20 Years of Ocean Work

This is an excerpt from the address given at the Belvedere celebration of 20 years of oceanic activities, August 1, 1994. The interpreter was Col. Han.

To look at Flying Phoenix, New Hope, the first boats Father started with, it feels as if it were only a few years ago. However, twenty long years have elapsed. When Father thinks about twenty years hence, he will be ninety-five years of age, and he knows that these twenty years will pass as if it were a few days or years. Now Father feels just how short a life-time can be.

Gathered here are all age groups, from young to old and middle ages,. If we see this as a representative group, it embraces the whole world. It is usual for people to feel as if we are representatives of the entire world. We also realize that though our wish is to embrace the whole world we are geographically limited. The question is then, how can we as an individual transcend the boundary of the individual, that of the family and eventually be true a representative of the world.

A child attending a grammar school wants to eventually go to middle school, high, school, college and even higher academic pursuits. It is not always simple to go over each boundary. It does not happen automatically. Each boundary is a challenge and we must work hard before we can advance to the next level.

Mike Runyon spoke earlier about the purpose of Father's concern with the fishing industry. Our small boat will enable us to go anywhere in the world including into the deep center of Africa, through the channels and rivers to get tot he people who are starving and diseased. Of course they are starving to death because they have nothing to eat, but as far as food is concerned, looking at the earth as one entirety, there is sufficient food. Distribution remains the problem. For instance, there are warehouses in America full of agricultural products that could not be sold and are considered surplus. Years worth of surplus products are lying in warehouses.

You must recall in the 1980's Father bought you around 200 trucks and motor homes to go around the country for service projects. There are many surplus foods waiting to be distributed to the needy, but most still sits there because people are not prepared to pay the cost of transportation. Now they will not let you take any unless you take at least 18 tons. If you are willing to transport at least 18 tons and distribute it to the needy, the government will even subsidize you. So Father envisioned that at the right time, we must be ready to transport any amount of food around the world for needy people, and not only here in America. Now people know what we are up to and they are looking at us intently to see our next activity.

Fishing is very important, but equally as important is transportation. We must pay attention to that. Then after the successful development of the fishing industry, we will get larger boats for international shipping of goods. The world is important, but the single most important country is America. When boats from all over the world return to their port of origin, they often go empty. If on their way, they stop at a port where we will load and unload in a minimum time and most effectively use the empty space, then we would be a most efficient shipping company and the world will recognize this. When the government sees the benefits of such a shipping network, they will all support and help the development of such a group.

In such a wealthy country as this where there is plenty to eat and plenty of opportunity, is there anyone serious enough to think of all the other starving human beings in countries around us? When you think about it, Father has been thinking and focusing so intently for twenty years, then when the circumstances are right we have to be ready and be in the position to send and receive tons of food all around the world. People must also know that we are ready to do this.

People usually live by the water-along rivers, ocean, lakes, near water. Not only can we navigate with our One Hopes in deeper water, but also in shallower water, around three feet deep. Like in Korea, the geography is clear that while water flows first into small streams, it always flows into a larger river, which in turn goes to the ocean. Because of such inter-relationships of bodies of water both large and small, almost everything benefits from the flow of water.

Of course, twenty years ago, many thought Father's ideas were too far fetched, and that he was merely a man with a good imagination. But that day is fast passing. Even now some may hear this and say he is imaging great things, but this is not just imagination at all! By organizing in this way world-wide, and if we pay attention to surplus food we will find ways to distribute it to the needy people.

If you have nothing else to eat but fish, you can still survive. Fish is very nutritious. Now the world is really starving for good protein, for fish protein and not just the protein from animals. Father has now successfully developed fish powder. What this is, is fish, with bones removed, is ground and dried to a powder. Mr. Koo Bae Park just said the purity is 98%. The existing standard is 40%.

So how does the Department of Agriculture or Fisheries respond to that? They say this is too good. Of course it cannot be too good, but maybe we can lower the protein levels a bit. What all this means is that if you have a pocket full of this powder, you will have enough nutrition to get along for one month.

Like Father already said, our future life-style will involve constant movements-sightseeing, fishing, being engaged in various local activities. These days will come soon, and when we need easily portable food, this will be a most useful form.

A man must go around the world and see and experience the many different countries. Those New Yorkers who have never been out of the New York City limits in their whole life, that's not a human life! Perhaps the Unification Church members are some of the most well traveled people in the whole world. They may not travel lavishly, but they travel!

Think about it. You will have in-laws in hundreds of different countries. In one village there may be 100 families married internationally. That means that village has in-laws in 100 different countries. So you can take one of your best friends not only to his in-laws' country, but to your in-laws' country. Pretty soon you will find people asking you, "why did you go to that house in that country and not to my house."

There were representatives of 160 nations at the Washington Youth Federation for World Peace Conference. This time, Father encouraged people not to stay in hotels but to stay in families' home. Each member wanted these visitors from each country to come to their homes, It was a beautiful sight.

Visiting other countries will be an everyday thing for us once, especially because of our international marriages. So going to help in Africa will not be such a dry task. It can be fun. We can enjoy our life, while substantially helping other countries at the same time.

Think about it, when a needy village in Africa gets donations from a hundred different places in many nations, then the village people will be quick to notice that the Unification community is doing what the big countries have said they would do. When this happens, then people will be so grateful, and God will visit with gratitude for your efforts. Are you interested in doing this? Just being interested is not good enough. We have to start acting.

Maybe those who know nothing about fishing or fishing equipment, you can learn in one hour and even learn enough to teach others. If you have had experience with a needle and thread, that's all you need. Now we have such good nylon filament lines, and if you bend the needle you can make a hook. Just heat the needle over a candle until it is red- hot, and then it will bend easily. Also you can use a little ingenuity and with a hammer and a hard surface, you can flatten it in places and make a perfect hook!

Father spoke of this to world leaders one time and later one person came and reported to Father that he had tried this and it became the best witnessing tool! Would you be interested in these things? Tonight when you go home, get one of the strongest, longest needles you can find, heat it with a candle and with a gloved hand, bend it. Pliers are even better. Make a line. Who can't do this tonight?

Do you think this is only imaginary or is this very practical? Practical. So Father can draw a safe conclusion that no women are women who cannot fish, and their hips will cry if they cannot fish, for they will exist in vain. If you doubt, pray about it.

Those who are from Africa or about to go to Africa, you must remember this seriously. We have land, water and there is always fish. The resources on land are limited. The ocean and fish resources are more abundant, almost limitless. Managed well, it can last forever. Do you think this is a project worthy of Father's interest? Should we be the first ones to make this impeccable, strong foundation? It is not for us to live by, it is to help others to live. The more we have, the more activities we are engaged in the more assets of value we have in spirit world. Our valuable property in heaven is how much we served Father here on earth. The goods and value we have here on earth looses its value in the spiritual world. It doesn't matter whether you are rich or poor in this country.

Where there is land, there are animals. When a person is starving, then he is entitled to hunt and eat any animal. If a human being starves in the Belvedere area where there are so many deer roaming around, should he be prohibited from hunting, or should they be available for those who need to eat? Of course people are entitled to hunt for existence. In tropical zones there are alligators, hippopotamus, and all kinds of animals which could provide perfect protein for man. Why starve? We must hunt to survive in those cases. So fishing and hunting are basic skills which we all must have without exception. Why? Because it is our goal, it is our mission to help the starving people, and these are very basic skills needed to accomplish that.

Which kind of person is good, one who are noisy and criticize others doing something or those who actually doing something to save people? No animal is too precious to save a starving human being, God's child. Religious ceremonies have traditionally involved an offering. Here Father is making everyone a priest who makes the offering, who would sacrifice an animal to save humankind. This is a holy deed. Do you understand what Father is trying to get at?

Would you change your mind now and be earnest in developing your fishing and hunting skills. Hunting and fishing will be part of our activities world-wide. There is a way to save people through fishing and hunting. Is there a third way? Farming. We must learn to farm. In many of these third world and developing countries, why didn't people ever teach them how to farm? They kept them hungry so they could control them this is a sin. This is a crime.

So Father is running a model farm, experimenting in many ways, and so when we export that o other countries, we will have the ability to teach farming and animal farming as well. We are farming deer and pigs, economically. Do you know how to farm? We can all learn the basic skills of fishing, hunting and farming. It doesn't take long to learn. Then you will go to Africa and feed them for about one year utilizing your skills.

Even though this is so basic, do you think it is necessary to acquire these skills? Father will bring those from above the average income levels and above, taking them sightseeing that will include farming and fish farming locations. Travel agencies will bring them, providing them tours that will include fish, animal and agriculture farms.

Christianity worked so hard for two thousand years to finally secure a one billion Christian population. Now everyone sees that it is perhaps impossible to save the world through Christianity. And look at the five billion people. Only fifteen percent or less are well to do. The rest have meager existence. That means that if one billion are Christian, four billion still do not understand Christianity. How many more years will it take Christianity to expand to a population of five billion?

Of these remaining four billion that are not so well to do hear how Reverend Moon has been working so hard for twenty years to prepare to develop resources, how would they feel? When they know they will no longer be hungry thanks to Reverend Moon and through you, do you think they will welcome you more or the Lord of the Second Advent coming on the clouds? Who will they be more happy to see, you or the one on the cloud? When these four billion people are helped and can truly start living a secure life, will they become Christian, American or Unificationist?