Bridgeport Welcomes Yeon Ah Moon

On Sunday, March 20, 2016, the Family Church of Connecticut had the immense pleasure of welcoming our beloved elder sister and Women’s Federation for World Peace International President, Yeon Ah Moon, to Sunday Service. She took the time to share authentically, personally and sincerely about True Parents and her own journey to understand their heart. Young Unificationists expressed that Yeon Ah Moon brought about a deep and refreshing sense of connection to True Parents, and were grateful for her taking the time to share her heart.

Yeon Ah Moon speaks in Bridgeport

The service was held at the University of Bridgeport, in the Student Center. It was a special day, not only because Yeon Ah Moon was there to present two awardees of the Wonmo Pyeongae Scholarship, but also because it was a commemorative service recognizing and congratulating ten newly Blessed couples into the community.

The Family Church of Connecticut community gathered at the University of Bridgeport

The congregation heard two testimonies from local couples on their experience at the Marriage Blessing Ceremony in Korea. Afterward, everyone placed hands on the couples and FFWPU North America Continental Chairman Dr. Ki Hoon Kim gave a prayer over them. After recognizing the couples, the Scholarship Awards Ceremony was held. Mrs. Katarina Connery introduced Yeon Ah Moon, who took the stage as several of young people presented flowers and gifts on behalf of the church community and the University of Bridgeport.

Youth offer flowers to Yeon Ah Moon

Yeon Ah Moon shared her heart with the congregation, sharing about her experiences with True Mother over the last three and a half years. She shared that we are all like True Parents when we love others with the same heart as them, and that as parents naturally give everything to their children. Likewise, we need to take that love, add our own to it, and continue to share it completely with those around us.

She also emphasized the importance of learning Korean in being able to connect more intimately to our True Parents’ heart, and at the same time, in our own respective languages, we should seriously study True Parents’ words in order to understand their heart and circumstance.

Mr. An translates for Yeon Ah Moon

After Yeon Ah Moon’s message, the Wonmo Pyeongae Scholarship Awards were given to two Bridgeport International Academy students: SunBok Bessell and Kayoung Choi. University of Bridgeport President, Neil Salonen, Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, and Bridgeport International Academy Principal, Nora Spurgin, were all on stage to present the award with Yeon Ah Moon.

Two students receive Wonmo Pyeongae Scholarship Awards

Following the Sunday Service, Yeon Ah Moon met with 80 youth ages twelve years old and up. The group was organized by local youth pastors, Steven Boitano and Sam Orman, and young adult ministers, Alex Kang and ShinHwa Hong. At the gathering, Yeon Ah Moon took time getting to know each person present at the gathering. There were older second generation Unificationists present, as well as college and middle school aged youth.

Yeon Ah Moon took the time to meet with 80 young Unificationists

At the gathering, Yeon Ah Moon emphasized to the young people to follow their conscience and to never feel lonely, for we have one another and we are so blessed to have each other. She mentioned how individually, we may feel limited in our abilities, but together as a group, we can accomplish anything. Yeon Ah Moon was presented with a gift on behalf of the entire group, and everyone concluded by singing a song together and taking pictures with Yeon Ah Moon.

“Our time with Yeon Ah Nim during her visit to Bridgeport will continue to prevail in our hearts and memories for many months to come,” said Bridgeport Family Church Pastor Mika Deshotel. “She shared her heart, not only through her words, but through her physical actions (many commented on how she gives great hugs!). So many of the young people were pleasantly surprised by meeting with her.”

Yeon Ah Moon and several young adults from Bridgeport

Reflections

I was happy I was able to meet someone so special. The gathering made me feel like we were one.

—Munetsugu Kojima, 14

I had never heard Yeon Ah Moon speak before, so I was glad she took some time to share with us. I feel I needed it to connect with her and True Mother. One thing that strikes me right away is how humble she is. When she came into the [Sunday] service and made her way to the front table, of the group she was the only one who leaned over so as to not block others who were already seated and listening to the speaker. That kind of attitude is not manufactured; that is one’s real self coming through.

The point that helped me a lot was Yeon Ah Moon’s observation that True Mother is not a CEO or manager, but most significantly a mother, like our own biological mother who loves and cares about each one of us. With all the discussion in our movement about sinlessness, etc., for me the definition of Messiah and True Parents comes down to who loves the most. Wasn’t that what True Father always said: The true owner is the one who loves the most. This really helped me understand True Mother’s heart and hope she has for each one of us and all humankind.

—Greg Breland

I thought it was kind of cool that everyone was there [at the Youth Gathering] with her, and she wanted to know everyone, and so we all introduced ourselves and that was cool.

—Ah-Mee Bessell, 12

Yeon Ah Moon is very calm and collected and nice. She fixed a snag in my scarf for me; I didn’t realize it was there, but she fixed it. She also gives good hugs.

—Telani Yasutake, 14

I liked meeting everybody [at the Youth Gathering]. I think Yeon Ah Moon is the first member of True Parents’ family that I ever met.

—Alexa Fayad-Costa, 14

It was a good experience. The best part was being around Yeon Ah Moon and learning about other [young Unificationists] in our community.

—Erianne Fayad-Costa, 12

I was moved by everyone’s heartistic unity and by the number of families who attended. Yeon Ah Moon really poured out so much love to all of us. And I think our unity allowed her to do that.

—Mrs. Elizabeth Deshotel (principal, Bridgeport Hope School)

It was awesome having Yeon Ah Moon [at the Youth Gathering] to talk with us. It was great having the experience of a member of True Parents’ family there talking to us about so many things, just as True Mother or True Father would. I appreciated the most when Yeon Ah Moon shared that it doesn’t really matter about the politics in our movement right now; rather what matters most is following the heart of our True Mother in loving everyone.

—Abraham Deshotel, co-pastor, Bridgeport

I was really glad I made the decision to come to this event. I was so into Yeon Ah Moon’s talk, with Mr. An as the translator at the Sunday service. At the gathering, when everybody was introducing themselves, I learned more about the people in our Bridgeport community, and also I was just so honored to be sitting literally five feet away from Yeon Ah Moon. It was a really memorable experience, because I talked with Yeon Ah Moon and we walked her to her car after the gathering and shook hands and hugged, and overall it was just a great day. I am so lucky to have had this experience, and I can’t wait for her to come to Bridgeport again!

—Shoji Torikai, 15

The whole gathering was really just a pleasure, with everything run so well. I think that it was really meaningful to me to just take a few exchanges with Yeon Ah Moon. She showed me this type of kindness that resembled almost [that] of my own mother. Until the next time, we’ll have these photos to remember [her] by.

—Edward Han, 14