This morning I will share with you my thoughts about the significance of True Parents' American speech tour. I left Korea and attended Father's speech in Denver, Colorado, on May 21. I received a great deal of blessing as I traveled to four of the locations on the tour: Denver, Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco. My original purpose for going to America was to report on various topics and afterwards attend some of Father's historic speeches. I had planned to return to Korea after about one week. However, Father told me to be present for Mother's whole scheduled tour. Personally, the time spent was truly worthwhile, glorious and precious. I want to again thank you for having sincerely done the seventy-day condition we set up for the speaking tour.

The main substance of Father's speech and Mother's speech was about the same. Of course, since Mother testifies to Father and gave his speech from the mother position, there were slight changes at the beginning and end. However, the content of both speeches was based on an outline of "True Parents and the Completed Testament Age."

Even though we look at the whole of God's providence, the coming of the Completed Testament Age and the fact that we are living in it are amazing in and of themselves, and we can feel the tremendous progress of the providence. In particular, it is a historical event that True Parents themselves are declaring True Parentism all over the world.

As you know, Jesus died without being able to declare himself the Savior? He could just barely reveal, indirectly, that he came with some mission; he couldn't directly say that he was the Lord they had been waiting for. Father did say this time due to True Parents' declaration on the earth, sections were drawn on the earth and order was formed in the spirit world. The closed doors of the spirit world opened up and the walls of division were destroyed. True Parents' direct declaration is an astoundingly significant thing.

Actually, when Father had this tour in mind and gave the direction, there were some leaders who wondered if the timing was right or not. As you know, a little while ago there was an incident in Texas, where over eighty Branch Davidians perished in a fire after having engaged in a stand-off with USFederal law enforcement agencies. Our leaders felt that Americans don't have a very good feeling about religion right now and mentioned that out of their anxiety. However, Father said that in this Christian nation of America, Satan is clapping his hands with delight as he sees the wave of disbelief and anti-religious sentiment, and the more the time is like that, the more we must prove what a true religion is and who the true religious leader is. He said we must not hesitate because of security issues.

We, as members, attend True Parents and receive instructions and do the work, but our thoughts are nonetheless horizontal and on one plane. Father always makes a connection to the vertical and multidimensional, and he overcomes a tremendous number of difficult conditions by putting God's will first. This time I could once again feel how that is Father's course. How many are there who understand the meaning of "True Parents and the Completed Testament Age" from the title itself? Probably nobody, right? The phrases "True Parents" and "Completed Testament Age" are utterly incomprehensible to Christians.

Generally speaking, Father spoke in the big cities and Mother in the smaller ones, so they picked thirty-three cities which are the major ones in the United States [later others were added to make a total of fifty-six]. Father's largest audience, three thousand people, was in Washington, D.C. Mother had an average of at least five hundred in the smaller cities. These meetings were especially meaningful because many leaders and influential persons attended them. The speech was a total summary of God's six thousand year providence.

Americans can be a very conceited people. Father was judging America and redefining the whole of Christian history, so it must not have been easy for them to endure the speech. However, since the truth always stimulates the conscience and makes people show their best side, the large audiences couldn't make one single objection; they listened, applauded, and later gave a standing ovation. It is not easy to get dignified standing ovations from Americans. So it was truly impressive to see, without exception, a standing ovation in every city.

Within the speech were many fundamental points about Jesus' birth and the restoration of blood lineage that not even one American Christian could imagine. They plainly declared the truth about Rebekah, Tamar, and Mary, and also about how Jesus' suffering on the cross was not God's original will; John's failure of responsibility; the relationship between America and Christianity from the viewpoint of the providence of God; straight declaration of the relationship between America and True Parents; how the providence was prolonged because America and Christianity didn't accept and serve True Parents; how America can't help but deteriorate if it doesn't receive the blessings granted by God and by True Parents; America's inability to survive if it doesn't unite with Father-True Parents said all that they wanted to say.

Mother said at one point, "I can speak and it is the truth, but there are times when I wonder if they will throw stones at me because they can't deal with it. There are many difficult and upsetting parts within the speech. Because of this, when I saw American members, I told them this is a speech they have to study, for it is the path that remains for American history to follow." I really believe that.

For twenty-one years, True Parents have laid the foundation in America and worked so hard-this time they gathered up that whole foundation on the horizontal level. Ministers who had visited Korea through the International Conference for the Clergy attended, as well as people connected with the American Freedom Coalition; leaders in the fields of politics and education and those with a relationship to the International Relief Friendship Foundation, International Conference for Unity of the Sciences, and the Professors' World Peace Academy were invited and True Parents could give them incentive and deep teaching.

Father was not satisfied with the prepared text alone, so additionally he spoke at length. I only attended four times, but sometimes in the middle of the speech, Father would supplement it with any ideas he wanted to add. Sometimes it would be twenty minutes; in San Francisco he spoke fifty minutes longer making the whole speech two hours long. As I listened, sitting on the side, I felt there were so many things Father wanted to say. Americans were astounded just listening to the words in the text, and as Father spoke additionally, thundering at and scolding them, I felt pain in my heart watching the scene.

There was a very good video made introducing True Parents and the audience was very inspired. Hyo Jin Nim created it, using a special technique so that the viewers could easily understand True Parents' life and achievements in an excellent ten-minute introduction.

The meetings could not have been better or on a larger scale. Everywhere Father and Mother went, congratulatory messages and plaques of appreciation were sent or personally presented by governors, mayors, and other officials. That gave the events even greater prestige and significance. There were various statements among those messages, but one in particular praised Father as the "World champion creating freedom and peace." Southern Baptist church leader Rev. Jerry Falwell sincerely praised Father as the world leader establishing true love. Keys of good luck and honorary citizenship were presented everywhere, creating a truly magnificent sight to behold.

On the first day, the president of the United Nations general assembly, H.E. Stoyan Ganev, came and introduced Father. After that, in every place prominent scholars sent congratulatory messages so all people came to realize the historical importance of these meetings. Ministers prayed at the speeches. In Seattle, a white minister from an established church prayed in the name of True Parents. He is one of the ones who had gone to Korea twice through the International Conference for the Clergy and he prayed better than our own church leaders could have. In San Francisco, the last stop on Father's tour, another minister prayed in the name of Jesus and True Parents. It was so very pleasing that he used that form. The influential people who introduced Father gathered all of their experience and insight, expressing praise and respect for True Parents. True Parents were introduced as people "absolutely necessary for America and the world," "waking America up out of sleep," "great figures making world peace a reality."

True Parents met the audience as if to say, "You are entirely our children," and their words, gestures and voice reflected that feeling of meeting their children. They didn't look around behind them or stare at anyone, but drew the audience in from beginning to end. The audience was spiritually overpowered, so they could only listen immobilized.

Since Father wrote the speech himself, there is no reason why he wouldn't know the contents. Still, every night he would carefully read it for more than an hour and again in the morning and in the airplane. He said it was not reading practice for giving the speech later, but rather making an effort in advance, infusing more spiritual pressure and power into it. The speech, together with the way Father overwhelmed and commanded them with spiritual ability, moved the listeners and they received much grace. The majority of the audience would first wonder what "True Parents and the Completed Testament Age" was all about.

Dr. James Baughman, the president of the American church, did a very good job as the emcee. In describing the order of the program, he said, "Rev. and Mrs. Moon have decided not to use a translator but to speak directly in English. You all know that English is not their native language. However, in order to feel close to you and share their hearts and minds, they decided to use English even though it isn't their mother tongue. Please know this and read along in the pamphlet." Since he made this kind of introduction, people became interested in the pamphlet and were more and more surprised as they listened. Wouldn't the established Christians be especially amazed? The speech presented an entirely new view of the two thousand years of Christian history, one that established Christians couldn't even imagine.

Due to the spiritual pressure Father exerts when he speaks, nobody dared open their mouth. There are shocking points and incredible declarations within the speech. The more I thought about it, the more amazing were the words that continually poured out. The people became increasingly serious as the speech became deeper and more astounding.

When I asked the local church leaders about the effect of the speech, I heard that some of the people in the audience went to work as usual the next day but couldn't work at all because they were thinking about the speech all day. This is a serious and amazing thing-one person like this was a normal established Christian. It is true. She couldn't work. Americans were shocked to that extent. When it wasn't Father who spoke, it was Mother. She started out so quietly, but by the time one third of the speech was finished, there was no doubt that she had the audience firmly in her grasp.

Think about it. Don't you think Jesus was extremely happy? He must have felt a victory, a liberation from his han. I could feel how joyful and excited Heavenly Father must have felt, too.

At the end of every speech there were many high-level leaders who wondered if they could greet Father or even shake his hand. However, Father didn't grant that opportunity. Mother did give permission for this kind of moment at her speeches, so there were people who came up to her suite and didn't want to leave.

There were many moments, scenes, filled with God's blessing. The American members worked very hard, especially this time, as they are doing tribal messiahship and hometown providence activities. Because they brought relatives to the speeches, relatives who were highly- educated, well-spoken or hard to make a relationship with, they could receive a great deal of blessing.

There is a brother, a lawyer, named Farley Jones who was the president of the American church for a long time. His family is one of several famous families in the Caucasian community in the upstate New York area. His extended family has influence, is imposing, and wields power, especially among the lawyer class, and so his parents opposed him very strongly in the early days. His wife is a very good woman but she received so much persecution from her father-in-law.

However, Mr. Jones' father gave the congratulatory address at Mother's speech in Albany [see photo, August Today's World]. This address had a huge effect, for there is nobody in Albany who doesn't know him. Farley's wife said, "It was like ten years of indigestion, or heaviness fell away." Thereby restoration took place.

Father successfully finished the twelfth speech in Oakland. Disregarding the lateness of the hour, he went to the holy ground in San Francisco, which is very far away. [See August Today's World for Father's prayer there.] This was the first place Father picked as a holy ground when he came to America. With a joyful heart Father prayed and reported to heaven.

There were so many special incidents; it is hard to list them all. In many places we had to work with the chiefs of police to provide security. We found a great many of them respect Father. In New Haven, Connecticut, there was a police chief who was determined to greet Mother at any cost. Actually, when Mother finishes a speech, she talks on the phone with Father and her clothes are soaked with sweat. Nevertheless, the police chief eagerly met her. I thanked him, and he said it was only his duty and that if there is any need in the future to contact him, he will do his utmost to help. After that, he didn't leave the room but stayed, smiling as he listened to Father and Mother talk and sing songs on the phone. He was just like one of our members. I thought, "This person will truly receive so much blessing." There were many like him among the leaders who were introduced to Mother. Ministers came and greeted Mother and would not leave, not knowing how fatigued she was. They wanted to stay, even a little bit longer. There is so much heavenly fortune at this historical time! I felt this quite frequently, watching how those leaders were excited and moved by Mother.

As part of the preparations, there were places that announced the speech in advance on radio or television, so it became public knowledge. Some of our church leaders went on television talk shows and announced True Parents' speaking tour.

I went to St. Louis and Milwaukee, where there are still acute black- white problems. I again felt how black-white racial problems can't be resolved without Father's thought and teaching. I heard that Father said, particularly in Milwaukee, "Even as Christianity talks of God and Christ's love, black and white confront each other. In the end, the coming Lord must be a yellow man. A white person won't work and a black person won't work either."

This speaking tour externally gave America stimulus and another chance to live, and internally, our members could have hope, see many possibilities and use it as an opportunity to make a new start.

We all love and respect Father, and we know what extraordinary activities Mother has been doing, and how she has been working on the front-line of the providence. I can't express how thankful I was to Mother and how happy I was as I followed her. Heavenly Father truly chose her well and raised her up. Father exclusively handed down to her everything through his lifestyle, so now she can do these great works. This impression didn't leave me for one minute.

When Father stood on the stage, he had spiritual power, so from the beginning he faced the audience as if they were his children, addressing and overpowering them. Many high-level members of the audience knew about Father and could guess what his speech would be like. However, since there are still many things they don't know about Mother, there was curiosity about what kind of person she is and what she would say. Therefore, their hearts, their grasp of the main points and the atmosphere were no less than that at Father's speech. Her appearance as she stood on the stage was a rare and beautiful sight. Her clothes were especially dignified, but then isn't Mother's sense of style in clothing always that way? When Mother wears such refined clothing and stands on the stage looking so elegant, people's attention automatically focuses on her and they are surprised.

Even though we look at the two thousand years of Christian history through the eyes of the Principle, what is it, really? After Jesus went to the cross, he gathered his disciples for forty days on the earth, set the condition of resurrected spiritual father, and ascended. Isn't Christian history one of waiting on that foundation, for the True Parents, the Lord of the Second Advent? Isn't the phrase, "True Mother directly standing on the stage," literally the history of the substance, the essence of the Holy Spirit? You can feel the history of her on your skin and hear her blessed voice through your ears, see the precious substantial Holy Spirit with your eyes. The fact that this time has come, in itself, is a wonderful thing, the glory of mankind which is alive in the Completed Testament era. When Mother stands on the stage, it is not just another public speaker at a podium; for that moment it is the unfolding of the history of the substantial Holy Spirit.

Americans listen closely to Mother's speech because her voice is calm, clear and beautiful, and her English pronunciation is very good. She begins quietly, but by the first one-third of the speech spiritual power descends, pressure builds, and each word is effective. In that way, the listeners' hearts change. With Father, people are subjugated spiritually. With Mother, the door of people's hearts opens, like a longing for mother's embrace; I felt this spiritually settling over everything. At Mother's speeches I listened carefully as I changed positions-first sitting in front then at the side and lastly standing in back. Mother used the mike well and her voice could clearly be heard from all positions. People opened their hearts and the auditorium was warmly wrapped in an atmosphere of blessing and grace. Speaking comparatively, it is like the falling of a silent spring rain, where you don't know if your clothes are wet or not until they are thoroughly soaked.

At every speech, Mother shed tears as she spoke of Father's course of suffering and heaven's sorrowful heart. She would choke up and have to stop speaking, wiping away her tears several times. The people sitting in front of her couldn't move an inch, due to spiritual power and the sincere plea of her heart. I heard that after the speech, in several locations, Mother said this! As she spoke witnessing to the achievements of Jesus and supporting him, she said, "I spoke today about Jesus' heart, and so many tears wanted to pour out that it was nearly impossible to hold them back."

This time I really understood about "substantialization." Our heart becomes one with Father as we learn about Father's words and heart. We talk a lot about becoming one with True Parents. Mankind is the substantial object of the invisible, formless God. We hear it often, but I deeply realized in a new way, through Mother, what substance is and what a substantialized body is. In certain passages on the stage, Mother choked-up and the heart of God appeared visibly. It was like generating sparks of electricity. Don't we experience this occasionally-we receive a special grace or reach a high spiritual level in the middle of prayer, and we feel tingling like our heart is cut open, awakened from sleep, and we cry as our heart connects vertically to heaven?

Since Mother's life itself is the very essence of this spark with God and True Parents, she is in a position to demonstrate that heart, for she continually has the same viewpoint and her tears will automatically flow as God's object.

I was thinking that there must be several kinds of tears. The depth and degree of our tears and Mother's tears at the podium are different. Therein lies the power of Mother's tears to influence the audience as compared to us.

From one viewpoint, Mother's delivery was more effective than if Father directly said, "I am the True Father," for Mother doesn't just testify to Reverend Moon, her husband, through words or voice. She testifies through tears and the lump in her throat.

Without fail, Father listened to Mother's speeches by telephone in Alaska. At first, he criticized her a little bit. After a few times, he said, "Mother, there is nothing more for me to teach you," and he was pleased and satisfied. Mother's speeches were truly a great success. Since the cities to which Mother went had few members and not so much power, the members there received abundant blessings. The American church leaders were all moved by the content of Mother's speech and her guidance to members. There wasn't a single instance where Mother gave guidance without tears. [Here Reverend Kwak quoted extensively from the Albuquerque, New Mexico speech. See the transcript of this speech printed in Today's World August 1993.]

In the different cities Mother's guidance varied according to the circumstances, but Mother always shared about Father's heart. Since Mother is totally one with Father, anywhere, anytime, through any words she is directly linked to God's heart and Father's heart. Therefore, I can't even describe how wonderful and admirable was the sight of her giving heartistic, tearful guidance.

She had this to say in Mobile, Alabama: "It is so insufficient to say or think `Father has worked so hard!' Wasn't there tremendous suffering for the New Testament saints and early Christians? Moreover, there were countless others who walked the road of asceticism and sacrifice, living a single life. They did that for the Lord, not even knowing when he would come. How does your lifestyle rate in relation to this, you who have met True Parents and even received the blessing? I came here last year and this year, yet there are no new faces. What can be said except that you have only been living for yourselves and your families? Just as a parent can't sleep through the night when their child is sick, don't forget that God and True Parents are struggling for fallen mankind. Doesn't it say in Father's words that blessed families must shed sweat for three or more foreign countries doing missionary work? Doesn't that mean giving utmost love and effort in your life? American members' practice of love is lacking. Your lifestyle until now hasn't been good enough.

"I said that the Completed Testament Age is the time of living together with God and True Parents. Does this mean that God just takes the blessed couples and lives with them? It means we must quickly save all the people of the world to live together with God, doesn't it? As you hear my words, what do you think? If you listen with no emotion, you can't be True Parents' children. You must listen while looking at yourself deeply.

"When you go to the spirit world, can you pass through just by saying, `I was blessed by True Parents'? It is a world where you maintain life by breathing love. How much did you deeply, in your bones, love God and True Parents? Your sphere of activity in the spirit world is determined by how much you practice love for others. Do you want to be confined to a realm of immobility, where you can't breathe because you went to spirit world without restoring your tribe or community? If your activities are unfinished in this way, how will it be for your children?

"There is no persecution now, is there? Even though we proclaim True Parents and the True Family, there is no opposition. Spread these words to everyone without exception. When you say `True Parents,' that sorrow and heart must be felt deeply in your bones. How can you say your course is difficult when you think of True Parents' course and suffering? Moses' heart of love for Israel was so big and yet he had such resentment that he broke the tablets and the providence was prolonged. Compared to Moses, there were many more periods where True Parents could barely endure, times they wanted to give up and curse the whole world. However, they endured it all, were victorious and shortened the providence instead. Just as Father lived a life of attendance to God for seventy years, you too must attend True Parents thinking, `If not for me, what will happen?' and live so that you receive comfort from True Parents."

In this way, Mother substantially testified to God and True Parents through words of life in every city.

Our life of faith is not a vague thing, but it means we must become the personification of God's heart and True Parents' hearts. I want to say that we must establish that goal for our life.

Father, Mother and True Family all caught colds, and they couldn't get rid of them, so they gave the speeches even with coughs. They must have been so anxious, as they were preparing for a speech that is not in Korean. As it is such a significant tour, they bear the burden externally as well. Every day the location changes, every time they fly several hours in a plane, the longest being a six-hour period. On top of that, the air conditioning in the airplanes and in the hotel rooms is different and also the temperature outside. Father shared, "This is a historic speaking tour and historic time period, so Mother and I have to pay the same indemnity. Even as we give we have to give more."

We met with Mother as her twelve-city portion of the tour [Albany through Portland] ended and she went to Alaska, where Father was. The last speech in Portland started at 3:00 p.m., afterwards Mother gave guidance to members, and we arrived in Anchorage at 11:30 p.m. Father had chartered a plane for Mother, so we arrived in Kodiak at 1:30 a.m. The True Grandchildren came to the airport to meet Mother. Father was waiting outside at North Garden. He was extremely pleased and happy. They cut a victory cake and Father listened to reports.

The fact that in the Unification Church we attend Mother, who can perfectly stand in for Father in every respect, is our blessing, our glory, and something for which we must continually be grateful.

I sincerely ask you to do your best until the very end for the sake of our Mother, who is like a soldier on a forced march, and for all of Father's providence. I beg you once again to be determined to give your best and witness to the Completed Testament era and True Parents through tribal messiah activities.

Father said something new. He said that our church teaches and witnesses to individuals, but the time has come for tribal messiahs in each of their hometowns to witness to whole families, centered on the local church or witnessing center. If we don't work very hard in our tribal messiah mission to witness to family units, a very difficult time lies ahead. On that point, please strive for your hometown restoration and tribal messiah mission.

(translated by Tiffany Takao)

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