The First 40-day American Leadership Training Program Graduation Address

Chung Hwan Kwak
October 8, 1987
Excerpts

Rev. Kwak addresses the 40-day training on Graduation Day.

On behalf of True Parents, I want to congratulate you for your wonderful achievement at this workshop. I also want to thank Rev. Ahn for his sincere hard work and dedication.

When you started this 40-day workshop, most of you were probably not completely united with it, nor could you possibly imagine how much you would achieve by the end. Despite the importance of your various missions, Father asked you to leave everything and come to this training. From this we can see that Father's concerns are much bigger than ours, and that our growth is of great significance to him.

I'm sure that throughout this training, you felt Rev. Ahn's heart of love and concern for you, and his deep desire to guide and purify each one of you. Why did Father put 200 trainees under the direct guidance of Rev. Ahn? He understood and trusted Rev. Ahn's heart; he sensed that Rev. Ahn would be able to convey to you the most important guidance you will need for your daily life -- namely, how to separate from Satan. Separation from Satan is the most vital aspect of our life of faith. Please don't forget what you have learned from Rev. Ahn, and try to apply it diligently every day.

Starting tomorrow morning, you will begin another phase of your training -- life training. Before this 40-day workshop, you thought you knew the Principle and Father's teaching. Now you realize that your knowledge was very limited. However, knowing the Principle does not mean understanding it intellectually. The real test comes in your day-to-day life. We must pass the "life test" of the Principle by good achievements in our daily activities.

Being leaders, your position is not to simply follow, but lead. Any mistakes you make aren't just at the individual level -- they have serious consequences. Yet, even though we determine ourselves to do the right thing, it's difficult, isn't it? We can easily make excuses for our failures by blaming something or someone else, but the real reason is always inside of us. We must, therefore, continually compare ourselves with True Parents' lifestyle and heart, repent, and change; then we can more easily align ourselves with Father's direction.

Try to understand the taste of true life. In the beginning you need to develop strict habits, always maintaining a strong link with True Parents. You have to realize how near Satan is to you, 24 hours a day. Our standard has to be completely different from those living in the secular world; otherwise, we can easily retreat back to our past lifestyles.

Father's standard for this training is that those whose test grades are less than 70 cannot receive a diploma. State leaders must have a grade of 80 to receive a diploma. However, no matter what your grades are, the most important thing is your "life test." God and True Parents are expecting you to make high points in your daily life of faith and sacrifice. Please aim for that. God bless you.