평화의 어머니 4 - 5. 푸른 잔디밭 위로 내리는 여름비

[대태양/김현수]

평화의 어머니
4장 가시밭길을 넘어, 인류의 등불이 되어

5. 푸른 잔디밭 위로 내리는 여름비

1 미국 팝가수 제임스 테일러가 부른 노래 중에 <Line 'Em Up>은 1974년 닉슨 대통령의 하야를 그린 곡입니다. 마지막 부분에 이런 구절이 나옵니다.
"Yeah, big Moon landing, peaple are standing up."
여기서 'big Moon'은 다른 사람이 아닌 나의 남편 문선명 총재를 가리킵니다.

2 양키스타디움대회가 열리기 5년 전인 1971년 우리가 미국에 도착했을 때, 세계는 꼭 나침반을 잃어버린 난파선과 같았습니다. 공산주의의 위협이 갈수록 심해졌고, 기독교는 서서히 힘을 잃어 가고 있었습니다. 청년들은 무너진 성도덕으로 인해 참된 삶의 목적과 목표를 잃고 방황했습니다. 종교의 자유를 찾아 대서양을 건너온 청교도들이 피땀으로 건국한 미국은 그 소명을 잊고 퇴폐문화로 얼룩졌습니다.

3 닉슨 대통령의 워터게이트사건으로 민심이 사분오열로 갈라져 갈피를 잡지 못하면서도 정치인들은 닉슨의 하야를 요구했습니다. 전 세계가 덩달아 설왕설래했는데, 나는 그 사건이 선량한 사람들에게 참혹함을 알려 줄 것을 잘 알기에 가슴이 무척 아팠습니다.

4 우리 부부는 미국 국민들을 향해 "용서하라, 사랑하라"고 외쳤습니다. 닉슨 대통령 한 사람에 대한 용서가 아니라 미국인 모두의 각성을 촉구하는 메세지였습니다. 나날이 밀려오는 공산세력의 적화 야욕을 막아 내기 위한 외로운 외침이었습니다. 미국인들의 메마른 심령에 성령의 불을 붙여 하나님의 사상을 각성시키기 위한 것이었습니다.

5 미국에 도착한 지 1년이 겨우 지난 1972년 겨울, 뉴욕에서 '하나님의 대회'를 개최하였습니다. 그때 세계의 현실을 식구들에게 알려 주고 우리가 져야 할 책임에 대해서도 들려주었습니다.
"민주세계는 공산주의의 위협으로 절박한 위기에 처해 있습니다. 이 위기를 타개하려면 우리가 적극 나서야 합니다."

6 우리 부부는 곧바로 볼티모어, 필라델피아, 샌프란스시코, 로스앤젤레스 등에서 강연을 했습니다. 청년들을 모아 통일십자군(One World Crusade)을 만들어서 불같은 열정을 품고 세계를 일깨우라고 독려했습니다.

7 1974년은 세계사적으로 매우 중요한 한 해였습니다. 닉슨 대통령이 "꼭 만나기를 원한다"는 연락을 해와 우리는 백악관으로 갔습니다. 초조해하는 그에게 하나님의 뜻이 무엇인지 들려주고, 미국이 무엇을 해야 할 것인지 준엄히 가르쳐 주었습니다. 이어 32개 도시를 순회하며 강연을 했습니다. 처음에 미국인들은 당혹해했습니다. 그러나 차츰 우리의 뜻을 이해하고 감동을 받아 가는 곳마다 사람들이 늘어났습니다.

8 우리의 순회 연설은 뉴욕 매디슨스퀘어가든 집회로 정점을 찍었습니다. 미국에서 열린 통일교회의 첫 번째 대강연회이자 미국 역사상 가장 놀라운 기록이었습니다. 3만여 명이 행사장을 가득 메웠음에도 2만여 명이 입장하지 못하고 발걸음을 돌려 돌아가야 할 만큼 대성황이었습니다.

9 우리는 대회의 주제를 '기독교의 새로운 장래'로 정했습니다. 뉴욕은 미국의 중심 도시이고 매디슨스퀘어는 뉴욕의 중심부이기 때문에 그곳에서 타오른 하나님을 향한 불길은 전 미국으로 퍼져 나갔으며 지구촌을 밝히는 햇불이 되었습니다. 우리는 미국에 온 지 3년여 만에 매디슨스퀘어가든집회를 통해 만민을 해방하려는 하나님의 뜻을 이루어 드렸습니다.

10 잠시 쉴 틈도 없이 미국과 전 세계를 감격케 하는 대회를 연이어 두번이나 열었습니다. 건국 200주년에 맞춘 뉴욕 양키스타디움대회와 워싱턴DC 모뉴먼트대회였습니다. 6월1일 양키스타디움대회의 성공에 힘입어 워싱턴에서 모뉴먼트대회를 열기로 했습니다. 아니나 다를까, 미국 정부와 종교계가 총공격을 퍼부었고 언론들은 헐뜯고 비난하기 바빴습니다.
"백악관과 국무성에서 반대가 심합니다."
"모든 신문이 우리를 헐뜯느라 지면이 모자랄 지경입니다."

11 양키스타디움대회 때는 12개 단체가 공격을 퍼부었는데, 워싱턴 대회에는 30여 개가 넘는 반대파들이 똘똘 뭉쳐 공격을 해왔습니다. 공산당까지 가담해 대회 자체를 무산시키려 혈안이 되었습니다. 그러나 우리는 한 치의 두려움이나 망설임 없이 오로지 하나님의 승리를 위해 생명을 걸고 대회를 감행했습니다.

12 대회 40일 전에야 천신만고 끝에 집회 허가가 났습니다. 그 40일은 심정적으로 40년보다 길고도 막막한 시간이었습니다. 나는 어디에서 무슨 일을 하든, 누구를 만나든 늘 그 생각뿐이었습니다. 너무 골몰한 나머지 아침을 저녁으로, 저녁을 아침으로 착각할 정도였습니다. 드디어 1976년 9월 18일 워싱턴 모뉴먼트광장에서 미국 건국 200주년 대강연회가 열렸습니다. 30여만 명이 구름처럼 모여든 광경은 실로 기적적인 장관이 아닐 수 없었습니다.

13 모뉴먼트대회는 통일교회를 선전하거나 문선명과 한학자의 이름을 알리기 위해 열린 대회가 아니었습니다. 오히려 내부적으로 많은 희생을 치렀습니다. 심지어 테러가 일어날 것이라는 소식도 들려왔지만 우리는 전혀 두려워하지 않았습니다.

14 새벽에 일어나 깊은 기도를 올리고, 사형선고를 받은 사람이 형장에 나가는 것보다 더 무거운 마음으로 행사장으로 향했습니다. 전 인류를 감동시키게 해달라는 기도를 하며 대회장에 들어섰습니다. 그 기도와 정성은 대회장에 모인 30여만 명을 넘어 전 미국인에게, 지구촌 모든 사람에게 어둠을 밝혀 주는 등불이 되었습니다. 그동안 미국 언론과 온 국민이 통일교회에 반대했지만 우리는 그 반대를 극복하고 대회를 성공시켜 '하나님이 우리와 함께하신다'는 것을 보여 주었습니다.

15 우리 부부는 낯선 땅 미국으로 건너가 갖은 고생을 다 하면서 세 차례의 대회를 성황리에 마쳐 하나님이 소망하시는 성스러운 뜻을 이루었습니다. 1974년 뉴욕 매디슨스퀘어가든집회와 1976년 양키스타디움대회 그리고 워싱턴 모뉴먼트대회에서 참다운 승리를 했습니다. 그러나 그 승리의 영광은 우리 교회를 위한 것이 아니라 지구촌 온 인류를 위한 것이었습니다.

16 우리가 미국에 도착해서 짧은 기간에 그처럼 넓고 깊은 호응을 받을 수 있었던 이유는 다른데 있지 않았습니다. 미국인들이 종교성을 회복해 가슴속에 하나님을 모셔야 한다는 호소가 큰 공감을 받았습니다. 가정의 소중함을 일깨우고, 청년들이 도덕성을 되찾아 꿈을 향해 나아갈 수 있도록 기도하고 정성을 다한 것도 미국인들의 마음을 움직였습니다.

17 처음에 그들은 동양에서 온 우리 부부에게 별반 호감을 느끼지 않았습니다. '통일원리'라는 처음 듣는 단어를 낯설어했습니다. 그러나 곧 그 원리가 진리임을 깨닫고 차츰 우리 식구가 되었습니다. 엘리트층을 중심으로 퍼져 나간 원리말씀은 얼마 지나지 않아 인종과 직업, 나이, 학력을 가리지 않고 많은 사람들의 호응을 얻어 그들 삶의 핵심 축이 되었습니다. 미국 전역을 다니며 학교를 세우고, 신문사를 만들고, 봉사단체를 조직하고, 리틀엔젤스 공연을 했습니다. 그 길목마다 선교사들의 피와 땀, 눈물이 마르지 않았습니다. 그리고 나의 쉬지 않는 기도가 있었습니다.

18 2016년 여름에 열린 '뉴욕 양키스타디움대회 40주년 기념식'은 그 마음을 다시 한번 되새기는 날이었습니다. 나는 40년 전의 위대한 승리에 만족해 제자리에 머물러 있어서는 안 된다는 것을 알고 있었습니다. 푸른 잔디밭 위로 내리는 여름비를 맞으며 이제 다시 신발끈을 동여매고 평화의 참어머니로서 희망과 행복의 평화세계를 만들어 가야한다는 소명을 가슴 깊이 새겼습니다.

平和の母
第四章 茨の道を越え、人類の灯火となって

5. 青い芝生に降る夏の雨

アメリカのポップ歌手、ジェームス・テイラーが歌った「Line' Em Up」という歌は、一九七四年のニクソン大統領の辞任を描いた曲です。最後に、このようなフレーズが出てきます。

Yeah, big moon landing, people are standing up.

ここでいう「big moon」とは、ほかでもない夫の文総裁を指しています。
ヤンキースタジアム大会の五年前、私たちがアメリカに到着した一九七一年当時、世界はまるで羅針盤を失った難破船のような状態でした。共産主義の脅戒がますます大きくなる反面、キリスト教は徐々に力を失っていました。青年たちは乱れに乱れた性によって、真なる人生の目的と目標を失い、さまようばかりでした。宗教の自由を求めて大西洋を渡ってきた清教徒たちが、血と汗を流して建国したアメリカは、もはやその使命を忘れ、退廃的な文化に染まり切っていたのです。

また、ウォーターゲート事件と呼ばれる一連の政治スキャンダルが起こり、アメリカ人の心はばらばらになって、進むべき方向性を見いだせなくなっていました。政治家たちはニクソン大統領の辞任を要求し、全世界がそれに付和雷同して大騒ぎしていましたが、私はそのような験ぎが、結局は善良な人々を悲修な目に遭わせることをよく分かっていたので、胸がとても痛みました。

私たち夫婦はアメリカの人々に向かって、「許せ、愛せ、団結せよ」と叫びました。それはニクソン大統領一人を許すことを呼びかけるためではなく、アメリカ人全員の覚醒を促すためのメッセージでした。日々迫ってくる共産勢力の赤化への野望を防ぐため、孤立無援の中、闘ったのです。それはアメリカ人の渇いた心霊に聖霊の火をつけ、神様の思想に目覚めさせるための叫びでした。

アメリカに到着してまだ間もない一九七二年二月、私たちはニューヨークで「神様と人間のための理想世界」というテーマで集会を開きました。当時の世界の現状を訴え、私たちが担うべき責任について話したのです。
「民主世界は共産主義の脅威によって危機に瀕しています。この状況を打開するために、私たちは積極的に立ち上がらなければなりません」

私たち夫婦は、フィラデルフィアやボルティモア、ロサンゼルス、サンフランシスコなどで立て続けに講演を行いました。また、青年たちを集めて統一十字軍を結成し、炎のような情熱をもって世界を目覚めさせるよう、激励しました。

翌々年の一九七四年は、世界史的に非常に重要な一年でした。ニクソン大統領が「ぜひ会いたい」と連絡してきたため、文総裁はホワイトハウスへ向かいました。そうして、ウォーターゲート事件の最中にあって焦りを感じている彼に神様のみ意は何かを知らせ、アメリカが何をすべきか、毅然とした態度で伝えたのです。

続いて、全米三十二カ都市を巡回しながら講演を行いました。最初は困惑していたアメリカの人たちでしたが、次第に私たちの志を理解するようになり、日が経つにつれ参加者が増えていきました。

巡回講演は、ニューヨークのマディソン・スクエア・ガーデン大会でハイライトを迎えました。 それはアメリカで開かれた、統一教会の最初の大講演会であり、アメリカ史上でも驚くべき記録を打ち立てた大会となったのです。当日は、三万人が会場を理め尽くしたにもかかわらず、二万人以上が入場できないまま帰途に就くほどの大盛況でした。

私たちは、大会のテーマを「キリスト教の新しい未来」に定めました。ニューヨークはアメリカの中心都市であり、マディソン・スクエア・ガーデンはそのニューヨークの中心部にあります。 そこから燃え上がった信仰の炎はアメリカ全土に広がり、地球を照らす松明となりました。私たちはアメリカに来てから三年にも満たない間に、マディソン・スクエア・ガーデンの大会を通して、万民を解放しょうとなさる神様のみ旨を成し迷げるための狼煙を上げたのです。

私たちは少しも休む暇なく、アメリカと全世界を驚かせる大会をさらに続けて行いました。それが、建国二百周年に合わせて開催したニューヨーク・ヤンキースタジアム大会とワシントン・モニュメント大会です。

既に述べたように、ヤンキースタジアム大会は一九七六年六月一日に行われ、大成功を収めました。それを追い風にしてさらに大きく開催したのが、ワシントン大会です。案の定、アメリカの宗教界が総攻撃を浴びせかけ、マスコミは中傷と非難に躍起になりました。
「あちこちで激しい反対が起こっています」
「あらゆる新聞が、私たちに対する中傷記事で埋め尽くされています」

ヤンキースタジアム大会の時は十二の団体が攻撃を仕掛けてきましたが、ワシントン大会では三十以上の反対派が一丸となって襲いかかってきました。共産主義者まで加担し、大会自体を中止させようと血眼になったのです。しかし、私たちは少しの恐れやためらいもなく、ただ神様の勝利のために、命懸けで大会を敢行しました。

千辛万苦の末、大会の四十日前になってようやく、開催の許可が下りました。それからの四十日は、心情的には四十年よりも長く、果てしなく感じた期間でした。私たちはどこで何をしていても、誰に会っていようとも、いつも大会のことばかり考えていました。そのことに集中しすぎて、朝と夜の区別もつかなくなるほどでした。

一九七六年九月十八日、ワシントン・モニュメントの広場で、ついにアメリカ建国二百周年を記念する大講演会が開かれました。三十万人以上が雲霞のごとく詰めかけた光景は、実に奇跡的であり、壮観と言わざるを得ませんでした。

ワシントン大会は、統一教会を宣伝したり、文鮮明と韓鶴子の名を知らしめたりするために開かれた大会ではありません。むしろ、対内的には多くの犠牲を払いました。また、テロが起こるという声も耳に入りましたが、私たちは全く恐れませんでした。

当日、私たちは朝早く起きて深い祈祷を捧げ、死刑宣告を受けた人が刑場に向かう時以上に深刻な気持ちで会場に向かいました。
「全人類に感動をお与えください」

その祈りと精誠が、会場に集まった三十万人の聴衆はおろか、すべてのアメリカ人、そして地球上のすべての人々にとって、暗闇を照らす灯火となったのです。その間、アメリカのマスコミと多くの人々が統一教会に反対しましたが、私たちはそれをはねのけて大会を成功させ、「神様が私たちと共にいらっしゃる」ことを示したのです。

私たち夫婦は異国の地であるアメリカに渡り、様々な苦労をしながら三度の大会を中心に多くの大会を成功裏に終え、神様の願われる聖なるみ旨を成し迷げました。特に一九七四年のマディソン・スクエア・ガーデン大会と一九七六年のヤンキースタジアム大会、そしてワシントン大会を通して、真の勝利を収めました。その勝利の栄光は、私たちの教会のためではなく、地球の全人類のためのものでした。

私たちが渡米後、短い期間でそれほど広く、大きな賛同を得ることができたのは、ほかでもありません。アメリカの人たちが宗教性を回復し、心の中に神様をお迎えしなければならないという訴えが深い共感を呼んだのです。家庭の大切さに気づかせ、 青年たちが道徳性を取り戻して夢に向かって進めるように祈り、精誠を尽くしたことも、アメリカ人の心を動かしました。

当初、彼らは東洋から来た私たち夫婦に対して、あまり好意を持っていませんでした。しかし、初めて聞く「統一原理」という言葉に戸惑いつつも、ほどなくそれが真理であることを悟って、信徒になっていったのです。

初めはエリート層を中心に広がった「原理」のみ言ですが、やがて人種や職業、年齢、 学歴を問わず、多くの人々を引きつけて、彼らの人生の核心的な軸となりました。アメリカ全士を回りながら学校を建て、新聞社をつくり、ボランティア団体を立ち上げ、リトルエンジェルスの公演を行いました。その路程の所々に、宣教師たちの血と汗と涙が流されています。また、私たち夫婦の休むことなき祈祷の跡が残っています。

二〇一六年の夏に開かれた「ニューヨーク・ヤンキースタジアム大会四十周年記念式」は、その思いを再び胸に刻む日となりました。前日から降り続いた雨は朝方やみ、私のメッセージが終わる頃、再び降り始めました。私は、四十年前の偉大な勝利にただ満足して、その場にとどまっていてはならないことを知っています。青く茂る芝生の上で夏の雨を浴びながら、私は靴のひもを結び直し、平和の真の母として、希望と幸福の平和世界を築くという使命を心深くに刻みました。

MOTHER of PEACE
CHAPTER 4 God's Light Shines Upon A Path Of Thorns
 
5. As a summer rain fell upon the lawn

In his 1991 novel, Mao II, an American writer, Don DeLillo, described the Unification movement’s mass weddings as opening the path forward for humanity. Interestingly, he depicted our 1982 Blessing Ceremony at Madison Square Garden as having taken place at Yankee Stadium. Mr. DeLillo in any case described a oneness and harmony among thousands of young couples devoting their marriage and family to God, and observed, “We all are Moonies, or should be.”

Back then, we were known, often not affectionately, as 'the Moonies.” The name was a creation of the media. We were new and exciting. Regardless of the name, Mr. DeLillo grasped something profound. I'm sure millions of Americans had similar intuitions. Everyone indeed should—and will someday-participate in the Blessing of marriage for world peace.

When my husband and I arrived in the United States in December of 1971, five years before the Yankee Stadium Rally, we saw a world adrift on a chartless ocean with no compass. The threat of communism was growing and Christianity was losing strength. Christian theologians even came up with justifications for communism. Young people wandered about, having no purpose or goals, seduced by sexual temptation and the false freedom advertised by the birth control pill. The United States, founded in the blood and sweat of people of faith who had crossed the Atlantic, risking their lives in pursuit of religious freedom, was breaking its covenant with God.

From the moment of our arrival in America, we rushed forward infused with heavenly energy. Increasing numbers of young people in the United States and the Western world were drawn to our idealistic teachings. We shared our hearts with the members about the challenges the world was facing and the responsibilities that, together with them, we wished to fulfill. “The democratic world is facing an urgent crisis due to the threat of communism,” we explained, “We must invest everything in order to overcome this.”

Within two months of our arrival, my husband and I conducted a speaking tour of seven cities, mobilizing members in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Berkeley. It was difficult at first, but by the time we reached California, we had overflow audiences for our three nights of talks. In those cities, some among the young people who attended our speaking events committed themselves to our cause. By early 1973 we had several bus teams covering the country and a house center in most states. From these groups, reinforced by energetic leaders and members from Japan and Europe, including the Korean Folk Ballet, we formed the One World Crusade and a choir, the New Hope Singers International. We loved their fiery passion and desire to enlighten the world.

Through my husband's energy, in 1972, the year after arriving in the United States, we set in motion so many projects. We convened the first meeting of the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences, at New York City's Waldorf Astoria Hotel. We established the American branch of the Professors World Peace Academy and strengthened the already-existing Freedom Leadership Foundation, dedicated to the victory over communism. At Belvedere, we taught hundreds of young members to live according to God's word, and in the fall of 1973, with our mobile teams and local centers fully functioning, we conducted a second national speaking tour, this time of 21 cities. In each city, we hosted a banquet for social leaders and clergy, where numerous mayors presented us with keys to their city. We then held three nights of public talks on God, America and the future of Christianity.

At that time, a crisis arose in America. In 1972, Richard Nixon had been elected to a second term as president by an overwhelming majority, but one year later, popular sentiment had turned against him. The media and Mr. Nixon's political opponents were demanding that he resign from office over the Watergate affair. His supposed allies had no power to defend him. Even Christian leaders drew back and kept silent.

It was my husband who spoke out. Our movement published “America in Crisis: Answer to Watergate: Forgive, Love, Unite” in 21 leading newspapers. This was not about forgiving President Nixon alone, Father said, but about forgiving, loving and uniting as a nation for the sake of the world.

Nixon's commitment was to win the Vietnam War and halt communist aggression into southeast Asia. In opposition, communist affiliates confused the American public, mounting demonstrations against Nixon on college campuses and even on the National Mall. Seeking to awaken reverence for God and ignite a fire among Americans thirsting for righteousness, our members began demonstrating for God and the dignity of the American presidency. We gained media attention and the president himself took notice.

Early in 1974, President Nixon sent us an invitation to meet him in the White House. Mr. Nixon was anxious, aware of the likelihood of impeachment. As members covered the White House in prayer, my husband counseled him to stand strong, confess any wrongdoing and call for national prayer, unity and renewal.

On the heels of our meeting with the president, we went out again, this time to speak in 32 cities, completing our coverage of all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. At first, most Americans were perplexed to hear about a Christian leader from the East. But to know us is to love us, and wherever we went, people were touched and took something valuable from our message. Public interest increased by the day, and with it came controversy.

The final tour of that era, this one of eight cities, began that September 18 at New York City's Madison Square Garden, with a speech entitled, “The New Future of Christianity.” It was the first really large venue the Unification Church had sought to fill, and the event had an amazing impact. More than 30,000 people packed the Garden, while another 20,000 had to be turned away.

Without a moment's rest, we held even more rallies that impacted the world. Our confidence to fill large arenas led to greater gratitude to God, our Heavenly Parent, and to our members who were, and are, devoted to Heaven's principle and providence. In the midst of this, in Korea, we displayed the power of the Victory Over Communism (VOC) movement at a rally of 1.2 million on Yoido Island in Seoul. This led to a nationwide movement aimed at the reunification of North and South Korea in the 1980s. The VOC teaching spread beyond Japan and Asia. Through the Confederation of Associations for the Unity of the Societies of the Americas (CAUSA), leaders in the Western Hemisphere, including national leaders in Latin America and 70,000 members of the clergy, attended the CAUSA workshops.

The Yankee Stadium Festival, on June 1, 1976, was the first half of the God Bless America Festival, held to honor the bicentennial year of the United States' founding. With its success, we decided not to wait, but to hold a rally in Washington, DC, at the Washington Monument, in September, just three months later. Not surprisingly, members of the US government with less-than-noble motives worked with narrow-minded religious leaders and 'anti-cult groups that preyed upon members' parents to launch an all-out attack on us. Always on the lookout for a controversy, the media built its audience by articles and news reports disparaging and criticizing us.

Arrayed against us at the Yankee Stadium and Washington Monument events were more than 30 opposition groups, including the US Communist Party. Nonetheless, without a trace of fear or the remotest consideration about pulling back, my husband and I set aside our personal safety and dedicated our lives to the future of the United States. We invested all we had to wake up the American churches and people to the reality of God, the truth of the Bible and the supreme importance of God-centered marriage and family life, beyond race, nation and religion. Declaring this message on the vast expanse of the National Mall was our goal, and nothing could change that.

After a good deal of back and forth, 40 days before the rally, the government granted the permit to hold our assembly on the National Mall. Now the die was cast. I felt as if I were entering a waterless desert with an oasis 40 days away. On the emotional level, that 40 days seemed as if it were more than 40 years.

Wherever I went, whatever I did, whoever I was with, I could think only about the rally. I was so absorbed in it that I would confuse breakfast with dinner, dinner with breakfast, and miss lunch altogether. I think that I was not the only one.

The rally was neither being held to promote the Unification Church nor to publicize the names of Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han, quite the opposite. We sacrificed so much internally and externally to bring it about. We were informed that there might be a terrorist attack, but we were not afraid of that.

Finally, September 18, 1976, arrived, and with it our rally to mark the bicentennial of the United States took place in the vast grounds surrounding the Washington Monument. My husband and I arose early that morning, prayed deeply and headed to the National Mall with a heart more serious than that of someone on the way to the gallows, not out of fear for ourselves, but because of the enormous providential significance riding on the outcome.

There, more than 300,000 people gathered by mid-day, peacefully, hopefully, and gratefully. It was indeed a grand and miraculous sight. The American media, the government and certain religious hierarchies had opposed the Unification Church but we had surmounted all challenges.

The people of America's humble neighborhoods in Richmond, Washington DC, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, New York, New Haven, Boston and beyond, gathered for God and for America. They were what made the Washington Monument rally a huge success. Our members had mobilized all the buses available on the East Coast, more than a thousand, and had to bite their lips as many hundreds of would-be participants were left behind at the gathering places with no more buses to transport them. It is a testimony to the people's love of God and country that True Parents triggered. We could feel it: God is alive in America.

My husband and I had emigrated with our family to this unfamiliar land and we took on a challenging course. We concluded our first campaign with the success of the three rallies: Madison Square Garden in 1974 and the Yankee Stadium and Washington Monument rallies in 1976. Uttered with sincere devotion, our prayer was the light that ended the darkness. Its light was cast beyond the open-hearted people who attended our events, to illuminate all Americans and all people in our global village.

Understandably, the American people did not automatically welcome my husband and me warmly when we arrived “fresh off the boat” from a land in the far-distant East. They were unfamiliar with terms they were hearing for the first time, such as “Divine Principle” and “True Parents.” There was only one reason that we were able to receive such a broad and deep response within four years of our arrival. It was not just that our message made sense. More than that, it was that our message re-awakened the religious vision upon which the United States of America was conceived. That is what triggered the significant response. Our prayers and sincere devotion, and our message about the importance of the family, summoning young people to recover their sense of morality and to strive for the perfection of true love in the community—this is what moved the hearts of the American people, for it is the founding vision of that nation.

Many young people came to realize that the Principle is the truth and joined our family movement. For these brothers and sisters, the Principle became the core axis of life. They shared the Principle with everyone from fellow youth carrying backpacks on the West Coast to the elite leaders in the universities and the government. They gained the support of people of all races, occupations, ages and educational backgrounds. My husband and I toured the United States to encourage and inspire not just the public, but our members. We called them to establish schools, create newspapers, get their doctorates, link cultures through programs such as the Little Angels, dance troupes and rock bands, raise funds going shop to shop and door to door, create home churches, fish businesses and restaurants, and organize volunteer service projects. On every path we trod, the blood, sweat and tears of our frontline missionaries, domestic and international, continued to flow. I was constantly in prayer. 

At Belvedere in the summer of 2016, the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Yankee Stadium Rally brought to mind this entire history. Returning from those memories, I viewed the hundreds of happy interracial families gathered on the lawn at Belvedere. As I rose to the podium, I set aside the emotions attached to that day of celebration and considered the future. Standing and speaking with a heart of grateful love, I let our members know that there is still much work to do. We cannot allow ourselves to be satisfied with those victories from decades ago. At the end of the day, I lingered at Belvedere. A summer rain fell upon the lawn, and once again, deep in my heart, I felt the call to focus my mind and continue on the path toward a world of hope and happiness as the Mother of peace.