Sun Jin Moon
August 18, 2019
2019 Cheon Il Guk Leaders' Assembly - Keynote Address
Greetings
Beloved leaders, great elders, our most precious brothers and sisters.
Participants in this August 2019 Cheon Il Guk Leaders Assembly!
Welcome back home to our true holy land, here in True Parents' homeland of Korea, and our heaven on earth! We have missed all of you dearly and know that all your sincere devotion and great works in your regions are making a profound impact in realizing Heavenly Parent's dream.
Just as our Leaders Assembly theme indicates, you are the "shining rays of hope" lighting up the world "with a filial heart for heaven."
There isn't a day that passes by when your accomplishments and victories aren't reverberating across the planet and shining out to the heavens and bringing Heavenly Parent and True Parents so much joy!
So, let us begin this Cheon Il Guk Leaders' Assembly 2019 by celebrating with that joy! May we all rise and give a great cheer for every single great leader in this room! Please all rise for a standing ovation for all of your amazing true love, sincere faith, pure sacrifice, heavenly vision, and absolute victory! Please, all rise and give a loud, resounding cheer!
Let us also send our greatest love to our ultimate leader and visionary, our beloved True Mother. She will be with us tomorrow, and she is watching this Cheon Il Guk Leaders' Assembly with great interest. All together let us say: cham Omoni salanghamnida, kamsahamnida!
Love, joy and cheers for our heavenly heroes! God is great! True Parents are great! And, you are great! And may Heavenly Parent bless us all as we move toward vision 2020! Kindly find your seats. You've given out a lot energy already, so now you may sit back and relax. Namaste.
True Father's Seonghwa Anniversary
Brothers and sisters, we have just concluded the Seonghwa Anniversary celebration in honor of our beloved, unforgettable True Father. Wasn't that a magnificent program?
Wasn't our True Mother glorious, gorgeous, regal and divine. What a miracle of beauty, love, joy, and Hyo Jeong heart! I know True Father is deeply moved by it all.
Our True Father lived a life that shook heaven and earth. There is no area of endeavor, no country, town or village where he did not leave his mark. In 92 years, he emerged from a small, tiny village in Korea, to lead the greatest providential movement the world has ever known. What a life! What an inspiration! What an example! What an accomplishment!
Our True Father, together with our beloved True Mother and heaven's only begotten daughter, have paved an irreversible pathway and opening through the jungles of hell. Now that path is getting wider and wider, day by day, week by week, month by month.
True Mother is paving that road and she is creating many off and on ramps that lead deeper into the forests, transforming villages and cities and nations, creating "heavenly cities", "heavenly nations" and a "heavenly world." The momentum is unstoppable and miraculous!
Even if we consider the work that has been done over the past 6 months, since our last Cheon Il Guk Leaders' Assembly in February, following the World Summit 2019 and the Sunhak Peace Prize Award Ceremony, we are awe-inspired.
During my last Cheon Il Guk Leaders' Assembly speech I paid appropriate tribute to each Regional Group, one by one. My expression of appreciation to each one of you was sincere and heartfelt, and rose from the bottom of my heart. Thank you brothers and sisters.
I feel that same heart as I greet you on this day. You are my heavenly champions!
Since February I know that each one of you, centering on the FFWPU Regional Groups Chairs, the UPF Chairs and the providential leaders in each Region, are working day and night to prepare for an unprecedented "pull out all the stops" victory next February 2020, when we will celebrate True Father's Centenary, True Mother's 77th Birthday, the World Summit 2020, the Sunhak Peace Prize Award Ceremony 2020, the Holy Blessing Ceremony, and many other programs, all marking as well the fulfillment of Vision 2020 and the 8th year of Cheon Il Guk.
VIPs from all across the world, more than ever have been assembled in Korea, will gather. It will be the greatest celebration our movement has ever undertaken.
And, rightfully so.
Are you ready? Are you excited? I hope so.
I know our True Mother is going forward 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year, working round the clock. She's living in all time zones all at once.
In May of this year, our True Mother spoke at the KINTEX center in Seoul, for an event organized by Region One here in Korea, centering on Rev. Lee and Rev. Joo. More than 100,000 gathered, including about 200 VIPs from the USA and Japan and other parts of the world. It was a huge success. At this same time, there was also a UPF International Leadership Conference dedicated to the peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula, involving many leading experts, scholars, and political leaders from Korea, Japan and the USA. Even the mayor of Seoul attended. Korea is on holy fire, and the light of true love is spreading. Thank you Rev. Lee. Thank you Yeon Ah onni. You are turning this nation upside down, or should I say "right side up" centering on True Mother.
Many of you watched the live stream from the Africa Summit in June and the Blessing Ceremony in Soweto's Orlando Stadium, near Johannesburg. More than 100,000 couples gathered in a joyful, holy, meaningful celebration of true love and true family. True Mother was embraced and wholeheartedly welcomed and supported by Prophet Dr. Radebe, a wonderful leader of millions of believers who embrace the roots of African spirituality, while at the same time being open to all religions. He is a great unifier. Most importantly, he loves True Mother and has the highest respect for our movement.
At that time, in Johannesburg, True Mother also delivered her Founder's Address during the Opening Plenary of the Africa Summit, and she inaugurated the International Summit Council for Peace of Africa. She appointed former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan as the Chair of ISCP Africa. President Jonathan was here with us for the ILC that just took place and he gave congratulatory remarks yesterday during the Seonghwa Anniversary.
Africa is truly on the providential "main street". Mrs. McDevitt, Dr. Yoon, Rev. Camara, Mrs. Rigney, thank you for your great attendance to our True Mother.
And, looking ahead, I know you are preparing for a major effort in Sao Tome in September. Then I understand there are worldwide plans for major programs in Albania, Cambodia, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, then back to Johannesburg in December for another, even larger and more spectacular Blessing Ceremony. Plus, also in December, to close out the year, True Mother wants to assemble 20,000 Christian clergy in the USA to form the World Clergy Leadership Association. Wow.
And, at the same time, you are mobilizing VIPs from all across the world for the World Summit 2020.
It was right after True Mother's victory in Johannesburg that she travelled directly to Las Vegas for the Peace Starts with Me Rally at the MGM Grand. More than 10,000 gathered, including 1000 clergy members from UPF and ACLC. True Mother gave a wonderful message to a packed house. Bishop Noel Jones introduced True Mother. Prophet Radebe was on hand to support True Mother. It was a super success. Dr. Kim. Rev. Dunkley. Rev. Jackson. A big congratulations to you and to the entire USA team.
I had the honor to be with True Mother at that time, and I can testify that she was so happy and pleased.
During this recent ILC, centering on UPF, VIP leaders from around the world gathered for two days to discuss and prepare for World Summit 2020. True Mother has not only initiated the IAPP, and the IAPD, and, more recently, the ISCP, but she is now proposing to inaugurate, during World Summit 2020, three new associations which will also work within the UPF framework. These are the International Media Association for Peace, which will build on the foundation of TWT, the Segye Ilbo and the Sekai Nippo; the International Association for Peace and Economic Development, which will build on the business foundation of our movement, including the Hyo Jeong Magnolia Foundation; and the International Association of Academicians for Peace which carries forward True Parents work over many decades with scholars and professors. I also understand that True Mother intends to eventually build into this UPF system a few other sectors, including first ladies and university presidents.
We can see True Mother is building the system and structure of a global peace movement that will work to solve global problems, drawing on the capacities, assets and experience of leading experts and leaders from a wide range of sectors. It is an amazing vision. It is UN-like in its scope and vision, with UPF in the role of the "Abel-UN." True Mother is finding a way to include all the key stakeholders, including of course WFWP, centering on Hoon Suk onni, and YSP, centering on Dr. Kittle. Altogether, along with Tribal Messiahs, you are collaborating together across national, ethnic, cultural, religious lines, in order to constructively and effectively solve global problems.
True Mother is amazing! Only a being divinely anointed and appointed by Heavenly Parent can do the impossible mission she carries forward each day. I watch as she pushes herself to pure exhaustion every moment, driven by concern for the world. She can never rest, even after each victorious event. She is always thinking of the next one, in order to reach all 7.6 billion people. She will not stop until she offers complete victory to HP and True Father. As long as one child on earth or in heaven is lost she can never be at peace. This is the heart of Heavenly Parent and True Parents. She pours out her heart and soul, loving and giving her life-force to all living beings on earth and in heaven. She is out in front, leading the march toward victory for the sake of providence. She works with intense passion to complete this mission so all future generations can be liberated, and learn to live in joy, peace, and prosperity. So, I ask you all, as true filial sons and daughters of True Parents', to help lead the charge and to be victorious in your respective areas of responsibility. It is only in this way that our True Mother and True Father can be completely liberated. It is up to each one of us to take full responsibility to usher in one unified peaceful world under Heavenly Parent. I have no doubt that we can do this! We must be confident, positively secure, without any doubt, that we shall overcome all obstacles and be victorious! Can we do it! Yes!…We must do it because earth and humanity are on the brink of extreme disaster and loss.
Indeed, we have our work cut out for us.
Consider the fact that in this past decade alone, humanity has been maxing outside the safety range of many historical, scientifically recorded norms on this planet. There are so many threats and challenges that we face, including the climate crisis, poverty, inequality, conflict, growing authoritarianism across the globe, interreligious disharmony, food insecurity, pollution and chemicals causing disease and suffering, technology that is not only going to change the landscape of jobs but which is also changing how we socialize and interact. With no true model of true love, aberrant forms of false love emerge, like child molestation in our churches or even the boy scouts, or the human trafficking affecting 30 million children and youth in the world; rampant pornography, prostitution, gender confusion, less confidence in marriage, imbalance of fertility rates. The list goes on.
The absence of True Love in our world is a creating an inner hole of anxiety, depression, addiction, selfharm, alienation, and lack of empathy for others. At the same time we see a world with an outer band of hatred, religious discrimination, racism, nationalism, war, with contempt, violence, corruption, and greed, harming all other living beings and creation. This black hole of hate is gripping the world and may cause it to self-implode.
The seed of this sad reality is false leadership. It is the leader of a nation that sets the tone and conduct on a global stage. We are at the brink of a world that has lost its true compass. We are in a frenzy of vacillation between left and right, and we can no longer navigate peace on the planet. A world that does not know Heavenly Parent and True Parents is doomed to meet its last days.
The headlines are filled with news of mass shootings in the United States. The rise of nationalism and disputes over border control defy basic human rights. Corruption in the capitols and our business conglomerates all contribute to the destruction and depletion of our planet, record setting temperatures all over the globe, increase in flooding and destructive weather, record breaking heat indexes, mass species extinctions, super bugs and diseases, the threat of war on every horizon, as nuclear armament and more military might takes center stage. Escalating tensions and protests in Hong Kong, hostile trade wars, unstable economies; more drastic divisions and deep-seated anger and hatred emerge, causing ever more friction, even tensions are rising between our beloved mother and father nations of Korea and Japan.
Extreme individualism and hatred have taken over globalism and the vision of one family under god. We are broken at every level, individual, family, tribe, nation and world.
It feels like we are in the Last Days, right?
At times it seems quite bleak and discouraging. But, despite these challenges, we have hope. The darkest hour is just before the dawn. The Last Days bring an end to an old era, and the dawn of a new era. That era is being ushered in by our True Parents. By our True Mother. And by each one of you as Cheon Il Guk leaders. You are their victorious, filial sons and daughters and light of the world.
If the world embraces Divine Principle, all can be transformed. Divine Principle teaches us (DP pg 239) that True father would come and meet his bride, the True Mother, and together they would embrace humanity and give rebirth, "as a hen gathers her brood under her wings." Restoration would then be complete.
That day has come, the Only Begotten Daughter and our True Father have completed everything!
Now more than ever our roles in history as Cheon Il Guk leaders are more profoundly important. You are True Mother's "brood under her wings" on the road to complete victory! All who pledge to do this please stand tall and give a great cheer for our global family! Let us be the ones to fly to every corner of this world, universe, cosmos and beyond carrying our Heavenly Parent's, True Parents', True Father's True Mother's, and FFWPU's victory to all in heaven and on the earth! AJU!
We hold Heavenly Parent's divine truth, the keys to liberation, freedom, wisdom, blessing, grace, unity, harmony, and peace. We have the power to embrace this globe with True Parents' Blessing, True Love, head wing ideology, and Principled thought and practice. We hold the cure and antidote to all the sickness and the toxins that plague this world! You are all heavenly champions who will bring victory and peace to this planet! Can we do it! Must we do it! Then there is no question. We will have victory 2020! Aju.
True Mother has taught us repeatedly that this is a glorious time and the "Golden Age" of our one and only True Parents.
Heavenly Parent deeply rejoiced on the day of True Parents Holy Wedding. It was a glorious day -- the fulfillment of the marriage supper of the lamb -- since it gave hope of salvation to all of humanity. As God's children, humanity can finally have the hope of reuniting with Heavenly Parent's loving embrace.
On the road to fulfilling this goal, I want to deeply thank each and every one of our leaders gathered here today for your absolute love and unity with True Parents.
Each and every one of you went through your own trials and tribulations and have overcome many obstacles with deep faith, courage, and wisdom to make a restored nation a closer reality in each of your regions.
Also, as a "True Child" and as a member of "True Family", I want to offer my sincere apology to our True Parents especially to True Mother for not being able to do more to lessen her burden and not being able to do more to prevent unfathomable difficulties in her providential mission.
I am deeply grateful to our True Mother for being my True Love hero and greatest champion to forgive, love, and unite all of us.
I know all of us aspire to be great leaders that Heavenly Parent and True Parents can be proud of.
Of course, we continually need to upgrade our own skill set and capacities, individually and as a movement.
Although there are many aspects to and models for good leadership, I would like to share with you some recent research related to the characteristics of great leadership.
According to researchers who have studied over 4,000 companies including Fortune 500 companies and who have had discussions with over 200 CEOs, they have discovered and distilled three key components that characterize great leaders.
Are you curious to know what they are? Yes?
First of all, great leaders are able to anticipate the next big change in their organization's operating model? Great leaders anticipate opportunities and threats to the organization and prepare for them in advance. Great leaders try to shape the future rather than just reacting to it.
Consider what True Mother has done. For example, over the past 7 years, she has anticipated the climate crisis and pioneered initiatives to create clean energy, harmony, stewardship, and balance, for a sustainable planet. She is a visionary who works to complete the 3rd blessing for our future generations. She is mother nature's super hero and my #1 cosmic super hero!
Secondly, great leaders welcome diversity in their personal and professional networks. They expand their capacity to create a network of people who are very different from themselves, people who are outside their comfort zone. The differences can be biological, physical, political, cultural, socioeconomic, etc. Even with these differences, great leaders can elicit trust and cooperation from this diverse network and move toward achieving a common goal.
Great leaders know that the diversity of their network can help them achieve greater capacities for anticipating the future and especially for developing responsive and effective solutions. Sound like someone we know? Well, all I have to say is that True Mother has been a heavenly globe trotter bringing us all together as OFUG, connecting us on a higher divine level of truth and building a brighter future.
Third, great leaders have the courage to be different. They are willing to take risks and even abandon past practices with courageous leaps. They go beyond what is familiar and comfortable, especially when they recognize and anticipate that change is happening. Once again, consider our True Mother. She has taught us about her position as the Only Begotten Daughter, and she is educating and liberating the entire world and all our ancestors and descendants so that no one has to live any longer in the realm of indemnity; instead everyone will enjoy complete liberation and vertical communion with our HP.
Great leaders go beyond what is predictable, and they prepare for dealing with the changing realities of today and the future.
Isn't that what our True Mother does? Don't these traits all characterize True Mother? Absolutely.
She is always looking into the future with the great diversity of our worldwide leadership focused on a common goal of national restoration. Also, as we all know, True Mother is bold and courageous!!
Let's give a cheer for our True Mother!
For daily inspiration and to connect deeply in heart with True Mother, please continue to read True Mother's words, especially her anthology of speeches. Those volumes are filled with vision and inspiration. Moreover, in November, True Mother's biography will be published. I have begged for True Mother to write her biography for years. True Father's Peace Loving Global Citizen gave me a profound life changing understanding of who my father was. I never had the chance to truly know True Father during his lifetime on earth because he was witnessing to the world, but through his autobiography he witnessed to me. I feel him in spirit, he is eternally with me through his words. He is the greatest Father and Teacher I have ever known. Being able to serve True Mother on earth has been my greatest blessing and and the best training I have ever received. I know True Mother's biography will not only enlighten me, but will liberate the world and cosmos!
Looking ahead over the next six months, leading up to February 2020, I know that each Region is totally focused. I pray for the success of the many programs for which you are all preparing over the next six months, and beyond.
I still have my bags packed and I'm sure you all do as well. Please have safe travels and take good care of your health, for you all have the greatest mission on earth, to be victorious! And on your way to victory, please give love, big hugs, encouragement, and empowerment to your spouses and children because they are our precious future.
In conclusion, brothers and sisters, I have only eternal love and only gratitude to all of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are my ultimate heroes and heroines of providential history.
I pray this Cheon Il Guk Leaders' Assembly goes well and is productive and that, after we meet True Mother tomorrow we can all leave here divinely inspired, wholeheartedly dedicated, and blissfully committed to welcome absolute victory 2020 and world peace around the globe. I am not going to ask can we do it? What shall we do? We MUST do it! Yes! Aju!
Kamsahamnida, salanghamnida, Namaste!