The Words of the Lee Family
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The Words of the Lee Family |
Mrs.
Mal Sook Lee with her two children who participated in the Holy
Wedding Jin Bok and ___.
When I heard that a matching of the blessed children was going to take place in Korea, I was kind of worried. It was difficult for all the blessed children in America to get to Korea, so Father asked them if it would be all right if they were matched by picture. Amazingly, almost everybody said, "No problem. I will accept whomever Father chooses." When I witness such things, I can tell how prepared and how strong the blessed children are. I went to Korea on March 23 and brought with me pictures of most of the older blessed children living in America.
Only two days before her wedding, Un Jin Nim didn't know who her husband was going to be. No one knew. Father announced her matching at the offering table on Parents' Day, and introduced her to Jin Hun Nim for the first time. I was present when Father matched her. Everyone assumed that whoever was to be Un Jin Nim's husband would have both a father and a mother living. When Tiger Park's son Jin Hun was chosen, everyone was surprised, and we all cried. We shed tears of repentance, realizing once again how deep and sincere Father's love is. It didn't even matter that Jin Hun Nim's family was poor. All that mattered was his faith. Jin Hun Nim is very humble and faithful. He invests himself greatly for the sake of God's will. Through this we felt a lot of hope: If we also work hard for the sake of God, we can receive God's blessing, no matter what our external circumstances may be.
On April 8 Father called all the blessed children in Korea to assemble, and he began the matching. Before Father started he said, 'Anyone who did not attend the 40-day blessed children's workshop cannot stay here. Anyone who has not been involved in church or CARP activities in Korea cannot stay here. Anyone under 21 years of age cannot stay here." After those people went out there were not so many left, and everyone suddenly became serious. They realized that this was a historical moment and that something very significant was about to happen. At one point Father asked all the parents and other members to leave the room; then he spoke to the blessed children privately for a little while about the deep meaning of the Blessing of the second generation.
Father was very serious about matching them; it took him a long time. He would match one couple and then he would think and pray for a long time before matching the next one. I could tell he was making a special offering before God through this Blessing. It didn't matter to Father which Blessing the children's parents were from; he only seemed to be making sure that each person received the best possible match for the sake of his or her descendants.
The matching was very tense for the parents. I felt much more nervous than I did at my own matching! This was the moment when, as a mother for more than 20 years, I knew the desire within my heart was to be fulfilled. My daughter is 23 (Korean age) and my son is 22 (Korean age). I was hoping that my two eldest children could be blessed this time because being in America is very difficult for them. The Blessing is important for their protection. I only hoped that they could each be matched to a person of good faith.
My daughter ___ was not present and didn't even know that the matching was taking place. Father asked me if she would mind being blessed to a child of the 124 Couples. I raised my hand and replied, "No, Father, she wouldn't mine I had the confidence to say that she would accept anybody. Then Father asked for the list of brothers who were serving in the Korean Army, and Father picked ___'s husband from them. She was the twenty-first to be matched; my son Jin Bok was the twenty-sixth.
The blessed children in America who had been matched had to come to Korea right away. ___ arrived at the airport the very morning of Un Jin Nim's wedding, April 11, where she and I met her husband and his parents for the first time. His parents were very happy, and we had a chance to pray together.
The matching had been very sudden, and then we had to prepare everything for their wedding so quickly! The Korean members helped to make all the wedding dresses. Even though we had so little time, everything went very smoothly.
It was difficult for ___ when she first met her husband, but she came to realize that Father had invested everything in this match. On the second day she said that she really appreciated Father. Father had explained many things about this Blessing, and she became determined to sacrifice herself for the sake of God's will.
Through this Blessing, the 36, 72, and 124 Couples became relatives. Up until now the relationship between these three Blessing levels has been hierarchical, and we haven't communicated much with each other. Now everybody is mixed together, and it doesn't really matter anymore which Blessing we are from. The parents of the new couples truly became close. We can relate with each other now much better than before. Through this Blessing everybody will be able to feel Father's love much more deeply. Now I appreciate True Parents even more.
Educating Blessed Children from the moment of their child's conception both husband and wife should think about how that child can be raised to work for God and others with joy. Father's emphasis in educating blessed children is to teach them the Principle viewpoint in everything. Studying the Bible is also very basic. It is important to tell your children stories about God and to pray together with them. At some point you should tell them about the relationship between the True Parents and the True Children. In this way you can lead your children to naturally feel close to the True Family.
In our movement everybody is so busy, and often parents don't have time to talk with their children. Still, as parents, you must feel responsible to maintain a good relationship with them. If the husband is too busy, then the wife should fill in. You should not think, "Maybe someone else can take care of my children': That is not the best way. If you really must have another sister take care of the children, then you have to educate her well and create a bond of unity with her. It is her mission to testify to you in front of your children so that the children's feelings can always flow towards you. You should make sure she is doing well, and you should speak with her and your children often. As long as you show your love for your children in this way, they will feel secure.
I feel the parents' responsibility is to teach their children about faith -- and never give up. As you raise your children there will be times when you feel that they are out of your control, but as long as you continue to talk to them and pray together with them joyfully, they will feel comfortable with you. Always make sure to express interest in your children -- in what they are thinking and what they are doing, especially when they are teenagers. When they return home from school, you can ask, "How was school today?" Then they will feel, "My father and mother care about me and they will report all about their experiences; they won't keep anything a secret. This is a very important point.
If you are always busy and you say over and over again, "I'm sorry, I'm too tired to talk with you," your children will feel, "Oh, my parents don't care about me. I don't want to talk to them anymore." This is a terrible situation, and it is also very dangerous. It you ever come to think, "My children are too wild! I can't control them anymore and you give up, you will lose your entire foundation. In this case you have to pray much more and hold on to your children more tightly in the spiritual sense. If your love is true, you will overcome, but you have to make an effort.
When I was in Korea, a sister helped take care of my children; but when I moved to America, I took care of them myself. I knew clearly that I had two missions -- a public mission and a mother's mission. I was always exhausted by the end of the day, but I never complained or thought that it was too hard. I was very busy, and sometimes I didn't have enough time to spend with my children. Yet as much as possible I prayed for them. In that way, even if I sometimes had only a short time to be with them, I knew exactly what to talk with them about. Sometimes I would ask many questions which they wouldn't answer, but I didn't give up; I continued to try to preserve our unity.
My son Jin Bok attended a workshop when he was very little, and through that workshop he learned the tradition of bowing before a picture of True Parents. Ever since then he has bowed every day before a picture of True Parents and a picture of his father, who is in spirit world. Sometimes while he was attending high school he would forget, and he would quickly run home to give a bow. I was very happy to see his devotion. That is the way it should be. I also encouraged Jin Bok to read the Divine Principle. As long as blessed children understand God within themselves, they can survive any difficulties which come from outside.
Ever since my children were young I reminded them about the matching and tried to educate them about it gradually. I prepared them for the Blessing by asking them what kind of spouse they desired. "What if you get a very ugly spouse?" I asked them. Through their response I could see if anything was wrong, and I could teach them in a natural way. Jin Bok told me, "It doesn't matter who Father gives me. If it's Father's Blessing, I will appreciate whomever I am given."
It was difficult for my daughter during her teenage years. She had many struggles at college, so I tried to love her even more. Although I was busy I tried as much as possible to make time to talk to her and find out what was happening. I had to maintain a relationship with her that was deeper than any she might have in the outside world. At first she couldn't understand very much about the significance of her own coming Blessing, but little by little I shared my testimony and tried to explain the difference between her Blessing level and mine. Fortunately, since I lived near East Garden, I could sometimes hear what Father said to his own children, and I could share those words with her. Through this, my children could feel connected to True Father and develop a strong faith.
Since blessed children are very clear spiritually, they frequently have meaningful dreams, through which they can find the true way to go. In dreams they can quickly recognize Father's value. When I think about this I really feel hope for the blessed children. Sometimes our faith is changeable and weak, but their lineage is completely different from ours; once they get the point, their faith is pure and powerful. They know instinctively what is right and what is wrong. They watch their parents very closely and judge whether what they are doing is good or bad. Sometimes they even educate their own parents.
Many of us don't understand the meaning of the Blessing deeply enough, and that's why some members struggle. There is a big difference between Father's viewpoint and our viewpoint. In Father's way of thinking the Blessing is not only for us or our own couple; it is for the sake of God's will, to create a world of greater goodness.
Father's understanding of the Blessing is very deep; the Blessing is the seed of the next generation, so it is given for the sake of the future. Father can see so clearly who is the best match for each person. Father has incredible expectations for the new generation! If our children understand how important and precious the Blessing is, and receive it with gratitude, then Father's dream will quickly come true.