A Hairdressing Salon Becomes a Witnessing Center

Shintaro and Shoko Masuda, Midori Family Church, Japan

We are the family of Shintaro and Shoko Masuda of Midori Family Church, Minami Aichi Region, District 3.

We received the Blessing at the 6^th stage of the 400 Million Couples Blessing in August 2005, when we were running a beauty salon.

At first, my husband had been opposed to my religious life, but we soon received the Blessing and started life as a blessed family. Currently, my husband is 45 years old and I am 44 years old. Our eldest son is in [the second grade of] middle school and the eldest daughter, a blessed child, is in [the fifth grade of] primary school. So we are a family of four.

When I first heard about “Registering as Cheonbo,” we began thinking that it was a difficult problem for us, but I only felt sorry in front of Heavenly Parent and True Mother. At the same time, I began studying True Parents’ words again at the Education department, and while actually doing witnessing, little by little, I began to repent of the attitude I had had about witnessing up to then. On the foundation of my repentance and witnessing, my relationship with my husband gradually became one in purpose and heart, and changed to the heart of wishing to gain absolute victory as a Cheonbo family.

Our family’s start as tribal messiahs began with witnessing to my younger sister and her husband and my parents. My sister and her husband got along very well, but because they didn’t have children, they suffered a lot. Even after becoming pregnant, my sister would have a miscarriage. I thought that it would be difficult if I left my sister and husband in this situation, so I began to give her advice so that she could connect with heavenly fortune.

Actually, my sister and I didn’t have a particularly good relationship, so I was quickly rejected. Meanwhile, my sister’s situation got worse and worse, and she couldn’t drive and go out because of panic attacks.  I wrote many prayer wish papers and many times made up reasons to meet my sister and convey God’s word. I also worked hard to help my sister. Then one day my sister went by herself to our church and asked to listen to the Principle. After that, she and her husband received the Blessing. And they had three children! The relationship between my sister and me has become a relationship of mutual understanding and respect. My younger sister is sincerely grateful for the grace she has received and is working harder than me in her witnessing activities every day.

After witnessing to my younger sister and her husband, I brought my sister’s high school friend’s couple and their parents to the married couples blessing. The friend to whom I witnessed is now the team leader of the witnessing team. And through work to gain signatures among my friends couples I brought more than 20 guest families to the spiritual and physical world Blessings. Good fortune came, and I was able to witness 43 families. The core members of the Midori Church witnessing team are my spiritual children and grandchildren.

And by guiding the young members, I was able to gain victory as a Cheonbo family.

I am running a hair salon now. But after receiving the Blessing, I encountered the grace of heaven and the beauty of the Word. After consulting with my husband, I wanted to share the splendor of this grace to many people somehow, and so we opened a hair salon. It took more than a year to find a place for a hairdresser while writing wish papers. However, the area I was introduced to was a place where there were many fields, many cows…but few people.

Then, two years later, land was developed and the area around the store developed into a prosperous and ideal area with new roads and many people. There were a lot of customers even if we didn’t advertise the hair salon because it was the only salon, and people in the area said it was really amazing how they had found such a good place. Sales increased every day, and we became known as a good store at our bank.

While testifying to the Family Federation, I mobilized the store staff to attend events and conveyed God’s Word to them. I wrote many prayer wish papers for the staff of my hair salon, which became a place for witnessing.

Because hair salons usually have a difficult working environment, the turnover rate is high and employees are not able to settle down. However, in our store, there is an increasing number of employees who work very hard without quitting. I feel great heavenly fortune while running the business.

One employee is married to the son of the Peace Ambassador who received a commendation from True Mother. This employee is popular with her customers, so she is a helpful employee of the store, so I was constantly thinking of witnessing to her as I wanted to give her good fortune. However, she had a prejudice against religion, so it was difficult to witness to her. But the opportunity came through her father-in-law, who is an ambassador for peace and she immediately came to understand the Family Fed, and now we are conducting exchanges centered on home churches. We introduce Family Federation to those who are interested in religion, to customers who come to the hairdressing salon, connect them to a house church and invite them for church events.

Even during the corona virus, sales have not decreased but the number of customers continues to increase. Banks are urging us to open new stores quickly. We will do our best to hold community family gatherings to preserve this great fortune.

This has been a period in which I felt the greatness of the Word and lived life anew. Even in the midst of the corona virus, I feel the great cooperation of the spiritual world because I have walked the path of my heart, thinking that the life I practiced is the best sincerity. It was a period in which I felt grace from a public standpoint as I was responsible as district manager of the women’s department and the director of the education center.

Now, the younger sister couple and the families of her of spiritual children are working hard to be victorious as Cheonbo families. In particular, I bow my head to the practical abilities of my sister’s spiritual children (and spiritual grandchildren) and my spiritual children. We are determined to further widen or range of activities. I will do my best to regain an original true heart and bring joy to Heavenly Parent and True Mother.

We will do our best to be leading lights in the Midori Family Church, Minami-Aichi (District 3), and all of Heavenly Japan. Thank you.