How unfamiliar is this territory, that we first generation members have been given to pioneer. We are given this profound responsibility to match our children. But God has a will and a way that sometimes is difficult for us to comprehend.

We never expected to deal with this matter of matching our eldest son so soon. Offers from other parents were exchanged. Certainly, we had to have faith in God and whatever wisdom we ourselves possess, but nothing seemed right. Then Justin suddenly decided to join STF in August of last year. Listening to Hyun Jin Nim speak, I realized that for God, restoration, and Cheon Il Guk, finding a match with the STF standard was a primary consideration.

As the year went on, the prospect of finding a match for Justin seemed more compelling. As I had to attend the Cheon Il Guk awards workshop at Chung Pyung, my wife suggested that I make a bio of Justin to approach families with.

At the workshop, I prayed telling God about the matching. I felt my son was not ready for the matching but I wanted God to show me what was the right thing to do. A little overwhelmed by the crowd of 10,000 people there, I decided to talk to a BC who was already matched. She somewhat knew Justin and advised that a Japanese American would be the best kind of match for him. I was amazed at her confidence.

I wanted to set a good condition for God to show me an answer, so the next day I volunteered to help with the ancestral liberation registration. Next to me sat this unfamiliar sister, who introduced herself to be Shelley Watanabe. I had heard that name before and we began talking. I found out that her eldest daughter is also on STF. I don’t believe in coincidences but in opportunity, so I nervously popped the question of whether she was interested in a match for her daughter. She immediately and enthusiastically responded. I was surprised at her energy.

In the midst of 10,000 we kept running into each other. After the workshop in Korea, we continued to correspond and soon came to a conclusion that this was definitely heavenly intervention and God’s desire.

I believe that God had the upper hand in this process of bringing together the Fong and the Watanabe families, and for allowing the matching of Justin and Jinju to occur. God worked through the complexity of the providences with our lives, crossing our destinies to make it one. We are grateful, pleased, and awed.

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