Generic Marriage Manual Needs Your Help

by Marquis Van De Mark-Columbus, OH

With the advent of Blessing '95 behind us and the arrival of 200,000+ newly Blessed Couples, the inspiration to put together a book of marriage wisdom and inspiration has begun to take shape. I was inspired by the opportunity of so many non-Unification core (fundamental) Church members who attended Blessing '95. I heard the percentage was around 2/3. So here is the inspiration! A generic marriage manual, book of wisdom, internal guidance, way of tradition...kind of gathering of Couples' experiences compiled together into a book of marriage wisdom. Generic enough to apply to anyone who picks it up and reads it! I am interested in gathering from around the world writings of your marriage wisdom. If you would be interested in contributing to this effort, here is what I am looking for:

Pick a topic: It could be marriage as a Holy relationship, marriage and children, marriage and my spouse, marriage and finances....you get the idea, you pick the topic which inspires you, then write a short message or inspiration about that topic and your experience...marriage wisdom or advice.

Information gathered: We will sort through all the responses and compile them into categories and make up a kind of "Way of Tradition"- style generic marriage manual which can be used for non- and core- Unificationists alike. The manuals will then be published and made available for purchase at a reasonable price.

Uses of manual: As the Blessing requirements become easier for more and more attendance by non-Unificationists, the manual will be a kind of non-threatening guide to marriage and the right attitudes.... They could be given as gifts or offered to churches, etc. A potential door opener. A back-door approach.

If interested: "HOW TO TAKE PART"

1. Approach with a prayerful attitude (ask God for insight)

2. Pick a topic

3. Write in the first person

4. You can use Father's words; remember this is also for non- Unificationists, so keep it generic

5. Send to my address: Marriage Wisdom, 4000 Saddlehorn Dr., Columbus, OH 43221. For those of you who have e-mail: mvdmaru@freenet.columbus.Ohio.us

Upon completion, the manual will be made available to anyone interested, and is currently being promoted by some traditional marketing avenues. We already have some orders. It will be marketed to the general public.

We all have something to offer to the world; after all, we are Blessed Couples. Send me your marriage advice.

Marquis Van De Mark: 614-527-9686

For God So Loved The World

by Trisha Wentworth-Kennebunk, ME

Even before I was asked to represent Region One for the Blessing in Korea, I had felt very connected to the event and had wondered deeply as to what the cosmic meaning would be and how it would affect God's providence and each of us. Whenever I thought or prayed about this amazing Blessing, the words that always came to me were: "For God so loved the world," and I would just cry. I have, as I'm sure you have too, always hoped that it would be easier for people who would join True Parents in the future than it has been for us, both in suffering and ability to bring God's love to everyone. So from the feeling these words evoked in me, I felt much hope and gratitude.

As the time for the Blessing came nearer, I wondered how "on earth" this event could take place, because it felt so beyond time and space and human potential to me, and now after spending nine days in Korea, I know this could only happen because of God and True Parents.

My expectations of our accommodations were images of a large factory with bed rolls to sleep on, and maybe one or two bathrooms per hundred people. However, the American and European groups were housed in a ski lodge in the beautiful mountains of Korea about two hours north (I think!) of Seoul, and the rooms were small condominiums which five to six people shared. I did learn later that the accommodations for the Korean members were very poor and bleak, and I realized again how the Koreans had sacrificed so that we could have this luxurious place to stay.

We staff members arrived one day before the participants and it was very hot and humid. As the first buses arrived next day from the airport we still had no office set up, not to mention the use of a telephone, fax machine or copier, but undaunted we set up registration at a table with an umbrella which was part of an outside cafe-type arrangement. The next two days seemed as if constant streams of people were coming in all hours of the day and night, and we were kept busy getting the almost 400 people to their rooms. One interesting aspect of being at a ski lodge during the summer presented itself the first night. We were able to turn on the water heater for showers from the room (with a little education, that is), but what was not explained to us was that if this switch was left on, the system heated the floors, too! Although this must be marvelous in the winter, it was extremely uncomfortable in the hot, humid summer weather! I learned after the first night that the staff brothers had gone to sleep in the delicious cool of the air conditioner but had awakened in a tropical sweat. One brother who got up to see what was going on burned the soles of his feel as he ran across the floor to turn off the switch! We learned later that some people never had hot floors, but neither did they have hot water.

As the last people arrived, it began to rain very heavily and continued to do so for the rest of our stay in Korea; we were constantly wet. There were many situations which needed detailed attention-some people wanting to know if they had been matched, or trying to locate their spouses-to-be somewhere in the world, and many important messages from HQ in Seoul to be translated. Sometimes the language barriers became so intense, and we were all trying so hard to communicate in any way we could that we began to talk to each other in pidgin English! At one point, after a particularly difficult hour or so trying to discover where one Russian sister was supposed to be, trying English, Korean, Japanese, French, German and Spanish accompanied by all manner of hand signs and all-out efforts to communicate, I turned around in the office and realized that two Japanese people were trying to communicate in broken English; I gently interrupted to remind them that they could use Japanese. Then we could all laugh. I found myself on several occasions enunciating distinctly and a little too loudly with greatly dramatized gestures the message I needed to get across when a bewildered face would look at me in amazement (or perhaps it was pity) and say, "I speak English." Through all of this, the unflappability of Mr. Farley Jones, the overall coordinator for the United States contingent, was contagious for me and I think for all the staff, and I felt instant bonds between us which allowed us to work as a team quickly.

The day before the Holy Wine ceremony, we had the opportunity to visit the original church HQ in Chongpadong, as well as Grandmother Hong's memorial. It was raining, as always, and our group made a rather noisy entrance into the Chongpadong church; it wasn't clear to me whether we were expected or not, and we were not aware of anyone to guide us. We sat down and, as I had been there before, I told everyone how when True Parents had been blessed in this room, people were outside throwing rocks and yelling abuse, and yet only 35 years later True Parents were blessing 360,000 couples. If anyone stopped to consider this point alone, they could know who Father is. What an incredible testimony to one man's life work!

At this time a Korean brother came in to greet us and gave us a tour of the church. I had been wishing for a deep experience for these couples and this brother told us of the early days when hundreds of members would pack into this small room to hear Father speak. We were invited to Father and Mother's room and the room where Father would pray. We knelt on the rug where Father's tears had soaked the floor until they came through the ceiling below. The brother prayed and caught the hearts of the members and was able to convey the suffering. Many of us cried and one could feel the very essence of Father there. My bones aches and I remembered later how Father says we must feel things in our bone marrow. I would have liked to have stayed there for a long time, but we had to move on. We were also shown clothes that Father had worn and clothing and toys of the True Children. Already the church was a museum. There were pictures of the 36 Blessed Couples downstairs, and they looked so young and vulnerable. In the realm of heart, the history of the church held us in awe, even as it unfolded in such humble and mundane circumstances. Reluctantly we left into the rain.

Grandmother Hong's memorial was on the fourth floor of a church building which had been reconstructed to look like her home. It was beautiful. One first entered into the prayer room where someone led us in prayer. In the living room, there were artifacts of the True Children that Grandmother Hong had brought from Korea to America and things that Mother had had as a child. There were postcards from Father to Grandmother Hong and a picture Mother had drawn as a girl of a Western woman. There were Mother's school notes and a cat drawn by Father for Hyo Jin Nim, and many little things that Grandmother Hong had kept. Our guide told us this is the only place in the world that you can see Father's and Mother's writing. Again this was a beautiful experience, and we were so amazed to see how Grandmother Hong's life has been honored. After we left, we went to find the bus but it wasn't where we had been told, so we lost over half an hour and weren't able to visit the market place as we had planned. It seemed that our group's experience was meant to be very vertical.

The next day we went to the stadium for the Holy Wine ceremony. We had expected guides to be there when we arrived, but there were none. The stadium is huge and complex, and with the limitations of language and 370 people in tow, there was a great deal of confusion (nobody could have accused us of being an organized religion at this point!). In our course to find the place where the couples from America were supposed to stand, it felt as if we were going the symbolic courses of the Old and New Testaments.

We wandered for three hours to find where we belonged. The buses were parked quite a way from the stadium entrance, and when we got into the stadium, Mr. Jones went to find out where we should go but meanwhile Koreans from the stadium staff gave directions and people began to follow this way and that. At first there was only the group from America, since we were the first to arrive, so even if we were lost it was still fairly simple; but as other groups from other countries began to arrive, it became more and more confusing. There were so many interracial couples that one couldn't tell one group from another. Also, the stadium was designed so that one could not go directly up or down or completely around, and numbers were repeated even one the same level. Originally we were to have the Ceremony on the tracks of the stadium floor, but because of the torrential rains we were then to sit under the shelter of the spectators' area. Like the Israelites trying to reach Canaan, we were detoured and delayed many times and had to wait long periods while Mr. Jones, our Moses, was off finding directions. There were only six staff members to guide the 370 people, and I completely lost track of the group three times. They disappeared around corners or into crowds from other countries, and gaps in line got flooded with other couples. Spirits remained high and members were wonderful through this overwhelming process. One thing which kept us going was the thought of the story we would have to tell our children and grandchildren in the future.

Three times we reached the wrong place in the stadium, and after the first wrong place we seemed to reach a new level of "lostness". There was a deeper feeling of brother-and-sisterhood and someone said we were like the Christians in the catacombs. We had entered the New Testament Age. I certainly felt the anxiety of Jesus which he described in the parable of the lost lamb where the shepherd can't rest if even one lamb is lost. I felt our dilemma was so serious-here we were headed for the changing of the blood lineage and we could not afford to lose even one. When we finally reached our proper destination, we were greeted by the continental director, Rev. Park. We had arrived at the Completed Testament Age and we were on the third level of the Olympic Stadium!

Rev. and Mrs. Kwak officiated at the Holy Wine Ceremony. Rev. Kwak's prayer was so powerful that I felt it break through a dark, overcast sky over the stadium and penetrate a lighted path all the way through history to Adam and Eve. As I watched the couples received the Holy Wine, it was as if I could visibly and tangibly see a change take place and feel the couples had come to rest in the palm of God's hand. It was a very tearful moment. I could only imagine the tears of long- suffering hope and joy God was feeling.

The day of the Blessing was more organized because now we knew our destination and how to get there. There were many moving stories that day. One 47-year-old Canadian sister who has a teenage daughter felt that God wanted so much to give the Blessing to all who love Him. So even before she was matched she paid her way to Korea on total faith that Father would find her a spouse, even though her circumstances were not easy. Two days before the Holy Wine Ceremony, she learned that she had been matched with a brother from Africa. The picture and papers, however, had been sent to Canada because the Blessing staff in Seoul had no idea that she was a mere two hours away. Since there was no time to mail the photo back to Korea, she was sent a FAX of her spouse. As a black man, none of his features came through on the FAX, nor was there any information on his age, height, etc. Nevertheless, the Canadian sister faithfully took her FAX to the Holy Wine Ceremony and the next day, soaked by rain and Holy Wine, to the Blessing. Through it all she was simply joyous that God had found her a spouse. Although she was sure she didn't actually know if her spouse had received her information or whether he had made it to the satellite center at that time but, of course, he had. She had such a pure and simple love and faith in God that I couldn't help but love her completely. I was so proud of her and I call her "The FAX of Life."

Another Blessing story is when our American family was brought to the place on the stadium floor to line up. I was feeling particularly protective of them after the events of the day before. Suddenly a Korean member took three rows of our couples and moved them to a space next to another block of couples from another country. I ran after them and asked the other group where they were from. It was South America and I was so excited that I shouted that we were ahead of the providence because North and South America were all mixed together and have become one! The South American brothers and sisters cheered and clapped and it was a wonderful feeling. Later, when I returned to the United States, I shared my stories with one of my dearest sisters who was the original missionary to Colombia. I mentioned how happy the South Americans were when I made this observation, and she was moved to tears, telling me how much South America has ached to be with True Parents and be on the front line as the United States has been, knowing how overjoyed they felt to be embraced by us.

As we waited for the Blessing Ceremony to begin, it rained constantly and was reminiscent of Yankee Stadium, especially when the Americans sang, "You Are My Sunshine." I realized then that this was another Growth Stage event, but now in the Completed Testament Age, and as I looked out over the stadium at the young faces, I also realized that many of the people being blessed this day were only a few years old at that time. We had all been given raincoats as we entered the stadium, and now as I sat in the bleachers waiting for the Ceremony to begin, thousands of raincoats made a field of pink, yellow and white below me. Just before True Parents came in, everyone was asked to take off their raincoats, and in a flurry of movement the field was transformed into beautiful rows of navy blue and white. It was as if after hours of standing in the rain all the couples were lifted up to God in one sweeping gesture, and as True Parents entered, the rain stopped; it began again only as they were preparing to leave.

During the Blessing Ceremony the awesomeness of the event filled the whole stadium, and I know that most of us there were thinking of all the people receiving the Blessing by satellite. At the end of the final cheers, I saw Father's face on the big screen projecting this event to locations all over the world. His eyes shone so brightly looking toward the sky in a communion with God which shook me to the marrow, and I wondered what they were sharing. It seemed Father was smiling at God with a secret only he and God could share: an incredible, glorious moment-they had done it!

After the Blessing, I felt the incredible love God has for all mankind. I felt I loved everyone there as God loved them, and I was so proud of them and grateful for everything they had done. I could only feel that is how True Parents feel too. The simple truth is what Father has always been saying, that love, only love, will break down the barriers between us. I experienced this with a depth of realization that there is no way it could have been conjured up from my own knowledge of the Principle or my own thinking about True Love. It was as if I had had the privilege to be privy to a moment of Cosmic Love. When reflecting on the course of human restoration, how the people of God have struggled to have that profound relationship to their Heavenly Father; how available the True Love of God is to us now in comparison. We do not have to force ourselves to find it; it is already overwhelmingly here. All we have to do is to allow it, like the first realm of Shimjung of parent to child, to permeate all we do. The Blessing of the entire world is at hand. How precious we are to God and to each other!

Digestion and Staying Healthy

In the last few articles I explained the concept of internal cleansing and how it is best accomplished. But, cleansing the digestive and eliminative systems, together with the circulatory and lymph systems is not enough! We need to avoid reintroducing poisonous substances into our body. There are two ways by which poisons can enter our body: one is through eating so called junk foods, the other through eating healthy foods, but having that food turn into poison in the body.

There is one aspect to eating for maximum health that is hardly understood, even by those who try to eat correctly. Many of you have reduced your fat and sugar intake, you cut out red meat from your diet, in short, you try to eat responsibly. Still, you don't feel as well as you would like to. Why is this?

Now is the time to explore the area of proper "food combining." This term refers to those combinations of foods which are compatible with each other in digestive chemistry. In other words, the goal of food combining is to aid the digestive process. It is not correct to think that as long as we eat enough of the basic food groups within a day that we well be properly nourished. Only foods that are properly digested will nourish us. Undigested foods, on the other hand, lead to putrefaction in our intestines which is the decomposition of proteins and carbohydrates and their conversion to poisonous substances. Furthermore, we all know why new wine must be put into new wineskins; likewise, we will not be well if we put fresh foods into unclean, putrefied digestive and eliminative tracts.

Where do these poisonous substances go? Into our blood stream, lymph system, the liver, kidneys and other vital organs. In the short run we experience a loss of energy, in the long run, we set ourselves up for a great many health problems. The liver and kidneys have to work extra hard to process and eliminate the poisons from the body. Even the skin, which is one of the major eliminative organs, will show the effects of improper eating habits through rashes and other skin problems.

Heartburn and indigestion are looked at as minor problems by many, they ought to be taken seriously however, since they are an indication that something is wrong with the way the body accepts and digests foods. Over the counter medications for heartburn, indigestion and constipation are by far the most taken medicines in this country! A recent advertisement emphasized the fact that 23 million Americans are taking acid blocking medications! This fact testifies to the need for information on proper eating. Even insomnia is related to the body's chemical imbalance caused by the putrefaction of foods. What is even worse is the fact that medications taken for these conditions only mask or deal with the symptoms without ever solving the underlying problems.

There is one additional area that greatly concerns me when thinking about the Unificationist community. We need to consider the effects of feeding children the haphazard combinations of foods commonly offered. The fermentation produced in their digestive tract as a result of such eating represents a major factor in causing childhood diseases. One of the pioneers in the field of food combining, Dr. Herbert Shelton writes this in his book Food Combining Made Easy:

"Until parents learn how to feed their children with proper respect for enzymatic limitations and cease feeding them the so-called `balanced meals' now in vogue, their children are going to continue to suffer not only with colds and tonsillar troubles, but with gastritis (indigestion), diarrhea, constipation, feverishness, the various children's diseases, poliomyelitis, etc."

Dr. Shelton mentioned the magical words-enzymatic limitations. What do they mean?

Digestion Explained

Digestion is the process by which the complex materials of food are broken down into simpler substances in preparation for their entrance into the bloodstream. For example, proteins are broken down into various amino acids, carbohydrates are converted to sugar, and fats are broken down into fatty acids. The body is then able to use these simpler materials to build new tissue.

This natural breakdown begins in the mouth, continues in the stomach, and is completed in the small intestine. Regarding the practical application of food combining principles, the conditions present in the mouth and stomach will be our primary concern since the efficiency of digestion in the small intestine is greatly dependent upon the work done in the mouth and stomach.

When we chew food, the saliva initiates the digestive process. Appropriate digestive juices are secreted, depending on the type of food ingested. If the food contains starch, the enzyme amylase is secreted at that time.

In the stomach, gastric juices are secreted, containing primarily hydrochloric acid and other digestive enzymes. The concentration and overall makeup of these gastric juices depends on the type of food eaten. Proteins require a highly acidic medium for the digestive enzyme, pepsin, to be effective. Starches and fats, however, require a nearly neutral medium for their digestion. Amylase, the above mentioned starch enzyme, is actually destroyed in the presence of a highly acidic gastric juice. And lipase, the fat digestive enzyme, is inhibited in its work in the highly acidic medium.

In addition, the enzymes present in the third area, the small intestine, cannot do their digestive work properly, if digestion in the stomach has not proceeded correctly. Furthermore, the time required for the stomach to empty its contents into the small intestine, depends on the type of food eaten. Fruits remain in the stomach an hour or less. Starches require two to three hours to complete gastric digestion, and proteins require four hours or more. These numbers apply only if the foods are eaten by themselves! If eaten in combinations, food remains in the stomach longer than is normally required, due to digestive incompatibility. This means, the food will likely decompose, offering no nutritional benefits, providing a breeding ground for unhealthy microorganisms, and effecting the whole body, not only the digestive and eliminative tract, through slow self-poisoning. In other words, the shorter waste stays in the colon, the less chance there is for a contamination of the circulatory and lymph systems.

I believe, you can already see the pattern that is developing here. Anytime, two or more incompatible types of food are eaten at the same time, each requiring opposite conditions for their digestion, the digestive process is less than efficient. The responsibility for proper digestion rests with us. Failure to observe the limits of our body's digestive abilities, causes not only the plethora of American digestive ills, but in the long run more serious health problems as well.

Next month I will go into detail, outlining the different food groups and how to combine them properly for best digestion. I will also provide you with a sample meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that will help adults and children alike to eat for maximum nutrition, greater energy and abundant health.

Until then, I wish you the best of health.

Couples from North America Blessed in Korea

Abe, Takashi (m) & Takahashi, Yumiko (USA)
Ageishi, Masanori (m) & Hayashi, Hitomi (USA)
Akashi, Chieko (f) & Navarro, Jesus (USA)
Akiyoshi, Yasuyo (f) & Bock, Martin (USA)
Allard, Jeffrey (m) & Orikasa, Kazue (USA)
Alvarado, Angel P. (m) & Tomita, Kazue (Japan)
Alvarado, Mike (m) & Laberee, Letitia (USA)
Anan, Ampha (f) & Doyle, Timothy (USA)
Anderson, Angus Eric (m) & Yang, Kab Hee (Korea)
Ando, Masatoshi (m) & Fujimura, Kayo (USA)
Ang, Dohi (m) & Kang, Jin Heui (Korea) * 2ndG
Ang, Joni (f) & Choi, Jin Man (USA) * 2ndG
Aoki, Hisami (f) & Jeong, Yun Ho (Korea) * 2ndG
Armstrong, Michael Gaines (m) & Rodrigues, Elizamar Silva (Brazil)
Asada, Hidetsugu (m) & Lee, Theresa (USA)
Asami, Yoko (f) & Kojima, Takafumi (USA)
Ashley, Beverly M. (f) & Ashley, Douglas (USA)
Ashley, Douglas (m) & Ashley, Beverly M. (USA)
Ato, Tatsuro (m) & Kato, Yukiko (USA)
Ayano, Shigeru (m) & Nakamura, Tomoko (USA)
Azevedo, Maria Nogueira (f) & Piperis, Osvaldo (USA)
Balke, Lin An (f) & Creamer, Sean (USA)
Bantawan, Virginia Sotelo (f) & Abdu, Ibrahim E. (Sudan)
Baron, Clark (m) & Baron, Sari Kristina (USA)
Baron, Sari Kristina (f) & Baron, Clark (USA)
Beaumier, Yves (m) & Lee, Yun Nam (Korea)
Behring, Tami Sue (f) & Brugman, Kevin (USA)
Binimow, Lara Rachel (f) & Szolnoky, Norbert (USA)
Biyajima, Hiroko (f) & Sagisaka, Kunihiro (USA)
Blanchard, Ko- Francoise (f) & Spurgin, Christopher (USA) * 2ndG
Blanchard, Madison (m) & Kunkel, Karin (Germany) * 2ndG
Bock, Martin (m) & Akiyoshi, Yasuyo (USA)
Borges, Stephanie Suzanne (f) & Sanfrancesco, Claudio (USA)
Bouachri, Djamel (m) & Puczylowski, Susan (USA)
Breton, Francois (m) & Granda, Susana (USA)
Brugman, Kevin Leopold (m) & Behring, Tami (USA)
Cassatt, Camille Mary (f) & Stephenson, Peter (USA)
Champagne, Mark Edmond (m) & Veilleux, Claudine (Canada)
Chiba, Tomie (f) & Nakamura, Katsutoshi (USA)
Cho, Soon-yeo (f) & Lee, In Seong (Korea) * 2ndG
Chogo, Hideki (m) & Lee, Eun Hui (Korea)
Choi, Chongae (f) & Yoshii, Susumu (USA)
Choi, Jeang-sun (f) & Ok, Yun Sik (Korea) * 2ndG
Choi, Jin Man (m) & Ang, Joni Lian (USA) * 2ndG
Choi, Joon Sook (f) & Park, In Sung (USA) * 2ndG
Choi, Mino (m) & Rios, Veronica (USA)
Chong, Richard Wai Kwock (m) & Metaweh, Nadia (USA)
Colon, Jose Angel (m) & Dubay, Celeste (USA)
Correia, Abel Nuno (m) & Doungkumchan, Rungnapa (USA)
Creamer, Sean Patrick (m) & Balke, Lin (USA)
Cuizon, Laverne Garcia (f) & Matsuhashi, Shigetaka (USA)
Daimon, Tomonori (m) & Garcia, Claudia (USA)
Denda, Katrin (f) & Chu, Jeong Gu (Korea)
Devero, Leila (f) & Montoya, Vidal (USA)
Doungkumchan, Rungnapa (f) & Correia, Abel (USA)
Doyle, Timothy Joseph (m) & Anan, Ampha (USA)
Dubay, Celeste (f) & Colon, Jose (USA)
Edejer, Donnnel Richard Reyes (m) & Iyoku, Hisako (USA)
Endo, Rena (f) & Tanaka, Harunori (USA)
Engelmann, Robert Ludwig (m) & Vegvari, Csilla (USA)
Eu, Jin- Hyung (m) & Sin, Yeon Ju (Korea) * 2ndG
Eu, Jin-hyung (m) & Sin, Yeon Ju (Korea) * 2ndG
Fernsler, Trius (m) & Rapkins, Kim (USA) * 2ndG
Fields, Tina Nicole (f) & Hill, Sterling (USA)
Figueiredo, Luciano E.l. (m) & Pallares, Maria (USA)
Fuellas, Myron Jon (m) & Tsuge, Mayumi (Japan)
Fujii, Chiharu (f) & Kellar, Kurt (USA)
Fujii, Mino (f) & Kim, Yunchang (Korea) * 2ndG
Fujimura, Kayo (f) & Ando, Masatoshi (USA)
Fujisawa, Rika (f) & Garcia, Jesus (USA)
Fujiwara, Hiroshi (m) & Imamido, Naoka (USA)
Fukui, Takeyuki (m) & Honda, Makiko (USA)
Furuta, Tomimasa (m) & Kwak, Hae-yong (USA) * 2ndG
Furuya, Hiroaki (m) & Goto, Yoshiko (Japan)
Garcia, Claudia Patricia (f) & Daimon, Tomonori (USA)
Garcia, Jesus Madrigal (m) & Fujisawa, Rika (USA)
Gesker, Marina (f) & Kondo, Naoki (USA)
Gonzalez, Joseph Aloysius (m) & Ueki, Mihoko (USA)
Goto, Makoto (m) & Yoshioka, Megumi (USA)
Goto, Masato (m) & Shagdar, Altantogos (Mongolia)
Granda, Susana Monica (f) & Breton, Francois (Canada)
Grillo, Edward James (m) & Wesaw, Marie (USA)
Grobbelaar, Theresa (f) & Ten Hoeve, Rein (USA)
Haire, William Michael (m) & Narimoto, Kazuyo (USA)
Halliday, Timothy Allan (m) & Kanis, Katja (USA)
Hara, Hisayo (f) & Kitazawa, Hideo (USA)
Harigae, Masahiko (m) & Nakamura, Ayuko (USA)
Harkins, Jill Carol (f) & Lee, Sangwon (Korea)
Harris, Leon (m) & Joseph, Dierdre (USA)
Hayasaka, Kaori (f) & Tanemori, Tsutomu (USA)
Hayashi, Hitomi (f) & Ageishi, Masanori (USA)
Hess, Patricia Ann (f) & Marr, Kit (USA)
Higashi, Akiko (f) & Park, Frederick (USA)
Higashimori, Kiyoe (f) & Min, Ingu (Korea) * 2ndG
Hill, Heather Christine (f) & Kelley, Aaron (USA)
Hill, Sterling (m) & Fields, Tina (USA)
Hiyama, Ikumi (f) & Kratz, William (USA)
Hlname, Hfname (m) & Wlname, Wfname (USA)
Hoffman, Philip Dean (m) & Manliguez, Yolanda (Philippines)
Honda, Chieko (f) & Li, Jin An (USA)
Honda, Makiko (f) & Fukui, Takeyuki (USA)
Hopper, Brent Jack (m) & Kumakura, Chiemi (USA)
Hose, David (m) & Van Der Stok, Johanna (USA) * 2ndG
Hoyle, Randolph Russel (m) & King, Barbara (USA)
Huntington, Michael John (m) & Ouellette, Donna (USA)
Hurschler, Edi (m) & Natori, Yoko (Japan)
Ichikawa, Hiroko (f) & Tsujita, Takehiro (USA)
Ikeda, Kazuyo (f) & Mccarty, Joseph (USA)
Ikeda, Reiko (f) & Moribe, Takao (USA)
Imamido, Naoka (f) & Fujiwara, Hiroshi (USA)
Inagaki, Masato (m) & Nakano, Sakae (USA)
Ishibashi, Hirotoshi (m) & Sakamoto, Kazue (Japan)
Ishii, Yasuhiro (m) & Suzuki, Hiroko (USA)
Ishikawa, Hiroshi (m) & Yamazaki, Tomoko (USA)
Ishikawa, Masami (m) & Simbulan, Doris (Philippines)
Ito, Akira (m) & Maeda, Kazuna (Japan)
Ivanenko, Maxim (m) & Santiago, Natalia (USA)
Iwaya, Hiroyasu (m) & Kagiyama, Hisayo (USA)
Iyoku, Hisako (f) & Edejer, Donnel (USA)
Jee, Youn Hee (f) & Jones, Matthew (USA) * 2ndG
Johnson, Kenneth Geoffery (m) & Valdes, Marilyn (USA)
Jones, Cara (f) & Kamiyama, Masakuni (USA) * 2ndG
Jones, Matthew (m) & Jee, Youn Hee (USA) * 2ndG
Joseph, Dierdre (f) & Harris, Leon (USA)
Jung, Eunkyung (f) & Lee, Jyeong Cheor (Korea) * 2ndG
Jung, Yeon-hwa (f) & Ko, In Deuk (Korea) * 2ndG
Kagiyama, Hisayo (f) & Iwaya, Hiroyasu (USA)
Kamiyama, Masakuni (m) & Jones, Cara (USA) * 2ndG
Kaneuji, Tomomi (f) & Uesugi, Shigeki (USA)
Kanis, Katja (f) & Halliday, Timothy (USA)
Kaplan, Benjamin Jacob (m) & Pena, Yeshenia (USA)
Kasai, Satoshi (m) & C., Cathy Lynn (USA)
Kato, Takahiro (m) & Shimomura, Sonoko (USA)
Kato, Yukiko (f) & Ato, Tatsuro (USA)
Kawahara, Mihoko (f) & Ueta, Keiji (USA)
Kellar, Kurt (m) & Fujii, Chiharu (USA)
Kelly, Aaron John (m) & Hill, Heather (USA)
Kim, Hoon Young (m) & Park, Jungmi (USA) * 2ndG
Kim, Hyung Chan (m) & Yoo, Hye-yon (USA) * 2ndG
Kim, Shin-hyo (f) & Ryu, Shin Hyuk (Korea) * 2ndG
Kim, Yun Shim (f) & Park, Jin Suh (USA) * 2ndG
Kimura, Chiemi (f) & Tanaka, Yasuhisa (USA)
King, Barbara Ellen (f) & Hoyle, Randolph (USA)
Kitano, Masatoshi (m) & Takahashi, Yoko (USA)
Kitazawa, Hideo (m) & Hara, Hisayo (USA)
Kiuchi, Satoshi (m) & Yamaoka, Makiko (USA)
Koch, Goon (m) & Hwang, Jin Jeon (Korea) * 2ndG
Koch, Spring (f) & Pumphrey, Jonathan (USA) * 2ndG
Kojima, Takafumi (m) & Asami, Yoko (USA)
Komura, Manami (f) & Saito, Minoru (USA)
Kondo, Naoki (m) & Gesker, Marina (USA)
Koshoji, Hiroyuki (m) & Sakamoto, Emi (USA)
Kosugi, Ayako (f) & Nagai, Yuji (USA)
Kotegawa, Susumu (m) & Nakatsu, Yuko (USA)
Koyama, Rika (f) & Lim, Soon (USA)
Kratz, William Carl (m) & Hiyama, Ikumi (USA)
Kumakura, Chiemi (f) & Hopper, Brent (USA)
Kume, Satoe (f) & Okada, Hiroyuki (USA)
Kunkel, Karin (f) & Blanchard, Madison (France) * 2ndG
Kwak, Hae-yong (f) & Furuta, Tomimasa (USA) * 2ndG
Kwak, Misook (f) & Kim, In Jung (Korea) * 2ndG
Kwan, Alan Shiu Ho (m) & Obara, Kaoru (USA)
Laberee, Letitia Linda (f) & Alvarado, Mike (USA)
Lahham, Cecilia Agnes (f) & Gour-dan, Francios (Cent. Afr. Rep.)
Lajeunesse, Michel (m) & Nakauchi, Miyuki (Japan)
Laughing, Michele (f) & Masaoki, Koji (Japan)
Lawrensen, Brenda E. (f) & Miller, Paul C. (USA)
Lee, Chih-min (f) & Morishita, Katsushi (USA)
Lee, Chul Ho (m) & Solomon, Lili (USA)
Lee, Ha Na (m) & Tateno, Setsuko (USA)
Lee, Jin Soo John (m) & Kim, Hee Joo (Korea)
Lee, Kyung Soo (f) & Remmel, Randolph (USA)
Lee, Theresa (f) & Asada, Hidetsugu (USA)
Lehrer, Pelleas (m) & Ito, Moe (Japan)
Leonard, Joseph Patrick (m) & Nakamura, Makiko (USA)
Li, Jin An (m) & Honda, Chieko (USA)
Lim, Soon Teck (m) & Koyama, Rika (USA)
Long, Maria Helene (f) & Marvin, Jeffrey Dean (USA)
Lorentzen, Stian (m) & Saito, Setsuko (Japan)
Manabe, Hiroyuki (m) & Sasaki, Chieko (Japan)
Marr, Kit (m) & Hess, Patricia (USA)
Marshall, Mary Elizabeth (f) & Moriarty, Douglas (USA)
Martinez, Ignacio (m) & Kim, Hyeong Yeong (Korea)
Marvin, Jeffrey Dean (m) & Long, Maria Helene (USA)
Masaoka, Koji (m) & Laughing, Michele (USA)
Masuda, Nobuko (f) & Namgung, Inseon (Korea) * 2ndG
Masukawa, Naoko (f) & Suzuki, Satoru (USA)
Matsuda, Naotake (m) & Yamamoto, Akie (USA)
Matsuhashi, Shigetaka (m) & Cuizon, Laverne (USA)
Matsumoto, Takashi (m) & Esaka, Hisae (Japan)
Matsunaga, Miyuki (f) & Ozawa, Minoru (USA)
Matsuura, Hideo (m) & Sawada, Manami (USA)
Mccarty, Joseph Patrick (m) & Ikeda, Kazuyo (USA)
Mckeon, Christopher (m) & Mckeon, Nicole Sovet (USA)
Mckeon, Nicole Sovet (f) & Mckeon, Christopher (USA)
Meade, Brian William (m) & Promlee, Wasana (Thailand)
Metaweh, Nadia Ibrahim (f) & Chong, Richard (USA)
Miller, Paul C. (m) & Lawrensen, Brenda E. (USA)
Mitoma, Yoshio (m) & Takahashi, Mie (USA)
Miyaishi, Toshiichi (m) & Yoshida, Hiroko (USA)
Mizohata, Hiroshi (m) & Oh, Seo Nok (Korea)
Montalvo, Randy (m) & Somchai, Pruthiya (USA)
Montano, Antonio (m) & Mansurova, Kenzhegul (Kazakhistan)
Montoya, Vidal Lopez (m) & Devero, Leila (USA)
Moriarty, Douglas Paul (m) & Marshall, Mary (USA)
Moribe, Takao (m) & Ikeda, Reiko (USA)
Morimitsu, Toshiyuki (m) & Nakagawa, Asayo (USA)
Morimoto, Takaki (m) & Shigenaga, Michiko (Japan)
Morishita, Katsushi (m) & Lee, Chih-min (USA)
Moriuchi, Takeo (m) & Sasaki, Seiko (Japan)
Motoyama, Satoko (f) & Okuyama, Tatsuya (USA)
Musiol, Robin (f) & Musiol, Ronald J. (USA)
Musiol, Ronald J. (m) & Musiol, Robin (USA)
Nagai, Yuji (m) & Kosugi, Ayako (USA)
Nakagawa, Asayo (f) & Moriitsu, Toshiyuki (USA)
Nakagawa, Nobuo (m) & Lee, Hyun Gyung (Korea)
Nakahara, Naoto (m) & Bayrmagnai, Saruue (Mongolia)
Nakamura, Ayuko (f) & Harigae, Masahiko (USA)
Nakamura, Katsutoshi (m) & Chiba, Tomie (USA)
Nakamura, Makiko (f) & Leonard, Joseph (USA)
Nakamura, Midori (f) & Takashima, Kyosuke (USA)
Nakamura, Mitsuhiro (m) & Makino, Ayako (Japan)
Nakamura, Tomoko (f) & Ayano, Shigeru (USA)
Nakashima, Hideharu (m) & Nakashima, Izumi (USA)
Nakashima, Izumi (f) & Nakashima, Hideharu (USA)
Nakatsu, Yuko (f) & Kotegawa, Susumu (USA)
Narimoto, Kazuyo (f) & Haire, William (USA)
Navarro, Jesus A. (m) & Akashi, Chieko (USA)
Nelson, Janice Ellen (f) & Zarco, Juan (USA)
Newberry, John Michael (m) & Okochi, Mieko (Japan)
Nomoto, Nobuyuki (m) & Takaku, Hiroko (USA)
Nunez, Gustavo (m) & Nunez, Silvina M. (USA)
Nunez, Silvina M. (f) & Nunez, Gustavo (USA)
Obara, Kaoru (f) & Kwan, Alan (Canada)
Oishi, Katsuya (m) & Kim, Ji Sook (Korea)
Okada, Hiroyuki (m) & Kume, Satoe (USA)
Okuyama, Tatsuya (m) & Motoyama, Satoko (USA)
Olivia, Brandon Paul (m) & Izumi, Hiroko (Japan)
Onoda, Hitoshi (m) & Park, Lucy (USA)
Orikasa, Kazue (f) & Allard, Jeffrey (USA)
Otagiri, Michiko (f) & Yamaguchi, Tsuyoshi (USA)
Otani, Tominori (m) & Lee, Yeonsu (Korea) * 2ndG
Ouellette, Donna Jean (f) & Huntington, Michael (USA)
Ozawa, Minoru (m) & Matsunaga, Miyuki (USA)
Pallares, Maria De Jesus (f) & Figueiredo, Luciano (USA)
Park, Frederick (m) & Higashi, Akiko (USA)
Park, In Sung (m) & Choi, Joon Sook (USA) * 2ndG
Park, Jin Suh (m) & Kim, Yun Shim (USA) * 2ndG
Park, Jungmi (f) & Kim, Hoon Young (USA) * 2ndG
Park, Lucy (f) & Onoda, Hitoshi (USA)
Park, Richard (m) & Sato, Yoshiko (USA)
Pena, Yeshenia (f) & Kaplan, Benjamin (USA)
Perry, Jennifer Lee (f) & Sumantri, Agung (USA)
Perry, Melvin Douglas (m) & Fukuhara, Mika (Japan)
Piperis, Osvaldo (m) & Azevedo, Maria (USA)
Puczylowski, Susan Marie (f) & Bouachri, Djamel (USA)
Pumphrey, Jonathan (m) & Koch, Spring (USA) * 2ndG
Pumphrey, Robert (m) & Verheyen, Tweeran (USA) * 2ndG
Rapkins, Kim (f) & Fernsler, Trius (USA) * 2ndG
Remmel, Randolph Lee (m) & Lee, Kyung Soo (USA)
Rios, Veronica (f) & Choi, Mino (USA)
Romant, John Merlin (m) & Chiba, Miwa (Japan)
Rubasch, Richard John (m) & Svanberg, Gunilla (USA)
Ruether, Tamijo (f) & Affor, Francis (Nigeria)
Sagisaka, Kunihiro (m) & Biyajima, Hiroko (USA)
Saito, Minoru (m) & Komura, Manami (USA)
Sakamoto, Emi (f) & Koshoji, Hiroyuki (USA)
Sakoda, Hirokazu (m) & Ivanova, Marta (Russia)
Sanfrancesco, Claudio (m) & Borges, Stephanie (USA)
Santana, Maria (f) & Scheuneman, Joel (USA)
Santiago, Natalia Maria (f) & Ivanenko, Maxim (USA)
Sapp, Christina Louise (f) & Tadin, Dionisije (Canada)
Sasaki, Koichi (m) & Choe, Ok Lan (Korea)
Sato, Yoshiko (f) & Park, Richard (USA)
Sawada, Manami (f) & Matsuura, Hideo (USA)
Scheuneman, Joel (m) & Santana, Maria (USA)
Seuk, Jo Won (m) & Pak, Sun Chan (Korea) * 2ndG
Shaw, Walter Allen (m) & Yamanoda, Hisae (Japan)
Shimomura, Sonoko (f) & Kato, Takahiro (USA)
Shiraishi, Yohko (f) & Ueda, Kengo (USA)
Shoji, Kazuhiro (m) & Batcholuun, Sergelen (Mongolia)
Sincavage, Beatrice Jane (f) & Toyoda, Akira (USA)
Solomon, Lili Rachele (f) & Lee, Chul Ho (USA)
Somchai, Pruthiya (f) & Montalvo, Randy (USA)
Spangenberg, Donald T. (m) & Rettig, Katherine (USA)
Spangenberg, Katherine (f) & Spangenberg, Donald (USA)
Spirito, Cathy Marie (f) & Yanai, Isamu (USA)
Spurgin, Christopher (m) & Blanchard, Ko-francoise (France) * 2ndG
Stacey, John Michael (m) & Kamada, Uzuki (Japan)
Stephenson, Peter (m) & Cassatt, Camille (USA)
Sudo, Akimasa (m) & Yokoyama, Ikuyo (Japan)
Sugiyama, Keikoh (f) & Park, Jin Chil (Korea) * 2ndG
Sumantri, Agung Posa (m) & Perry, Jennifer (USA)
Suzuki, Hiroko (f) & Ishii, Yasuhiro (USA)
Suzuki, Isao (m) & Nakajimi, Reiko (USA)
Suzuki, Satoru (m) & Masukawa, Naoko (USA)
Svanberg, Gunilla Eva (f) & Rubasch, Richard (USA)
Szolnoky, Norbert Aurel (m) & Binimow, Lara (USA)
Tachibana, Kokichi (m) & Tachibana, Mei-yun (USA)
Tachibana, Mei-yun (f) & Tachibana, Kokichi (USA)
Tadin, Dionisije (m) & Sapp, Christina (USA)
Tagami, Hiroyasu (m) & Watanabe, Noriko (USA)
Takahashi, Mie (f) & Mitoma, Yoshio (USA)
Takahashi, Yoko (f) & Kitano, Masatoshi (USA)
Takahashi, Yumiko (f) & Abe, Takashi (USA)
Takaku, Hiroko (f) & Nomoto, Nobuyuki (USA)
Takashima, Kyosuke (m) & Nakamura, Midori (USA)
Tanaka, Harunori (m) & Endo, Rena (USA)
Tanaka, Yasuhisa (m) & Kimura, Chiemi (USA)
Tanemori, Tsutomu (m) & Hayasaka, Kaori (USA)
Tashiro, Mary Jane Y. (f) & Bang, Yook (Russia)
Tateno, Setsuko (f) & Lee, Ha Na (USA)
Ten Hoeve, Rein (m) & Grobbelaar, Theresa (USA)
Tengan, Masaru (m) & Trinh, Tina (USA)
Thongdee, Pradit (m) & Khamthongkhum, Niyon (Thailand)
Tirotta, Dennis John (m) & Tirotta, Maria Luisa (USA)
Tirotta, Maria Luisa (f) & Tirotta, Dennis John (USA)
Toyoda, Akira (m) & Sincavage, Beatrice (USA)
Toyoda, Tsuyoshi (m) & Yamada, Sayuri (USA)
Trinh, Trina (f) & Tengan, Masaur (USA)
Tsuchiya, Fumiyoshi (m) & Samart, Sinuon (USA)
Tsujita, Takehiro (m) & Ichikawa, Hiroko (USA)
Tuma, Larry Robert (m) & Semenchova, Oksana (Russia)
Uchino, Keiichi (m) & Yano, Ikumi (USA)
Ueda, Kengo (m) & Shiraishi, Yohko (USA)
Ueki, Mihoko (f) & Gonzalez, Joseph (USA)
Uesugi, Shigeki (m) & Kaneuji, Tomomi (USA)
Ueta, Keiji (m) & Kawahara, Mihoko (USA)
Valdes, Marilyn Rose (f) & Johnson, Kenneth (USA)
Valdez, Odilon (m) & Sasaki, Satomi (Japan)
Van Der Stok, Johanna (f) & Hose, David (USA) * 2ndG
Van Galen, Johannes (m) & Zarate, Theresa (USA)
Van Kwikenborne, Jo Maurice (m) & Nakajima, Yuko (Japan)
Vegvari, Csilla Mariann (f) & Englemann, Robert (USA)
Veilleux, Claudine (f) & Champagne, Mark (USA)
Verheyen, Tweeran (f) & Pumphrey, Robert Guinn (USA) * 2ndG
Warden, Greer Burke (m) & Azuma, Mie (Japan)
Watanabe, Noriko (f) & Tagami, Hiroyasu (USA)
Wesaw, Marie Jeannette (f) & Grillo, Edward (USA)
Yamada, Sayuri (f) & Toyoda, Tsuyoshi (USA)
Yamaguchi, Tsuyoshi (m) & Otagiri, Michiko (USA)
Yamamoto, Akie (f) & Matsuda, Naotake (USA)
Yamamoto, Koji (m) & Yuson, Arminda (Philippines)
Yamaoka, Makiko (f) & Kiuchi, Satoshi (USA)
Yanai, Isamu (m) & Spirito, Cathy Marie (USA)
Yano, Ikumi (f) & Uchino, Keiichi (USA)
Yoo, Hye-yon (f) & Kim, Hyung Chan (USA) * 2ndG
Yoo, Young Joo (m) & Choe, Sun Bo (Korea) * 2ndG
Yoo, Young-kook (m) & Seo, Jin Bong (Korea) * 2ndG
Yoon, Hyung-suck (m) & Moon, Yeon Jeong (Korea) * 2ndG
Yoshida, Hiroko (f) & Miyashi, Toshiichi (USA)
Yoshii, Susumu (m) & Choi, Chongae (USA)
Yoshioka, Megumi (f) & Goto, Makoto (USA)
Zarate, Theresa (f) & Van Galen, Johannes (USA)
Zarco, Juan Mauricio (m) & Nelson, Janice (USA)

Children's Blessing: Parent's Blessing

After spending two weeks in Korea in conjunction with the Blessing of 360,000 couples, I want to share some experiences and reflections from that time.

Three days after the August 25 Blessing, Father held a general membership/leadership meeting at the Sutaekni Training Center. About 5,000 persons were in attendance.

At that meeting Father emphasized the fulfillment of our responsibility. He stressed that He lived his own responsibility 365 days a year and suggested that that should be our pattern.

I had gone to the meeting seeking to gain an ever fuller sense of Father and, as always, a more complete connection.

During the many hours that Father spent pouring himself out to the members that day I realized in a new way the enormous public commitment that stands as the guiding star of Father's life. The day reminded me of Father's teaching that God is the most public of all persons. Father has sought to emulate Heaven in this regard. Should we not, as followers of Reverend Moon, seek to reproduce that same quality in our own lives? A public life is a key to our growth. Through a public life, we can knit the world together.

As you may know, Father intends to bless 3.6 million couples at the next Blessing. Toward the end of the August 28 meeting, Father asked for commitments from the various nations/regions for this goal. Reverend Kwak pledged 1.2 million couples from Korea and the Reverend Kamiyama pledged 2.1 million couples from Japan. Representing the Family Federation and as the senior American representative at the meeting I was asked to make a commitment on behalf of the American movement.

On my way to the blackboard where the numbers were being written and obviously seeking to challenge me, Father commented to me that the United States had two and a half times the population of Japan. In response, and seeking to keep our commitment out of the stratosphere, I pointed out that there were already commitments totaling 3.3 million. Accordingly I initially wrote the number 120,000. And as it turns out, I was the first among many representatives whose numbers father did not accept. Indeed he proved very tough as he insisted on some leaders making higher and higher pledges.

In any event, the number that I ultimately pledged and which He accepted was 360,000 couples, representing 10% of the total. So that is the goal for our American movement for the next Blessing. We will do serious thinking and planning toward this goal.

On a related matter, I want to take this opportunity to testify to God and true parents regarding my own children's Blessing. Our oldest son Matthew was blessed with a young Korean woman Yun Heeg Jee and our daughter Cara was blessed with M., the son of the president of the Japanese Family Federation. Without going into details, I will simply say that my wife and I were enormously impressed with the wisdom and love to our hearts underlay these matches. Each of the spouses seem wonderfully suited as a complement to the personalities of our children and my wife and I are confident that together they will create a beautiful whole. The Blessing of our children was not just their Blessing but a blessing for us. It is a profound comfort for a parent to feel that a particular child's life's partner will be a good complement for him or her.

Finally, I must say that I feel that our children's own activities and spirit have much to do with shaping their Blessing. Influenced greatly by True Parents children and older second generation brothers and sisters, both of our children have sought to apply the Principle in their lives and have been active in second generation matters over several years. I believe that the conditions they set themselves definitely affected their Blessing, their destiny.

While obviously my wife and I had much to do with the direction of our children's lives, I believe this direction would not have been fulfilled without there being exposed to older second generation role models. I would encourage all parents to try to connect their children to blessed children communities and especially to older exemplary second generation brothers and sisters.

By the time you read this, Father will have completed his 16 city American speaking tour. He continues to set a high standard of public life and to give to our nation. As a movement, I believe we must all become more public. Let us follow that way.

Blessing in N. California

by Kevin Thompson-Berkeley, CA

It was a beautiful Northern California evening. Perfect summer weather to hold a divine Holy Blessing. However, due to the miracle of modern satellite technology, the brides and grooms were heartistically bonded to True Parents in the Olympic Stadium in Korea.

After months of preparations, their big day had finally arrived, and the brides and grooms were nervously anticipating this glorious moment. A remarkable array of people gathered, dressed in blue and white, joined as husband and wife and as a bigger global family dedicating their marriage to World Peace Through Ideal Families. It may have been satellite technology which made the whole thing physically possible, but it is the embracing love of God and True Parents which brought together this diverse groups of men and women and transformed them into brothers and sisters.

The participants ranged from elder church members who went out and witnessed to a spouse, bright young Unification Church missionaries who had been matched by Rev. Moon, parents of Unification Church members, Christian ministers and church members, Buddhists, Muslims and African Church members dressed in their gorgeous holy robes. All bound together across thousands of miles with True Parents and brothers and sisters. Truly we could see the prospects for ending hatred, bigotry, racism and all of Satan's other strangleholds on mankind. Cleaving together in the promise and expectation of True Love, beginning a new lineage for all mankind. It was an amazing heavenly evening, which brought joy and hope to everyone.

After the main ceremony was over, we had a sumptuous dinner in the garden at Shimjeung Gardens, with delightful music from Mrs. Joy Crocker.

The African Church members commented that they felt God's holy power at this event. One Christian minister lamented that he hadn't brought more people from his congregation. An elder sister who had been longing for this day for 20 years was filled with bursting joy and gave the loudest Mansei of all.

For those newly matched couples there was the tentative first meeting with their eternal mate and the sharing of hopes, dreams and goals together.

Surely God had a huge smile on August 25, 1995. Now we await 1998 with heightened anticipation.

Blessing `95

by Joy Garratt-Albuquerque, NM

A hush falls inside the mobile communications unit parked in the pouring rain outside Seoul, Korea's Olympic Stadium. Julian Gray, the only Westerner in the truck, holds his breath. And at that exact moment (10:30am Aug. 25 Seoul time) on every continent in the world, dozens of others responsible for the simultaneous satellite hookups to their nation for the largest Blessing ceremony ever held hold their breath. Yes! The Holy Wedding Ceremony logo appears on screens in Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Europe, Africa, South America.... At hundreds of sites throughout the world, organizers breathe a collective sigh of relief. Men and women gathered for the Blessing ceremony of every continent begin to feel the excitement as they are connected by the marvels of electronic, fiber optic and satellite technology to the main ceremony of Blessing '95, the 360,000 Couples Holy Blessing Ceremony for World Peace Through Ideal Families.

At 10:45am the broadcast from Seoul goes on line with images selected from 12 different cameras beamed up to the satellite and then bounced down to everything from domestic satellites (for further diffusion) to home satellite dishes. In some isolated areas the image fades and wedding organizers must switch to the use of emergency videos prepared should transmission problems arise. Some distant locations have already discovered satellite technology cannot reach their environs and have had to prepare to use videos from their initial planning. But even couples in such places feel connected to the Seoul event as they ready themselves for the ceremony which will occur simultaneously across 20 world time zones.

"Couples, please put down your umbrellas." The sun is brightly shining at some sites while dusk has fallen at others. However, in Seoul it's 10:55am and rain is still falling. Heavy rains have battered the Korea peninsula for four days, causing serious mudslides, loss of life, flooding and road closure. Weather forecasters have been predicting the arrival of a typhoon, and reporters have been asking for Blessing contingency plans. Media relations official Michael Brazil informs reporters that "the Blessing will go on-typhoon or no typhoon. The sprinkling of Holy Water on the couples is part of the ceremony. If God wishes it to be a downpour of holy water, well...."

The ceremony is about to start but busloads of couples from every province in South Korea are still arriving as they maneuver around closed roads and the thousands of vehicles bringing the more than 36,000 participating couples, their friends and families to Olympic Stadium. While most of the couples are Korean or Japanese, representative couples from more than 160 nations have also gathered in Seoul.

At 11am, an incredible sea of couples turns from pink, yellow and green to white and navy blue as the participants remove their pastel- colored plastic raincoats. Filling the entire track around the stadium and all the lower tiers of the stadium's seats, the couples present an overwhelming image: closer inspection reveals most of the couples are now quite wet.

Master of Ceremonies Rev. Young Whi Kim calls the assembly to order in Korea, Japanese and English, his voice echoing around the world. A majestic orchestral prelude written especially for the occasion by American composer Kevin Pickard musically heralds the opening. Raindrops and tears mingle on the faces of young and old newlyweds and couples renewing their vows as they face the stage. All races, all nationalities, all religious backgrounds, all generations (participants ranged in age from 18 to 85) are present. Rev. C.H. Kwak, chairman of the Blessing's sponsoring organization, the World

Culture and Sports Festival, gives an address following the opening prayer by Rev. C.K. Kim, festival secretary-general.

The rain turns to mist as 24 elder couples from the Unification tradition form an aisle to greet the entrance of the officiators, the Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon. As the Moons slowly make their way down the stairs, the overflow crowd of over a 100,000 people welcomes them with a standing ovation. The rain totally stops.

Then Rev. and Mrs. Moon sprinkle holy water on young international couples whose parents themselves had been blessed in earlier years, while several hundred elder couples sprinkle holy water on all the others. Moments later, Rev. Moon intones the four Blessing vows and the couples respond with huge "YE"s (Korean for "yes") which reverberate across the arena. Following Rev. Moon's earnest Blessing invocation, couples exchange rings, an extremely personal aspect of the proceedings which becomes complicated due to the difficulty of removing wet gloves. Rev. Moon then gives the blessing proclamation and public congratulations are offered by Mr. Man Sub Lee, former chairman of the Korean National Assembly, and the Rt. Hon. Edward Schreyer, former governor-general of Canada. A wellspring of emotion accompanies the wedding anthem, "World of Love," performed by international singers Gloria del Paraguay, Miyuki Harley and Raoul Joseph.

The ceremony ends to the resounding cheers of "mansei"-meaning "may you live for 10,000 years"-and surprisingly brilliant fireworks and firecrackers. And, yes, the rain begins to pour once again.

All over the world, more than 360,000 couples from over 160 nations at over 500 different locations celebrate their commitment, new or renewed. The ceremony has only lasted 90 minutes, but its impact will have lifelong and eternal results. Huge numbers of people have been involved, but behind the numbers are over 720,000 people, each with an individual story to tell-heartwarming, poignant, charming, funny, sometimes sad.

A European television journalist films the story of a former Catholic seminary classmate who has chosen Unification-style marriage and family life after years of dedicated priesthood.

A New Zealander, as he carries the bags of a Samoan woman who has come to Auckland to observe the ceremony, observes that she is a wonderful person and wonders who her lucky spouse will be. He discovers only hours later that he is the lucky spouse! Rev. and Mrs. Moon had matched a few more couples the week before the ceremony- coincidentally, the New Zealander and Western Samoan are one of the couples!

Two college students who had just worked together that summer and have become good friends are matched together and blessed.

A Hindu professor who believes divinity dwells in us all holds her husband's photo in Seoul as her husband holds her photo in Delhi during the Blessing.

A midwestern Unification couple in the United States presides over the blessing of the husband's parents.