by Debbie Truin-Barrytown, NY
This is one in an occasional series of testimonies about students at the seminary.
Stanley Lewis joined the Unification Movement in Guyana in 1992 and came to UTS in January of this year. He began teaching the Divine Principle to new guests at the national headquarters in the capitol city of Georgetown after only two weeks as a member.
As the main lecturer for the "Free Teens" seminars from 1992-1994 he taught at high schools, universities and to various youth groups throughout the country and was often called upon by teachers to counsel their students. He also started a "Free Teens" chapter in Guyana.
Stanley has many spiritual children, four of whom were blessed in the 360,000 Blessing in 1995. Stanley was Blessed in August, 1992 and when he returned from the Blessing, he sat down and wrote to the President of Guyana explaining the mission of the Reverend and Mrs. Moon in relation to the social problems facing their country. He also brought him a copy of the Divine Principle, a photo of True Parents and a picture of himself. He hand carried them to the President's office. Three days later he received a thank you letter from the President in which he expressed his appreciation for the work of True Parents.
In 1993 and 1995, the President attended Federation for World Peace events and, in 1995, received the Blessing. When asked what prompted him to write to the President Stanley responded, "For me, Principle has all the answers that one needs about God, life and the universe. It is a blueprint. So I thought, "If I can get the head of this country to accept the blueprint, then God can direct the country through him." Stanley's undergraduate background is in communications and he is simultaneously working on completing that degree through Regents college while attending UTS. Stanley says his goals have become very big since learning Divine Principle and he wants to make a substantial contribution to God's Providence by 2007. He plans to get a Ph.D. and to become president of his country.
The Guyanese movement has approximately 80 members, many of whom are doctors, lawyers and other upper level members of society, the national leader, Ronald McGarrell, is a native of Guyana. There is little opposition to the movement and it is easy to witness there. People are generally open and friendly. Most members live at home and about 20 members live in a center. The church runs an orphanage (perhaps the first in the Unification Movement) for children between 4 and 15 years of age. The center members street witness and raise funds for the orphanage. The Church also has a video production company which is moderately successful.
Reprinted from The Cornerstone.