The following letter was sent by snail mail with the printed October talks.

To Our Brothers and Sisters Receiving the Mailed Talks,

Greetings to everyone as we come into the last weeks of 1996.

First, we’d like to apologize for the delay in getting the October talks to you. We had some unexpected delays in getting everything together for the mailing, and hope that this is the last month for this to happen.

Next, I’d just like to thank so many of you for the regular donations for these mailings. Things are expanding and every dollar does help defray expenses. If you haven’t had occasion to donate over the past months we would appreciate a manageable donation from you. (Incidentally, you’ll notice that we have not ceased sending the mailings, donations or not...That is because we haven’t set these mailings up on a subscription basis. Somehow, it has not seemed appropriate.) However, the expenses continue.

One more point: we know that everyone has a different financial state. This is no issue. If you can only manage a very little, please don’t worry. The amount of money is not the issue here. But, we would like to have communication with you.

There is another very important question in the air as we send out these October talks. That question has to do with the relationship of these talks, and like expressions, with what is happening with Grandmother Hong’s work at Chung Pyung Lake (i.e., which path do we take?).

If you look at the ministry of Jesus, he both taught, expressing the word of his Heavenly Father, and dealt with the expelling of lower (earthbound) spirits from troubled souls who came to him.

Without taking anything away from the testimony of remarkable events coming from Chung Pyung Lake, the essential question is not an either/or question. The question that, in our reflection, is most essential is: How do I understand the process of personal and collective restoration, i.e., return to God?

What is at the heart of the Principle, and for that matter, other historically great teachings, east and west? There may be a question as to whether these talks will be continuing in light of the word that no other spiritual activity should be going on, save what is happening at Chung Pyung Lake.

To say it shortly, we don’t feel compelled to end the sending of these mailings by what we have heard from Korea. We are praying every week for God’s guidance in this continuing work. Again, it is so easy to slip into the either/or framework in the religious realm.

But our Heavenly Father is a very big God who works on a lot of projects (to put it in earthly terms), with many purposes, all at the same time. All of the projects initiated by the UC, over the past thirty years, probably don’t begin to rival in scope all of the works that God is working as He seeks to re-gather His human family. Please send back any questions or thoughts on the above. We only want to do God’s will.

May God Bless You as we Come to the End of this Year - ITN,

David and Takeko Hose