by Kevin Thompson-Berkeley, CA
It was a beautiful Northern California evening. Perfect summer weather to hold a divine Holy Blessing. However, due to the miracle of modern satellite technology, the brides and grooms were heartistically bonded to True Parents in the Olympic Stadium in Korea.
After months of preparations, their big day had finally arrived, and the brides and grooms were nervously anticipating this glorious moment. A remarkable array of people gathered, dressed in blue and white, joined as husband and wife and as a bigger global family dedicating their marriage to World Peace Through Ideal Families. It may have been satellite technology which made the whole thing physically possible, but it is the embracing love of God and True Parents which brought together this diverse groups of men and women and transformed them into brothers and sisters.
The participants ranged from elder church members who went out and witnessed to a spouse, bright young Unification Church missionaries who had been matched by Rev. Moon, parents of Unification Church members, Christian ministers and church members, Buddhists, Muslims and African Church members dressed in their gorgeous holy robes. All bound together across thousands of miles with True Parents and brothers and sisters. Truly we could see the prospects for ending hatred, bigotry, racism and all of Satan's other strangleholds on mankind. Cleaving together in the promise and expectation of True Love, beginning a new lineage for all mankind. It was an amazing heavenly evening, which brought joy and hope to everyone.
After the main ceremony was over, we had a sumptuous dinner in the garden at Shimjeung Gardens, with delightful music from Mrs. Joy Crocker.
The African Church members commented that they felt God's holy power at this event. One Christian minister lamented that he hadn't brought more people from his congregation. An elder sister who had been longing for this day for 20 years was filled with bursting joy and gave the loudest Mansei of all.
For those newly matched couples there was the tentative first meeting with their eternal mate and the sharing of hopes, dreams and goals together.
Surely God had a huge smile on August 25, 1995. Now we await 1998 with heightened anticipation.