Beloved church leaders, missionaries and church members,

In the eighth year of Cheon Il Guk, begun with the year motto, "Mansei for the Ssang Hap (combined) jubilee years, the 7th and 8th years of Cheon Il Guk based on the Universal Peace Federation," on January 9th at 14:45, Missionary Yang Su Kim, who had been striving in the field of missionary work, passed away.

Born as the eldest son of two sons and four daughters in Mu-an, South Jeolla Province, he began treading the providential path with the resolution to live his whole life for the providence of God after he came to know the Will of God on October 15th 1979.

On October 30th 1988, he was blessed to Saito Kimie in the 6500 couples blessing under the benediction of True Parents, and became the father of two sons and one daughter. From the year 1988 he served as the church leader of Mang-woo Church and Mu-an Church, and on June 1st 1994 he became the missionary to Romania and Bulgaria where he directed his effort to pass on the words and traditions of True Parents.

In October 1999, he returned to Korea and assumed pastoral duties as the church leader of Myeongil Church, and for the second time in April of 2000 he was chosen to walk the path of missionary work in Japan. His health deteriorated in Japan, however, so he needed treatment. Yet in October of 2004, his health having been restored somewhat, he could not forget the joy of first setting out on the providential path and once again started carrying out activities as a missionary in Asia.

However, the path of pioneering that was begun in Thailand and continued on to Cambodia must have been too much for his body, which was much weaker than his determination for the Will. During that time he had fulfilled his given duties in Asia in the course of True Parents' 120-nation world tour, the True Children's world tour, the world tour carried out by three generations of the True Family, and the world tour of Ambassadors for Peace and Christian Clergy.

Furthermore, he was constantly concerned about the difficulties for Korean-Thai families in Korea, and unraveled each and every difficult circumstance they faced. He wholeheartedly embraced the difficulties of Korean-Thai families that could not be revealed to anyone, and helped them.

Beloved members and church officials, from the time a malignant tumor was found in his liver in March 2007 to the time of his death, not once did Missionary Yang Su Kim express words of regret or complaint. Even in the process of his physical deterioration, and even at the last moment before his passing away, he did not give up his conviction and hope that he could rise again if he took his medication, and said time and again that he wanted to recover quickly and return to the scene of missionary work.

Even though he must have been going through excruciating pain, and it was a course of loneliness and limitless sorrow in which he had to leave his beloved wife and three children whom he adored in financial difficulties, he always appeared cheerful. I believe that is why Hyun Jin Nim and his wife visited his bedside in person and gave him consolation and benediction, and True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind granted him permission to be buried at Paju Wonjon.

Ever since receiving the blessing, with the 6,500 couples, he had continued to work at the frontline of pastoral and missionary work, and so his wife said quietly that she could not realize even now that he had indeed passed away, which words shamed me boundlessly. He had passed away leaving his wife and three children behind.

Now the young missionary Yang Su Kim has passed on into the spiritual world. I would like to thank the church officials and members on behalf of the bereaved for sharing the sadness of farewell with the bereaved family and making calls of condolence, and to fellow church leaders and missionaries, and the many church members who have shown their love for Missionary Yang Su Kim.

May the love and blessing of God and True Parents be with you at all times.

January 15th 2008
Inho Joo, World Mission Department