Reflection on the Cheon Won Gung Palace Entry Ceremony

Testimony regarding the April 13th, 2025 ceremony

I anxiously waited for the anticipated Cheon Won Gung Palace Entry Ceremony. As a 21-day offering donor, I was permitted to enter the outdoor lawn plaza of Cheon Won Gung Palace. After praying at the Blessing Tree holy ground, I felt guided to wear a dress for the occasion and prepared accordingly. With my husband unable to attend due to work commitments in another region, I decided to bring my son as a replacement.

A week before the event, our church leader informed us about the weather forecast, causing me anxiety. I prayed for good weather, even writing this request on my Hyo Jeong Prayer Wish Paper. With predictions of cold temperatures and snow or rain, I contemplated attending at the World Center indoor venue instead. However, after our district leader from Canada suggested participating in this historic moment, I decided to go to Cheon Won Gung Palace. I prepared new clothes for my son as well. Though I knew we needed to dress warmly due to the cold weather, coordinating a dress with a cape proved quite complicated.

I continuously checked the weather forecast with nervousness. Fortunately, on the day of the event, the forecast changed—what was predicted to be all-day rain shifted to precipitation only between 10 AM and noon. Thankfully, there was no rain during our arrival and entry. Since I was with my child, I arrived a bit late, assuming we would need to sit at the back anyway. I noticed others carrying cake bags and inquired about them, but was told the distribution had ended. Despite seeing many cake bags stacked inside through the glass window, I was denied one, which made me feel disappointed. When I tried asking at the back of the plaza, a usually friendly leader coldly refused and shut the door, making me feel like a beggar being turned away.

As the ceremony began and the pre-event stage performances concluded, Mother's (Hak Ja Han) entrance procession started. Suddenly, rain began falling and wind blew with hurricane-like force. I was inwardly perplexed. I had expected Heavenly Parent to rejoice at this glorious, providential moment, but the weather seemed uncooperative, which I couldn't understand. As it grew increasingly cold and snow began to fall, young second-generation staff members rushed around distributing raincoats and blankets. One blanket wasn't enough to protect against the cold chair, shield from the cold, and cover shoulders. From my seat at the back, I thought everyone looked like beggars in rags, and I felt the dress and cape had lost all meaning, leading to feelings of complaint. The members gathered from Korea and other countries had made the 21-day offerings and traveled here despite difficult circumstances, but why did we have to endure such hardship? I questioned why we were invited to this outdoor venue and wished I had gone to the World Center instead.

From my position at the back, behind the dome in the center of the lawn, I couldn't see the screen properly. The tent flapped violently in the strong wind, creating noise and concern something might fall and cause injury. This made it difficult to concentrate on the ceremony, and I couldn't hear properly. Then, during Mother's declaration, hail suddenly began falling, hitting the tent with sounds like thunder and lightning. I was puzzled again. As the weather intensified during important moments, various questions filled my mind: Was Heavenly Parent angry? Why wasn't Mother being helped? Why were the members who made offerings in obedience suffering outside? Was our sincerity lacking? Was there greed involved? Was the providence not being fulfilled properly? What was the difference between those inside Cheonwon Palace and us outside? Was it because I lacked ancestral blessing? Countless thoughts swirled like a typhoon in my mind. The situation was so difficult that I just wanted the ceremony to end quickly.

While I understood that leaders had worked hard to prepare this event, I couldn't comprehend this aspect. I began resenting the leaders and wondered if Mother knew about our situation. Were we considered unimportant people? I even felt sorry for members who had come from distant foreign countries. What were they thinking? Was it just me feeling this way? After the ceremony, there was an announcement that those inside the building had meals prepared in the dining hall, while the rest of us were told to eat the cake since no separate meals were provided. This also felt outrageous. I had expected at least boxed meals, but given the harsh weather and cold, it wasn't suitable to eat outdoors anyway. So I consoled myself that this was actually better. After the ceremony, as the weather cleared, I was relieved that no tents had collapsed and no one was injured.

However, the queue for buses was extremely long. I wanted to walk, but my son insisted on taking the bus. While waiting, strong winds blew again, uprooting tents that second-generation staff struggled to hold down. Right in front of us, an elder lady collapsed. Fortunately, a young pastor's wife caught her, preventing serious injury. She seemed unconscious for a while but regained consciousness after about 10 minutes and was taken away by ambulance. I wondered what this incident meant as well.

With complicated and confused feelings, I went to the Hyo Jeong Cheonbo Training Center for a quick meal. Feeling cold, tired, and exhausted, I decided instead to head home, and listen to the victory celebration while driving.

That day, in group chats, photos were shared with comments about good weather, but having experienced the unusual weather that intensified during crucial moments of the ceremony, I couldn't understand why those inside didn't realize that the weather only improved after the entire event concluded. The next day, I strongly resonated with Korean political candidate Han Dong-Hoon's comment that "Current politicians are not conducting politics for citizens but for themselves," and thought all religions might be the same. I questioned whether our church leaders were practicing faith for themselves rather than for members and the vulnerable. The very next day, at the Cheonshimwon overnight prayer vigil, when Director Lee Ki-Seong read a revelation from John the Baptist saying "Religious people are playing politics," I strongly and quickly agreed.

My mind was completely negative. I didn't want to go to church or see Mother. I wanted to leave the church and everything behind. I began to understand why True Children (Hak Ja Han's children) left Mother and why second-generation members left the church. I felt sympathetic toward them and understood their emotional perspective. I thought we should take care of True Children and inactive second-generation members. Nevertheless, I came to realize that these negative feelings and thoughts weren't truly mine, so I decided to pray. So, I went to Cheonshimwon (Prayer Hall) at the HyoJeong Cheonbo Training Center, prayed, reported everything, and asked for help. Eventually, I received the answer that I just needed to focus on Mother. However, I still had unresolved questions about the strange weather.

A few days after the entry ceremony, I received a call from a friend who shared a story from an Australian member with spiritual gifts who was present at the Cheon Won Gung Entrance Ceremony but sitting outdoors too. This member recognized Satan's presence at the venue and tried to shout out to Satan, "Satan, you've lost!" but her voice did not come out. The friend said that despite the bad weather, members who remained and kept their positions had won over Satan. Hearing this, I felt all my questions were answered.

I recalled several previous instances of similar strange weather phenomena: years ago, during Mother's (Hak Ja Han) outdoor speech at the training center, unexpected wind and clouds made it difficult to hear and diminished the grace of the occasion; during the 1000th Cheonshimwon overnight prayer vigil, heavy rain caused discomfort for many attending members; and at the recent Gapyeong Festival, sudden snowstorms forced people from outdoor food courts to come inside. I had been troubled and questioned why the weather was uncooperative during Mother's events. I wondered if it would happen again this time, and indeed, seeing the uncooperative weather made me feel frustrated without understanding its meaning—until now.

Finally, I understood that Satan was trying to prevent Heaven's victory, and how much Satan feared the Heavenly Mother, the substantial Only Begotten Daughter, Holy Mother Han, who appeared after 6,000 years. This was Satan's final battle. I had experienced an enormous test all at once and felt extremely distressed, but I felt grateful that I was protected to overcome this trial. I am deeply thankful for Heavenly Parent's waiting, Holy Mother Han's patience, and her complete oneness with Heaven. I am so grateful for the precious, precious Mother (Hak Ja Han), the substantial Heavenly Parent.

(A Korean-language version of this testimony is also available on this site.)