This year, 10 youths were sent to Korea for the Global Top Gun Youth workshop. After successfully completing the 2017 Global Top Gun Youth workshop, they were able to participate in the 5th Seonghwa Anniversary of our True Father and Cosmic Blessing 2017. After having amazing experiences in Korea, they came back with a lot of testimonies and a strong desire to contribute to the providence and bring about change in the nation. Here are some of their testimonies they shared.
Precious Aniekeme
I am grateful to Heavenly Parents and True Parents for everything. I am grateful to our leaders and members who supported us on our trip to Korea for the Global Top Gun workshop. I want to also say a big thank you to the members of the public that supported us during our fundraising.
It all started when we arrived at Incheon airport from Incheon airport we went to Cheongpyeong. Seonghwa students had to receive lectures in a different building. I met different brothers and sisters from all around the world. Although we didn’t speak the same language, we conversed quite alright with the use of body language and other physical gestures. There was so much love, we literally were like brothers and sisters, sharing each other’s secrets, thoughts and much more. We became so close throughout the event.
I was touched during the pilgrimage when we went to Paju Won Jeon there you could see a number of leaders, members and even True children that sacrificed their lives for the mission. There I was moved to shed tears and felt motivated seeing the amount of sacrifice that was made for this mission. The number of True children that True Parents lost for this mission and they still kept pushing. The love that True Parents have for us is priceless. That is why anytime I feel that I am not putting 100% effort I will just think of the number of sacrifices that have been made for this mission including True Parents blood, sweat, and tears. Then I think I can never let all this go to waste I must fulfill my mission even though it takes my whole life. This place really motivated me a lot. I had an amazing experience when we went to Cheon Jeong Gung peace palace, I have seen so many beautiful places but this was the most beautiful place in the world. Once I stepped into Cheon Jeong Gung I felt peace and freedom it was like if a heavy load was lifted off my shoulders, the environment is so breathtaking and peaceful. At Cheon Jeong Gung we saw True Mother, she was so beautiful and I felt the environment became so peaceful, it felt like I was in the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
True Mother told us to keep our purity, know our identity and mission as Top Gunners and Blessed children and always stay united. These words will always be in my mind.
After the GTGY workshop, Preparation for True Fathers Seonghwa began so we had to practice a lot. Although it was tiring I always kept a sentence my mind “I am doing this to make True Parents smile and be happy”. So these words gave me strength until the day we performed in front of True Parents. That day my whole body was so active and I was performing with joy in my heart. It was such a nice experience. So after the event, it was time to go back home and put what I learned into practice. So from all this, I feel that we should all be united as brothers and sisters and forgive one another without any grudges and love one another keeping in mind that True Parent loves us unconditionally and work together to make the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth a reality.
Soomi Esther Uke
Growing up as a blessed child it’s always been my dream to visit Korea. Not only because it is the fatherland but I’ve always had this strong love for the country and its people. I feel really happy and fulfilled that I was able to go to Korea and not just for sightseeing or any secular reasons but to participate in the GTGY 2017 workshop. I mean it’s such a great grace I’ve been given by the True Parents and I will forever be grateful to them.
Although we faced a lot of challenges before we could make it to Korea, it was fully worth it.
On arriving at Korea, I was welcomed with so much love though I arrived eight days into the workshop. It was just amazing how one person could have such a great vision to bring together over 2000 people in one place for a workshop. Oh, how I felt to be one of them. After settling in, I went to look for my family members as all the participants were grouped into families and families into tribes and I was welcomed in a way I felt as if I had known them for a very long time. Everyone was just so filled with love. I felt like I was in this big family where everyone knows and loves one another but yet don’t really know one another. When I say love, I mean pure selfless love for one another. It was really beautiful to see thousands of people living together without fights or hate just love, peace, and unity.
I personally had not many difficulties with the food. I just found it hard to come to terms with some meals, but I recalled that once you change your perspective to God’s perspective, your viewpoint changes. I did that and got to love the food.
The lectures were amazing and the lecturers gave straight to the point lectures. Most of the lectures we had were in the Korean language even though the lecturers could clearly speak English but as they said to completely connect with the words of the principle they have to lecture in Korean and that also reminded me of the importance of learning the heavenly language. Though I arrived a little late into the workshop I feel like the best part was reserved for me and that was the pilgrimage.
We visited a lot of historical places in the providence and with each place we visited I came to a new realization. We visited the PAJU WON JEON which is the place of burial for deceased members of the unification church. Looking at those graves and paying my respects I thought, how great those people lived when they were alive. They lived selfless lives and passed onto the spirit world with so much grace and I realized that the generations to come, my descendants will someday visit those sites too. I realized if one lives a completely selfless and principled life, that person can never be forgotten. We visited CHEON JEONG GUNG which is the place God could dwell on earth for the first time in human history and also the resting place of the first Adam to accomplish the three great blessings. It’s like a different world of its own. It’s the spirit world on earth. Praying on True Father’s grave you just can’t help but let the tears run down your face. I found myself wishing the whole world could just be as beautiful and peaceful as Cheon Jeong Gung. The beauty of the place and feeling you get in Cheon Jeong Gung cannot be fully explained or expressed. We visited the CHEONGPA-DONG FORMER HQ CHURCH. Where seven of the true children were born and where the True Parents and early church members sacrificed a lot to lay the foundation we are standing on now. We also visited the Yamok holy ground, Busan Beomnetkol, Im jin gak, Sun moon university and Moon Gyeong Saejae where I had the opportunity to feel at least a fraction of True Parent’s difficulty by carrying each other on our back and walking a distance which true father did and more. At Cheong Hae garden we were treated like VIPs. True Parents care for us is a hundred times more special than any other person would treat us. I only read about all those places in books but this time I could actually see them myself. I could enter True Parents room. Pray on the rock of tears. Stand on the same spot such a historical figure stood and most of all have the consciousness that True Parents are my actual parents.
True Mother clothed us when we were cold, and showed us so much love. Every time I prayed in the Cheongshim prayer hall where God and the spirit world is directly open, I found myself thinking about how somewhere in the world people are falling, dying, partying in clubs and have absolutely no idea a place like Cheongpyeong exists and I could only feel pity for them. I made a determination to bring as much as I can to the right path and let them know such a beautiful place exists, True Parents exist, the messiah exists.
After the pilgrimage, we had the peace designers table as well as lectures on the blessing education. I learned a lot about the blessing education and one of the things I learned is that one shouldn’t just expect a perfect spouse to be given to him or her but should also work on himself in other to become a gift to someone else. We also had the purity pledge ceremony which was the very first one ever done in history. We received lectures from great and experienced lecturers.
The closing ceremony was great because I got to meet the True Mother. That was when I realized the most painful thing, True Mother doesn’t smile much anymore but when she sees blessed children, she is very happy. That’s because we are the hope. She doesn’t smile much because she doesn’t want the True Father’s hard work and sacrifices to be in vain. There’s still a lot of work to do and True Mother has a lot of hope on us.
During the ceremony, she said to us
“You are people who will be remembered in history. Study well, keep your purity until you’re ready to receive the blessing from the True Parents. I love you!”
I received so much love from True Mother and to think that the other thousands of people present there received the same love means True Parents love is infinite and overflowing.
The sad and most difficult part of the workshop was saying goodbye and not knowing when next you’ll meet again. I got to meet so many amazing people.
After the workshop, many participants left while some stayed for the Seonghwa anniversary of our True Father. Rehearsals for the performance wasn’t so easy but having in mind that I am offering this to the True Parents of heaven earth and humankind I did my best and I can say the day of the anniversary was the happiest day of my life. The blessing ceremony was really beautiful. After the big day, we had series of lectures on True Parents life course and also had lectures on the what CheongPyeong really is. It is not just an ordinary place but its the spirit world. If one prays with sincere devotion and sincerity in CheongPyeong, all your prayers will be answered. Cheongpyeong is a place everyone should long to be even though it’s the last thing you do on earth. We the second generation are the hope of our True Parents and heaven. We are the only ones who can put a smile on True Parents face. So as the True Parents have fulfilled 99.9% we have to complete the 0.01% portion of our responsibility. We should all work hard to let the world know about the True Parents, spread the word to the ends of the earth and not only that, act the word.
Memory Emakuneyi
I would like to say a big thank you to our gracious most loving Heavenly parent and also to our beloved True Parents the champions of God’s liberated heart also I would like to say thank you to our Hyo-Jeong national leaders, my parents, blessed families, elders, brothers, and sisters. With so much gratitude in my heart towards heaven, I would now express and report just a few but deeply of my experience in Cheongpyeong and testify of the great works of Cheongpyeong and True Parents. Being a member of the 2017 GTGY workshop in Cheongpyeong was able to help me feel and understand the immense efforts true parent has put and is still putting for the restoration of all people. Looking at the over 1000 youths from 76 different nations present in one hall was an amazing heavenly situation I said situation because I couldn’t find it the right word to express myself with. Not just GTGY members but many different groups of people trooping in daily for workshops and other events is truly heavenly.
Through the GTGY workshop, I was able to visit the different beginning points and understand more deeply the paths our True Parents walked. I felt like I’d become an old and early disciple of True Parents and I was able to directly start my contributions for the unification of the Koreas by praying at the border Imjingak. North Korea was so close but yet was so far. At the moment all I could was to pray deeply that God would always encourage me to never give up on my role and responsibilities regarding the will of True Parents, vision 2020. The Chambumo Gyeong that I have been reading opened up directly to me, I practically read, saw and felt the Chambumo Gyeong. Also seeing my own very brothers and sisters slightly older than me being the ones who themselves organized the GTGY and also gave lectures made me feel challenged. There were no elders, 97% of the lecturers were youths. I felt so inspired and challenged to do the same when I returned back home. True Parents are really investing in the youths of this Era. Through the GTGY I’m able to recognize my dreams my visions and my life goals. I’m able to create positive vibes and courage that I will make it just as long as my visions and goals are connected to True Parents will.
I’m really grateful for having the opportunity to participate in the performance of our True Father’s Seonghwa ceremony. the practice was really not easy, I thought to myself that if really I’m doing this for True Parents, I should be grateful because it’s an attendance to True Father and True Mother. The happiness I feel now is beyond measure and inspiration I feel now too is beyond measure. I just wished that all of us someday will also visit Cheongpyeong and really see practically what True Parents are doing. The kingdom of heaven actually has been established and it’s being developed even better. I’m determined now to create the kingdom of heaven in my country using the internal education and peace designer education that I received. the truth is Africa is in the position to feed the world. Korea has its resources but my own view as I went there is that Africa has more resources. The foundation of Cheongpyeong wasn’t created through raw materials first but through the sincere heart of True Parents and people towards heaven. so we can do the same here in Nigeria in Africa. we can create the kingdom of heaven, first in our hearts.
So I would like to end my report a here by saying an advice given by the president of the international office of Cheongpyeong in a lecture, he said, Even if True Father did not perform miracles, as long as we believe in True Parents, True Mother, miracles will naturally come to us because it is the responsibility of God of True Parents and spiritual world. So I’m grateful having this time to really share these few words from my heart. I want to say thank you again to God and to True Parents and thank you very much, dear family. God, bless us all!
Ruth Jung-Un Nkanta
As a young child, I always wished to go to CheongPyeong I always wished to go to CheongPyeong. It was a dream I always prayed to Heavenly Parents to make true. When I heard about this 2017 GTGY workshop, I was so happy that I was eligible to participate in the GTGY this year, so I did lots of prayer conditions and one night I dreamt that someone in my family would travel out of the country. I told my Dad and he said I should pray over it.
When I went to Abuja to join the other participants, we had to fundraise and it wasn’t easy but well we all had to do it. When we left for Korea I was so happy and excited because I couldn’t believe it, it felt so surreal.
When we arrived CheongPyeong I couldn’t believe it. It was like I’m in a dream and I didn’t want to wake up from it. I was embarrassed because we came late and the GTGY participants were looking at us and it felt so uncomfortable and weird. Well, we settled down and got to know our schedules we finally adapted and got used to our surroundings.
The lectures were really interesting, funny, lively and interactive. I really loved the lectures. My best time during the GTGY was the Pilgrimage and the blessing Education. During the Pilgrimage we visited True Father’s grave at Cheon Jeong Gung, immediately I stepped into the area close to Father’s grave I started crying because I could feel the spiritual atmosphere and I knew Father was there. When I prayed in front of Father’s grave I couldn’t control my tears and I just prayed and cried and I felt like Father was looking at me and it was just so overwhelming. I can’t explain that feeling but it was the best feeling I ever felt in my life. It’s just indescribable.
During my stay in CheongPyeong, I really made the most out of it because that might be my last time to be there. I really focused on trying to develop myself spiritually and mentally. I made it my goal to grow up and become someone who can bring joy and happiness to our True Parents. During my stay in CheongPyeong each time I saw True Mother she looked so sad and sorrowful. I can’t imagine how she feels every day. It really saddened me and I knew that I have to help our True Mother when I become older.
I’m so grateful to our True Mother because she is really investing so much for the 2ng generation blessed children. I’m thankful and grateful to our Heavenly Parents and True Parents. Thank you.