My gratitude to God and True Parents and to all of our missionaries

Chung Hwan Kwak
May 1985

Rev. Kwak during his recent trip to the People's Republic of China.

As we commemorate the tenth year of worldwide missionary activity I wish to offer my gratitude to God and True Parents for their tremendous assistance and to all of our missionaries for their hard work in their countries. I am also grateful to the leaders and members of the central dispensational countries for their many contributions to world missionary activity.

The world mission work of the Unification Church was initiated in the late 1950s when Father selected and sent the first missionaries to Japan and the United States. Other missionaries were sent from the United States to various European nations and other important countries during the 1960s and early 1970s. From a providential viewpoint, the period from the beginning of this activity until 1974 was the age of the foundation for restoration.

Full-scale world mission activity commenced in 1975 along with the start of True Parents' third seven-year course (the course of restoration on the worldwide level).

In accordance with True Father's desire 82 missionaries were sent from Germany on April 30, 1975; 85 from the United States on May 1; and 96 from Japan soon thereafter. During the first seven-year course of missionary work (until 1981) missionaries everywhere worked to spread the new message of God, thereby laying a basic foundation for our second seven-years' work, the restoration of a nation. Now in early 1985 we are in the midst of this growth- stage work.

The sacrifice and suffering of our missionaries over these last ten years is inexpressible. I recall how they have been so often beset by immigration problems, deportation, imprisonment, and other hardships -- especially those members working in Communist and Islamic nations. Some communist countries utilize drugs and other techniques to brainwash individuals. A female missionary was raped. Some missionaries were attacked by terrorists. And Masaki Sasamoto, a missionary to Tanzania, was martyred there. At this time some missionaries are imprisoned in nations of Eastern Europe.

Our missionaries have endured and overcome dreaded diseases like malaria and yellow fever in places, especially in the Third World, where the culture and traditions were vastly different from their own, and transportation and communication were inconvenient.

In addition to all the foregoing trials missionaries had to suffer many internal struggles. There have been few or no opportunities in the last ten years for them to return to their homes and parents for a visit. Instead, they worked long hours developing their own faith and teaching people in their mission countries.

Most difficult of all perhaps has been their responsibility to unite together centering on the True Parents' ideal. We can all unite in our jobs or activities if we have to deal with other people only in the workplace or in recreation. But uniting when we are together of necessity 24 hours a day is another matter and can be incredibly difficult.

By this time most missionaries have achieved harmony and have learned the languages, customs, traditions, and cultures of their countries. This is a wonderful accomplishment.

We have achieved a foundation in 133 countries now as the result of our world mission activity. Although the level of development is different in each country, blessed families are living in these lands. Blessed children of the missionaries have been born in these nations and our foundation of heart is always growing.

The world is becoming a one-world family. The era of a global civilization is coming. One peaceful and harmonious world under God, governed by heavenly law, is destined to come.

Technological development, especially in transportation and communications, makes it easier for us to interrelate as peoples. Still, it is not easy for individuals to truly unite.

We may now live in a world where we can travel to nearly any destination globally within one day, but wherever we go we find that problems exist essentially because of the conflict within the human mind. Internal disunity is a major problem.

Our only hope as human beings is to unite into one family of humankind, becoming brothers and sisters to one another united in the love of True Parents. Many barriers such as those between nations, cultures, traditions, religions, and races will have to be overcome, and this will all have to be done by going the way of Principle centered on True Parents' ideal. This is not an empty theory. It is a reality that can be seen even now in the substantial accomplishments of our missionaries.

Our missionary activity is not just the teaching of ideals and a life of faith. We serve mission countries in a practical way through educational, medical, and technological assistance. Missionaries are running kindergartens, primary schools, and programs of instruction in technological development, and are providing medical care in various third world nations. They are engaged in patriotic efforts in their mission countries with CAUSA and assist with PWPA and CARP programs.

Missionaries are busy creating and developing activities in their countries that will enable them to be self-sufficient in supporting their own local missions. At present, members are developing auto repair facilities, restaurants, photo studios, language schools, animal husbandry, farms and nurseries, and fishing, among other things. To help advance international understanding and education we now utilize videotapes and the latest communications technology. Publications of all types are available.

Now there are many international blessed couples in every country in the world. This is the pride of the Unification Church. I think that brothers and sisters of the Unification Church can be especially proud of and supportive of these couples who are so centered on True Parents' love in spite of differences in race, economic or educational standing, language, customs, and tradition.

We are now not only committed to enable our brothers and sisters in the mission countries to become leaders there, but we will continue to select properly qualified members from the central providential countries and send them out as new missionaries. Worldwide missionary activity will continue until all peoples are able to receive and understand the teachings of our True Parents.

It is important to remember that even as we commemorate ten years of worldwide mission activity, we are also participating in the end of the forty-year wilderness course (1945-1985) of our True Parents. This course is reminiscent of the Israelites' forty years of wandering in the wilderness of Sinai. In our missionary efforts we need to remember that just as Christianity (as the second generation) grew out of Judaism (the first generation), today the Unification Church is the second generation stemming from Christianity. The time is near when we can enter our Canaan as the Israelites entered theirs. Some might think it would be easier for Father to simply deny our Christian heritage but he will never do this. Even now in Danbury our Father does his best to unite Christianity so that when the time comes, both first and second generations will enter Canaan together. Only the second generation entered Canaan in Old Testament times.

Within the Unification Church itself we must understand that the blessed children are our second generation. Future development of the world will center in many ways on these children. It is Father's hope that CARP develop to its maximum potential, particularly through the blessed children, and thereby help today's young people understand and assist in the creation of Heavenly Father's world of tomorrow.

Events seem to be moving faster and faster for us. Things we never expected to happen in our lifetimes are now occurring. Please do not expect that our way will ever be easy, no matter how successful we may appear to be. Our foe is Satan. He is clever and highly intelligent. He will not willingly give up what he has controlled for so long. We must be vigilant, expecting him to do his best to challenge us and frustrate God's plan even to the very last. But God's side will ultimately triumph through faith and sincere effort. Recall how strong and well-defended Jericho appeared to be to the Israelites, even until the last moment. By their faith and effort the Israelites prevailed over that city.

In these days just prior to the time of entering Canaan our world mission activity must strive to reach out to all people with the same heart and tradition as True Parents have shown. We must share with everyone our Father's teaching and vision just as True Parents have done with us. We work to gain witnessing members not to separate them from society, but so that we may more effectively gather everyone together as people of true love. We are to embrace everyone with Father's teachings so that all together -- as associate, home, and witnessing members -- we can enter Canaan.

I urge you to do your best in this noble mission to spiritually enlighten all of humankind so that together we can create one world under God. The lives of those who have gone for service in the mission countries are a testimony showing us how to overcome our nationalistic feeling and thinking, and to better develop an international and cosmic heart. Through this, we can become God's children and citizens of the ideal world.

I conclude my message by praying that God's special blessing be upon missionaries throughout the world, especially on those of you working so hard outside the free world.