Witnessing with Joy

Yuki Taylor
April 2011

Taeko Duckworth teaches Divine Principle at a member's home

After I took part in an Original Divine Principle workshop, three guests were guided spiritually to the church, through direct witnessing; that is, witnessing where we begin by testifying to True Parents.

The first person I met was a Christian woman. She happened to be praying for God's guidance at about 5:00 am when I put a leaflet in her letter box. I hadn't been able to sleep well that night, so I got up at 4:00 am and delivered leaflets. "Rev. and Mrs. Moon," the leaflet read, "are the True Parents and the Messiah." She was intrigued by this, and she wondered who was leafleting so early in the morning, so she came to the headquarters church.

The second person was a Hindu woman. I met her when we were going door to door with leaflets, inviting people to a Divine Principle lecture meeting we held every Tuesday. No one was at her home at the time, so I just left an invitation in her mailbox. She saw it and came. She is a very spiritual person who prays and meditates daily for more than an hour between 3:00 and 5:00 am.

The third person was a Hindu man, who saw a leaflet with a photograph of True Parents on it, and which declares they are the Messiah. Feeling something spiritually, he contacted me. He said that the expression "inherit God's true love" had attracted his attention. He is well educated and takes part in spiritual group meetings regardless of the religious affiliation. His hobby is gardening and he has a beautiful yard, so each morning and evening he meditates outdoors.

What is common to the three is that they have a foundation of faith. They pray or meditate and are seeking God. I believe that their prayers had reached God, and using me, an Unificationist representing True Parents, He guided them each through a single leaflet. Moving forward with prayer and Jeong Seong and being convinced that someone was waiting whom God loved and had prepared were all I did.

I learned later that during that time, True Parents had been offering a special forty-day Jeong Seong condition for the assemblies for the settlement of God's word in substance. I was able to meet these three guests precisely during this period. I am certain that this is not mere coincidence. Our True Parents' special Jeong Seong was the key factor in the background.

Devi, a Hindu woman, took part in most of the Tuesday Divine Principle lectures for six months. She loves to hear religious teachings, and the light in her face showed she was gradually being reborn. She then happily attended a two-day workshop. She said that until then, she had not gotten satisfactory answers to questions she'd had, but that the workshop provided them. Only fifteen people, including members, attended it, but the speaker and the guests truly coalesced, resulting in abundant spiritual guidance and spiritual grace. The atmosphere was like that of a family. She is now looking forward to an upcoming seven-day workshop.

I will continue to pray and offer Jeong Seong, so that all our guests can be guided to eternal life, to the blessing. What I felt through this period was that God is not far off in the distance, but dwells very close, within us. How else could He be aware of all that I feel, of what I am thinking, of how I am acting? God dwells in each one of our brothers and sisters who work together for the providence.

If there is, however, doubt, fear, complaint or dissatisfaction, God is not able to live with me. Thus, I believe I should witness gratefully -- with joy, enjoying it and being excited about it. I also feel that a sense of personal responsibility is important. With that, the same action becomes utterly different than if I were doing it just because I had been told to.