Devotion, faith and blessings
True Mother spent most of her childhood at the house of her maternal grandmother, Jo Won-mo, because her mother, Hong Soon-ae (Daemonim), was leading a life of faith devoted to receiving the Lord at the Second Advent. Both her mother and her grandmother raised her to inherit the core of this life of faith. Daemonim strove to raise Mother well. While they were living in the North, Daemonim often had dreams in which she saw Satan trying to harm her daughter. These dreams continued until Mother was six years old. In another dream, Rev. Kim Seong-do appeared to her and told her to raise True Mother well because she was not her own child but God's. Hence, Daemonim devoted herself to raising her as well as she could in the position of her daughter's nanny. Since Daemonim walked such a path of trials, True Mother also had to walk that path alongside her until she could stand as Heaven's Bride. 1 About one month after my birth, my mother had a dream. Rev. Kim Seong-do of the New Jesus Church appeared to her in white clothes on a white cloud, and said, "Soon-ae, you must have worried a lot about your baby. But don't you worry. She is the daughter of the Lord, and you are like her nursemaid. Make sure to nurse her and raise her well." My mother engraved those words deep in her heart. When I was growing up, I was very different from other children. I could speak and walk before I was a year old. When I spoke, my pronunciation was very clear. This is why my grandmother said, "This child is different." I had a good mind, and I was never the slightest bit untidy. (True Mother, 2014/10/11) 2 Throughout their lives my grandmother and my mother lived their lives of faith preparing to receive the Returning Lord. They did not compromise with the world. They were totally dedicated to heaven 24 hours a day. They offered their utmost devotion to make preparations to receive the Lord. Their life of faith was not like the ordinary faith of those who stay comfortably in their homes. Since my mother’s investment in her life of faith caused her to be rarely at home, I lived mostly with my grandmother. So I naturally inherited my faith from my grandmother. (True Mother, 1999/10/21) 3 My grandmother knew God's Will for me, so she cared for me with sincerity. She raised me in purity, untainted by the world, so that I might become the precious daughter whom heaven could use. My grandmother repeatedly told me, "Your father is Heavenly Father." Thus, when we talked about my father I always thought about Heavenly Father rather than my physical father. Whenever I thought of God I always had a warm feeling. Anyone who looked at my family from an external perspective would have found it incomprehensible. Yet, growing up in it, I never felt anything lacking; nor did I have anything to complain about. I lived with a feeling that something or someone was embracing me, and I felt free in my heart. I never asked my mother or my grandmother anything about my physical father, such as why my mother and father lived the way they did. Throughout my life I never had any hard feelings or complaints whatsoever about my physical parents. (True Mother, 1999/10/21) 4 Until I was six, I lived at Anju, South Pyeongan Province. During those years Satan would appear in my mother's dreams trying to kill me. For six long years, she had to fight Satan. However, my mother did not yet understand the deep meaning of this. She only wondered, "Why is Satan continually trying to kill my baby?" (True Mother, 1977/05/03) 5 My mother first followed the New Jesus Church, then the Holy Lord Church and finally the Inside the Womb Church. In that church she fervently prayed with longing for the Lord to return. When I was about four years old, 1 began to make conditions of devotion with her, by offering bows at her side. At the church everyone observed the official times for offering bows, which were twice a day, in the morning and the evening. Some people also offered bowing conditions at other times, such as in the middle of meditation. This lifestyle did not change until I was six years old, when we moved down to the South. (True Mother, 2013/12/06) 6 I believe that my childhood was a period for me to keep separate from the evils of the world, so I could become the Bride of the Lord. My original personality was not extroverted; I was inclined to enjoy my inner world, away from the secular world.
True Father once said that my grandmother and my mother dedicated everything to bequeath the way of heaven's heart to me. They did not mind even if their flesh was torn or their bones were broken; they kept on walking the path of absolute obedience with unchanging, loyal hearts. Father also said that in order that I would not be in contact with circumstances full of worldly temptations, God led me to a life that was separated from the world. (True Mother, 2014/10/11) |