Hopeful eyes looked up at me from the classified column of the UC News a few months back. They were the eyes of my dear friends, the Abadias from Puerto Rico who were proclaiming to the Unification Community their desire for a baby. Right below their ad was a second ad from another couple who live and work in Puerto Rico, The Fruends, who were also expressing the same longing.

I worked with the Abadias and the Fruends for three years in Puerto Rico. I was their so-called "leader" and honestly speaking it was at their expense that I have grown a little in maturity.

The Abadias were a previously married couple who have since traveled the long arduous path to the Blessing. I remember listening to Conchita tell me about the various twists and turns her doctor visits were taking in her quest to fight infertility. I tried to understand what she was telling me, but honestly speaking I had little clue about what she was experiencing. How ironic that I would face the same challenges only a few years later. The Abadias steadily love God through any difficulty.

Peter and Kimiko Fruend have been working in Puerto Rico for 15 years or more. They successfully distribute Ginseng Up. When I was there, Peter signed for the church car and the insurance. After I got into two accidents and made his insurance soar, he was a little angry. Somehow, the financial responsibility of having a car never got through to me until after I left Puerto Rico. When I had to buy my own insurance, I finally realized what he was trying to explain to me about it. He was the type of brother whom you could count on for what I call "real" love i.e., financial help when you need it without any laying any guilt trip on you. He and Kimiko could be counted on to treat at the restaurant. They often brought a small something to church for no reason. He and Kimiko bridged the international barriers in their relationship. They are kind, loyal and supportive.

After I left Puerto Rico, I decided that I wanted to give a baby to one of those couples. I wanted to return something to that island to which I had contributed so little. Ever since I had heard that we make those kinds of offerings in our church, I wanted to make one. I wanted to make that sacrifice and give that special gift. Puerto Rico is sort of a lost place between being a part of the US and being independent. The members fight the isolation. These couples have gone such an difficult and unexpected way with so little complaint that I couldn't help but to praise them and feel for their difficulty.

Later I realized that I would not be able to help anyone with a baby since I could not have one of my own. It would be me that grew tired of looking at the "New Arrival" section of the UC News. Don't worry, I do enjoy that section, but I thought we should change the title to "Family Corner", so my husband and I could send in our picture along with our dog "Scoots." I wanted my brothers and sisters to know that I was still alive and well and loving others. I wanted to be remembered and celebrated, too.

These feelings started me thinking about all our special families in the UC such as those who have lost spouses, those who have had children with diseases, as well as those who cannot have children and feel no hope of ever receiving an offering child. Let's pay tribute to those families, to embrace them and take a moment of thought for them. They are saints in our church who take the less than ideal situations that face them and make them into a piece of Heaven. I want our church to be a church that can remember those in need.

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