Hadily: Blessed Life Hacks from the Hacks

“The first episode of Hadily touches on how God guided us to each other, and how our interracial marriage can break boundaries and concepts out there,” says Ilya, a young Unificationist.

Born worlds apart, newlywed couple Ilya and Diane Hack (née Kelalu) found each other through their strong lives of faith. A native of Russia, Ilya, an only child, grew up in sunny California with a Japanese mother and American father.

In Central Africa, Diane, a young Unificationist, was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The eldest of three sisters,  she came to New York with her family as a young teen. The spirited young couple share their captivating journey of faith and finding one another in the March 7 debut episode of their new YouTube series, Hadily, a crafty mix of their last and first names. 

“This channel is something that we individually thought about before we even met,” says Diane, a 23-year-old nursing student. “We wanted to have a platform that informs, inspires, and gives back to the community. Our goal is to share our faith and break misconceptions about it and about multicultural relationships.”

“The YouTube channel is a great way for us to share about the Blessing as well,” says 25-year-old Ilya, who studied film in college.

The pair, now living in upstate New York, received the Marriage Blessing officiated by Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, co-founder of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), in South Korea in February 2020. They join millions of couples worldwide in the longstanding marriage tradition of the Unification movement spanning more than six decades.

The spectacular ceremony, a life-changing moment for the couple, was a highlight of their love story that they happily share about on Hadily, which now has more than a hundred subscribers.

“I tried to find someone in my heart and mind that’s close to God,” says Ilya regarding his search for a partner. “Out of all the people that I knew, she was a prominent thought.” 

The two initially met in 2018 through a mutual friend’s band practice. Ilya later suggested Diane to his parents after thoughtful prayer about a partner. 

“I felt God was preparing us to meet,” says Ilya. “We bonded over music, but I could see how much dedication and love for God she had at a workshop we both went to and I felt like we were on the same wavelength.”

Diane felt similarly, saying, “I wanted us to embrace each other and not focus on our differences, and look at each other as God’s son and daughter.”

However, their differences are also a topic of discussion on Hadily. 

“The stories we share on the channel connect to our personal life and our experiences,” says Diane, “but also things like gratitude and how to become more grateful for the things God has given us. We don’t want to limit Hadily to just our story; we’d like to expand it and work with other young married couples and nonprofits to share about the Marriage Blessing. We also want to include our families, especially our parents of different cultures.”

The busy couple, who are matching supporters for those seeking the Marriage Blessing, say they may launch a daily blog to complement Hadily and will incorporate elements of the Divine Principle on both platforms. The Divine Principle is the core teachings of the Unification movement.

“We’re going to be very open with our faith and share the valuable teachings of our movement,” says Diane, who currently serves as the Youth and Young Adult Ministry (YAYAM) coordinator for the Northeast region. “There are lots of people out there who are looking for life advice, relationship advice, and guidance.” 

“Living for the sake of others is a core belief in our movement,” adds Ilya, “and this kind of practice can impact and transform the world.”

You can check out Hadily, which airs every Sunday, on YouTube here.

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