In Jin Nim in Latin America: shining a light in the fog

Larry Moffitt
August 26, 2010

I have to say I was surprised (and very impressed) when In Jin Nim decided to go into South America. As if North America wasn't challenging enough. I imagine Father asked her to go down to have a look see. But whatever motivated her to go, it was the right thing to do.

Latin America has been Hyun Jin Nim's backyard for a few years. When Father stopped going to Latin America, and after Tiempos del Mundo closed, the southern hemisphere was virtually ignored by the worldwide movement. Our movement has the bad habit of running from one place to another, abandoning all in the process. A couple of years ago, when I was Hyun Jin Nim's special assistant, Antonio Betancourt called our attention to the situation there regarding the land and the members. Antonio and I went down and brought back a report. Hyun Jin Nim was interested and so he went down there to start dealing with the land issues. He met with the members, government officials, etc. He poured a lot of love into the region. Of course he was flying the banner of True Parents back then and so was greeted by waves of gratitude and adoration from top to bottom. It didn't hurt that he is as good a horseman and a better shot with any kind of gun than the lifelong cowboys of the region.

All this is to say that Hyun Jin Nim has only a two or three-year head start on In Jin Nim, but it is an important head start. However, the fact that Hyun Jin Nim has abandoned True Parents has dimmed his star greatly. From now, his presence in Latin America will sow only chaos and destruction. Our brothers and sisters there have done nothing to deserve the kind of pain that Hyun Jin Nim, in his current state and attitude, will bring. On the plus side, the members pretty much know what's what by now, and they are avoiding Hyun Jin Nim for the most part. However, he still has some powerful personalities in his camp, such as Tom Field and others, especially in Paraguay. They are vocal and they use the available communication channels well, so we can expect them to dog her footsteps there.

In Jin Nim knows that the only portal into a human heart in Latin America is through the door of investment of time and love. And so she doesn't just float into and out of a setting. Reports are she stays around, hugs people like she means it and listens, listens, listens. She focuses on the 2nd Gen and they love her. She is investing more personal corpuscles with the average members than her brother is doing. It takes enormous energy to do this kind of thing, to genuinely be there for people. Road trips are exhausting. I would love to see what kind of energy crunch bars are in her carry-on, and get a case for myself.

The opposition report that went out from some Paraguay dissident members criticized her for not flying up to Leda. They should have kept quiet, because at some point she will go. Leda is up in the desolate Chaco (where we did our famous cattle drive). It is an agribusiness research station that is important for relations with both the Government of Paraguay and our Japanese members. When she does go there she will arrive wearing the indisputable mantle of True Parents. The guys in Leda are self-sacrificing mega-saints and their response to the combination of her genuine empathy, the depth of her commitment, and her well-known candor, will be powerful. Like the bumper sticker says, sometimes the right man for the job is a woman.

What's at stake in Latin America are more than resources potentially sufficient to generate enough wealth to fund the brunt of our movement's activities worldwide. Also there is True Parents' foundation which they, not Hyun Jin Nim, have poured their guts into (and God's as well), over and over and over. But more important than all the money and resources are the hearts and minds and the decades of sacrifice of members whose loyalty and ability to give, judges me until I can hardly breathe.

I love Latin America more than I love North America. So I say good for Team In Jin Nim. She has the toughness to slog through the fog, and she will be effective. True Parents really will win the day.