Chambumo Gyeong - 239. True Parents' regional tours
During the 40-day summer witnessing campaign of 1960, True Parents traveled around Korea for 21 days, from July 30 to August 19, visiting the witnessing locations and giving encouragement to the education team members. The witnessing teams who were pioneering received True Parents' party with tears of gratitude. True Parents spent time with the members, listening attentively to their reports, sometimes staying up all night because they were so absorbed, speaking to them, and sharing their meals of boiled barley. True Parents continued to make regional tours during a three-year period. 7 I vividly remember the time in 1960 when I sent you out to witness and toured around to visit you. Today, when I go on a tour and people hear I am coming, numerous members line up on the path to greet me. But more than with them, God makes the connection of heaven and earth in the mind of the person whom He sees standing anxiously alone in a place where the cold wind blows. When the people I sent out, looking like sentinels in the world of death, still raise the flag of heaven, pledging their life and bowing their heads to pray with devotion—God is with them. In light of this, we can see that a connection of heart with God is formed when we are in a difficult situation. When people hunted and pursued Elijah, and he appealed to God, saying, "I am the only one left" (1 Kings 19:10), God was with him in heart. Since God was with him, the decisive power of victory was newly given to Elijah. (017-083, 1966/11/12) 8 At the time I toured the districts in Korea for 21 days, I prayed, "This road is now a rough mountainous road, but in the future, the Unification Church family members will make a road here that many motorists will call the best road there is." This road is not just the road of an individual. It is the road that continues for all. Among you, there may be some who strut down it, thinking it is a temporary road. But I am not like that. It is not a temporary road. This is the road that peoples, all of humankind, those in the spirit world and even Heavenly Father must walk. When the individual, family, society, people, citizens of the nation, those in the spirit world and even God travel on this road, they will say, "My sons and daughters will find this road very smooth!" (012-162, 1963/03/16) 9 When I toured the local districts I often slept outside. In the time of pioneer witnessing, everyone did so. I would ride in a jeep 24 hours, night and day. There was no place to sleep, so we slept in the jeep. I had that kind of training. If I slept out in the open, I would be wet with dew by morning, so I slept in the jeep. The time I spent in it was a time for resting. If my destination was even 30 minutes away, I would close my eyes and fall asleep immediately. (227-191, 1992/02/11) 10 When I tour the district churches, I see that the Unification Church members are living in very miserable places. Every time I see that, I pray to God, "Heavenly Father, please be with them! When I lived in such circumstances, You were there with me, and when I stood in such a position on Your behalf, didn't You encourage me, saying that there is still a way I can go? Please form such a connection with them, too."
Do not use the word "miserable" to describe the place you are in now. Even in a miserable place, you need to appear as a person who can sing a triumphant song of goodness. To do so, you need to become princes and princesses of God who can judge the evil world. You need clearly to understand my position as the Teacher, the one who had no choice but to drive you out to the place where sharp winds blow and stormy waves crash. When you know that you love God, and that He loves you, you will leave the precious and comfortable position that fulfills your hope in this world and go out to the place where you can hold on to God's heart and appeal to Him. (016-255, 1966/06/19) 11 When I go on a regional tour, many times I face the members with tears. When I see how they endure in the most difficult situations, I am filled with sorrow. But, the more miserable you are, the more you can become one in heart with God. God is deeply moved when He meets you in the place where you declare that you will suffer for Father's sake, the place where you call out His name even while you are starving. In the place where you are confined behind bars and beaten while working for God's Will, where you shed tears as you are tortured, that's where the heart of God bursts.
While you are in such a place, you need to pledge that you will win the titles of filial child and loyal patriot in front of Father. Since no one in history has been like that, you should comfort God, saying you will liberate history's sorrowful martyrs. Once you understand God's historical heart, you promise the martyrs, "This is the road you walked. I too will walk this road to comfort you and resolve your sorrow. I promise to do so now, without fail." (156-322, 1966/12/25) 12 I toured around Korea often. I thought as I drove over the rough roads of Gangwon Province, "If only this road were a little wider, even by a foot!" This was something that the driver felt as well. Therefore, when we pave our road, it should not be a narrow one that can be traveled only by an individual or a family. When we are building a road, we should make it wide, even if it means we have to work much harder and sacrifice more.
Then what kind of a road should be paved by the family members of the Unification Church, who are pioneering the road of historic destiny? You are the pioneers who work for our people and for all humanity. You hold invisible pick-axes and rakes in your hands. You do not want to receive criticism from your descendants, such as "If only they had made this a little better!" Instead, you should construct a road that will make them look back and wonder, "How on earth did our ancestors build a road such as this?" You are the pioneers who are meant to make such a road. (012-161, 1963/03/16) 13 Once, in 1960,1 went on a 21-day tour. I want Japanese members to explore these roads I traveled. I will tell them, "I took a 21-day tour on narrow bumpy dirt roads riding a shaky jeep. This was during the period of pioneer witnessing, a time of persecution. Now these roads have become holy ground, so you should walk on them with your shoes off." When I tell them this, they will walk down those roads barefoot. When they do that, the people who are waiting for them to pass by will fill the roads in the small and narrow places of the Korean Peninsula. After the Japanese members have done that, and have returned to their country, I will have the American members come and do the same. It will be a competition between them. When that happens, those with a sense of urgency will fly here in advance and wait for the others.
There will come a time when I will have people walk barefoot along the course I have toured. You should be grateful that you do not have to take your shoes off when you walk that road, because such a time will come. Christian pilgrims touring Jerusalem walk the roads with care and look as if they have come into an entirely different world, the kingdom of heaven. When you see that, can't you picture how wonderful a country this nation of Korea will become? Even Mecca of the Muslims, a place in the desert, is constantly visited by pilgrims. Korea will become so much greater than this in the future. Therefore, we need to make Korea a prosperous country. (046-184, 1971/08/13) |