Youth and Family Festival and Blessing Ceremony: Cambodia

Photo credit FFWPU-USA

The following is a letter from Dr. Young Ho Yun, Secretary-General, Cheon Jeong Gung Headquarters on November 20, 2019 about True Mother’s World Tour and the 40-Day Cosmic Canaan Course for the Firm Establishment of Cheon Il Guk, which began on Monday, November 18, 2019 leading up to the Clergy Rally on December 28 in Newark, New Jersey.

Beloved Cheon Il Guk leaders, blessed families!

May Heavenly Parent’s and True Parents’ blessings and grace be with you.

Today, the Youth and Family Festival of Cambodia, a part of True Mother’s global speaking tour for the firm establishment of a heavenly world, was opened at the Koh Pich Theater. Despite the fact that she had been coughing since early in the morning, True Mother offered devotions for today’s rally. During breakfast, at 6:30 a.m., True Mother said that today’s Blessing Ceremony must become a historic Blessing Ceremony through which Cambodia becomes a true Heavenly Cambodia based upon which Heavenly Parent can substantially dwell here. Just as a certain professor expressed in his testimony, Cambodia experienced the pain of the “killing fields.” Today, Cambodia will see itself change from being a place of death to a place of life, and, finally, a “place of God.” With such a significant day ahead, True Mother was more serious than ever before.

At 9:00 a.m., after meeting some blessed families who had come to greet True Mother, True Mother departed for the blessing venue. Through the thoughtful consideration of the Cambodian government, the Cambodian police and military controlled the traffic as True Mother traveled to the blessing venue. Cambodia is quite famous for traffic congestion, and yet, we didn’t see even a single car. The Cambodian government showed their full respect for this historic Blessing Ceremony.

Before the anticipated Blessing Ceremony began, the venue was already filled with participants of the Youth and Family Festival. Present were the overseas VIPs of the Asia-Pacific Cambodia Summit, as well as representatives of the Cambodian government including Deputy Prime Minister Bin Chhin of Cambodia, who came on behalf of Prime Minister Hun Sen, Chief Secretary Yin Nolla of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Hen Kranthony of the General Affairs Department, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Thong Socheat of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Parliamentarian Sos Mousine, who is also the Deputy Chairman of the Young People’s Union, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Department of Health, and Parliamentary Vice-Minister Mann Sokry of the Farming Department. The venue was filled to capacity with the 3,400 participants, among whom were 14 parliamentarian couples, 17 governor couples, 16 vice-governor couples, 58 county governor couples, 25 mayor couples, 500 youth leaders, and many others.

The program began with a video on True Mother’s worldwide Blessing movement. This was followed by the Cambodian national anthem, interfaith prayers and readings of religious leaders representing the Buddhist, Christian, Confucian, Hindu, and Muslim faiths, and the opening address by Sos Mousine, Cambodian Parliamentarian and Deputy Chairman of the Young People Union.

Following the opening address, True Mother came out to the stage, through two lines of attendants made up of Cambodian blessed couples. True Mother’s entrance itself was a blessing.

From 1975, to build an ideal communist world, the Khmer Rouge regime led by Pol Pot carried out massacres of millions of people in what became known as the killing fields. These were massacres that killed a quarter of the Cambodian population of that time. This only came to an end in 1979. Now, exactly 40 years later, in 2019, True Mother, whom Heavenly Parent has sent as His Only Begotten Daughter and the embodiment of the Holy Spirit, has come to Cambodia to bless what was once a place of death to be a place of God. This is indeed a historic moment, precious beyond belief. All overseas heads of state, Cambodian government officials, and young people stood up and warmly welcomed True Mother with a great round of applause as she took the stage. At this moment, True Mother herself was Heavenly Parent’s blessing.

Beloved leaders and blessed families, there is no such thing as coincidence in the providence. From a human perspective, True Mother’s visit to Cambodia may look like a simple visit to participate in a national event that is part of the “40- Day Cosmic Canaan Course for the Firm Establishment of Cheon Il Guk,” but God is sending True Mother, His most beloved and Only Begotten Daughter, the embodiment of the Holy Spirit, to this land exactly 40 years after the killing fields, to liberate and completely free the souls of the killing field victims – millions of people who were unjustly sacrificed and killed under the pretext of building a utopia, and the souls of the young people and students, mostly under 20 years of age back then, who were forced to carry out these massacres.

After True Mother’s entrance, she conducted the Holy Water Ceremony and the Affirmation of the Blessing Vows. Through the Blessing Prayer that True Mother next offered to Heavenly Parent, she sought to comfort Heavenly Parent for the pain He must carry in His heart.

During lunch, I asked True Mother about the heart with which she had offered her Blessing Prayer. True Mother said, “I blessed Cambodia’s past, present, and future,” by first comforting Heavenly Parent, who would have been in pain through the murders in the killing fields of Cambodia, and then by liberating and blessing the ancestors who unjustly died as a result, and who still have tremendous resentment, and finally by liberating the young people who were utilized as tools to kill other people in the absence of any hope for the future, with the sincere hope that its young people today will attend Heavenly Parent and True Parents and advance toward that day of hope in the future.

Yes, only True Parents have the authority and power to liberate and bless ancestors filled with bitter pain over the past, as well as to bestow blessings that will enable this nation to build hope for the present and future. True Parents’ Blessing Prayer liberated Cambodia and blessed the people of Cambodia as Heavenly Parent’s children.

Representing all couples who received the Blessing on that day, Chong Pheth, Deputy Minister of the Agricultural and Rural Development Ministry and his wife, both victorious Heavenly Tribal Messiahs, presented True Mother with a bouquet of flowers and a gift to express gratitude for the Blessing. Thereafter, the young people of Cambodia participated in the Hyojeong Pure Love Pledge Ceremony, through which they all promised to create true families. Then, they all danced beautifully to the song “Mi-reo-Bu-cheo (Push Forward)” to express their resolution to push Cambodia forward centered on True Mother’s vision to become a Heavenly Cambodia. This turned the occasion into a festive one. Ever since the Blessing in São Tomé, a model nation of national restoration, where the young people offered their pure love pledge from the position of the realm of children and then gave a performance expressing their resolution to achieve the ideal of a true family, this has become a tradition during our Blessing Ceremonies.

Later, Deputy Prime Minister Bin Chhin, representing the government of Cambodia, and First Lady of Palau Debbie Remengesau, gave congratulatory addresses:

“Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon are spreading an educational movement centered on fundamental principles. The core of True Parents’ life-long mission and activities is “living for the sake of others.” Therefore, True Parents are laying the foundation for families that are healthy, stable, and filled with love in order to create a world of sustainable peace and prosperity. Yes, this is correct. The healthy family movement is nation-building. Good families that nurture filial children are the core element of a healthy, prosperous, sustainable nation and world. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you again for coming here today. Let us build a peaceful and prosperous nation and world together.”

Through this, the citizens of Cambodia and the Asia-Pacific officially proclaimed their will to build a nation and realize a world of peace and prosperity on the foundation of True Parents’ blessing.

Next, True Parents’ ambassadors in the Culture of Heart Revolution of the Arts, the Little Angels, gave a congratulatory performance. Right before the youth performance, which was first performed at Korea’s Mt. Balwang, True Mother gave a special, unscheduled speech. These were True Mother’s words:

True Mother did not proclaim Cambodia as Heavenly Cambodia at the Asia-Pacific Summit Opening Plenary. In truth, since Mother usually proclaims the “Heavenly Nation” at the Summit’s opening ceremony, in my ignorance, I assumed she had forgotten the Heavenly Cambodia declaration. However, this was my own ignorance. True Parents first wished to liberate and bless the ancestors of Cambodia from their sorrowful past, and, on the foundation of the blessing of hope for the present and future of Cambodia, True Mother declared and proclaimed Heavenly Cambodia.

True Mother put her whole heart into the Blessing Prayer and blessed us even further through her speech. Thus, through True Parents’ hard work and devotion, Cambodia was reborn through True Mother as Heavenly Cambodia.

The finale of this historic day was the lighting of the holy fire and the cheers of Eog Mansei led by Special Envoy Hajime Saito.

This was truly a historic Blessing Ceremony and a historic day. After she returned from conducting the Blessing Ceremony, True Mother appeared to be quietly praying to God. She would have thanked Him for the victorious Blessing Ceremony, but she appeared to be offering a prayer to comfort God. Even after the Blessing Ceremony ended, True Mother continued to offer devotions without rest for Heavenly Cambodia. She prayed for the ancestors of Cambodia, the wronged and sorrowful victims of the killing fields unable to enter Heaven’s palace, and to comfort our Heavenly Parent, who could only watch these horrendous actions with tears.

Afterwards, True Mother gathered some 20 leaders for dinner and reports including Asia-Pacific Regional Chair Chung Sik Yong, UPF Asia-Pacific Chairman Ek Nath Dhakal, Subregional Director Julius Malicdem, Special Envoy Saito Hajime, other Asia leaders, UPF International Chair Dr. Thomas Walsh, YSP International President Robert Kittel, The Washington Times Foundation Chairman Thomas McDevitt, FFWPU-Korea President Gi Seong Lee, and Foundation for the Global Support of FFWPU Chairman Jong Gwan Kim. True Mother listened to the leaders’ reflections and encouraged them in their resolve to be successful by saying “Let us continue to be victorious like this,” before concluding the session.

Beloved Cheon Il Guk leaders, blessed families, True Mother led the rallies in Subregions 4 and 5 of Heavenly Korea just before embarking on her global speaking tour. Due to departing Korea without taking any time to rest, she developed sores in her mouth and faced many challenges to her health after arriving in Cambodia. However, for the sake of our Heavenly Parent, and in order to keep her last promise to True Father, True Mother is truly putting her life on the line as she continues on without rest.

I once asked True Mother, “Mother, why are you walking this difficult course without resting?

Why do you keep going forward even when you have sores in your mouth, swollen legs, and it is painful for you to even stand? You could rest but why do you painfully keep moving forward?” And Mother answered, “Because I am Mother.”

This was what she said. True Mother has continued to move forward without stopping for the sake of Heavenly Parent and humankind because she is the Mother of Humankind, the Mother of the Universe. When True Mother spoke in front of True Father, saying “I shall work to firmly establish Cheon Il Guk until my last breath,” these words were not simply an expression of True Mother’s determination but her last testament.

Respected leaders and blessed families! Tomorrow after the Victory Celebration here in Cambodia, True Mother will travel directly to Taiwan to hold the Rally of Hope there. I would like to once more ask all leaders and members to offer profound devotions for the victory of the “40-Day Cosmic Canaan Course for the Firm Establishment of Cheon Il Guk” and True Mother’s long life and good health.

Thank you.

Read Dr. Yun’s other letters here.