Request from Julian Gray

[Robert Williamson]

Sincere greetings from Korea. My name is Julian Gray and I was recently assigned to work at our Family Federation International Headquarters.

I have been asked to begin a project to compile the history of our church missionary work around the world. It is uplifting that True Mother has personally expressed her concern that the work of our pioneer missionaries be compiled and recorded, and I think publication of such testimony in some form is very likely. At least, for now, I hope we can gradually expand and integrate the threads of the historical record.

 

Naturally there are already very good records of our church history in books, magazines and audio recordings from various stages in our movement’s history. In this sense, this project has already been ongoing for forty years and more, ever since missionaries first went to new countries and began sending reports or sharing their testimony.

 

My own recent experience meeting early missionaries and members in Eastern Europe tells me that there are, however, testimonies and stories that have not yet been fully told, and that so many are wonderful.

 

So in making a start (without quite knowing precisely where the finish line is yet), one task will be to gather together the various threads, find the existing resources and sources, and begin tracking down those who have been involved in missionary work and who feel happy to share something more of their experience beyond what is already known.

 

It is not just the early missionaries but also the members who joined in the early years and continued the work whose stories are remarkable. Mother feels, for example, that efforts made in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union during the communist era made conditions to support the collapse of the communist regime. Of course Father had oriented the Korean and Japanese movements to do Victory Over Communism (VOC) work from the 1960s, so that was a powerful effort too. And many other such efforts followed on. A primary purpose for securing the record of the work done in earlier years is that it is the gospel of our early movement, during the time when True Parents were on earth, when our members stood with them to face down the satanic world. This record is unique and should be preserved for all time.

 

A second and very important purpose is that the testimony of those who worked in faith, love and determination in the past can provide wonderful inspiration (lessons) in faith for those who are reaching out in the present, or who will do so in the future. Even today, in many parts of the world, religious missionaries will not be welcome, and it will require very careful strategy to try to bring the Principle to certain regions and peoples. The prayerfulness, strategic planning and cooperative efforts made are valuable instruction and encouragement for a new generation of witnessers and missionaries today.

 

The movement continues despite its challenges, and there is development. How valuable it will be for us to understand the heart and the methods (internal and external) of those who pioneered the way in years gone by, and to adapt and apply those to the task at hand. One thing is for sure – our movement will continue to reach out to the world in various ways. Better that these ways are informed by the concrete experience of the past.

 

I hope you might reflect on your time in the mission field, and how your experience could be evaluated as a means to inspire and even train others in the present and future. If you know of testimonies you have written, or reports you have sent, that may be archived somewhere, please feel free write to me at [e-mail]. If you would like to write the story of your missionary experience, or have a written testimony with you that you would like to share, I would be very glad to hear from you.

 

Sincerely,

Julian Gray