Rev. Joong Hyun Pak and Dr. Tyler Hendricks discussed the providence in North America with Christian pastors in Canada on their visit there, June 29-July 2. One most special meeting was with Pastor Alexander Bada, worldwide leader of the Celestial Church of Christ, standing to Rev. Pak's left, and his global missions leader, Superior P.H. Ajose, to Rev. Pak's right. Rev. Pak also conferred with Reverend Trevellen, of the Church of God, and Bishop Wright, leader of Toronto's Healing Temple. While in Toronto, Rev. Pak also organized the blessing committee for Canada.
Region 6 Family Retreat
by Alan Jessen-Cedar Falls, IA
On the weekend of May 26-28, Region 6 held a "Day of All Things Family Retreat" at the beautiful Villa Maria Retreat Center in Frontenac, Minnesota. The Center was founded in 1891 by the Ursuline Sisters on the concept of a praying Community living in unity, and is on the site of the first Mass in what is now Minnesota. The rich spiritual heritage amid the natural beauty of the Mississippi River valley combined to create the perfect atmosphere for our families to come together as brothers and sisters. In all, 37 adults and 32 children from four states participated, including our Regional Director, Rev. Hun Suk Lee.
The purpose of the retreat was to strengthen our identity as a regional family and to create a bonding of heart and unity among all members, including children. Our children need to have fun with each other, make friends with their Unification peers, and experience the shimjung of our extended Unification family. Therefore, our goal was simple: to create a "heavenly kingdom" experience for all. If successful, this event would set a standard for next year: a measurement for investing our heart and creativity. It appears to have worked, for already the Wisconsin families have volunteered to plan and organize the Region 6 family retreat for 1996. Isn't heavenly competition wonderful? Onward and upward!
We arrived Friday evening to find private rooms with linens and towels waiting for us. A quick tour took us through the gymnasium, indoor swimming pool, cafeteria, and the peaceful, beautiful chapel.
Saturday began with prayer in the chapel, led by Rev. Lee. Afterwards, we introduced ourselves and the names of our children. Because many of us have just recently moved to hometown, this was a first meeting in many cases. Following a hearty breakfast served by the Ursuline staff (hey, we're on vacation here!), the children were led outdoors for exercises by Andrew ("Andy says do this") Shoultz. For the morning, we organized the children into three groups, each with a team captain to lead them in activities, while the adults gathered into two discussion groups. Our creative department meanwhile had set up two art stations: one for the children to paint murals and the other for tee-shirt decorative painting.
In the afternoon we had free time and, though it was raining outside, we were happily all together inside. At 4pm the gymnasium was the scene of a men's basketball face-off. While it wasn't a pretty sight (a few out-of-shape bodies and rusty skills), it was a typical Unification sports activity-100% competitive. Let it be known that Rev. Lee's side won. As one keen eight-year-old observer put it, "They won because they had Rev. Lee-he is God's representative" (spiritual perception at a young age!).
The evening was Fun Night. Because of the rain, we had races and games in the gym, capped off by a hilarious "Family Dash" through an obstacle course. Afterwards, we finally left our castle, to venture outdoors to a beautiful lodge tucked into the woods. There, Steve Bohle had prepared a crackling fire and we all gathered to sing songs led by South Dakota's very own-Daniel Weigel! While the singing continued-hot chocolate flowed, popcorn spilled everywhere and the children ran around having a blast. We ended the evening on the most powerful note of the weekend. First, all the sisters sang a simply angelic rendition of In the Hills and in the Valleys, then the brothers pounded out Generation of Righteousness with all their strength and fervor. Together we sang Sarang Hae and I'll Never Leave You Anymore and closed with prayer. It had been a very moving finish to a Heavenly Kingdom day.
On Sunday a few sisters rose early to prepare the offering table for our Day of All Things regional celebration. Earlier we had been given permission by the Ursuline sisters to use their chapel for our service (they were quite impressed that after such a busy day we would all rise early for prayer). We used the beautiful mural made by the older kids, and placed our picture of True Parents on the altar in the chapel. Rev. Lee gave a beautiful prayer and sermon using the New Hope Farm Declaration to discuss Father's vision for the natural world and what our attitude should be. Afterwards we took photographs and brought the offering table downstairs to the cafeteria where we enjoyed the fruits, nuts and candies to cap off our weekend together.
I went off with Sister Chabanal of the Ursulines to pay our bill. She asked me: "I see that your group is very multi-cultural. Tell me, what is the thread that ties your people together? I see a lot of groups here but you seem to have a special feeling for each other." Just as we spoke, Rev. Lee came in, so we explained about Father's mission, the Blessing, and our many efforts to bring unity to the world's religions. The sister then said, "You also have such well-behaved children. If they keep this up when they get older, you should be congratulated. You are always welcome to come back here anytime."
We asked the children to write down their reflections. To sum up our family retreat experience, I'll quote a few lines from Tami and Jayna Anderson, Amadea Jessen, and Komyang Yokoi: "I learned more about Heavenly Father and I made more friends and got to know more people"; "I really liked making the banner and making my tee shirt"; "I learned how to listen to other people's ideas and how to have fun, but still worship Heavenly Father. I hope that next year and the year after, our church can come here"; "Now I have a few friend. I am going to write to him." This is what it is all about.
Raoul Joseph and Miyuki Harley Album "If Love Is The Answer" is Due This Summer
by David Eaton-NYC
It's a question that we've been asked so may times that it's become somewhat embarrassing, "When is your album coming out?" Well, we're happy to say that we will be producing a limited edition of the "the album" this summer so we can finally say, "Here it is."
The album we're referring to here features vocalists Raoul Joseph and Miyuki Harley. We've been working on this album since summer of 1993 when I asked Hyo Jin Nim for the permission to start the project. For me, it represented the chance to get involved with the pop music dispensation at Manhattan Center after eight years at the helm of the New York City Symphony. With all the new technological advances in the music industry I felt that producing an album would provide a great opportunity to get some "hands on" experience in the computer/sequencing/composing realm.
The genesis of the project began quite by accident in 1991 when I wrote the song As Children of Your Love for the Children's Day celebration. I asked Raoul and Miyuki to come in a sing with Reggie Woolridge and realized that they sounded very well together. We performed that song on numerous occasions and it eventually appeared on the "Eternal Love" album for the 1992 Blessing Commemorative album.
Later I wrote a song for the United to Serve America campaign (This Blessed Land ) that was sponsored by the American Freedom Coalition. During the recording sessions I asked Raoul and Miyuki come in to do backup vocals and was again very impressed with the blend of their voices.
We then featured Raoul and Miyuki on a new song that I composed for the finale of the Parent's Day 1993 celebration, You're the Only One I'm Living For. After that performance, Raoul and Miyuki we're in demand to sing for several other church related events and that's when I asked Hyo Jin Nim to do an album featuring these two fine singers. You're the Only One I'm Living For and another original ballad, If Love Is the Answer (the title song of the new album) became the signature songs for this duo.
Raoul and Miyuki have since performed at numerous functions including the speech tour of True Parents and True Family, the UTS graduation in 1994, the 1994 God's Day Celebration at the Manhattan Center, the Woman's Federation Sisters of Peace Ceremony in Washington, KEA events, the IRF VIP Banquets, CARP's Mr. and Ms. University Pageant in New York and a special banquet sponsored by the New York State Black Republican Council. As a result of the performance for the Black Republican Council, we were asked to compose a new song for a future event for the BRC entitled Take My Hand.
For the three of us, writing and recording new songs using some of the new technology at Manhattan Center offered us a significant opportunity to test the waters in the pop music realm. Internally, having the chance to work toward the vision of trying to bring change in the world of popular culture was very gratifying. We're not sure where this project will lead, hopefully this is just an entree into the pop music industry.
Eight of the songs on the album were written by myself with lyrics contributed by Raoul, Miyuki, Sheila Vaughn and Edric Debos. Two other songs were written by Miyuki and former New Vision Band member, Victor Moore.
There were several other talented musicians who contributed to the album including, Hyo Jin Nim (who played lead guitar on the song Real Love), Dan Gilberg who played soprano and alto saxophone, Billy Miho on lead and rhythm guitars, Valery Ponomarev on trumpet, Kevin Pickard on piano, Scott Avery on percussion and Takeshi Yonimura on drums.
The mixing and engineering were done by Bill Miho, Willie Giraldo, Roy Clark and myself.
Many of the instrumental tracks on the album were created by the use of computer/MIDI sequencing (Music Instrument Digital Interfacing). Computer technology permeates much of the pop music industry today and composers and arrangers are finding "sequencing" a very adaptable mode of creating.
We played the album for an industry executive who commented that there were "a lot of love songs on this album." My response was, "Well, that's who we are. We're definitely into the idea of love, so that's what we write about."
We obviously have a ways to go in terms of our development as artists and producers, especially in the realms of heartistic expression. However one thing stands out on this album and that's the fine vocal performances by Raoul and Miyuki. They're two very talented singers whose talent shines through in track after track.
We are happy to report that Miyuki has just given birth to her first child (a boy named Brandon, born June 22nd) and we wish her and husband Sam all the happiness that goes with being new parents. She feels that she'll be able to sing again in the fall, but for now she's being a new mom.
It was a pleasure for me to work with Raoul and Miyuki and the three of us owe a debt of gratitude to Hyo Jin Nim for his support and inspiration.
Overpopulation: The Perennial Myth
by David Osterfeld
From the centuries before Christ, men have been worried about overpopulation. Those concerns have become ever more frenzied. On an almost daily basis, we are fed a barrage of stories in the newspapers and on television-complete with such appropriately lurid headlines as "Earth Near the Breaking Point" and "Population Explosion Continues Unabated"-predicting the imminent starvation of millions because population is outstripping the food supply. We regularly hear that because of population growth, we are rapidly depleting our resource base with catastrophic consequences looming in our immediate future. We are constantly told that we are running out of living space and that unless something is done, and done immediately, to curb population growth, the world will be covered by a mass of humanity, with people jammed elbow to elbow and condemned to fight for each inch of space.
The catastrophists have been predicting doom and gloom for centuries. Perhaps the single most amazing thing about this perennial exercise is that the catastrophists seem never to have stopped quite long enough to notice that their predictions have never materialized. This probably says more about the catastrophists themselves than anything else. Catastrophism is characterized by intellectual arrogance. It's been said of Thomas Malthus, for example, that he underestimated everyone's intelligence but his own. Whenever they confront a problem for which they cannot imagine a solution, the catastrophists conclude that no one else in the world will be able to think of one either. For example, in Beyond the Limits the Meadows tells us that crops yields, at least in the Western world, have reached their peak. Since the history of agriculture is largely a history of increasing yields per acre, one would be interested in knowing how they arrived at such a significant and counter-historical conclusion. Unfortunately, such information is not forthcoming.
Overpopulation
But isn't the world overpopulated? Aren't we headed toward catastrophe? Don't more people mean less food, fewer resources, a lower standard of living, and less living space for everyone? Let's look at the data.
As any population graph clearly shows, the world has and is experiencing a population explosion that began in the eighteenth century. Population rose sixfold in the next 200 years. But this explosion was accompanied, and in large part made possible, by a productivity explosion, a resource explosion, a food explosion, an information explosion, a communications explosion, a science explosion, and a medical explosion.
The result was that the sixfold increase in world population was dwarfed by the eightyfold increase in world output. As real incomes rose, people were able to live healthier lives. Infant mortality rates plummeted and life expectancies soared. According to anthropologists, average life expectancy could never have been less than 20 years or the human race would not have survived. In 1900 the average world life expectancy was about 30 years. In 1993 it is just over 65 years. Nearly 80 percent of the increase in world life expectancy has taken place in just the last 90 years! That is arguably the single most astonishing accomplishment in the history of humanity. It is also one of the least noted.
But doesn't this amazing accomplishment create precisely the overpopulation problem about which the catastrophists have been warning us? The data clearly show that this is not the case. "Overpopulation" cannot stand on its own. It is a relative term. Overpopulation must be overpopulation relative to something, usually food, resources and living space. The data show that all three variables are, and have been, increasing more rapidly than population.
Food production has outpaced population growth by, on average, one percent per year ever since global food data began being collected in the late 1940s.
Like food, resources have become more abundant over time. Practically all resources, including energy, are cheaper now than every before. Relative to wages, natural resource prices in the United States in 1990 were only one-half what they were in 1950, and just one-fifth their price in 1900. Prices outside the United States show similar trends.
But even if food and resources are becoming more abundant, certainly this can't be true for living space. After all, the world is a finite place and the more people in it, the less space there is for everyone. In a statistical sense this is true, of course. But it is also meaningless. For example, if the entire population of the world were placed in the state of Alaska, every individual would receive nearly 3,500 square feet of space, or about one-half the size of the average American family homestead with front and back yards. Alaska is a big state, but it is a mere one percent of the earth's land mass. Less than one-half of one percent of the world's ice-free land area is used for human settlements.
But perhaps "living space" can be measured more meaningfully by looking at such things as the number of houses, the amount of floor space, or the number of rooms per person. There are more houses, more floor space and more rooms per person than ever before. In short, like both food and resources, living space is, by any meaningful measure, becoming more abundant.
In short, although there are now more people in the world than ever before, by any meaningful measure the world is actually becoming relatively less populated.
Dr. Osterfeld is professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana. This essay is excerpted from The Freeman, the monthly journal of The Foundation for Economic Education, Irvington-on-Hudson, New York. Copyright 1993.
Our Contemporary Moral Crisis
by Haven Bradford Gow
In the United States today, at least 1.5 million unborn babies now are being aborted each year. Nearly 600,000 babies are born every year to girls between 10 and 18 years old.
Less than 50 percent of children in the U.S. grow up in homes with two biological parents. Thirty percent of all births in this nation are to single mothers. Households composed of married families with children constitute just 25 percent of all American homes.
The divorce rate in the U.S. has skyrocketed during the past three decades, and so has the teen suicide rate. Drug and alcohol abuse have reached epidemic proportions, and so have the rates for sexually transmitted diseases for both youngsters and adults.
Despite this nation's pervasive moral and spiritual disorder, though, groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State seem more concerned about extirpating the wholesome influence of religion on public morality and public institutions and functions. M. Stanton Evans, director of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C., tells us in his new book The Theme is Freedom (Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing Co.) that "We have come to a day when a child's mention of God in a graduation address or the presence of a Nativity scene in a public place triggers threats of legal action. This is a gross distortion of our Constitutional history and a dishonor to our Founders." Mr. Evans adds: "The Founding Fathers wanted to protect religion from federal government interference, not diminish its influence in our public life."
Organizations like the ACLU and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State insist they are merely trying to preserve religious freedom by raising legal questions about prayers at graduation exercises or at the beginning of a school day; however, as University of Notre Dame law professor Douglas Kmiec points out in his contribution to Catholics in the Public Square (Huntington, Ind.: Our Sunday Visitor Press), "a commitment to religious freedom in no way entails the denial of the affirmation of a Creator God in the Declaration of Independence. The words of the First Amendment were not intended to exclude God from our lives, but to ensure that reason could be guided by faith-the only kind of faith worth having, premised upon free will, not force."
Concerning the much-used argument that the Founding Fathers intended the First Amendment to erect an impenetrable wall of separation between Church and State, Prof. Kmiec replies: "How can a Constitution framed by individuals who prayed at every turn for God's guidance and inspiration be read to exclude God from the classroom and public discussion? How can an American Republic founded on `the law of Nature and Nature's God' survive if it denies God and insists on destroying its own nature?"
Prof. Kmiec declares: "If the First Amendment is to be properly understood, it must be given its original understanding.... The free exercise clause was intended to promote religious freedom by making sure that the government did not prohibit religious practice or belief.... Just as the government cannot prohibit religious belief and practice under the free exercise clause, on the establishment side, it may not prescribe or dictate religious belief or practice under coercion of law or threat of penalty."
The words of this nation's Founding Fathers demonstrate that they possessed a tenderness toward, and respect for, religion and religious freedom, and that they never intended to eradicate the positive influence of religion on public life. John Adams, for example, said: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other."
Benjamin Franklin observed that "whoever will introduce into public affairs the principles of Christianity will change the face of the world."
George Washington stated: "Take away religion, and the country will fail."
Patrick Henry declared: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly...that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
Clearly, then, the Founding Fathers wanted government to champion and defend religion and religious freedom. Unhappily, though, in all too many Church and State cases, our modern U.S. Supreme Court has strayed far from the intentions and philosophy of the Founding Fathers. Mara Cawein, a public school teacher in Morrilton, Ark., says it well: "As a public school teacher, I wish that I was free to give my students time for prayer at the start of each day. But until the Supreme Court reverses its decision, I will not have that freedom of religion."
Ocean Festival 1995 Held Jersey City
by Chris Ogden-Jersey City, NJ
The crowds are gone, the festival over. Yet the energy and vitality remain as the new summer fishing season gets under way. An estimated crowd of 1500 enjoyed a weekend of ocean activities at Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City, thanks mainly to the tireless efforts of East Coast Ocean Church leader Mr. Sato, supported by Gloucester, Massachusetts Ocean Church leader Manuel Quesada, Master Marine members centering on Mr. Takada, and Headquarters Ocean Church members centered on Steve Matsuuchi. A special thanks also to Mrs. Sato and all the sisters (Kodan or otherwise) who made all welcome through their hospitality. Thanks also to all those who helped on the day, especially the second generation together with New Jersey Church center members under Rev. and Mrs. Park. Also unseen and yet ever present-a big thanks to our Heavenly Father who gave us the perfect weather for the whole weekend!
This year's festival, in contrast to last year's, was sponsored wholly by those involved directly with the marina: that is, Ocean Church, Master Marine, M&W Services, M&M Tackle, Senkai Live Fish, Ocean International and Liberty Seafood Restaurant. The main focus was the theme "The Ocean Feeds the People of the World" with a secondary purpose to allow the local community to become more aware of our presence here. Gauged by the response of the festival-goers to the ocean foods and products available, accomplishing the main theme should be no problem! Especially Mr. Yamada, who manages the retail sales of fresh and live fish for Ocean International, was surprised by the very positive response of the local people to the live fish-and Mr. Tashiro was exhausted but happy by the very brisk sales of fresh, and I mean really fresh, sushi!
Master Marine, fresh from the experience of displaying their boats at the Miami Boat Show, put up a very impressive display of the 16', 20', 24' and 28' boats, and while Benny Axelsson, Master Marine's sales manager, reported no sales were made on the day, a seed was hopefully planted. For those wishing to try Master Marine's boats firsthand or to try their luck at fishing, a good assortment of fish were caught by the forty or so people who made the trip to Sandy Hook under the very experienced hand of Kei Takahashi and his assistants, Suzuki San and Tanaka San, guests from Ocean Church of Japan, and UTS graduate Sandor Vamos. For the many not wanting to travel so far, Ken Zanker and Manuel Liba ferried approximately 800 people on the harbor cruise, using the 52-foot First Hopes 1 and 2, built by Master Marine Alabama.
Liberty Seafood Restaurant found its newly expanded kitchen well tested by the continuous flow of hungry customers, hosted by manager Fumiko Montgomery and staff with professional advice from Sami Samneh.
Finally and most importantly, the seeds of future hope were planted by the tender, loving hands of Paul and Debby Durgin, whose very moving and inspirational "Ocean Awareness Presentation" already seen by schools up and down the East Coast, was seen by festival-goers in the main tent surrounded by pictures of Father's Ocean Providence and the hope to end the plight of the world's hungry through the ocean. Supporting the Durgins, Frank Zochol and Gunther Freystatter spoke of the future role of the world's oceans.
Lastly, a special thank you to Joe and Felicia Longo, Sharky, and all who supported the Ancestors. Their effort and heart to support the Ocean Providence goes back a long time. In preparation for the festival we discovered a photo of Joe playing to the Ocean Festival at Battery Park, New York in 1980, so with the pressures of making ends meet in the mid-'90s, their offering of two days' entertainment truly shows an unchanging heart to Heaven and True Parents.
That's all, folks. Thanks to all who came. See you next year at the festival!!!
Ninth Annual Family Camp a "Shimjeung Success"!
by Kristina Seher-Berkeley, CA
With the blessings and leadership of the Rev. Sung San Lee, the Northern California Unification community conducted the ninth annual Family Camp at the historic Aetna Springs Resort in Napa, California from June 27 to July 2. One hundred twenty five children ages 2-12 participated, along with their parents. Families came from Arizona, Alaska and Seattle, as well as southern and northern California. Special thanks go to Aetna Springs Directors Casey and Robin Cox, who prepared the camp and made everyone feel so welcome!
Each morning, campers studied Principle Life Education, Art, and Science. This year the Principle Life Education themes were Respect, Courage, Forgiveness, Faith and Sacrifice. Campers wrote about how they grew spiritually. One girl wrote, "I enjoyed the morning service when Uncle Ray (Martin) talked about life giving you a lemon and making it into lemonade, because when I'm upset and I don't want anyone near me, I miss out on fun things. So I learned to try and participate in things." Superb programs in Science were taught by Poppy Richie and Gerrie Linek, and in Art by Robin Cox and Carol Clive. All the parents who participated were very impressed by the professional level of teaching that went on in all the classes for children aged 2-12.
Evening program activities included a wild and exciting game of Capture the Flag, led by Steve Tidwell and Rutherford Smith; dancing the Virginia Reel with Sheri Reuter as caller and Casey Cox and myself as country musicians; a carnival with 10 different games at which campers won tickets redeemable for prizes; a treasure hunt with clues hidden all over the camp; and a heartwarming production of the Lion King directed by Beth Morrison and Susan Munsell. During all these whole-camp activities, older campers were encouraged to take care of young ones, and young ones to respect elders. One older camper wrote: "I grew spiritually when I helped the little kids at the carnival. That night I had a dream that I could fly."
Senior campers (age 9 and up) enjoyed a special wilderness overnight, at which they dug their own latrines, built a fire and cooked their dinner over it, and slept under the shooting stars. Early the next morning they headed to the American River for a thrilling day of river rafting with 11 dads and three moms. The water was crystal clear and very, very cold, as the Sierra snow pack is at the peak of its melting after an extraordinarily snowy winter. Every single river rafter mentioned the trip in his/her evaluation. "I liked the whitewater rafting because it was a good experience to learn how to work as a team," wrote one camper. Another wrote, "River rafting was my favorite activity because it involved good battle planning and you never knew what would happen next!" (The battle planning is how your raft can sneak up on another raft and squirt them with your water cannons before they get you wet.)
The high points for me personally were praying with other brothers and sisters each day at the Holy Ground in the pristine early morning; and precious conversations with other staff members and parents, whether over a meal, floating lazily in the perfect temperature of the swimming lake (not too cold, but not too warm), sitting in the spa, or watching toddlers in the preschool play area. We talked for hours about how to fulfill our Tribal Messiahships, about our collective responsibility to raise blessed children to be faithful to True Parents, and about how to create more of a Shimjeung community, a community of heart, in our everyday lives. I think our unity and happiness with Heavenly Father and each other permeated the camp. One child wrote, "The best part about camp for me is having aunts and uncles and elders for parents." A 6th-grade boy wrote: "I felt like I was very close to God at this camp." It truly was a Shimjeung experience for everyone. Thank you, Heavenly Father and True Parents!
My Chance to Help as True Parents visit Ecuador
by Nancy Makowski-NYC
In June, 1995 I heard that Father was going to visit Ecuador as part of his South American tour. Since I was born in Ecuador and spent my first 16 years of life there, my heart jumped with joy, but at the same time with pain because there was no way for me to go and participate in such a historical event. We do not have enough funds to do it as a family; thus, with an aching heart, I went to the prayer room and offered the situation to Heavenly Father. I had to put my feelings on the altar and forget about it in order to concentrate on my mission.
Next day, somehow, I bumped on to my spiritual father (Robert Sattinger) who offered me a cup of coffee. He told me that he had been inspired to help me. By helping me go to Ecuador, he was helping South America as a whole and therefore decided to donate the round trip ticket . This is the third time heaven shows me that if we are willing, yearning for something like going to work in another country, God can work and move mountains. I felt God's love and trust very close through this experience. Two days later, I was on a plane thinking, crying, praying for Ecuador. It had been 23 years since I left my hometown; although I tried to go back several times, before the church and after joining, somehow, it never happened. I yearned and ached to go back. But then I heard Father say that when God calls someone, he has to leave behind family, country, culture, etc. I resolved in my heart to go Jacob's course and prepared to go back to my country after being in the USA 21 years. This was a dream come true.
As the plane was landing tears ran down my cheeks; such an emotional moment, I never thought the love for one's country could be so strong. I had asked the church members from Ecuador to pick me up at the airport so that it would be Father's holy ground that I go to pray first. That's the way it happened.
The church leader told me I could go visit my family for one day before everything started, there would be no time later. I called my aunt at 11:30pm and she and my 90 year old grandmother came to pick me up. What an emotional meeting! It just happened to be one of my uncle's 63th birthday that day, so the whole family got together. I was given the floor to give my testimony since my leaving Ecuador when I was 16 years old. Of course, most of that time was church testimony including the matching and blessing. They were very curious because my parents had told them horror stories about me being in the church. I seemed too happy, full of life and excitement, married to an American, with four kids, having traveled around the world with the church, seemed to contradict the negativity they received. To narrate 23 years of life took a long time, but they listened patiently and that lead to the point of coming to Ecuador at this time. I told them that I was part of the committee which organized this special meeting with the president of Ecuador and Father and the banquet in the best hotel. I gave them invitations to the banquet and left with a sense of victory.
Coming back to the church center was another fresh and beautiful experience; all the members were younger than me spiritually and physically. They were very curious about our church in the USA and True Parents; most of them had never seen True Parents and were very eager to have an experience with them.
I was very impressed with the church leader who made so many conditions of fasting, prayer and study of Divine Principle that it attracted good spirit world and people to watch video tapes. There were only two TV's and VCR's and they were being used all the time. Eight new members, bright university students, moved into the center while I was there. One of them had just graduated from the Catholic University and was making phone calls to invite the professors to the banquet. He stayed overnight to finish his list and that's the way he ended up staying full time at the center. All the professors he invited attended the banquet. I could see the great need of a lot more equipment like more TV's, VCR's, Spanish videos, Spanish literature in general; they also need older brothers and sisters who are willing to help raise these brand new members.
But still these young members have enough faith to go out witnessing and fundraising by themselves.
The day before Father's arrival, I was really praying to be able to help at the hotel. 18 years ago, I had a dream in which I was serving Father directly in my country, but I had to keep it quiet. True Parents were supposed to arrive on June 21st, at 11:00am. And at 10:00 am I got a call from the leader's wife to come help at the hotel. There were a lot of hotel policies and security that needed to be discussed. I was very happy to follow such direction. True Parents were escorted by the police motorcade everywhere. The hotel management was so tight that they would not allow us to have our own security for Father or members in the lobby. However, the members were so eager to see True Parents that they came to see them on the street. Some sisters were able to come up and saluted True Parents in their suite. Mother liked Ecuador very much and asked what was the meaning of Oro Verde which was the name of the hotel. Antonio answered that it was because of the green bananas that were exported to the world and also because many Americans came to that hotel and brought "green gold", the green dollars. Everyone had Korean lunch prepared by the Japanese sisters. After that, Mother had asked if I could go shopping. She really liked the things that I bought and was inspired by how beautiful and cheap things were in Ecuador.
The president of Ecuador had been receiving a lot of pressure from many people. Upon our request, Noticias del Mundo sent a fax to the president asking to receive Rev. Moon because he might invest in education and perhaps in business if he likes Ecuador. The president's wife also persuaded him to meet Father. She attended the banquet and talked with Mother during the meal. Eventually, the president, Sixto Duran Ballen agreed to have a private meeting with Father at 4:00pm and the 20 minutes meeting was extended to 40. According to Antonio Betancourt, it was a very good meeting. Right after that and in the Presidential Palace, we had a press conference which most of the media attended.
To my great surprise, all the members of my family whom I invited were one hour early to the banquet and were already reading Father's speech. We had trouble with the hotel management being late for everything, but at the end, everything came out all right.
Alejandro had told me that Father wanted to finish early because he wanted to talk to the members. At this point I went to the hotel security management to beg them to allow us to have such meeting. I assured the manager that there would only be 15 people for a period of 40 minutes. When we gathered up at the suite there was a total of 65 pairs of shoes in the hall. Father spoke to the members for 3 hours because this was the seventh country that he was visiting and that was very meaningful for heaven and earth unity. Father asked how many members saw him for the first time and all of them raised their hand. Father smiled and gave a powerful, loving speech. He said the Ecuador had beautiful women! Father seemed to be happy and was beating brothers and sisters on the head right and left.
Several people from the hotel management , including the security manager who by this time was very upset towards me, heard Father's speech. Next day I really apologized to him, but he said that he liked Father's talk and was not a problem. I gave him the church's address so that he would follow up the Divine Principle tapes and perhaps to attend the blessing. After having breakfast, Father decided to visit the middle of the world, the "Equatorial line" 0 latitude. They had a wonderful time trying to take pictures which would fit the monument and True Parents at the same time. They also visited the museum and had a long prayer right in the middle of the line. While they visited the Equatorial line, I went to the airport to process passports, customs, connect to the pilots, etc.
I met Mr. Frank Carrington the chief pilot who said that it was an honor to have Rev. Moon on board and that they were being very careful because they understood how important True Parents were to us. We heard reports later from the leader saying that True Parents liked Ecuador very much and that they will come back to visit the Galapagos Islands some day.
I spent three full days with my grandmother, aunts and uncles and discussed Father's vision toward Ecuador in detail. I do not know to what extent they believe they are the True Parents but I asked them to read the speech several times and to go to the center to watch video tapes. They went out of their way to make me feel at home. They took me to all the places where I grew up and dedicated one whole day to sing songs to my husband whom they are eager to meet some day. The hardest part was to say good by again, but I honestly think this is just the beginning of an on going relationship between North and South America. I can see Father's vision for North Americans to play a key role in the spiritual and physical development of South America.
I want to thank all brothers and sisters who donated to the South American providence because that is what is covering the hotel expenses for Father to speak. Mother herself is carrying that money to help pay the hotel bill. There is no way the South American members can do it on their own in such a short period of time. Also I would like to invite all of you to come visit South America so that you can share Father's vision and hope to build the ideal nation. Even though I was born there, it wasn't until I actually visited them that I understood and felt Father's vision for South America.