I was born and raised in a village surrounded by beautiful nature, and I always believed in an invisible God. My family was a morally good family, and when I was a child, my grandmother used to teach me that it is wrong to lie. When I was around 11 years of age, I started to wonder where we would go after physical death. I had many good friends, and thought that even the friendship between a boy and a girl could be a pure one.
But God started to guide me more directly when I entered college. Four things happened. First, I was admitted to Chuo University in Tokyo and made friends with a fellow student who later became my spiritual mother. She disappeared for a couple of weeks, during which time she joined the Unification Church. Soon after she came back, she started to witness to me on January 17, 1966.
Second, at college I joined the German-Speaking Club because I majored in German. The club chief was a male student, and I developed a friendship of trust and respect for him. A little later, however, he took advantage of my pure heart and attempted to make a sort of sexual advance towards me. I was extremely disappointed and hurt. So, I started to realize that human beings were very ugly. I started to wonder about the nature of the man-woman relationship and the purpose of life. This prepared me to accept the Divine Principle teachings on the human fall and God's original purpose of creation later.
Third, my experience led me to go to Christian churches more often than when I was a high-school student. I became a church-goer to search for the truth that could answer my questions. So, when my spiritual mother invited me to come to a Unification-Church Sunday service, I had no problem at all. In my first Unification-Church service, I was moved with spiritual power far more powerful than in Christian churches.
Fourth, I was exposed to Korean culture through a wonderful Korean lady who came to Japan to marry a Japanese man. I came to know her, because I had a part-time job in his management-consulting office. I eventually moved in to their house and spent much time with her personally. I was amazed and deeply impressed with the Korean culture of jeong seong (sincerity) explained by her. Because of this, later I easily accepted my spiritual mother's statement that the Messiah came from Korea, and he was now here on earth.
I went to a three-day workshop in January, a seven-day workshop in February, and a 16-day special workshop in March 1966. On the final day of the 16-day workshop, as a 19-year-old girl I pledged to devote myself entirely to God, True Parents, and the Unification Church.
From Tribute, pp. 311-12.