The Words of the Jenkins Family from 2008
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The Words of the Jenkins Family from 2008 |
The ministry of In Jin Nim is bringing our True Parents' love, to all of the families in our movement, especially the younger generation. As she listens to and embraces and guides every single Second Generation who comes when she visits a district, we feel God's love pouring out for the children born into His lineage. We feel the wisdom and love of our True Parents, and we also are awakened to the enormous dignity and capability that God has created in our younger generation.
Not only do In Jin Nim and Jin Sung Nim share meals and time with the Second Generation who have taken responsibility for ministries and other aspects of our work, but they also conduct an open forum in the evening in which all the Second Generation, one by one, introduce themselves and share their hopes for the movement, their personal passions for their own futures, and whatever comes to their hearts. Sometimes it's a simple introduction, "I'm happy you're here," or a deep sharing of love for God, True Parents, and faith that our movement is really succeeding and is the hope of all humanity. Or it may be reflections of real challenges and honest sharing about the difficulty of walking God's way. When they share, we deeply realize that God has created a new generation to lead the world. We are also moved to tears by their open and honest communication about what they really feel. Yet, all in all, the heart that's being expressed demonstrates that the Second Generation is truly a new generation for the era after the coming of heaven, a new era for all humanity.
In Jin Nim always tries to bring her children with her. They are all to be commended, for as soon as they come, with great enthusiasm they dive into activities, outings, and programs with other Second Generation, which gives everybody the feeling that we are really one family, that the True Family is our family and that we are part of the True Family.
In Jin Nim also points out some of the successes that her children have had in the performing arts, classical music, art, and academics, and it's done with humility and love. This is done clearly to give Second Generation a green light to follow their aspirations to become the best. The First Generation realize as the elder generation that we had to follow True Parents as pioneers, creating the foundation at any cost. As people were fighting historic battles between good and evil, everything was sacrificed, including the family and especially the children, to focus on moving the face of this world together in harmony and to create enough love between Cain and Abel to break down all barriers between races, cultures, and nations.
However, In Jin Nim is sent by our True Parents to lead us at this time as a spiritual leader who is helping us understand that the elder generation that followed our True Parents must be honored as heroes and heroines that walked the thorny path together with True Parents, who led the way. Her message is strong and clear -- the pioneers have done a great job at laying the foundation. The next generation is not to pioneer again but rather to learn the basic attitudes and traditions of faith that True Parents have established, achieve internal excellence, and extend it into external excellence by becoming the most outstanding people in every field of human endeavor.
Tears flowed like a river in Atlanta, as we began to see the heart and aspiration of young Second Generation members who are not only encouraged by love and In Jin Nim's words but also by her example of the True Family. It is giving them encouragement and a real hope that they are created by God to make the right choices and determine their hearts to be all that they can be; with God's help and with sacrifice and dedication, there is no reason why each and every one of our Second Generation cannot become the best in the field that they feel called to serve the world in. All begin to shed tears of gratitude for what God is doing to raise His people.
To open up that gate, some of the heartfelt pain and suffering from the past experienced by these young adults and children of our First Generation has to be acknowledged and healed so that we can all move on together. Our Second Generation went through suffering, growing up in a persecuted movement, being ridiculed and criticized; walking the path of faith with True Parents and True Family. Our movement walked this historic path has meant that every one was encouraged and guided to love humanity while on the path of sacrifice. This has been God's way throughout history, always sacrificing His most beloved. This has been the way of True Parents.
But now because of the victory of our True Parents, the establishment of Cheon Il Guk, and the resurrection that came through the helicopter trial, we now see a new era dawning. In this era, the Second Generation can now stand on the success of our True Parents and True Family, and release the infinite power of creativity and aspiration to find the greatest joy and become the people who truly have the most beautiful love, people of heaven. In Jin Nim is encouraging them to sacrifice themselves now to build on the victorious foundation of our True Parents to become the best in every field so that they may lead the world to God.
Never before has our Second Generation had the chance to stand before Heaven and earth and all of our families and report to True Family one by one personally. I realize now why True Father often has many different representatives give testimonies and reports. It's not only so our brothers and sisters can share their great successes or challenges, but it's that when we share our own report before Heaven we are being responsible to offer everything to God and in that position can receive God's guidance and love.
One of the things that caused us to cry in Atlanta was one young Second Generation sharing how much he respected and loved his father, who has been a missionary in South America for many years. He said so sincerely, "I respect my dad's dedication and faith in God and True Parents. I'm so moved by my dad's dedication to God's will, but also I want to say I feel disappointed that I could never be with my daddy and that often when I want him to be with me, he's not there." The boy was crying. In Jin Nim picked up the mike at this special moment and shared so deeply with this young person, "Just know for sure that your daddy loves you. Never doubt that, and understand that your daddy is making that sacrifice not only for God and humanity but also because he loves you so much that he's totally dedicated to making a better world for you."
We could feel as In Jin Nim shared this guidance that this wasn't from theory: It was how she was able to understand True Parents' constant public life, in which she and the True Family always were put on the altar of sacrifice so that humanity could be embraced and loved to make a better world.
At the morning Hoon Dok Hae, Jin Sung Nim shared his testimony of becoming In Jin Nim's husband and the course they went through together. This also was so vital and encouraging for both First and Second Generation because their sharing was so honest and real: Their blessing was not easy, and it wasn't something either of them really felt comfortable with. They were matched by True Parents, and the challenges were very real. What encouraged them most was that Father told them, "You were brought together by Heaven because the most incredible and beautiful children will come forth from your marriage."
This kind of testimony, in which there are laughter and tears combined with the depth of faith, gives a great deal of strength to all of us. But, most importantly, it gives our young generation some experience that they can hold onto when they face challenges in their blessings.
In Atlanta, the Women in Ministry of ACLC had just finished their conference and we were all surprised that eight women ministers skipped their own Sunday services to be with In Jin Nim that day. Many of these women have come very close to the heart of True Parents and believe that God has anointed Father and Mother as the True Parents for humanity. But you could see a new level of heart and interest as they wanted to hear from a daughter of True Parents. They had met Hyun Jin Nim and been deeply moved; at the same time they showed a tremendous interest here in the fact that Father had placed a woman as the head of the American Family Federation.
You could see in the women clergy such a resonance and heartfelt acknowledgment of In Jin Nim as a great spiritual leader and also as a mother, who shares with them the reality of raising children. As the women clergy introduced themselves over lunch to In Jin Nim, many of them told her about their children and grandchildren, so it was not only pastor to pastor but mother to mother as they spoke to her.
God always knows what we need, and America is being blessed enormously by the ministry of love for all generations coming from In Jin Nim. We are grateful to God and True Parents for this historic direction for America.