The Words of the deJonge Family

Keeping a Holy Date -- The Greatest International Blessing

Leslie deJonge
November 1982

The Boeing 747 jetliner dipped its wings to port, then to starboard, giving me my first glimpse of the Land of the Morning Calm, as it made its descent on Seoul's Kimpo International Airport. At last, here I was looking down on the

Fatherland, the one place many brothers and sisters had longed to see. It was a privilege indeed. As we touched down, saying silent "thank-you's" to Heavenly Father, my mind drifted back to the weekend before.

It was late on the night of Friday, October 1, that I received word of the intended matching and Blessing in Korea. There was very little that could be done in the two following days. So with a positive mind, I accomplished all preparations by Monday morning, October 4. The officials at the Korean Embassy in Jamaica (where I was sent after joining the church in Guyana) were extremely helpful, and more so when they learned the purpose of my visit to their country. Their courtesy and well wishes boosted my frame of mind, and that same afternoon I was on my way to New York from Kingston to connect with one of the group flights to the Orient the following day. From New York on the 5th through to the 6th into Tokyo and on the Seoul on the 7th, we had gone ahead in time to keep a holy date.

Beginning from the airport building, the church in Korea gave us a warm welcome and did a great job of taking care of us brothers and sisters from 83 nations of the world. Candidates continued arriving throughout the rest of the days, right up to the day before the Blessing.

This Blessing of approximately 6,000 couples has been the largest ever, and we must recognize the fact that our True Parents have done an exceedingly wonderful job. It was a strenuous task indeed, but our Father tackled the situation with much determination and enthusiasm. We saw many times during the matching the parental heart and concern of the True Parents, in the many deep speeches based on the significance and importance of the matching and Blessing, and the times when a break would be called and church leaders would be asked to sing, followed by the True Parents themselves.

It was a heartening sight to see many Japanese and Korean members who had come prepared for international matching. From my nation, Guyana, 20 members were matched and blessed, mostly on an international basis. Another brother and I were the last two persons of our nation to be matched, and the only ones to have Oriental partners.

It was during the last few hours of October 11 that I received my final match, after going through a rejection the day before. I should say that from the time the match proposal was made, we both accepted on the spot. She was all excited and happy -- a reaction which reflects her name, Etsuko ("Joy") Isozaki. Her joy was twofold, for it was also her birthday. Another Japanese sister was there to help us with the language and process of becoming acquainted.

The spiritual impact of our wedding is one unique aspect I cannot forget. Throughout the ceremony inside of the gymnasium, I had difficulty in holding my breath. The sight of the assembled couples just had me gasping for breath -- and finally tears. In the course of the ceremony there was a never- ending sniffling from almost everyone around. My spouse was so overcome by the force of it all that she cried unashamedly and clutched my hand more tightly than ever.

The entire Blessing is a unique experience in itself, an example of God's uplifting power and love for mankind. To this time I have been in the company of my wife for only four days, but so far they have been the best four days of my life. 

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