The following testimony is presented by Ingrid Lindemann, the first missionary to arrive in Uruguay. It was originally published in the June 1991 issue of Today’s World magazine.
Even now True Parents’ visit to Uruguay seems like a dream come true to me. A few months ago, I would never have imagined that Uruguay would receive our True Parents the way it did.
I arrived in Uruguay on April 28, 1975, sent by Father as one of three overseas missionaries. We found the people to be friendly to us. Many people listened to the lectures, but for many years nobody joined. The first six years were a constant internal fight to continue to witness, teach, and educate young people to live according to the Divine Principle. We struggled to achieve unity between us missionaries without any success. The accomplishment of the instructions True Father had given us on April 25, 1975, in Barrytown seemed to be impossible.
A change came about when the Uruguayan people responded to True Father’s call for Latin America to send journalists to contribute to the promotion of Father’s new Spanish-speaking newspaper “Noticias de! Mundo.” At that point, in 1980, Dr. Pak met Mr. Julian Safi, a well-known Uruguayan journalist. From the moment of his return from New York after contributing to the founding of “Noticias de! Mundo,” the work of CAUSA and later True Father’s investment in this country began.
Satan knew better than we did that if True Father’s plan succeeded, he would lose his hold on Uruguay. In 1981, never-before-seen persecution of our Movement began in all the newspapers, radios, and television stations. All the churches also began to attack us. When we started the daily newspaper “Ultimas Noticias” nobody dared to appear in it or to advertise in it. People and companies were attacked for working with our printing company. Every day, for months, the wildest stories were published about us in major headlines in all the daily newspapers. To give a clearer idea of this one example is particularly striking. On the day of the inauguration of the new president of Uruguay, on the front page of the most important daily newspaper, the main headline in big letters was an attack on our movement, while the news that the President was to assume office was placed in a small corner of the front page. The persecution had gone beyond anyone’s imagination.
This persecution continued at different levels for years. When we began the construction of a five-star hotel, Satan tried to stop it with all the means under his control.
Never would I have imagined after such persecution all these years, that Uruguay would receive True Parents with the honors of a head of state. Father was received as the king of kings.
From the VIP reception at the airport to meeting with the President for over one hour, to a special reception where they accepted the greetings of the most important people of Uruguayan society, True Parents were received with an open heart.
Still, I look at the newspaper reports of these past days with astonishment. Not one negative article was printed during the visit of our True Parents. Only gratitude and respect were expressed. After all that has transpired in the past years of heavy persecution, this is truly a miracle. Just six months ago it would have been difficult to imagine that True Father would speak in the best movie theater of Montevideo to CAUSA members and friends of our movement in Uruguay.
True Family’s sacrifice
All this was possible due only to our True Parents’ determination to restore all of Latin America. True Parents and In Jin Nim arrived on April 24 and concluded their visit on April 27, one day before the 16 anniversaries of my arrival as our first missionary to this country. To me, this symbolically demonstrated that our True Parents arrived in Uruguay long before us. True Parents have been preparing for this visit for many years, paying indemnity, planning the process of restoration, and waiting for us to establish the necessary conditions.
However, even during their stay in Uruguay, True Parents continued to pay indemnity for Latin America. When Father arrived, he had a serious cold. Still, he maintained his first-day schedule, even though he was coughing a great deal and feeling pain. True Mother was so worried. She had never seen Father so ill.
Also, every time I came close to In Jin Nim, despite the great beauty and love that she expressed in every moment, I could feel True Family’s sacrifice and sadness. So much sacrifice has been asked of the True Children and still it continues today. Even True Parents’ grandchildren are sacrificing themselves. In Jin Nim had to leave her small children to accompany True Parents.
All this sacrifice on the part of the True Family made it possible for so many blessings could be received here in Uruguay. The spiritual environment completely changed. Seemingly, all the negative forces lost power. Each of us experienced a transformation we had not expected.
After a long trip, and the meeting with the President of the country, ignoring Father’s serious cold, True Parents came to the church to talk to the brothers and sisters. The whole church was filled with True Parents’ joy of meeting their children. True Father asked us who had been wanting to see whom more— us or True Parents? No doubt, our True Parents’ longing to see their Uruguayan members was so much deeper than our longing to see them.
First of all, True Father pulled his chair closer to where brothers and sisters were seated on the floor. The room filled with True Parents’ love. It was so incredible for me to see how our members connected with True Parents, answering Father’s questions as children respond to their parents. Tears of joy and tears of repentance on our part during Father’s talk established an eternal connection between us and True Parents. It was as if True Parents always had been here as if they found themselves in their own home. True Father’s words penetrated the hearts of everyone. All those who were present later testified how they felt True Parents’ infinite love, and how much they understand now that they need True Parents.
Also, all of us felt the dignity, beauty, and love of the relationship between True Parents and True Children through In Jin Nim’s presence and her humility and respect towards True Parents.
A treasure of treasures
True Father explained in his speech about True Parentship how parents give without limits to their children and forget what they gave. Through being so close to True Parents and In Jin Nim we all felt this expression of love deep in our hearts. We missionaries had tried to explain to the members about True Par-ents, their love and sacrifice for us. But only now, through experiencing and having shared directly with True Parents, all the members could feel deep in their hearts what a treasure of treasures are True Parents.
In his speech, True Father explained his vision for Uruguay’s mission. True Father wants to restore Uruguay as one step toward uniting all of Latin America. In this sense, Uruguay has received these great blessings only to give to other nations. Father said, “I chose Uruguay many years ago.”
When I first arrived in this country many years ago, the Uruguayans who had listened to the Divine Principle proudly explained to me that they also are “Orientals.” (The official term to describe the nation of Uruguay is the Oriental Republic of Uruguay— the republic to the east of the Uruguay River.) Also, they were proud of being connected to Korea by a straight line through the globe, exactly on the opposite of the earth, and that Uruguay, having the shape of a heart, has always been the uniting factor between Brazil and Argentina.
Now it is clear. Many years ago, Father chose Uruguay for this mission on an even larger scale― the unity of Latin America. True Father (explained that he prepared 20 years for his success in Russia and 30 years for China. In 1965, Father visited South America for the first time. How long has Father been preparing and sacrificing for us, waiting for us to be ready to receive him and his work? Many times, during the years of mission activity, especially the first 6 years, not having gained any success, we were desperate, feeling alone, feeling we couldn’t even connect or report to True Parents because we had nothing substantial to offer.
Only through the support and guidance of our elder brothers such as Dr. Pak, were we able to continue. However, this time True Parents were right with us: watching us, taking care of us, and waiting for us to open our eyes to understand their vision. Watching True Father, suffering from a serious chest cold, continue. Looking at True Mother’s face, so full of worry. Seeing In Jin Nim’s deep seriousness. All this caused deep repentance to enter my heart as I thought about how little my sacrifice had been for them over the years. I realized that what we had done here was nothing compared to True Parents’ achievement. Also, our members feel more grateful now to be able to work in this providence. We are all determined not to disappoint our True Father. Now our most daring dreams have come true. Thank you so much, True Parents.