Family restoration and hometown tribal love has been a challenge for my family and me. The hometown providence has given us a new perspective on God’s historical heart. This story of one family’s perseverance shows that one has to set the goal and step by step through God’s formula of True Love, establish the victory.

In 1990, the message of the hometown providence sent us from the World Mission Center to do hometown in Northeast Ohio, and we moved to my home neighborhood in 1992. There, among my family, clan and old school mates, we started the work of true love. Every year my hometown holds a summer celebration in the town square. We set up a booth, hoping somehow to bring people to the Blessing. The first year, we sold gift items. The following year we tried an information booth on Women’s Federation, then Family Federation, and now the True Blessing Booth!

We became known as the city’s "Moon" family. At first we were persecuted, but folks here in this town are basically friendly, and knew the family I came from. I guess I was known as the rebel -- the one who did things differently from the others. I was a hippie, I published my own underground high school newspaper, Revelations, and I was known as a person who was not afraid to speak out. Now it all came out that I had been in the movement for the last 20 years. People liked me, but they were somewhat apprehensive of my new religious beliefs. Most people changed their mind, however, after talking to us.

At each summer celebration we met lots of young couples, and they were really interested in the Proclamation for True Families. The message made a lot of sense to them.

We began to win the hearts of many people in this town. We became involved with others through our children’s activities and by doing volunteer work. I felt that it would take a long time for True Love to grow here, but I persevered, day after day, year after year. As a parent at the birth of a child, one feels such pride, but the job of being a parent is really just beginning. Somehow Blessing ’98 was such a beginning for Parentism here in my hometown. Last year we Blessed many people at the summer celebration -- a judge, and local city, state and national representatives. There were ministers, players from the Cleveland Indians, teachers and many others.

My wife, Eiko, went to Japan for three weeks for witnessing and Blessing activities in her own hometown. She had come to America some 25 years ago, and only gone home once, after our first son was born, 10 years ago. She had not really had time to see her childhood friends back then. This time she could really proclaim her love of God and True Parents. She was a testimony to international marriage, and she Blessed many, many people in her home town.

On Father’s Day, Eiko and I had the opportunity to bless our tribal clans. Here in America, my cousin had a graduation party for his youngest daughter. I Blessed the celebration cake with Holy Wine and shared this special blessing with all my relatives, young and old. On the other side of the planet, in Japan, Eiko was having a special banquet with all her in-laws and she, too, had a sharing of the Holy Wine, Blessing all there. This date is now our special Family Tribal Holiday!

Part of our joy was seeing the Blessed children who delighted in sharing Holy Wine and candy. They were so pure in heart, and even the toughest cases broke down and received the Blessing from them! Yoko, my 6-year-old daughter, was out there helping hour after hour. My two boys, ages 10 and 12, really helped us surpass our goal. We had set a goal of 8,000. I had not really believed we could do it, but by Sunday evening we were completely out of juice and candy, and we knew we had gone completely beyond our goal.

My biggest joy was Blessing so many friends and families in my hometown. My high school friend’s band was in the gazebo, getting ready to play for the townspeople. I approached them with a silver tray holding 12 cups of Holy Wine. I announced that this was Blessing time. One of the twins in this well-known band, said, "OK -- everyone drink!" The bass player asked, "Is this Moonshine?" The other twin replied, "No, it’s Moon Wine!" I added, "Yes, it’s Holy Wine and I want to give you all the Blessing." The entire band drank up. At the upcoming County Fair in North East Ohio, members will have a Family Booth, and a Family Federation trailer in the County Parade. The Blessing is surely coming!

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