Interview with elder sister Moon Nan-young of the 430 Couples-Seventy Years on a Path of Hope

Faith Found on the Path of Refuge

When the Korean War broke out, our family fled south from the North. Yet not all of us were able to make the journey together. Along the way, we were separated from my father, and from that moment on we never learned whether he was still alive. After enduring the harsh conditions of a refugee camp our family finally managed to secure a place to live. From then on, my mother would often say, “We have no choice but to rely on God,” and she held steadfastly to her faith. Following her example, we children naturally came to seek the church and embrace a life of faith as well.
My mother later taught at Wonju Girls’ High School. While accompanying her graduating students to the
entrance examination site at Ewha University, she had an unexpected reunion. There, she happened to meet Choi Won-bok, a former classmate from her days at Ewha Professional School, the predecessor to Ewha University. Through this encounter, my mother first heard about the Unification Church, and from that moment our family began to walk a new path.
In 1955, the year I entered my first year of middle school, I accompanied my mother to meet True Father for the first time. The very first thought that came to me was, “How can he resemble my own father so closely?” Since my father had been taken away during the war and we had no news of him, I lived with a constant longing in my heart. When I saw True Father, a powerful feeling surged within me, as though my own father were standing right before my eyes. In those days, it was rare to meet someone with the surname Moon, and whenever we did, we naturally regarded one another almost as family. Perhaps because of that, the sense that True Father was like my own father welled up even more deeply and naturally from the very first moment I met him. That realization filled me with profound joy and gratitude.

Hope Unshaken Amid Trials

As the Unification Church began to grow, society branded it a “heresy,” igniting fierce controversy. The expulsion of students from Yonsei University and Ewha University intensified the uproar, and its repercussions reached even our family. At that time, the school where my mother was teaching demanded that my mother choose between her faith and her profession. She responded firmly,
“How could I abandon the path of life I fought so hard to discover? I cannot give it up.” Having lost her
husband and son while fleeing during the war, and having endured long years sustained only by her faith
in God, she could not forsake the very belief that had carried her through.
We children resolved to give her our wholehearted support. We told her, “Even if we must go to an
orphanage, we will support you, Mother.” With those words, we affirmed her choice. Thus, my mother
left the school, and our family once again lived like refugees. Yet we never regretted that decision. Then
something extraordinary happened: the students whom my mother had guided to a life of faith united
with one heart and mind to begin building a church. Thus, in 1956, the Wonju Church was founded.
True Parents visited the Wonju Church many times thereafter, each visit bringing us invaluable guidance. Among those memories, one moment remains indelibly etched in my heart. In those days, when the wounds of war had barely begun to heal and the nation was still burdened with orphans, widows, and deep poverty, True Parents proclaimed, “Now Korea will become the new Jerusalem of peace.” At the time, such a vision seemed almost unimaginable against the stark realities before us. Yet those words became the beacon of hope that carried us forward. For more than 70 years, they have sustained our journey, instilling in us the unwavering conviction that True Parents’ vision would surely be fulfilled.

Women Leading the New Era of Peace

In 1992, True Parents declared that in the era to come, women must take the lead, entrusting them
with a new mission. Holding close to my heart their words—”Women must step forward and open the
way with true love”—I began walking the path of the women’s movement and the cause of peace. That
journey was marked by many moments too profound to fully express in words. One of them was the Korea Japan Women’s Bridge of Peace Sisterhood initiative. Over the course of a year, women from the two nations—long burdened by a painful history—gathered together on thirty-eight occasions, and 160,000 pairs formed sisterhood bonds. As I watched Korean and Japanese women embrace one another, shedding tears as they opened their hearts, I was overcome with deep emotion and thought to myself, “At last, this day has come.”
Later, True Parents entrusted us with yet another mission: to heal the conflicts and divisions of the
Middle East through a mother’s love. At that time, the region was in a perilous state, shaken by repeated
suicide bombings. True Parents told us, “We cannot send you sisters alone into such a place. We must
also offer our devotion together with you.” I still vividly remember how they spent entire days offering
devotion alongside us. Upon that foundation of heartfelt devotion, we were able to hold a Peace
March in Jerusalem. There, we witnessed a profound and historic scene: Muslim and Jewish women, long
divided by conflict, joined hands, shed tears together, and embraced in reconciliation.

To the Future Generation Who Will Open a New Era

Today, inter-Korean relations have once again grown complex, and the situation in the Middle
East remains unstable. Yet it is precisely in times like these that I place great hope in our young
people. It is the second and third generations—the leaders of tomorrow—who are called to bear fruit
upon the foundation laid with the tears and devotion of their elders, while upholding the will of True Parents. For the remainder of my life, I wish to pray for them, encourage them, and support them as they walk the path that Heaven desires.
Recently, Missionaries Moon Shin-chul and Moon Shin-heung visited Guri Church and led a praise
service. Watching them, I was naturally reminded of Hyo-jin nim. It feels like only yesterday that they were children, yet now they have grown into leaders, guiding True Parents’ global providence. Seeing this
filled my heart with deep emotion. And as I reflected, I realized that this year marks the 70th anniversary of my joining the Unification Church.
Looking back, I sense that this moment represents a significant turning point in our movement’s 71-year
history. Especially at such a time, I believe that if we unite our hearts in devotion and love, we can advance more powerfully in the direction Heaven desires. If we faithfully carry this momentum forward,
I am certain that even greater blessings—those Heaven longs to bestow—will surely unfold. Through my theological studies, as I reflected on God’s providence for the salvation of humanity, I came to understand that new paths have always been opened in the midst of hardship. For this reason, I often shared messages under the theme, “Heavenly Parent Who Works Through Trials.”
As I observe the future generation today, my conviction only deepens. I firmly believe that the
more than 70 years of our history will shine ever more brightly, and that the victorious day long awaited by Heaven will surely come. With that faith and a heart full of gratitude, I will continue walking this path.