Truth is My Sword, Volume II

by Bo Hi Pak

Chapter 51 Celebrating the Victory

Washington, D.C.
April 16, 1989

During the evening celebration following the 15th American Leadership Conference, Dr. Pak pours out love and compliments to Ambassador Sanchez and his wife and several of the ALC leaders, and introduces some Japanese and Korean sisters who have been taking care of the mangy VIPs who have been visiting Washington. He also reports on the victories that occurred at the World Media Conference.

AFC, ACC brothers and sisters, after six months of being separated from each other, this is a great occasion. We seldom get together in a hotel like this, and we want to make the most of it. Those whose birthday is in April, raise your hands. All of you come forward. Look how many people were born in the great month of April. Do you know why these great brothers were born in the month of April? Because April is my wife's birthday month too.

So, I am going to have a little cake and ice cream for dessert. But somebody has to cut the cake. Let's have our birthday brothers and sisters and my wife do it. Don't you think it is a great idea?

But I want to use this cake for another purpose. You know I believe that in the Kingdom of God we will put things to good use. All those who were in the recent Blessing, please come forward also.

[Dr. Pak continued speaking after picture taking and after some remarks by Ambassador Sanchez about his Blessing.]

Ambassador Sanchez was talking about the separation period. He told his wife, I will be here in New York and you will be in San Francisco. He is very serious about it. And Juanita said, what's new about being separated?

When I talked to Father about Ambassador and Mrs. Sanchez being candidates for the married couple Blessing, he did not ask any questions, what about this qualification, what about that qualification. Father simply said, of course, I will Bless them. I have been walking on cloud nine since then, no question about that. I knew that Ambassador Sanchez's Blessing is a very special one. It is a providential one.

When the Blessing came, Father asked one couple to come forward to represent the 138 couples on the stage and to have Father and Mother place their hands on the head. That usually is not done. So I recommended Ambassador Sanchez and his wife, and Father and Mother immediately approved. I brought them on the stage in front of Father and Mother. By the way, in Unification Church history, Father and Mother never wore formal attire at a Blessing of married couples. This is the first time. Father gave the full measure of Blessing.

So not only has the ambassador been Blessed, but his couple was chosen for Father and Mother to put their hands on their head, Juanita on Father's side and Ambassador Sanchez on Mother's side standing in front of them. Father had already put his hand on Juanita, but Mother was a little bit shy and hesitating to put her hand on Ambassador Sanchez's head. Father looked at Mother, saying he is our son, put your hand on him. So Mother did. That is how the invocation of Blessing was given. It was absolutely beautiful to share.

Later on, Ambassador and Juanita Sanchez presented the flowers to Father and Mother, and that was beautiful as well. All in all, it was a wonderful occasion, and I want you to recognize that the ambassador's life has been exemplary according to all the standards of the Unification Church. They have been moral and pure throughout their lives. Father knew, Heaven knew. That is why the dispensational Blessing was given to them. This is a great tribute to them. The Kingdom of God has been enriched by having Ambassador and Mrs. Sanchez in our ranks. Let's give them one more big "thank you."

[After other testimonies, Dr. Pak continued speaking.]

Speaking of birthdays, there is something I want to share. Some of you may not know that Father fasted on his birthday up to the age of 40. Until 1960 when the Holy Wedding was conducted, Father fasted on every birthday. So that was the early tradition of our church, and my wife and I fasted on our birthdays until the age of 40. (By the way, every Sunday morning we fasted, no breakfast before service when I was in Korea.) So you can say Mrs. Pak did not have many birthdays.

In 1961, Mrs. Pak and I were in the United States on Embassy duty and her birthday came. Of course, this was after Father's Blessing and after we were given the honor to be chosen as one of the 36 Blessed couples. So then we could eat on birthdays. There was no fantastic birthday party, no cake, no cake cutting, nothing like that. Mrs. Pak and I decided to go for a picnic in a nearby park. Our meal was barley-no meat, no chicken, no fish, just barley. In America today barley is known as a health food, but in the Korean tradition only poor people eat barley. So our picnic consisted of barley with kimchee and a couple of other vegetables. The two of us enjoyed the picnic and took some pictures. We still have those pictures, and that is the way we celebrated our early birthdays.

Truthfully speaking I have not celebrated many birthdays with her. In the last several years if I happen to be here in Washington, we remember her birthday. That is all we did. So I have not been too good a husband in that respect. But that has been our tradition. That is the way we have been trained, and we have been more than happy to live Father's tradition. I am so glad. There used to be so much fasting. So much self-chastisement. Cold showers and early morning prayer vigils, for example.

All these things have been in a way liberated because of True Parents' victory, particularly Father's victory in America at Washington Monument. That was the peak of Father's victory. Father declared that the Moscow Rally would be next. At that time everybody was completely flabbergasted and totally taken aback at the idea of a Moscow Rally.

The Unbelievable Is Happening

But now what has happened? Just recently we had a very successful World Media Conference in Washington, and Father and Mother came from Korea to attend that conference. Believe it or not, 12 high-level Soviet journalists attended. Why? They came to meet Father. How do I know? At the receiving line we had a metal detector, and they were worried they might not pass the metal detector. They said, do you want me to take off my watch? I want to shake hands with Reverend Moon. I have got to meet Reverend Moon.

In 1976 when Father declared the Moscow Rally, could you imagine that happening? No way. But it has happened. The whole Soviet delegation, all of them in the receiving line, cordially shaking hands with Father and Mother. Boy, can you imagine. And in addition to the 12 Soviets, there were six delegates from Red China. At the conference this time, we had a Korean flag in the center, the United States flag, the Japanese flag, the German flag, then we put the Soviet Union flag next. This never happened in our history. And next to it the Chinese flag. They immediately noticed. They were so glad that we treated them fairly and cordially.

On the first day of the media conference, the Soviets all sat together, 10 at one table and two at the next, 12, like the tribes of Israel. Somebody said they acted like the Japanese, who always stay together. But that was only the first day. By the second day everybody was relaxed, and one of them went out and bought blue jeans. That was the thing he wanted most in the United States. He was walking around wearing them very proudly.

During this conference, the Soviets were hit very hard by the conservative media, saying we cannot trust Gorbachev or glasnost and perestroika. The Soviet and Chinese delegations concluded that the only people who said a kind or sympathetic thing about the Soviet Union and Red China was Father. By the time of the farewell banquet, they felt like Reverend Moon was their savior.

This is really Father's Headwing ideology. That does not mean Father compromised the Principle one iota. Not at all. Father talked about God and a free, responsible, and moral press. But Father embraced them. The basic difference between communism and Godism is that communism's fundamental power comes from a sense of hatred. Our Father's basic power stems out of love. True love. That is the difference. Father truly demonstrated the Headwing spirit, without compromising the Principle.

Father was really a parent. I asked Larry Moffitt to see if we could have a media conference in Moscow next year. I wanted him to move very carefully though, to just feel them out. But an amazing thing happened. Before we ever opened our mouth, they said, can you hold the media conference in Moscow next year? Incredible. The next day the Chinese people came and said, no, no, next year can you bring the media conference to Beijing? So there was a tug of war going on, trying to pull Father to their side. Amazing. In 1976, could you even imagine these things?

Later I had a special dinner with the Chinese delegation, and I asked them, what would you say if we decide to go to Moscow first before Beijing? Would you be offended greatly? The Chinese people smiled, and said, we are a big people, we are not going to be offended by it. But we know that Reverend Moon is our Oriental cousin, closer to our race than the Soviets.

So there is competition between Red China and the Soviet Union in a good way. This is the kind of news I want to share with you.

Father now has an exchange program with the Soviet Union delegation. We sent them out to Montana and Seattle, Washington. They were received by the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and that nasty Seattle Times. They were guests of many famous people, governors, trade union leaders. They have been treated like VIPs everywhere, and everywhere the TV people came and news coverage was incredible. These are rare guests: 12 journalists from the Soviet Union. In Montana at the television station, they were asked why they were here. Their representative answered: we are the guests of Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Oh, boy.

Furthermore, they were guests at Matthew Morrison's house, and they fell in love with Matthew's children. A lot of incredible things went on. Matthew can report better than I can, so I would like to turn the microphone over to Matthew for a five-minute report.

But first I want to tell a CAUSA joke. Actually, it is a true story. The Soviets were in New York, and Larry Moffitt took them for lunch to the Russian Tea Room, which is a very famous restaurant right next to Carnegie Hall. I thought that the Russian Tea Room would serve good Russian food, but all they have is American food: American salad, American beef, nothing Russian about it. Then one of their guys said, if you really want to see the Russian aspect of this restaurant, go into the kitchen. The dishwashing machine is broken-that is the Russian aspect of this restaurant.

Another CAUSA story, and I witnessed this one. I was having a farewell dinner with the 12 Soviet journalists at Windows on the World, on top of the World Trade Center. Larry and Domingo and myself went there to treat them. I asked them to order scotch or whatever drink they wanted. They love American scotch. They ordered the most expensive scotch called Chivas Regal. I don't know why that is so famous, but they all drink Chivas Regal. The cocktail always comes out in a glass with so much ice. They drink it in one gulp, gone, period. They kept ordering scotch on the rocks, scotch on the rocks. It was absolutely time-consuming. So I had to make a special arrangement with the restaurant manager to bring two entire bottles to the table so they could drink as much as they want. That is the only way we could get out of that restaurant. OK, Matthew come on up.

[Dr. Pak continued after Matthew Morrison's report.]

Everything that Matthew said is not only true, but much more. All of them signed the Montana picture album, and they wrote, "Reverend and Mrs. Moon, thank you for inviting us to America." Furthermore, they all sent postcards from Montana to Father. Can you imagine? Not one person of the American media who has attended World Media Confernces sent a postcard to Father, but all 12 Russians sent a postcard of thanks to Father and Mother. Amazing things are happening.

Beautiful, Deep Questions

One of the delegates is editor-in-chief of a weekly magazine known as Abroad, which has a circulation of 900,000. He said all the Russian intellectuals and party members read that magazine. This editor presented five questions to Mother to answer in writing. Of course, he wanted to do a direct interview with Mother but that was not possible. So we drafted five answers. Each one is like one chapter of the Divine Principle. You know the authors of those answers: Tom and Bill. I read every page, every paragraph, to Father and Mother to get their approval. Father amended them in several places. The basic questions were, what is Reverend Moon's ultimate goal, spiritually and physically? What is Reverend Moon's idea about ecology? How can we eliminate the suffering of people? Is there any way the Unification Church and the Soviet Union can cooperate? What great questions! The Western press would never ask those questions in a million years.

So we answered them all, and Father added a few paragraphs. He said, it is not so much a contest between East and West; it is not so much communism vs. the free world. Father answered in the CAUSA way. It boils down to God or no God. So you are not too late. If you really accept God and absolute values, God-centered freedom and moral free enterprise, you could even be a winner in the world. In God's providence everything is possible. Father is really motivating them. America is good but not perfect. Many things are going wrong in America too. So why don't you be challenged by the United States and become the good guy this time and compete with the United States? If you do these things well, then in God's providence you may even be ahead of the United States. Father is telling them, you have been wrong because you denied God. You have been wrong because you thought a human being is merely a chunk of dirt.

So Iordansky got that answer. So much God. So much Divine Principle. So much about Reverend Moon and so much about Mother's life. How many children you have, and what they are doing, and so forth. It is virtually a little book. Iordansky said, I like this last paragraph. If we do this, we might even have a chance to beat the United States. I like that. Well, just let them be good guys and compete with the United States. Come on in the ring and let's play the same game. Do well and you may be rewarded. That is exactly what Father is saying.

Pure Dose of Principle

So, 900,000 people will read Father's words through Mother's words. Father's ideology, the truth of Divine Principle and true love, are explained by Mother. We answered the questions unabashedly. We didn't compromise anything. Isn't that right, Tom and Bill? It is a 100 percent pure dose of Divine Principle. And these journalists accepted it gracefully.

I want you to know that these 12 people are not nobodies. They flew here on the Soviet Union airline. We did not pay their airfare except for their domestic flights. Four of them are so important the government paid for them to fly first class. That means they are very, very high in rank. One of them is a very close friend of Gorbachev. He will accompany Gorbachev to Beijing next month.

And all of them openly admitted that the Soviet Union and Marxism-Leninism are over. They said, we have got to change. The question is how. I bluntly asked them, do you think Gorbachev will finally be successful? Will the hard-liners come to power and change the goals pursued by Gorbachev? They said the possibility exists, but they said that the genie is truly out of the bottle. And they said the media is becoming very, very strong in the Soviet Union.

So who knows what will happen next year. The possibility of a Moscow Rally is real. We are working on that. Instead of an American Leadership Conference, maybe we'll have an American-Russian Leadership Conference. Why not? A Chinese delegation of 40 professors already came to Japan and studied Unificationism. So it is just a matter of time when Russian professors and KGB will be in this room hearing all about Godism and Reverend Moon.

That time is here and my conclusion is this: Father is the only hope for Russia and for China. We have been saying it, but at this time it has come to my heart. That is the only way they can survive.

Tonight we invited our Japanese and Korean sisters for good reason. Father has blessed us in the Washington area because of the World Media Conference. During Father and Mother's stay in Washington, the Washington Church was greatly blessed. Many other organizations such as the Washington Times Corporation, World & I, and the Universal Ballet all have been inaugurated and really had a great blessing from Father. During this time the Japanese and Korean sisters were really united in serving Father and Mother with a sacrificial spirit and bringing them great joy.

Mother even gave them money so they can buy something for themselves or their children. Mother was deeply touched, I could see that.

I invited several Japanese sisters. Mrs. Michael Runyon is the head of the Japanese team. Michael Runyon is the president of One Up Enterprises. I would also like to introduce Mitsuko Nagashima, whose husband is with Happy Group. Yuichiro Watanabe is a very famous man in Washington. He was the editor-in-chief of Sekai Nippo in Japan and is now a special correspondent in Washington. His wife is Hisako Watanabe. And Shigenobu moue works for the World & I. His wife is Emiko Inoue.

Mrs. Runyon is working to organize baby-sitting so the Korean sisters can take care of the many groups coming from Korea, VIPs and professors and religious leaders. It is incredible cooperation. The Japanese sisters are behind the scene demonstrating sacrificial spirit. I am so deeply grateful to you all.

I would like to have all the Korean sisters come out here and sing a song. My granddaughter is here, and she already said good night to mom. Here is a top gun wife, Yun Ja Tobkin. She has been with us in New York. She came down here when her husband was called upon for AFC. A wonderful team. The Tobkin team is always the top gun team. No question about it. And Do Soon Maketa is married to an American husband. Frank is not here because he is working late. Frank is my family member. He is really special to me, and she is a wonderful Korean sister who is helping the professors.

This is Soon Ja McDevitt. Beautiful, isn't she? I understand she is wearing the jacket that Mother gave to her. Soon Ja has four sons. Soon Ja didn't have four sons alone, you know. A little credit goes to Tom, of course. Just a little. She used to be a staff member at East Garden helping Mother and Father. She knows Father and Mother's taste exactly, so it is a great help to have a sister like her in Washington.

Here is Eun Hi Smith, or Mrs. Mike Smith. Tall Michael Smith is my brother-in-law. Yes, she is my sister. Many of you may not know because I never publicized anything. She is just one of the members. That is the way I always treat her. She has gone out witnessing and fund-raising, but she happens to be here in Washington now. She is doing a great job helping the many Korean groups that are coming here.

Many people also don't know, but Chung Hee Lee is my wife's youngest sister. Her husband is Marc Lee, who used to work for the Washington Times.

And this is my daughter-in-law, Sun He, my son Jonathan's wife. They gave us the pleasure of having one granddaughter. Now, as you can see, another grandchild is coming. I prefer a grandson this time, but whatever

God gives will make us happy.

These Korean sisters have been very busy witnessing to all the visiting VIPs. They have been the best tour guides, ready to deal with any situation. Michael Smith learned for the first time the real meaning of the Declaration of Independence; his wife is teaching him because she has to teach Korean professors. Through their wives many American husbands are learning about American history. Isn't that ironic? One day I am going to rent a bus and ride around and relax, and I want them to guide me throughout Washington, D.C., where I lived more than 25 years, and I will learn about Washington and American history. That will happen. I think they have a lot to tell me. But the important thing is that every other sentence they speak is a testimony to Father. Whether they talk about Washington Monument, Congress, or the Jefferson Memorial, there is a story to tell about Father.

Also, during Father's visit many blessings came to Washington. For two years we have had a guest house prepared for Father and Mother, Jefferson House, waiting for the day when they would come and stay there. The man who really worked on that house is our dear brother Bruce Johnston, so I invited him to be here to celebrate this victory. How successful that house has been with Father and Mother. Reverend Yu was trying to entice Father to visit other places, like Upshur House and Capital Gardens, but Father and Mother were so comfortable and relaxed at Jefferson house that Father said, my house in Washington is Jefferson House. We know exactly what we need to make it perfect for their next visit. We are looking forward to their next visit. This house is dedicated for Father and Mother and True Family.

 Download entire page and pages related to it in ZIP format
Table of Contents
Information
Tparents Home