My Experience In Chicago

Chris Brown
October 13, 2005

On the Sunday of October the 9th the teams led by Sasha, Tolik, Ju and Christophe all went to the Hope Evangelic International. There we were welcomed very enthusiastically. Ken Mowry from the Family Church of Chicago gave a brief introduction about the STF program and he offered many words of praise.

Two members of STF gave testimonies about some of their experiences. The first was by assistant captain Jonathan Jones. He talked about how people lead double lifestyles, one life at church the other at school or the outside world. He also talked about how your lifestyle in the outside world can really influence your lifestyle in church and your home. He went on STF because he had been questioning himself and his faith and because of his time here he has been able to grow internally and has come to realize the truth and now has his own faith instead of just his parent's faith. He is very grateful for the opportunity to be here because of how much he could grow.

The second testimony was by Captain Ju-Seoung. He mentioned how he was also influenced by the outside culture and only his parent's belief and trust in him kept him in the church. He kept saying that because God had so much trust in him, even when he didn't believe in God, he was able to gain renewed faith. The way he regained his faith was through his time on STF. These testimonies were inspiring for me because they were really heartfelt testimonies about overcoming challenges and learning your own faith, which is what I'm working on right now.

Then Mr. Mowry called up Captain Sasha Lee who explained a little about his life and how he was able to find love through God. Sasha called all the young men on STF up to sing "Blessing of Glory." I must admit that I went onto the stage filled with trepidation because the practice from the night before was not very inspiring but I did not have to worry, we sang well and the people even yelled for an encore. Luckily we had another song ready, "Light of Grace" and I even started to cry because I felt such a deep connection to these people through True Parents. I really felt that they were part of my extended family and I really wanted to show my love to them through singing.

I think everyone sung with all their hearts because the people in the church were very moved and they gave us such excited applause that I felt that was their way of returning our gift of love. I think that is the best way to reach out to people, not through love or the bible, but through love and actions. I felt very good inside because of that gift we were able to give them without any expectation of return.

The pastor, Bishop Wayland, was extremely inspired and gave a joyfully energetic sermon about the importance of families and lineage. He explained how we are second generation and how we are the fruits of our parent' faith. It would be sad, he said, if their children were to leave the church because it would be like losing their lineage. It was a good sermon because it was aimed at everyone, not just for Christians, it was a message that anyone could benefit from. After the service some local boys and a couple STFers started playing on the piano and the drums. They were very good and they definitely helped the atmosphere and helped to end on a good note. I feel that we left a good impression with them and they even invited us back if we are ever in the area again. I am very thankful for this experience because it was great to be able to give unconditionally and it was a great opportunity to live for the sake of others.

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