Witnessing abides by the same principles. Witnessing is also like that. If you have made a goal to witness to a lady, then you should measure the time that it takes, and inspire her to join in six months. You must think up a strategy. You should investigate what she likes, what kind of books she likes to read, and so forth. You should investigate where she goes at certain time of the day, and where and at what time she goes shopping. You should find it all out. You should ask her to meet with you next time.... If she is reluctant to meet you even after you have phoned her, you should try your best to still meet with her. After you meet her, you should witness to her. There are many different ways.

If she still refuses to meet, then you should wait for her at the market as she comes back from shopping and then bump into her on the street. If you fall down, then you should hold onto her. If she drops her bag and some other objects, then you should pick them up and.... All of this is a plan. As you pick up the handbag, you should apologize... If there were many people watching you, then you should phone up her husband and ask for a meeting. You should explain what happened. You should apologize, saying that you have embarrassed her by bumping into her and so forth... Through this opportunity... If you can become a friend of the husband, then the wife would be puzzled, saying to herself, "I have never seen such a strange person in my life." Gradually, you will be able to create the atmosphere that will let you go in and out of the house freely.

I once used this tactic, and eventually I moved in and lived with the family for one and half years, witnessing to both husband and wife. If they are important people for the providence of God, then I am willing to do such things. Once, in order to witness to this one lady who had ten children, I moved into their house and helped with their laundry. I penetrated deep enough so that more than her husband or her children, she trusted me to discuss with me all her problems. If you are nice to people, then you can become friends with everyone. Isn't this so?

If you cannot bring results in witnessing, if the leader cannot be successful in witnessing even after one or two months, then you should reflect and research, why am I not able to... It is strange that you are not being successful. This is because you are having empty fantasies when you go out witnessing. This is what I think. It is because you are having idle fancy. Why is witnessing not going well? If you have been unsuccessful through this method this month, then next time, you should try the opposite way. If you could not do it in a school, then you should go to a market... You have to search for ways. Because this is how I think, I have no sympathy for those who cannot be successful in witnessing. You have to make it happen. Do you understand what I mean? [Yes]

You should also before reaching thirty years of age... Those who are older than thirty raise your hand! You must make all of these preparations before you reach thirty. From twenty-six years of age, I began to... If I went to Pyung Yang, then I stirred up Pyung Yang; if I went to Seoul, then I also made Seoul very noisy. At that time, I stirred up problems wherever I went. Why did I become the object of controversy? When I entered a village, everyone in the village wanted to come and spend time in my place rather than going to sleep at night, so I naturally became the object of denunciation. Even children in the village wanted to come to my house to use my bathroom. It was very strange.

Why was it like that? Whenever I met the children, I told them interesting stories. They even forgot to eat meals. They completely forgot about eating. You must be able to do this. I played with the children and let them have an exciting time. Even in a single day, I thought up hundreds of new things and made it great fun. In the meantime, I inquired, "Where did your mother go? Where did your father go?" After investigating all that, I took the children to... If they were playing in my house until late, they naturally fell asleep there as they became exhausted. Then I put them on my back and... In this way, I could visit their house to do witnessing. How great is that? If children fell asleep while playing until late at night, I took them to their parents. How grateful would the parents be when I brought the child on my back? They would tell me to have some tea before going back. The work of God also takes place there. You also need this type of thing. You have to be able to tell stories to children and become their friends.

Next, become friends of grandfathers and grandmothers... In many houses, there are grandfathers and grandmothers. You can hear all kinds of gossip from them, about what their daughter-in-law and daughter are like, what the neighboring households are like, and all the information about the people in the village. You have to become very familiar with the village. Since you will come to know who works at what company, even if you are meeting a person for the first time, you can greet him or her by name. Then he or she will ask how you know that. In reply, you can say," I know you well." In reality, you do know well. You can add, "I might be a distant relative of yours, so the next time let me go and visit you at your house." This is how you make relationships.

If the person is a farmer, you should talk about farming. If he comes back exhausted after a long day in the field, you can ask, "What crop are you growing this year?" You can tell him how this crop will do and what he should do.... You have to tell him that kind of things. If you tell an exhausted man, "I came from the Unification Church, so please listen to my Principle lecture," then you will surely be kicked out. (laughter) You will surely be driven out.

If he is a farmer, then you can offer, "Let's go and see what kind of crop you have been growing. I would like to go with you, so what time are you going out?" You should then follow him to his fields at dawn. After that, you should spend the whole day with him, becoming his friend. As a friend, you should help him with his work and while you are sitting down together to have lunch, you can talk. If he asks, "What do you do for living?" then you should answer, "Do you really want to know? If you do, you should take some time out. If I tell you about my background, then you will be so interested and excited that you will want to follow me." You should say this type of thing, which arouses curiosity in people. He will say, "I will make time to listen, because I am really curious." Then you should reply, "Make some time for it." After that, you can drop what you are doing in the field and find a suitable place to talk for one, two, or several hours. There are plenty of ways of witnessing....

We are not doing this in order to take advantage of him. We are trying to save his life. After you inspire people to become members through different strategies, would they become vengeful or be grateful? (95-233)