Testimony from Ramika Shinohara & Koji Muraoka

Dear True Mother,

First, I would like to thank our Heavenly Parent and True Parents for allowing me to stand here today and offer this testimony. My name is Koji Muraoka, and I am from the Indianapolis Family Church. I am second generation, and earlier this year I received my Commitment Ceremony in Japan, where I became engaged to a beautiful sister whom God prepared for me.

Before I continue, I want to share that every testimony is different, so even if parts of my story do not apply to you, I hope it can still offer encouragement to brothers and sisters around the world.

One of my earliest memories of faith was when I was about eight years old and had the opportunity to meet True Parents and offer them flowers. Through my parents, I learned how deeply True Parents love us. Because of that, my love and faith grew, and from a young age, I dreamed of one day receiving the Blessing.

After completing my missionary work at 19, I began the matching process. At that time, I was still very immature in my understanding of love. Society presents many misunderstandings about what love truly is, but even then, I wanted to grow my capacity to love and take responsibility for another person.

Over the past ten years, my journey has been filled with joy and gratitude, but also many tears, heartbreak, disappointment, and inner struggles. There were moments when I felt overlooked, rejected, and even judged because of my faith. Still, my parents always taught me that I must love others with the heart of God.

In 2018, I entered a very serious matching process. After nine months of communication and even meeting families in both countries, everything ended suddenly, just one day before the Commitment papers were to be signed. That experience deeply discouraged me. I struggled with anger, guilt toward my parents, and disappointment before God. I felt as if I had failed.

From that point on, it became very difficult for me to open my heart again. My self-esteem declined, and I began to question my own worth. I went through five more matching processes, but none of them worked — not because God abandoned me, but because emotionally I could not fully open my heart. I was trying to make God, my parents, and True Parents happy, but inside, I was not truly happy myself.

What was most painful was watching friends receive the Blessing, get married, and start families while I remained single. Even those who once rejected me went on to receive the Blessing. People would sometimes ask me, “When are you getting blessed?” before even saying hello. Though not always meant to hurt, those words were very painful.

In 2024, I went to Cheonpyeong with a sincere desire to resolve many issues in my life. One of the deepest struggles I carried was my relationship with my sister, who has a disability. I carried shame and resentment about this, even regarding the Blessing. Through the 40-day workshop, prayer, and repentance, I was able to restore my heart toward her. Our relationship was healed, and she later received the Holy Blessing in 2025. That experience taught me what true restoration really means.

Following True Mother’s 2025 direction to grow in our capacity to love and take responsibility, I began focusing more on living for others. I began caring for a spiritual daughter and listening to her struggles. Through that experience, I gained deeper insight into how I must love and care for my future wife.

In June 2025, my aunt in Japan introduced me to someone she knew. We began as friends. At first, everything felt almost too smooth, and I became afraid. I worried about hurting her or being hurt again. Out of fear, I delayed communication for several weeks. During that time, I questioned everything — whether I truly wanted marriage, whether I was capable of loving someone fully, and even why I had been born.

During that season, I decided to go to Korea for the Summer Great Works. I chose not to focus on marriage or the Blessing at all, but only on liberating myself spiritually and standing faithfully before God. I prayed deeply in Cheon Shim Won and promised Heavenly Parent and True Parents that even if I were never blessed in this lifetime, I would never betray Heaven.

After that prayer and the liberation ceremony, something truly changed inside me. The fear, heaviness, and depression that had weighed on me for years were lifted. Then, unexpectedly, I was told that the sister I had been speaking with was also at Cheonpyeong. Although I was extremely nervous, I found the courage to call her. During that call, I turned around and saw her sitting right behind me at the café.

We talked for five hours, sharing our faith, our wounds, and our dreams. That was the moment I realized this was the person I wanted to marry. After three more months of sincere conversation, I proposed at a train station in October. On November 17, 2025, we received our Commitment Ceremony in Japan.

Many people ask why I chose her out of so many people in the world. The reason is her sincere faith, her honesty, her perseverance, and her deep heart. She knew she wanted to marry me after our second phone call. Later, I learned that she had discovered my Cheon Shim Won testimony video online and watched it many times, crying over my story. She said, “I want to love this brother and make him truly happy.”

Even when I stopped communicating for a month, she never gave up. She even called my mother to ask if she had hurt me. That heart touched me deeply.

Last year, I had a dream where True Mother embraced me and said, “Everything will be okay. Even if you are not blessed in 2025, I still love you. Trust me — your time will come.” Later, I realized that the day of that dream was October 8, and my fiancée’s birthday is October 11. Every time I see her birthday now, I feel True Mother’s love and promise again.

Through all of this, I learned many lessons. One of the most important is to trust God’s timing and not compare yourself to others. Comparison truly is the thief of joy. Each person has a different path prepared by Heaven.

Another lesson is never to give up. There were many times in my life when I felt abandoned, doubted myself, and wanted to stop. But I continued to walk forward. Once we give up, everything stops. If you are seeking the Blessing, please do not give up.

Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude for Cheon Shim Won. Prayer became my greatest therapy. It was the place where I could be completely honest before God and True Parents. I believe that without relying on prayer, our own willpower is not enough. God looks at the heart and sincerity.

Today, I stand here not as someone perfect, but as someone who did not give up. For over ten years, I fought to keep my faith. Humbly, I ask that my faith and effort be acknowledged within this community. I may not have a position or leadership title, but I promise that our Blessing will not be just a story of marriage — it will be a testimony that offers hope to the next generation.

I truly love this community, and I hope that my fiancée and I can become a couple who gives strength to others who feel lonely or discouraged. No matter what challenges we face, we will overcome them together.

True Mother, even when I can only pray for you, I will never forget you. I can feel you encouraging me every day, saying, “Good job, my son.” At the Blessing, we want to say, “Thank you, True Mother. Please do not worry. We will protect and cherish this love you entrusted to us.”

Thank you, Holy Mother Han, for never giving up on me!

Thank you so much. I love you, Heavenly Parent and True Parents.

Koji Muraoka