The Words of the Witt Family
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The Words of the Witt Family |
Charles
Catlett reads an inspirational passage during the prayer walk.
On March 12, 1987, while visiting the Unification Theological Seminary, Rev. David Hose received a letter from Heung Jin Nim, in which he shared how much he wanted to be with the brothers and sisters at the Seminary to give them guidance and inspiration. In such a way, Heung Jin Nim began to work with UTS.
In August 1987, all the June graduates attended the first 40-day American Leadership Training Program in New York. Heung Jin Nim spoke often to the trainees through Tyler Hendricks and Jim Stephens, and some of those graduates learned to channel from Jim. When they returned to UTS to gather their belongings before going out to their new missions, they met with a few interested students to share their experiences. At one meeting, Charles DeWatteville trained some of them to channel. One of them was Charles Catlett, who has become the main channel for Heung Jin Nim at UTS.
A small group of four students (Charles Catlett, Myra Stanecki, Cindy Majoub, and Allison Lund) was guided by Heung Jin Nim to pray together throughout the month of October. He told them the purpose of their prayer was to prepare a foundation upon which he could work at the Seminary. (Other prayer groups also formed during this period, and some students received letters from Heung Jin Nim.)
A
prayer at one of the stations of the Restorational Prayer Walk held
at UTS on November 8, 1987.
On October 29, while the group of four was praying in the chapel, Charles channeled for them for the first time, and through the week Heung Jin Nim continued to speak through him. In the beginning, Heung Jin Nim's messages were mostly personal. However, he later declared that he wanted to set UTS on fire (spiritually, of course!) and that he wanted to address the whole community.
Then, beyond anyone's expectation, this small group of four quickly expanded, and after only one week, Heung Jin Nim, with the approval of President David S.C. Kim, spoke to the entire UTS community at the 10 pm closing prayer.
During one of the channeling sessions, Heung Jin Nim explained that the Soul of Russia, a UTS student organization formed in 1985, has great providential significance at this time. It is a prayer and educational group concerned about ending religious persecution in communist countries. Heung Jin Nim said that the Soul of Russia should become the most important group on campus, its role being to prepare the foundation and protection for True Parents when they go to Moscow. He encouraged special prayers and the support of the whole UTS community for a Restorational Prayer Walk to be held on Sunday, November 8, marking the 70th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. Although November 7 is the actual date of the Revolution, the 8th symbolizes a new beginning after exactly 70 years of the existence of the Soviet state.
This event was the Soul of Russia's second annual prayer walk. Last year, although only 20 walkers participated, it was significant that the walk was able to be led by Sir John Noble. He is a renowned speaker on the tragic reality of communism, having spent 16 years in a Soviet prison camp, and he "just happened" to be visiting the Seminary that day. It rained heavily throughout the event. Heung Jin Nim explained that that first prayer walk was the foundation for what was to happen in 1987. This year, with Heung Jin Nim's direction and support, over 250 walkers participated.
Afterwards, Heung Jin Nim said that this prayer walk was another victorious step for Hyo Jin Nim, on the foundation of his leading the successful march to the Berlin Wall at the CARP convention in August 1987. Heung Jin Nim told us that Hyo Jin Nim has a very significant role to play in leading the way for our movement to reach Moscow.
The great turnout, together with the unexpected, extensive media coverage, made this event an overwhelming success that reached out far beyond the Seminary.
During this time, Heung Jin Nim encouraged everyone to write their confessions to President Kim, who conducted a forgiveness ceremony on November 8 for those who had submitted their letters. Heung Jin Nim continued to speak through a channel every night at closing prayer until the end of the term on November 14.
Through Charles Catlett, Heung Jin Nim organized the students into prayer groups in cooperation with Dr. Edwin Ang and Dean Therese Stewart. Heung Jin Nim said, "Choose the person you have the most difficulty relating with to be your prayer partner." Several sets of partners then formed into groups of up to eight people.
All this happened during final exams and writing week, which is ordinarily the busiest time for everyone, especially the student's Preparations for Christmas fundraising were in their final stages. Heung Jin Nim challenged the students to practice what he had taught them while they were out fundraising.
Then on Thanksgiving Day, when all the students were gone, [Black] Heung Jin Nim [Cleophas / Cleopas Kundioni] made a surprise visit to UTS in person. The next day, November 27, he gave guidance and conducted a forgiveness ceremony for the UTS staff and administration. Heung Jin Nim had mentioned repeatedly during the channeling sessions that UTS should be prepared for his coming -- "soon!" So his coming in person was a most blessed and meaningful event for everyone.
The
day after the prayer walk, this front-page photo and caption appeared
in the Daily Freeman, a newspaper printed in Kingston, New York.
On November 4, Charles Catlett, a brother who channels for Heung Jin Nim at UTS, told Kathleen Burton, the head of the Soul of Russia group, that Heung Jin Nim was very concerned about this year's Restorational Prayer Walk. He said he wanted the most extensive media coverage possible, so he suggested she seek my help, since I have had 10 years of experience dealing with the local media as director of public information. Kathleen sought me out that evening, just as I was finishing my prayer. I found myself praying for the suffering people trapped behind the Iron Curtain with a fervor that startled me, as I had never before prayed with such vigor at the 10 pm prayer meeting. When I concluded, I felt Kathleen at my side, and she informed me of Heung Jin Nim's direction. Then I understood why my prayer had been such an intensely spiritual experience!
Since it was so late already, Kathleen and I threw together a press release the next morning and hand-delivered a few copies to the local newspapers, radio stations, and television studio. After having done everything I could think of to interest the media, I must confess I wasn't expecting any media people to show up for the prayer walk. But, thanks to Heung Jin Nim's hard work and powerful influence from the spirit world, not only did four media people arrive -- on time, yet -- but they all (a reporter, two photographers, and the news director of a radio station) participated in the entire walk, completely caught up in the spirit themselves!
The night after the prayer walk, on Monday, November 9, Heung Jin Nim spoke to the Seminary community and declared that a great victory had been won for his brother Hyo Jin Nim. That day, in addition to a front-page photo and caption in the Daily Freeman, the Poughkeepsie Journal ran a front-page photo of the leading group in the prayer walk, together with a very objective, positive article. Heung Jin Nim said that "his picture" was actually on the front page, in Charles, even though Charles himself didn't realize it. Heung Jin Nim explained that he represented Hyo Jin Nim at the event.
This was the most extensive media coverage of any event ever held at the Seminary. Furthermore, in my conversation with members about the rallies held throughout the country by other brothers and sisters to mark the 70th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, the Seminary event seems to have generated more media coverage than any of the others.
That night, Heung Jin Nim asked me to share with everyone about the media coverage, since I could understand the significance of what had happened and could inspire the community with the victory we had won for Hyo Jin Nim.
Incidentally, the reporter from the Poughkeepsie Journal was so inspired that he wrote another article, published the very next day, about the status of the Seminary's application for accreditation and our permanent charter. The second article was even more positive than the first one. I could hardly believe it!