Reviving America: 50 States in 15 Weeks
With minor jet lag and a tropical-themed shirt, Dr. Chung Sik Yong, FFWPU regional president of North America, concluded his national tour to revive the spirit of America in Hawaii this week — the last state after 15 weeks of travel across the continental U.S. and Alaska.
Dr. Yong, buoyant and ready, arrived in the ‘Aloha State’ Nov. 10, visiting the towns of Kailua-Kona on Hawaii (the Big Island) and Honolulu on Oahu island.
“I went to the Honolulu Family Church and then we gathered at the local holy ground,” he said. “I met with our leaders there and shared some internal guidance with our young members. We had a very good time together.”
Dr. Yong also stopped by FFWPU’s warehouse and fishing farm started by True Parents in Hawaii. It’s been a busy week as he wrapped up the final leg of his tour in the Western U.S.
Since August, the tour has taken him to every state, following in the footsteps of True Parents who established holy grounds across the country in 1965. Dr. Yong has met with Unification leadership and members in each community, as well as local government and faith leaders, sharing a message of hope and peace to revive the spirit of America and its people.
Earlier in the week, regional leaders joined Dr. Yong at the Peace Arch Border Crossing which connects the U.S. and Canada.
“We gathered there and prayed together with Canadian members,” said Dr. Yong. “It was beautiful to step in the land of Canada and join together; it was a really great moment.”
Dr. Yong also met with Unificationists in Bellingham, Wash., Seattle, and Portland.
“We had a great meeting with our leaders and ACLC pastors,” he said. “I was so impressed to see these beautiful communities. They are really loving and heartistic communities that care for each other. They’re creating a beautiful culture and environment.”
Dr. Yong then met with the staff of Ocean Peace in Seattle, and prayed at the Oregon Korean War Memorial as well.
In the West, Dr. Yong traveled to Missoula and Billings, Mont., where he said he was moved by the unity of the two communities. In Idaho, Dr. Yong met with community members at The Grove Hotel in Boise where True Father spoke in 2001. However, it was Utah which gave him great inspiration among the interfaith leaders he met in Salt Lake City.
“I’ve learned some things from the Mormon Church,” he said. “They have more than 50,000 young missionaries all over the world. They’re raising these young people so well... One thing that is similar is that many of them get married young and have very clear goals and a high moral standard — We can really learn from them.”
“The Mormon missionaries inspire me with how we can send many missionaries all over the world,” he continued. “Then America will surely become the center of the world. The Mormons raise their young people through service projects relating to many organizations... They have a very powerful and clear system and care for each other deeply. The city is clean and everywhere you go there is a welcoming spirit and warm culture of heart. We need to reflect on ourselves and develop a clear system, and I think God has shown us a model to follow.”
Dr. Yong aims to ignite the hope and faith of many couples and families — the backbone of society and the nation’s future — amid a range of issues facing America and the world during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the tour he shared FFWPU’s national goals leading up to True Mother’s visit to the U.S. in December: connecting more people with the Marriage Blessing movement and corresponding resources, as well as increasing local community activities nationwide.
You can learn more about FFWPU’s Blessing America campaign here.
