We Owe It All To God

Dear Family,

While many of us in the west drift along with the notion that the new year has already come and gone, we know that it is tomorrow that marks the first day of the Heavenly New Year, the 8th Year of Cheon Il Guk!

People say that it is very hard to change culture; it’s hard because we are so used to things as they are, and we are emotionally attached to the way things have been in the past. But it is God and our True Parents, who are leading the way into a brand new era. In reality, it is a new history, and it starts with us. That means future generations will look back and carefully study how we ourselves first responded to this new beginning. My sense is that it is us, not True Parents, but us that will determine how long it will take to embrace the new era.

Tomorrow, in cities and towns all across America, our family members and guests will be celebrating the 53rd Heavenly Parent’s Day, and True Parents’ 100th Birthday. Everything that our True Mother has done over the last seven years has been for this, the day in which we can offer the conditions for a Heavenly Unified World to Heavenly Parent and True Parents. Also, this day marks 100 years of our True Father’s incredible life-long investment. Why have True Father and True Mother invested everything for humanity even in the face of relentless hostility and persecution? Because they love God, and want to liberate the han of 6,000 years from God’s heart. They truly love God. 

When we return from Korea, I will share with you about our goals and objectives for the American movement in 2020 and beyond. But for now, I wish for us all to reflect internally and offer our utmost response to God and True Parents. This will be our condition for success to launch the Heavenly New Year. Please allow me to share what is on my heart, and please receive it well:

We often find ourselves questioning how to balance our lives. For example, we may consider how much of our time we can dedicate to family and work, versus church or providential matters. When it is time to give, we might first reflect upon our debts, or potential future income, or we may just dig into our pockets to see what we have there. Similarly, when it comes to service or attendance, we often have to choose which hour we can give, or which day we can give for the sake of the providence. But as I pondered on this phenomenon, I realized that at the root of this thinking is some form of the concept that “I’m doing the church a favor. I’m doing the movement, or True Parents, a favor to attend this event, or donate this gift, or come to church and serve the pastor.” It’s like, “I’m doing God a favor.” But in fact, this type of thinking is 180 degrees upside down. We come from a fallen world, a fallen history, and our Heavenly Parent and True Parents have laid the conditions and sacrifices that allow our lives to be saved. In reality, God and True Parents have done us all a favor that could never possibly be repaid by any measure.

We owe everything to True Parents. True Father did not have to choose a path of suffering. He once said, “I was not born into a lowly family. It was not my lot in life to suffer. But had I not chosen the path of suffering, I could not have opened the way of restoration. So, I had to go this way.” He only had to because he loves God and loves us.

True Parents’ birthday comes every year, and there is always another campaign for a donation for this or that; however, this time my family chose to give an amount that we simply cannot afford, and we are giving with a grateful heart. As soon as we did this, I had this feeling that I was giving everything, even my bone marrow. I prayed about it and thought, “What would be the most I could possibly give? What would be the most I could possibly sacrifice for God and True Parents? Would it be my life? No. I realized the thing that was most precious to me, the last thing I would wish to give, is not my life, but in fact my lineage. When I realized that, I laughed at myself, because in reality, the lineage that I have is already God’s. My lineage is already True Parents’, because it is Heavenly Parent and True Parents that gave me my lineage. In fact, my life, my love, and my lineage are not mine, but they all belong to God and True Parents because they created those things. I am a manifestation of God and True Parents. Everything I am and everything I have belongs to God and True Parents. To go to church, or to serve on the weekend, or to offer a donation, or to sacrifice something for the sake of the providence, is not a favor that I am doing for God, it is a blessing that God is extending to me. This is my conclusion; essentially we owe everything to God.

Therefore, let us offer generously toward True Parents’ Birthday gift. Whatever you give, please make sure you have given it with your whole heart. It should be a stretch. It is not just a normal year or normal donation. We have been asked to give at least $1000 per family, but those who give $10,000 or more will receive an incredible legacy gift from True Mother. (I believe it is a gold medal). Dr. Kim has expressed this as a “once in a lifetime blessing after all that our True Parents have given in America.” You can donate right now, right here.

Furthermore, remember that we are collectively responsible beings. Please encourage other family members to also offer their gift with the same heart. 

We have had a great year in 2019 and the USA is shining brightly, but we are now entering 2020, and celebrating True Father’s 100 year birthday. We helped True Mother lay a cosmic-level foundation of faith, and now it is time for the cosmic foundation of substance, of which this gift is an integral part. This is a historic day indeed. In fact, just this morning, for the second time in history, the Associated Press has published our press release, which is about True Parents’ 100th Birthday. This is incredible!

Let us be proud of our True Parents and recognize their incredible sacrifice for America. We all owe our lives to them, we owe all we have to God, so let us stretch and go beyond what is simply ‘possible’ and make sure that we are All In with our True Parents at this time. The world is watching. Literally!

God Bless you,

Demian and Yumiko Dunkley