Mrs. Joo Hwa Kim-Waldner
As given on January 21, 1985 at the Regelsmuehle Training Center, West Germany
Part 2 (final) click to read Part 1
My years with a public mission in Korea
I gave up my job and became a full-time member of our church. True Father sent me around the whole of South Korea to witness. Today it’s nearly impossible to imagine the great suffering and tremendous struggles we endured at that time. Only because of our love for True Father and our desire to help him could we persevere through such tribulations.
We never had any money and many times we did not have anything to eat, not even a little bit of rice. Many of our first members left the church and it was our True Father who, on Sunday mornings, gave us new power and faith to continue in our important missions. True Father often said to us: “Now you are very poor and you give your whole life for me. I can give you nothing, but later I will never forget you.”
When I preached and lectured in Chang-Chung Park in Seoul, many people listened to my speeches. I was by then about 35 years old. Every day we argued for God in the streets and parks against members of other churches and students of the university. Later Father asked me to go to a province in South Korea to help some young members who had quickly established a new center without knowing very much about the Principle. I was called upon to help in any issues we had with police or government administrators. Then I was in Incheon for nearly one year, lecturing in different centers.
I was temporarily living in Seoul when suddenly we heard that the Blessing of our True Father would soon take place. A great rumor spread among all the women, and many asked themselves, “Could I be the one who is chosen by God for this most important mission?” Nobody knew exactly who the woman to be blessed with Father would be.
Then suddenly on March l, 1960, I heard that something special was happening in our Chung Pa Dong church and I ran there as quickly as I could, but I saw only the end of the engagement ceremony.
It was the young girl who was to receive the Blessing of God with our True Father. Many of us were very surprised by this! The young Miss Hak Ja Han, who became our True Mother, was on this day so deeply inspired and many tears ran down her face. Then on March 16, 1960, all the elder members gathered together at the Chung Pa Dong church for the Blessing of our True Parents. It was for us the most important festival of all, but of course we were very poor at the time, so it was a modest celebration.
After this I had missions in many provinces in South Korea, and I stayed for four years in South Jeolla Province giving lectures. My mission was sometimes very difficult. I had to walk everywhere on foot. One time I walked 32 kilometers; I could not take another step. This province is on the coast, and there one little ship to take to the islands.
In 1969, after having spent 14 years in missions in the provinces, I felt that a mission in Seoul would be much better for me, for I had many relatives and old friends from the university there. I spoke about it with my spiritual father Mr. Eu, and then I moved to Seoul and started to teach music. I began in a little room and borrowed a piano. Soon so many children came that I could earn a great deal of money, which I donated almost entirely to the church.
I often taught the children of our first blessed couples; also our True Parents children—usually at 5:00 am before they went to school. Until our True Parents went to the United States in December 1971, I had the opportunity to teach piano to Ye-jin nim, In-jin nim, Heung-jin nim, and Un-jin Nim.
I was active all this time in mission work, and went witnessing from house to house, on the street and in the parks. I also became a teacher of music in our Tongil Theological School and was the leader of the blessed wives’ choir. I found many new members, but I don’t know how many are still active in our church. One of my classmates from Ewha University accepted our church very early on, and her husband also joined. They are one of the 36 blessed couples.
Blessing with a strong German man
The time was passing quickly, and I was growing older year by year. I often felt lonely because nearly all of my elder brothers and sisters were blessed, and most of my spiritual children were too. I often wondered why Father never matched me. But in 1978 I got a phone call while I was at home. The person said that our True Parents would come soon and I was to come very quickly to our church in Choong Gu. I ran to the church and was privileged to sit together with our True Parents. Suddenly Father said to me: “Joo Hwa, it doesn’t matter that you didn’t receive the Blessing for many years.” Then Father said to Mother: “That gentleman who is an artist and makes sculptured figures should be the right man.”
Mother then said to me: “He is a good person, and there are many rivals for him.”
I answered only, “Yes.”
At first I assumed he was an American, but he turned out to be a strong German who never changed his mind once it was made up! When I said I could not speak German, and asked how I could speak with him, True Father said: “Don’t worry about that; you can learn his language, and maybe you can go together to America.” Then I had to look for a good photo of myself, but none I had was good enough in Mother’s opinion. So I had to have a new one taken and it was sent overseas and delivered to my unknown man.
After this event nothing happened for the next two years. In November 1980, when True Parents came to Korea, I summoned all of my courage to meet with them and asked Mother about my unknown fiancé, mentioning to her that as of yet we had had no opportunity to meet. Then Mother said to me: “We can bless you soon here in Seoul.” I waited with great excitement during the following days. As soon as was possible my Otto was in Seoul, and we had our first meeting—fraught with many difficulties—at the Lotte Hotel.
We had to find out how much we could understand and like each other. In the evening we were invited to True Parents’ home, and there Father asked us directly after a short conversation, “Do you want to live together for eternity?”
We only said, “Yes.” That was on a Friday, and True Father said to us, “Your Blessing will be on Monday morning.” Then True Parents gave us money for new shoes.
Those were three crazy days, but at last on Monday morning we stood in front of our beloved True Parents. The Blessing took place in their living room in Chung Pa Dong on November 17, 1980. Also present were President Young Hwi Kim, Mr. Do Soon Im, Professor Dae Oh Son, and their wives, all in holy robes. After the Holy Wine Ceremony, we received the Blessing and True Father personally put our wedding rings on our fingers. Our separation time was only four days; then we had our ceremony in the guest house at the Cheongpa-dong Church.
On March 12, 1981, I left Korea, visited my best church friends in Tokyo then arrived in Frankfurt, Germany, on the 15th. There my husband and his son Wolfgang welcomed me. After a three-hour car drive we came to the training center at Regelsmuehle, and there, in a short time, my husband prepared a little apartment with a very small kitchen (and no bathroom!).
Overcoming the struggles of husband and wife
For the first 14 days we had a real honeymoon and were very happy to be together. Then the first little struggles occurred and we saw the differences in our characters. Both of us were self-sufficient people who had lived alone for a long time in our missions. We had such different lifestyles—both from our cultural traditions and our social levels. My health had not been the best during the previous few years, for I had never had one day of vacation since the Korean War. Many kinds of German foods I could not eat—they were always made with too much oil or fat for me. I didn’t like the countryside where I now lived, and I felt very lonely. Moreover I couldn’t accept or understand German customs.
In summer of 1981 our True Parents came to Germany and I stayed with them for a short time, and I went to Italy for about 14 days with Mother to improve my health. One day I showed Father the artwork of my husband, and through True Father’s explanations about the value of this art, I could better appreciate the special mind of my husband. We tried to understand each other more and more, but for the first year the most important thing was to overcome the many disagreements between us. This was our prayer every morning and night, as we prayed together hand in hand. Both of us believe strongly that True Parents are most heavenly and close to God; moreover we each have a deep personal connection with God.
In July 1982 my husband allowed me to go to America with the German members for the big Blessing in Madison Square Garden. I hoped to meet my old friends from Korea there and to meet True Parents again. After my first meeting with my friends in New York, True Parents invited many elder Korean members to stay at Belvedere and eat together with them at East Garden. For me, it was a very memorable event. True Father counseled me and even scolded me harshly before all the leaders from around the world. But of course I could feel the loving heart of my Father, who was taking care of his poor daughter.
True Father said to me: “Don’t think this was a simple Blessing; it is of special significance that I blessed you with a German man. If you are thankful and live truly in patience, Heavenly Father will help you every moment. Your husband is a tenacious person and he can be trusted to follow my guidance implicitly. Even though no one is interested today in his work as a sculptor for God, he continues with great faith and a joyful mind. Otto is a wonderful person. If I could have a little more time to develop a new heavenly culture, he would be a central person in it. He will follow me at the risk of his life. Respect him, love him, and take care of him. Don’t do things with your own will. Pray for Germany and protect this land.”
When I returned home to my husband and our little house in Regelsmuehle, I was able to change my mind step by step. I prayed many times, “Heavenly Father, let me be patient, and please forgive me. Don’t worry about me anymore.” I could believe deep in my heart that Heavenly Father would never just toss me away. I could feel strongly that if the giveand-take action within a blessed couple takes place according to the will of God it has high value, and the couple can deeply feel the harmonious love of God.
My husband and I are still working very hard to fulfill our responsibility for the restoration of the world. But we also know that we are not perfect, and that we must pass through a long and challenging time to reach that point. Yet as long as we maintain deep faith and confidence in our beloved True Parents and work every day for our Heavenly Father, we can always feel happy and grateful.
Though both Otto and Joo Hwa Waldner ascended to the spirit world a number of years ago. Otto Waldner’s sculptures are still displayed in the grounds at the training center in Camberg, Germany.