When Father speaks, he never speaks about just one person or nation. He communicates the global view at all times. When he looks at one person, he sees generations. And when he talks to one person, he talks to generations. When he prays, he prays for a thousand years in advance. It is little wonder that we so often do not understand him.

Father works to lay conditions of indemnity for the world, not soothe the hearts of a few. He is not worried about making everyone comfortable. Rather, he is concerned with the restoration of the billions of people on earth and in the spirit world. He is not anxious about the reaction of a handful of members. He is focused on fulfilling the will of God.

We hurt each other without thinking twice. Compared to Father, we are still coarse. His sensitivity is highly developed and he keenly senses his responsibility for people. He may experience pangs of conscience if he says a single wrong word. Yet we do not always recognize that we have said something which hurt another person, nor do we always notice that something is wrong. We are that insensitive. Observing True Parents however should make us wary of continuing along this avenue. They have widened the road for us, and by playing the flute of unconditional love they are charming us to follow them all the way home to God.

Since Father accepted his mission, he has suffered unspeakable heartache. Yet he continues to endure pain and suffers still more. But he tends to ignore the pain of those ordeals and instead uplifts us with his heartfelt smile and optimistic and positive thoughts. Instead of showing us his exhaustion, he inspires us by persevering. Whenever we look at him, we see love incarnate. He is everything we ever hoped for. He is a man who for over sixty years has battled Satan, he is triumphant even in jail. We should adopt his attitude toward life.

I saw True Parents in person after I had been with the movement for two years. Yet the first members Christel and I met nearly floated up to the ceiling just thinking about True Parents, and that feeling was tremendously contagious. In those days, members were much more spiritually oriented.

My first meeting with Father was in 1965; Father jumped out of the bus that brought passengers from the plane to the terminal. He came running, a grin spread from one side of his face to the other. He eagerly extended his hand to each of us. Words cannot describe how happy we were to meet Father. Before that moment, we had related to him only as a mystical man but suddenly he stood before us. We needed a bit of time to adjust our thinking. Of course, the vibration that emanated from him was tremendously embracing. Nevertheless, we had previously thought of and related to the messiah in only a spiritual way and yet there he was, in the flesh.

In 1965 Father, his party, and I were sitting on the sidewalk at the catacombs in Rome. We sat talking for an hour or so. At that time he was like a friend, a humble companion. But for me he was the Messiah, and anything he said or did was right. Whenever we walked around, I wanted to move everyone out of the way. My first thought was, "Here comes the Messiah!" But he always had his own idea. He mingled with the crowd and even started bargaining with street vendors.

I am so often amazed at what a natural person he is. And for years and years I have continued to follow him and watch what direction he takes.

When we traveled through Geneva, Switzerland on the tour through Europe, we arrived at our hotel and took a little time to relax. I looked out the window and suddenly saw Father walking out of the hotel, making his way through the crowd by himself. I spotted his white aura in the midst of the crowd, but suddenly it was out of sight. The members of his party searched the hotel for him, but he had slipped out unobtrusively. Since I had seen his aura from the second floor of the hotel, I knew the general direction in which he was headed.

Father is a man of his own mind. Even though we always try to protect him, he does not allow himself to be stopped, and remains undaunted by anything or anyone.

When Father came to Germany in 1965, he repeatedly asked for glasses of plain water. To our surprise, he put seven spoonfuls of sugar into every glass! As he stirred the sugar he grinned; saying nothing, he drank one glass after another. He must have consumed about seventy spoons of sugar in one evening. When he spoke, his energy depleted quickly and he replenished it in a way that was quite unusual to us.

During Father's 1965 visit, we asked him question after question. All of a sudden he said, "Why do you ask so many questions? The more you know, the more responsibility you have to take. Can you accept it?" We were a bit shocked at his response, but we could understand the point he wanted to make.

Did I tell you the story about Father and the window of my VW van? Because the rubber around the window had slipped out, Father took a screwdriver and proceeded to fix it. However, in the process he damaged the rubber. I thought to myself, "How could he do that? He is a perfect man. How could he ruin the window like that?" Actually, the screwdriver had slipped and cut the rubber. Breaking or fixing something is not a matter of perfection. What happened to Father was an accident. If I had tried to fix it, I probably would have succeeded in smashing the whole window, not just the rubber.

After it happened, Father turned around and had a sheepish grin on his face. He knew exactly what I was thinking. The whole incident made a big impression on me.

On several occasions, just looking at Father tears welled up in my eyes. I am sure he noticed that I could not stop crying, but when we sat down at the table Father said, "Paul, please pray." I could not even utter one word because my throat was completely constricted and tears continued streaming down my cheeks. My True Parents occupy such a special place in the flower garden of my heart. I try to always keep their area fertilized, watered, and well tended but those particular times I simply could not shut off my watering system!

When we stand in the presence of God, we may not easily be able to pinpoint our emotions but nonetheless, they are very real.

I have seen various sides of Father. Although I have experienced the mystical side of Father, I have also observed that when faced with tremendous spiritual pressure and difficulties he is a real man of stone, unwilling to yield to Satan in any way. I have one picture of him from 1965 when he was standing beside a monument in Germany. His face expresses a spirituality incorporating a thousand years. Whenever I look at that photo, his face seems to change over and over again. I perceive different things in him each time I meet him. I have met him as a friend, but have also seen him in the position of the king of kings.

Father has shared many meals and refreshments with me; this is one small way that I have directly experienced his parental love and concern. I have seen the many faces of the world in his, yet at times I have been afraid to look at Father because through even his glance, I felt hit by God's judgment even when he did not say a single word. But the times he reprimanded me, I felt enveloped in his love instead of being afraid. I know that whatever he does is done out of love.

When I drove Father throughout Europe, there were several times when we had to drive without stopping for sleep. Father had a specific schedule to fulfill in order to establish all the Holy Grounds in those nations. One day I felt dead tired. I had driven from Amsterdam, through Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg on the way to Paris. On that particular stretch I stopped at one point because my eyes were rolling around and I could see nothing but white elephants. Father said, "What are you stopping for? Keep going!"

Once we got to Paris I could hardly move, but just before I fell into bed, I picked up some bananas and apples we had left in the car and knocked on Father's hotel room door. He had made himself comfortable and was sitting in his T-shirt; instead of sending me off he started talking to me. He spoke for a long time about how I could reach perfection. I am sure that he knew how tired I was, but for some reason he was in a very talkative mood that night. I do not remember every point he made about reaching perfection, but I can never forget his persistence in teaching me. Although at that moment I could not understand the total significance, as I reflect upon that night now, I realize it was a precious gift from God.

Our movement purchased a beautiful property bordering on Chung Pyung Lake in Korea. The landscape is quite spectacular, surrounded by many rugged mountains; it has a spiritual quality and Father seems to feel very much at home there. Consequently, he has done a lot of praying and thinking while scanning the panorama. I have been there a number of times, yet one visit I remember very distinctly. It seemed to me that Father's eyes bored into the side of the mountains and to the bottom of the lake. For a long time he just stared at the splendor; it seemed to me that he was in deep conversation with nature as he prayed. It did not seem boring for him, but after hours had past, I got a bit restless. I wondered why we simply kept sitting there so I asked, "How can you sit here so quietly when the whole world is in turmoil?" Father answered," God had to be patient for six thousand years." Even though he often speaks only a few words to answer our queries, Father is always our teacher.

I sat just opposite Father when he headed a table of perhaps thirty leaders of the Unification movement at a meeting in Boston. I had a rather familiar experience; as soon as I lifted my head and looked at him, I started to cry. Curiously, none of the other leaders had tears in their eyes; I wondered if they could feel they were in the presence of God. I was interested to know how their emotions were touched. Was I feeling something they could not? Perhaps my emotions could so easily well up within me because before the meeting I had worked to season my heart.

Such times taught me how important it is to prepare ourselves before we meet True Parents.

I remember when Father came to Frankfurt, Germany for the first time. It was 1965, and there was only a handful of members. But the smallness of the group did not bother Father. He talked about many unbelievable future plans as though he were sharing them with the whole world. He spoke about plane loads of members that would go all over the world. Of course this and many other things he spoke about then have since come to pass, but at the time, it was not so easy to envision how they would or even could happen.

Because my faith in him was solid, I believed what he said would come about, but a skeptic might have left the room. He talked for hours and hours, trying to broaden our vision; unfortunately, many members found that what Father spoke about could not fit into their minds! Those of us from that spiritual vintage have learned that what Father talks about-no matter how outlandish or fantastic it might seem-does come true, and today we more easily believe the plans he outlines. Experience is a great teacher!

Father recently told a group of Unificationist leaders, "If I had to explain everything to you, it would take until eternity and we wouldn't get anything done. But if you follow what I ask you to do, you will see results." Even though leaders have many more opportunities than most members to directly listen to Father, the visionary directions they receive still make their heads spin.

There is such genius within Father because God is the mastermind of the plans he espouses. Father looks around so many corners and with patience, makes preparations which often span decades. The things which he spoke of ten or twenty years ago are culminating today.

Even though we may not be overly eager about Father's ideas, he is incredibly enthused about his plans. His eyes shine, his face beams, and he seems to gesture by using his whole body when he talks about them. It appears to me as if he is saying, "Can you understand? It is just about done."

As we come closer to God and True Parents, we will naturally discover one surprise after another. True Father's world and our world are two different ones. He looks at certain people and situations in a particular way, and often views them entirely different from the way any of us do.

When I first met Father, he was a much younger man. He was like a friend, but the more I observed him, the more convinced I became that more than anything, he is God's representative. As he became recognized by society and his accomplishments increased, my respect and admiration for him grew stronger and stronger.

How can this one man, our True Father, be connected with the thousands of people linked to all the various aspects of our movement? He has to lay many foundations on all levels. He has to look ahead, planning how to feed the billions of people who will inhabit the earth twenty or thirty years from now. Father is always searching for solutions and must come forth with a master plan for the future, not only the present.

When Father is happy, everyone spiritually floats in the air. But when he is serious, everyone wants to hide. We can easily detect when he is sad. He is like a sending station, and if our spiritual senses are attuned, we will be able to receive the emotions and attitude he expresses.

Father is always aware that Satan is listening to and watching all his actions. Father knows that Satan may be able to perceive even his thoughts. That is why Father does not often explain why he does things. But he has his reasons. Sometimes much later he explains that a certain action was instigated to produce a specified outcome.

Father is very persistent in whatever he does. Many times we played Ping-Pong and pool together in East Garden. I could never beat Father in Ping-Pong, but I did manage to win a few games of pool. Father keeps on playing until he has the player figured out and then seeks to test and challenge that person. He studies how people act and react, whether they are precise or careless in their playing. Are they flustered? Are they adventurous? Just what kind of character do they show? He really watches whether or not they take chances, or if they have the tendency to shoot around many corners. He observes everything with keen eyes and memory!

During the several days that the Seung Hwa ceremonies were conducted for Heung Jin Nim, Father had almost no sleep. He was physically exhausted but he never stopped thinking of the public purpose. He accepted great responsibility and was concerned with even the smallest detail of the ceremonies.

The True Children act the same as other children -- they eat, sleep, play, and go to school just like kids their own age. Even though we may not have the opportunity to hear their thoughts, they have to deal with the same emotions as other children. Although they may not have as much freedom as other children, as members of the True Family, each of them possesses tremendous potential and creativity.

Sometimes it is a bit awkward to be around them simply because they are True Parents' children; we do not always know the proper way to treat them. I feel that if we were to ask them, they would tell us that they want to be treated as normal children. As our Abels, they deserve and need to be respected, but they do not want us to step on eggshells whenever we are around them. The more natural we can be, the better.

Father is very dynamic, absolutely conscious of all things going on around him and their providential significance.

Why can Father talk so much about Heavenly Father? It is because he constantly meets Him and has researched and investigated so many facets of God's nature. His mind and heart have stored up countless experiences with God, and therefore he can talk about Him non-stop. Father feels Him living inside his heart, yet at the same time recognizes His reflection in nature and also in each and every one of us.

Father desires that we love both God and mankind more than we love him. Even though we direct our love toward True Parents, our Father is still such a lonely man. His position is dreadful; he lives a totally public life and has almost no time for his family. He is spurred on because he knows the timetable of restoration history and also is intimately familiar with the will of God. He knows what has to be done but must feel so frustrated as history unfolds in such ugliness and destruction. He knows the lures and dangers of human society. Father's awareness of international, political, and economic affairs is extremely keen. Better than anyone, Father knows that there is precious little time left to unite humanity with God.

Knowing all he does about the two different worlds inhabited by God and mankind, Father must be hurt to see members compromise their ideals and standards. He must be disturbed that some leaders and members have become tired and have put down their sword of zealousness to accomplish, and instead desire to hide behind a shield of concession. He must be filled with such an overwhelming desire to shake us to our senses to realize both the urgency of this time and our position.

What do you see when you gaze deeply at Father's face in person or in a picture? Did you ever really look through his skin and discover his spirit? You must have pictures showing many sides of Father. My favorite photo of Father is one in which he wears a face-wide grin; it lights up my heart whenever I look at it. Yet there are other pictures in which every trace of a smile is absent and he is so serious and pensive, he looks a thousand years old and is as grave as God must sometimes feel.

It is so difficult for me to look into Father's eyes in person without shedding tears. Those eyes contain the pain and sorrow of all peoples of the world. They reflect God's disappointment that mankind is still shackled in chains and Satan is the one who continues to hold the only key which will unlock them. Yet they also carry the glint of God's hope that it is just a matter of time before Satan will relinquish his command.

When Father looks straight at you, and you in turn glance back, a myriad of emotions can sweep over your heart and move you.

Because we have fought battles to come home to Him, God has no desire to be cast away by us the way He has been for thousands of years.

Although we daily struggle to intensify and strengthen our relationship with the True Parents, Father harbors no wish to be put on a pedestal, preferring to be close by, and together with Mother, able to embrace each one of us with true love.

Father and Mother are nearly always surrounded by their children as well as a growing number of grandchildren. They have few quiet hours and with all the burdens upon their shoulders, probably cannot even sleep well. For years Mother's time has always been occupied with the needs of the youngest babies.

When we really penetrate the world of True Parents, we will come to realize that even though their physical children are a big part of their lives, they have expended so much on us. We have taken up most of their time, and caused them the greatest grief and worry.

Not all members will have personal experiences with True Parents. To know True Parents, some individuals will simply have to rely on their own spiritual experiences or the testimonies of others. The time is coming when personal appearances made by True Parents will be limited and nearly impossible to attend without special invitation.

Although this time is approaching, we will always be able to call upon them spiritually. When we pray in the name of True Parents, anything can happen, although doing so does not automatically guarantee that we will have spiritual experiences. There is incredible power contained even in the name of True Parents which can help us at any time, not only when we are confused or in danger.

Father is the greatest servant of all humanity. He paves the way, levels the road, and even removes all the obstacles so that all humanity may find their way back to God. His knowledge of Principle is total and impeccable, and therefore he creates all the necessary conditions to help us in our destiny.

Although we may have the printed transcripts of our True Father's speeches, we cannot always comprehend his spirit as we read the words. It is not easy to meet him personally, and therefore he gives us his words which explain his insight and inner character. It is such a privilege to study and digest them, as well as make them a part of our own nature.

Father contains the resentment he feels toward Satan. He is a master in controlling his body and his emotions. He does not hate or curse anyone, but simply puts his shoulder to the grindstone and devotes himself to his mission every moment. Father is always concerned with the public purpose. What a beautiful example he is for us; it is time that we follow him more diligently.

We can see how Father and Mother are like heaven and earth; they belong together. If we learn the Principle and comprehend the truth Father continues to teach us, we will automatically perceive what Mother knows and feels. When we learn about God, there are so many things that we will finally understand about True Parents.

We may make small mistakes in living with one another, but if we have love in our hearts, we can forgive as well as accept forgiveness many times a day. Such quality of love is contained in the fullness of God's love. True Parents have such unconditional love for us. There is so much to learn from Father and Mother that will bring us closer to the fulfillment of love; once we become close to the incarnation of love, we ourselves will become its replica.

One evening Father gave me three hours of instruction on how to reach perfection. Afterward he told me that he had wanted to talk to me like that for a long time. He was just like a father -- speaking in a soft voice, always suggesting, never demanding. He said, "I have been doing things this way; that is what you should be doing, too." He poured out so much of himself and from such an experience, I really came to know his heart.

Many people have not experienced loving parents. Many individuals have lost their parents, some have parents who divorced, and most have parents who are not centered upon God. These people now have big problems accepting True Parents. Some who just hear the word "father" rebel because they were mistreated or even abused by their physical parents. My hope is that each member can learn and experience what loving parents True Father and True Mother really are.

Because he feels the heart of God, Father suffers greatly as he is the one most concerned with world events. He knows exactly what God thinks and feels about humanity. The way we can come to understand God and the world of today is to unite with Him. Once we do, we will have parallel feelings and then find the power to work to remedy the situation.

Father goes in a certain direction because he views the world as God does. His strategy to restore the world is to go in one straight line. Father forges ahead because he knows the will of God. He encourages us to preach the gospel throughout the world. His parental heart wants to extend the chance for everyone to know God's principles.

We should seek to deepen our respect for Father. Even though he is on the highest level spiritually, he has to walk the lowest and most humble path in order to restore mankind. He is the most miserable man on earth today because he has to cope with the greatest negativity in this world while he continues to stand on the frontline.

Father pays incredible indemnity; he does not feel like singing and laughing twenty-four hours a day. He lives a simple life because he knows that through that kind of indemnity, the liberation of humanity can be won at the earliest possible time.

The battlefield is not pleasant and certainly no vacation. In the midst of any combat, all kinds of fears and calamities surround the soldiers. This is part of our present fate and we must accept it. Once Father told us that he is tied to God and heaven with a steel cable which is attached to his spine. He said that even if he wanted to run away, it would be impossible to do so. Father expressed that we are all in a similar situation and no matter how much we want to escape, we are also bound to God with the same kind of steel cable.

Those who cling to Father today will survive no matter what happens. The world of today will not prevail unless it accepts God. The same was true at other times in history, for example, the members of Noah's family who united with him survived.

When Jesus walked on earth he was not accepted by many people. Today Christ walks on earth as a real parent. In fact one of Father's foremost qualities is his ability to parent. He is more than a teacher or leader and we now call him True Father. His main mission is being the father of mankind. Father's parental heart embraces everyone. As children, we should respond to the heart of God and not treat our True Parents as though they are a million miles from us. Actually they are only a whisper away.

Father and Mother have united completely, giving God the chance to manifest in both of them. Together the True Parents are the fullest example of God.

When you pray for the True Children, do so with the kind of heart you would if they were your physical children. Your basic attitude should be to love True Parents' children as you do your own. Whatever elements of heart and compassion you feel for your own children, also feel toward the True Children.

The time will come when people will hear only stories about True Parents and no longer see them in person. How fortunate we are to have so many chances to see them in person. People will envy all of us and constantly ask, "What did they look like? What did they do? How did they dress?" We will talk about our True Parents and praise them. And we will laugh, recalling many stories about Father and Mother.

Being twenty yards away from Father is amazing. Sometimes tears run down our faces because the whole room is filled with divinity: even though you might not have seen His face, you know you are in the presence of God.

As Father completed one year after another of his ministry, his constant thought was to fulfill his mission. He must make sure that the failures of this world are indemnified and silently he often sets up many conditions toward that direction. We don't often realize what he is doing. Sometimes he later informs us about the meaning behind what he does, but usually only mentions a few thoughts.

We fill our days with many activities and get caught up in momentary struggles. If we would know the significance of the things happening throughout the world, I have no doubt that our confidence would soar as would our vision, vigor, and power. But for many reasons, it is not always for us to know.

Once I was with Father and asked, "What do you think when you look at present history? Everything is so turbulent." He responded, "It is very interesting to see how history develops."

He is not overly disturbed by it because he knows the culmination of human history has come. I know that even now Father is planning how to eradicate poverty, illiteracy, and other such social ills on the various continents. I am sure that his plans will work. The world will come to a point of stagnation, and then people will seek his advice. Many scientists are excited by his vision and presently work with him to find avenues to implement those plans. You can imagine that on behalf of God, Father must continuously plan and organize because he is responsible for the wellbeing of the whole world.

Father usually delivers his speeches extemporaneously, yet he talks for hours about true man and his society, heaven, and God. The entire Principle revolves around the ideal of the true man. Father is a true man and therefore he simply describes himself when sharing with us. He talks about his own feelings and thoughts because they parallel God's.

If you connect totally in heart with Father, you will be able to share the vision he has. It may be difficult for most people to understand everything he says because he constantly speaks of a broadening vision and sets new goals. But there are those who can comprehend his teachings, and then work toward actualizing them.

We will never reach perfection unless we accept that we are the sons and daughters of God. It takes a certain level of guts and spirituality to accept this position as fact. We also need courage to solidify our relationship to God and True Parents. Unless we do, we will continue to create bases for Satan to invade. If Father says that we are the sons and daughters of God, we must believe him. We already enter an arena of trouble if we begin to doubt his word. Doubt is the foundation which Satan uses to invade and it is what helps cause inferiority complexes, depression, and hopelessness.

When Father looks at us, he sees beyond our present personality traits and abilities. He focuses on our potential and treats us as if we were already perfected. That is why he tells us that he already trusts us. He sends all of us into various directions and missions in order that we may come to the point of developing our full potential. This is one reason that he shifts us from mission to mission, nation to nation, and language to language.

When we look at Father we usually see him as a very pleasant man. But it is only when we go further than the surface that tears can flood our eyes. In reality, billions of spirits honor and desire to cooperate with him. He is already appreciated in spirit world. Yet because we have the privilege of living during his time on earth, how much more should we look up to and revere him and Mother.

Father prays constantly. Because of that constant connection to God, he is able to view situations with absolute clarity. If you were to teach and pray for many days, weeks, and months, your mind would also become free from confusion and doubt. You would find that your mind is so filled with pictures and images, it would be hard to stop talking about them. Father looks into spirit world and connects with God. When everyone else sleeps, he sits and thinks, meditates and prays. He is hours ahead of the rest of us. He has the strongest determination because he absolutely knows that God is alive. He knows how God works and just what limits can be reached because he already pushed himself that far.

As a human being who has been through arduous sufferings, we can imagine his body aches constantly. Anyone else in his situation would beg to rest. Yet he knows the urgency of the time and never stops pushing himself. He knows the necessity of being connected to God at all times. Father is the only one who holds the key to history in his hand.

At the end of 1972, Father invited European members to take part in the "One World Crusade" in the United States. We immediately mobilized seventy German members and prepared them for their mission abroad. Upon our arrival in New York, it took all of us several hours to clear customs. When we finally entered the air terminal lobby, we were surprised to see that our True Parents themselves came to greet us. We learned later they had been patiently waiting for several hours. Our hearts were deeply touched by their embracing love. Only later did we fully realize what a great privilege it was to be personally received by Father and Mother.

After a seven day workshop, the teams were set to depart to different states. The members boarded their vans and drove past the entrance of the main house at Belvedere where Father and Mother and the national leaders waved them off.

Following that time, Christel and I had a most precious and memorable experience; we lived with Father and Mother at Belvedere for almost three weeks. They shared every meal with us. I could not even begin to describe all the experiences of that time with True Parents. They were busy furnishing the Belvedere main house and drove into New York City every day. They personally picked out each piece of furniture and picture. Although they must have been exhausted from shopping, upon returning from New York, Father and Mother always thought of our well being. Instead of resting, they often hosted us at a Chinese restaurant and treated us to movies. These times will probably never come again but these memories are firmly rooted in our hearts.

Throughout the "Day of Hope Tour" it was such a privilege for all team members to work directly with our True Parents. Each international One World Crusade team met them every two weeks during the 32-city tour and served our True Parents to the best of their ability. We felt True Parents' heavy burden and were especially moved when we heard Father's desperate prayers for the salvation of each city he visited. He prayed for hours before each banquet or speech and fiercely battled Satan because he wanted to reach the hearts of the people who attended. But due to the negative publicity that was rampant at that time, we were always deeply concerned about Father's safety during his public appearances.

During that tour we had many beautiful experiences with True Parents. One morning on an especially sunny day we found Father and Mother out on the sidewalk in front of the center in Phoenix, Arizona. Father had just fixed Hyo Jin Nim's toy plane and he and Mother were playing with it. It was a rare moment of relaxation for Father and Mother and their son. Ye Jin Nim and Hyo Jin Nim were on vacation from school and had joined True Parents for a few weeks. I remember that Hyo Jin Nim was full of energy and after True Parents retired to their room after lunch, he came running in from the outside, banged against the door, and then disappeared before they could open it. He managed to get away a second time but the third time, even before he really had a chance to knock, the door opened just a bit and a hand came out, grabbed Hyo An Nim, and pulled him into the room. This really took him by surprise and it clearly showed on his face!

We will never forget yet another incident in Phoenix. The night before the banquet, Father decided to cut Hyo An Nim's hair. Everything was prepared in the backyard for Father to proceed, but Hyo An Nim did not like the idea too much. In fact he screamed at the top of his lungs to make his protest known. But it did not do him one ounce of good. Father had determined to do it and quietly went to work, slowly but surely transforming Hyo An Nim's appearance. I must say, Father did a marvelous job!

On our way from Arizona to our next destination, Salt Lake City, Utah, our team stopped to relax at the Grand Canyon. We wanted to give all members the opportunity to marvel at the unique beauty of this masterpiece of God's creation. When it was time to leave, for some reason we lingered on. Our brass band played one more song and yet another; we just could not bring ourselves to leave. All of a sudden Father and Mother appeared with Ye Jin Nim, Hyo Jin Nim, and other members of their party. At first we were completely stunned but when we ran to receive them, Father said, "I knew you were here." it became quite clear why we had not been able to bring ourselves to leave.

While all the other tourists wondered what was happening, our band played to honor our True Parents at this world famous spot. When they finally had to board their touring bus, we gathered underneath their window and sang, "We'll Never Leave You Anymore." We were so deeply touched by such an intimate experience with our True Parents; the memories of this occasion will always live in our hearts.

Father continues to create conditions of indemnity to widen the way to Heaven. During the main ceremony that we had with True Parents on their birthday one year, Father prayed in such a moving way. He was in tears as he lamented before God that he had not repented enough or paid enough indemnity, even though he has done so much more than us. He was praying to broaden the road to Heaven so that all people could finally walk out of hell and start winding their way back home.

What a man he is! We can look at him from many sides, marveling at his charm and admiring his sense of perseverance. But whichever view we take, that man of a thousand different energies and strengths does everything he can to ease our way. And that is because he is truly our Father.

Once in the early seventies I arrived at Belvedere when Father was about to leave for an appointment. He was already sitting in the car but he opened the door. He asked me to come with him and tell him what was going on in Europe. We had a wonderful conversation during the entire trip into New York City as I reported about the European situation. Through the years, True Parents have taken special care and given such personalized attention to us.

Occasionally Mother invited the wives of the national leaders to a Chinese restaurant for lunch while the men went fishing. She took care of ordering every dish in order to provide a varied selection of food which could be shared by all. Christel sat right next to Mother and when they were all finished Mother again filled up Christel's plate with all kinds of food. She told her, "You need it. Germany is real tough. You need more strength." She was just like a loving mother caring for her daughter.

Did you ever wonder how Father can endure all that he does? Although he has always been innocent, he has been imprisoned six times. He looks at the world with all its discrepancies but does not despair and just forges for-ward. How can he keep his standard, conviction, and drive to restore this world? He has much more on his mind than we do.

Without God, nobody can survive. But think of the physical strain Father is under. God and spirit world must inject him with so much extra energy because his body has endured tremendous suffering.

When we go to the conferences Father holds, we ourselves can hardly keep up with the schedule. But his is even tougher than ours. He sleeps only one or two hours a night and continuously talks and gives out love; after the conference he has still more meetings with all different levels of leadership. His secret to be able to keep going is that he is totally one with God.

Just as water flows down a river, a person not even noticed by the world, is born and dies. A drop just flows into a larger river and eventually may end up in a sea or an ocean. That is what human life is all about. But still, there is one person who has put himself in the center of the cosmos as well as the center of all suffering. He shoulders the load of the entire cosmos. Billions of people are alive now, and billions lived in the past and are now in spirit world. But there are billions yet to come. Unless we change history into a new direction, everyone will need to go through agony. God feels the pain of this inevitability intensely. This reality is what urges Father to push in certain directions to alarm, revitalize, and ignite humanity. Father wants to convey the urgency that this is the time to change history, to terminate human misery, and the suffering of God.

 Download entire page and pages related to it in ZIP format
Table of Contents
Information
Tparents Home