5. The Providential Period of Preparation and the Holy Wedding

Book 1: Global Unity Through True Parents 
Part 1: The Life of Hak Ja Han Moon as True Mother
Chapter 5: The Providential Period of Preparation and the Holy Wedding

Moving south and the providential period of preparation

While my mother was attending the Inside the Womb Church, her brother, my uncle Hong Sun-jeong, returned home from studying abroad in Japan. He then went to South Korea and joined the army there. My uncle was a dignified and charming person. My grandmother very much missed her son while he was serving in the military. One of the reasons my grandmother, my mother and I came to the South was to see him. We went to Seoul and settled there. When we first arrived in Seoul we lived at Hyochang-dong, and that is where I entered Hyochang Elementary School.

My maternal grandmother, Grandmother Jo, was always with me, and whenever we walked down the street together people would stroke my hair and tell me how pretty I was. It was a time when other people could not go about freely, but I roamed to and fro and ran errands, and was much loved. Even in the process of coming to the South, we were able to cross the borders without any mishap because we were all women and the group included me, a small child.

I was popular wherever I went and grew up receiving much love from the many people around me. This is why I later thought, "If l had not married young, I could have been lost to the secular world. Maybe this is the reason God brought me to the Holy Wedding early in life and embraced me in His arms.”

I was eight years old (by Korean reckoning) when the Korean War broke out. We were living in Seoul so we had to flee from there, and my uncle helped us tremendously. Daemonim thought only about meeting the Lord, for whom she continued offering her sincere devotions. As a medical officer in the army, my uncle knew in advance that the Han River Bridge was going to be blown up. He had a pass to cross the bridge, and he drove my grandmother, Daemonim and me across it in a military vehicle so we could flee further south.

As soon as we crossed the bridge, my uncle told us to get out of the vehicle and take cover. We did as he said. At that moment the bridge was blown up, and many soldiers who were still crossing the bridge fell into the river and lost their lives. We were safe because of my uncle's help.

Most Korean people my age have gone through wars and difficult times, but I was able to pass through that precarious period in safety because I was always protected by Heaven in all things. I lived through the Korean War without any trouble or misadventure. I can remember the time when we were fleeing from the North. I caught a cold and Daemonim made me bite down on taffy to prevent me from coughing so we would not be heard. Also, when I was injured, she mashed cactus and cooked rice together and applied that to my injury to make the pus ooze out, and that healed me. (1999.10.21, Punta del Este, Uruguay)

What we see today with our own eyes is not everything. Tracing back to 1950, it was the year the Korean Civil War broke out. South Koreans were pushed all the way to the southern end of the peninsula, and only through the help of the UN troops were they able to move northward again, in the process of which the entire nation came to lie in ruins. You have no idea how difficult the lives of the general public became then. Most of them could not even manage one meal a day. That was how dismal the circumstances were.

At the time, it was not yet 100 years since Christianity had been first introduced into Korea, so the nation mostly followed Confucianism or Buddhism. Therefore, there were many Buddhist monks. One day, one such monk saw me and asked Daemonim, "Is this your daughter?" When she answered yes, he told her, "She is a daughter worth more than ten sons, so raise her well.” He also added, "Your daughter will get married when she is young to a man much older than her, but he will have the ability to dominate the land, sea and air.”

When I now think about those words, I am deeply moved in my heart, but 50 years ago I could not even imagine what that meant and only thought that it would be more difficult than plucking a star from heaven. The prophecy made by a monk who was passing us by, however, has come true. (2007.05.01, Fukuoka, Japan)

After meeting with True Father, Daemonim began a church in Chuncheon, and I went to Bangui Elementary School located there. Around the time I graduated from that school, the "laying on of hands" incident occurred and Daemonim was imprisoned. At the time, I was supposed to take my middle school entrance exam, but I had given up on it because Daemonim was not there with me. Then my maternal uncle who lived in Seoul heard about this and he came to Chuncheon to take me to Seoul to take the entrance exam there. Recruiting of new students for the first semester was already finished, but the recruiting for the second semester was still going on, so I took the entrance exam for Seongjeong Middle School (now Seonjeong Middle School), and I passed. I moved from Chuncheon to my maternal uncle's home in Shindang-dong, Seoul so that I could attend Seongjeong Middle School.

The role of women is very important in the course of the providence of restoration. In preparing for Mother's mission in particular, God followed a painstaking course, hidden from human eyes, within the confines where He would not be subjected to Satan's accusations. Grandmother Jo Won-mo and Hong Sun-ae Daemonim lived their entire lives in faith and preparation to receive the returning Lord. They did not compromise with the world or practice empty faith within an apathetic family environment; instead, they dedicated twenty-four hours a day to serving Heaven, and devoted themselves to making preparations to receive the Lord.

Since my mother's investment in her life of faith caused her to be rarely at home, I lived mostly with my grandmother. So I naturally inherited my faith from my grandmother. My grandmother knew God's Will for me, so she cared for me with sincerity. She raised me in purity, untainted by the world, so that I might become the precious daughter whom Heaven could use.

My grandmother repeatedly told me, "Your father is Heavenly Father.” This is all I remember, her telling me, "Heavenly Father is your father.” Thus, when we talked about my father I always thought about Heavenly Father rather than my natural father. Whenever I thought of God I always had a warm feeling. Anyone who looked at my family from an external perspective would have found it incomprehensible. Yet, growing up in it, I never felt anything lacking; nor did I have anything to complain about. I lived with a feeling that something or someone was embracing me, and I felt free in my heart.

I never asked my mother or my grandmother anything about my physical father, such as why my mother and father lived the way they did. Throughout my life I never had any hard feelings or complaints whatsoever about my physical parents. Thousands of years before Jesus came, God made many preparations for Israel to receive him that remain unknown to this day. In Korea as well, prior to the liberation He prepared many groups to receive the Lord at his return. Those groups carried out internal work for the providential history of restoration. My maternal grandmother and my mother searched everywhere for those groups. They lived their lives only for the Will, preparing for the day when they could meet the Lord.

In the end, their sincere and devout life of faith led me to where I am today. Living a virtuous and pure life, they separated themselves from anything impure or evil. I learned this way of life primarily from my mother, but my maternal grandmother, Grandmother Jo, also greatly influenced me. She passed away around the time Father and I were married, and after she went to the spirit world, she appeared to the Buddhist priest Bhoshal Yuncheong Jeongshim and said that the time had come, and that he should prepare clothes like the king used to wear. But finally Yuncheong Jeongshim went to the spirit world without making the clothes. Grandmother Jo also sent a message that Father was the king of kings and every time there was a change in the national leadership she said that place was Father's place. (1999.10.21, Punta del Este, Uruguay)

My teachers loved and protected me at every school I attended. I am not sure whether it was because I gave them the impression I was reliable and modest, but for some reason my teachers cared for me. Some teachers said, "You are not like most children these days. Go out and get involved.” It was not that I had a lot of worries on my mind. I just liked to sit and stay quiet. Even during adolescence, when I was growing into womanhood, I never worried about my life because my grandmother and mother, who were always attending Heaven, taught me to live in faith. Under my mother's strict education, I spent my time immersed in reading books such as Tess. For a time I thought that I wanted to lead a country life with a couple of my close friends and plant fruit trees.

I have not thought much about my student days since the Holy Wedding, so I cannot remember much about that time. Besides, I really have not had time to think back. Recently, one of my old friends visited me. She and I once lived in the same neighborhood and attended the same middle school. Her father loved me very much. Another of my friends was my senior by one year. Her name was Helen Kim. She cared deeply for me and used to say, "You are dignified and pretty.” She later moved to Canada and often sent me letters. Every time I gave a major speech, she would come and visit me.

When we bought my old school, Seonjeong Middle School, I visited the school and found that the teacher of my Korean class was still there. I can still recall his face. Also, I remember that my mathematics teacher cared for me very much.

Until 1960, I lived mostly in seclusion, as if l were buried inside my clothes. God led me to lead a simple life that did not require me to compromise with the secular world. God set up circumstances that thoroughly protected me, as if He did not want me even to breathe the air of Satan's world. In such surroundings, I eliminated my own thoughts and just led my life by letting God alone guide me. I used to write a diary. Amazingly enough, although I was not writing with much thought, I wrote something like "Urie sowon-eun tongil,” meaning, "Our cherished hope is for North and South Korea to be reunited,” in my diary. Later, when I heard Father's words on the subject, I recalled what I had written in my diary and found it very meaningful. (1999.10.21, Punta del Este, Uruguay)

Meeting True Father

Before joining our church, Daemonim set the goal of witnessing to people until she found the Lord. She took care of my maternal grandmother and me when we lived as refugees, and it was during that time that she met Elder Jeong Seokcheon's family, who were members of the Holy Lord Church in Daegu, and she lived there for a few years eating nothing but uncooked food. Then she went to seek out Elder Jeong Seok-cheon's younger brother, Jeong Pyeong-hwa, in Jeju Island, where she lived for a few months on raw grains and vegetables. Afterwards, she returned to Chuncheon, where she heard the news from Elder Jeong Seok-cheon in Daegu that an "unusual teacher" had come there. Saying that if he was an unusual person, he could be the person we had been searching for, Daemonim went to Daegu to meet him. When she arrived, however, he had already left Daegu for Seoul, so she went to Seoul, where she finally got to see True Father at Cheongpa-dong. (1999.10.21, Punta del Este, Uruguay)

I did not meet True Father in North Korea. The first time I met him was in Seoul, after I had come down to South Korea. At that time I was 13 years old and had recently graduated from elementary school. The meeting happened shortly after my mother and I joined the church, and since we had followed such a difficult course to arrive at that point, we had no idea what would happen in the future. In particular, we did not know what to what might happen in the 1960s.

The first time I met Father, he looked at me and asked, "What is your name?" I answered, "My name is Hak Ja Han.” Then Father closed his eyes and meditated for a moment and said, almost to himself, but I could still hear, "Oh, God, You have given such a woman, Hak Ja Han, to this country of Korea.” He was almost talking to himself, but that is what I heard him say. At that time I felt strange that this religious leader should have received a special message or revelation regarding my future. I was then living in Chuncheon, far from where True Father lived in Seoul at the headquarters in the Church at Chungpa dong, so there was quite a distance between us. After that first encounter at the church, my mother and I continued attending that church on Sundays. During that time I graduated from middle school and went on to high school. (1977.05.03, Belvedere Training Center)

A month before the Holy Wedding, Father appeared to me in a dream and gave me a special revelation from God. Because at the time I did not have the ability to deal with such a monumental matter, I had to empty myself. All I could do was pray. I responded while constantly keeping that revelation in mind, thinking, "O God, I have been living in accordance with Your Will. I will follow and do whatever Your Will may be. Whatever Your providential purpose for me may be, I will follow as You command.” I was 17 years old, and it was sometime in February. I did not want to analyze the situation at that time because I was making internal preparations by emptying myself I only wanted to follow God's Will.

I was known as a student who liked reading and music in a comfortable and quiet atmosphere. Also, people had the impression that I was quite intellectual. I was not extremely emotional or excitable. Come to think of it, I might have given a first impression of being a little cold.

In the dormitory I lived like a nun. My life was sheltered from the secular environment, like a flower blooming in a greenhouse. Only later did I realize that my life was that way to separate me from the fallen world. It was Heaven's preparation, so that one day I could meet the Lord at His Second Advent and become his Bride.

My character was naturally reserved, so I generally shied away from people, and spent time in my own private world. I did not show any interest in boys, never even looking at any young men who happened to be nearby. This was because even if I just looked at them I felt there was something improper about it and that I was losing my purity. (1977.05.03, Belvedere Training Center)

Holy Wedding and a new resolution

Though Heaven created an environment where He could send the Messiah of the Second Coming through righteous people, Christianity did not know about this providence. Nonetheless, April 11, 1960, is the day on which the only begotten son and only begotten daughter, born without original sin, overcame innumerable difficulties and held the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in accordance with Heaven's Will. That day became a day of glory for Heaven and a day of joy and hope for humanity. (2017.04.12, CheongPyeong Training Center)

When I was 16 years old, I received God's summons and immediately made a decision. "If I do not do this, the wearisome providential history of restoration through indemnity, which is full of bitter pain, will not end:' Thus, I resolved to succeed without fail. That was 1960, the year of True Parents' Holy Wedding.

You learned this in your lectures. Isn't that right? You probably heard about True Mother's seven-year course in the Principle. This seven-year course was my path to prepare a foundation of victory, by which the 6,000-year providential history that Eve had lost could be restored through indemnity. If I had been unable to complete this, God's Day could not have been established. No one can replace True Mother's history. Therefore, I took initiative and set an example by fulfilling what I had to do providentially.

Do you know that Foundation Day was on the 13th day of the 1st month by the heavenly calendar in 2013? As we already had God's Day, why did we establish Foundation Day on the 13th? Thirteen is an important number. In the story of God's creation of the world, the Bible starts out by saying, "There was evening, and there was morning.” In providential history, there is creation on the 12th, and a day of rest on the 13th, so 13 is an important number. Searching for the lost number 13 is part of True Parents' providential history.

Because of this, I bore 14 children, going beyond the number 13. In the ages of history, especially in Old Testament providential history, many numbers appear. As the True Mother, I united these numbers, I made them into one. This is one of my greatest achievements as True Mother. (2015.10.09, Cheon Jeong Gung)

The 2,000-year history was one of searching for the only begotten daughter of God. For 6,000 arduous years, Heaven went through hardships while anxiously searching for True Parents, searching for Heaven's only begotten daughter. On that day in 1960, heaven and earth rejoiced, all creation rejoiced. The moment God had impatiently awaited had arrived. Yet, what was the reality at that time? The prince and princess of Heaven had to begin from the lowest of all positions. (2014.07.01, Cheon Jeong Gung)

Isn't it God's Will to send the Lord of the Second Advent to this earth, and to fulfill the original purpose of creation in its entirety through him? Hence, the Lord of the Second Advent is the True Parent of humanity who comes with the mission to guide all humanity to God.

I am sure you have all come to know, through the Word and through historical facts, that God had to follow a course of indescribable suffering in various ways until He could announce the name of True Parents on this earth. The Messiah or the True Parent who comes to save humanity is the one entrusted with the mission of building the kingdom of heaven, which is God's purpose of creation and which must be established on earth first, so it is termed the kingdom of heaven on earth. (1986.08.20, Belvedere Training Center)

Heaven will absolutely remember whatever conditions we make. This is why when I met Father I already understood what would be essential to my mission. Since I was born and grew up in the environment that God had prepared, I knew what I had to do and the mission I needed to accomplish. I met True Father when I was 17 years old, and I made the resolution, "I will complete Heaven's work of restoration through indemnity in my lifetime. I will finish it. And then I will begin a new era.” That is what I thought to myself when I got married to True Father at the age of 17. And that is how I have lived my life. (2012.12.25, Cheon Jeong Gung)