal adoption was completed just as the Chesnuts moved upstate to allow Jerry to begin studies at the Unification Theological Seminary.

In late 1992, Catherine became ill while visiting her parents in Chicago and discovered that she again had cancer, this time in a very advanced stage. The last year of her earthly life was spent battling the disease which quickly spread through her body, but completely failed to dampen her spirit or alter the generosity and righteous spunk for which she was widely known. From May until November she spent almost 70 days in an Albany hospital, but was able to pass from this world in her home early Thanksgiving morning with her beloved husband and son at her side.

Catherine's Sung Hwa ceremony was held in Tarrytown, New York. Her friends and family gathered to remember her fondly as a very real person who lived a life of true value and a life of victory. One friend said he remembered her most for her feisty righteousness and the dignity and grace with which she faced death. He said that she was an example to any of us who must go through this kind of situation. Another friend described Catherine as powerful, direct, fierce and also gentle. Above all, she was a teacher. Her concern for the education of the second generation was absolute. She wanted us to inherit that desire.

Catherine taught herself to be a positive person. Her husband Jerry found a note that Catherine had written to herself in her final days: "Relax, exercise, pray, write, laugh, give, love, SMILE.''

I visited Catherine in the hospital about three weeks before her ascension. She had tubes and IV's coming out all over her body, but the first thing she said to me was, "What can I do for you, Honey?" She witnessed to our True Parents until the last moment, trying to get a lady from the hospital to a workshop. The spirit in her room was so bright and high I could feel the spirit world just through an invisible doorway. Her attitude was one of complete offering. Every day she repented for America. I know that this precious sister was giving even as she went into the spirit world and she will continue to give and help God's Providence on the other side.

Her family and friends give thanks to God and True Parents for the blessing of having our dear sister Catherine with us and for all the things she taught us.

Mereth Huemer

Fatimah Al-Huraybi Testifies to True Mother

This article was submitted by Fritz Piepenburg, missionary to Yemen. True Mother's 40 country tour took her to Egypt, the only Arab country on the agenda. This is the reflections of a Yemeni participant, Fatimah Al-Huraybi, who is a quite well-known public figure there.

Cairo, the capital of Egypt, hosted a conference in the beginning of December to which women pioneers of peace came from five different parts of the Arab world: Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon and Sudan.

These women pioneers attended a festival of peace that was called for, directly and without government intervention or mediation, by the Women's Federation for World Peace.

The Republic of Yemen was represented by ten outstanding female personalities, all well-known figures in public life working for the sake of peace. They followed the invitation presented to them by the Federation and participated in the event.

The main objective of the conference was to let the woman pioneers of peace from the various Arab regions know the work and goals of the Women's Federation for World Peace. The attending delegates were briefed on the meaning of peace, its guarantees and ways of realization in light of the views of the Federation. According to Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon, the President of the Federation and main speaker of the evening, the starting point of peace, from where it can spread to all mankind, is within the boundaries of the family. If peace can be secured at its very root, which lies deep inside the family, then its branches can spread and bear rich fruit in wider and wider circles of our society.

Marriage is the crucial starting point for laying the very foundation of our society. This also includes the careful preservation of the marriage institution, keeping it strong and safe, far away from all that could possibly threaten its delicate fabric, or even betray the other partner.

Love and affection should govern the relationship between parents and children, and among brothers and sisters within one family. With this call for love, the Federation is well in line with the tradition of the Prophet Mohammed (Allah's blessings be upon him) in which he says: "He, who does not respect our elders and show compassion to our younger ones, is not part of us." The degree of affection that exists among members of the family positively or negatively influences not only this family or the surrounding society, but the entire human society as well. Take for example the family strife and divisions prevalent in Western societies. Only a few families ~h- ~ built upon the foundation of genuine love and affection. The lack of love and affection in the family has had a negative impact upon Western societies. Crime rates are increasing and the spirit of egoism and living just for one's own sake has become prevalent. Families are breaking apart and morals are disintegrating, ultimately leading to such bitter fruits as the acquisition of AIDS, resulting from indulging in unnatural relations.

In our Islamic society, much of what the Federation calls for has already been realized. Yet, our family relations, to our great sorrow, are beginning to lose their exemplary character and tend to decline and even disintegrate. The husband of the President of the Federation started preparations for the establishment of the Women's Federation for World Peace already during World War II, beginning in North Korea, then moving to South Korea, finally settling his family in America. He has dedicated his life for the sake of serving the peace movement. Last year, in 1992, the husband of Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon organized and officiated the marriage of 30,000 young men and women in one day. These young people came from different races and married with the goal of mixing and amalgamating the various peoples and races by entering the holy bond of marriage - by having illegal relationships.

I felt a certain religious dimension permeating the conference because it was calling upon the religions, which also believe that there cannot be peace without love and affection within the confinement of the family. The President of the Women's Federation for World Peace has - and now hold your breath thirteen children and more than 21 grandchildren who all live under one roof. Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon believes that all members of one family should support and strengthen each other. Such a family will serve as a pillar of peace for the society, expanding peace until it covers the entire world.

Mrs. Fatimah Al-Huraybi was one of the 10 Yemeni delegates to the Cairo conference. She currently holds the position of Advisor to the President of the Agricultural Cooperative Union of Yemen.