Why I Am Supporting Rev. Hyung Jin Moon

Testimony given by Gilson Oliveira

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I would like to introduce myself. I hope it is not too boring. I had a long public life with many missions and incredible miracles on the way.

My name is Gilson Oliveira. I met the church in 1980 in Florianopolis, Brazil. I brought my whole family to the church. [Explains how he served as President of CARP in Brazil, national FFWPU leader in Argentina, and regional leader FFWPU leader for Central America.]

Because we now live far from the Miami church, in Florida, USA, and work on Sundays, we could not attend church, so we would use the internet to be connected. I started to feel that I was a retired pastor until recently when True Father decided to talk to me. But before we start with the recent spiritual experiences, I would like to share with you about an old one.

1. An Important Spiritual Experience: “If You Go to Brazil – Take Care of Three Thousand”

In 1996 when my mission in Costa Rica ended, I came to America to raise funds to bring my family back to Brazil. I was not ready to leave my mission, but due to many changes that happened in those days, I had to leave. With a huge pain in my heart, I came to America.

One day I had a dream. I was in a small deli in the countryside of Brazil. True Father came on an old bicycle; he stopped in front of the deli and walked straight up to me. Then he put his hands on my shoulders, looked at my face and gave a big smile. He said: “You cannot leave me, if you go to Brazil – take care of three thousand.”

In Brazil in 1997, we opened a factory for handmade paintings, but it was in financial trouble. One of our employees told me that he had visited a fortune teller two months before and the fortune teller had told him the company would go bankrupt, because one of the owners had a debt with God. I found that interesting. I told him, “If the fortune teller had time and was passing by our business, he could come in and visit us.” On the following day this man came to my store, walked straight up to me, and told me that he had a message from my guardian angel. He said that my guardian angel showed him my face and told him to give me a message: “Do not forget the three thousand.”

Because of this, I decided to return to public life.

I learned an important lesson – when God needs you, he can use someone to call you.

2. Another Important Spiritual Experience: “Gilson, Will You Help Me Carry the Cross?”

When Rev. Hyung Jin Moon was working in Korea as our world leader, I felt hope in our movement. But then after his mission in America ended, I could not understand what happened. I needed to know, so I asked our regional leader. His answer was this: “He is not interested in the mission. He moved to the countryside of Pennsylvania.” That was painful to hear. I asked him, “Why,” but he could not give me a clear answer.Then I had another powerful dream.

I saw Jesus. He was shirtless. He had just a piece of cloth covering his waist. His hair was curly and long, but was full of oil. He pointed towards his right side. To my surprise, I saw him there. He was tied to a small post in the middle of a small square. Three Roman soldiers had whips with lashes in their hands. Then Jesus, in front of me, said, “They are going to hit me.” He showed me one of the lashes. It had small metal spikes at the end of the ropes. He said, “My skin will be ripped out of my body; I will lose too much blood and will not be strong enough to carry the cross.” Then he looked at my eyes and asked me: “Gilson, will you help me?” I was caught by surprise and could not say anything. Then he asked me again: “Gilson, will you help me?” Again, I could not say anything. He asked me once again: “Gilson, will you help me carry the cross?”

I could not understand the dream. It gave me the impression that there was something I had to do now. But True Father had a victorious life, and I could not understand who was suffering and whom I should help.

3. My Elder Brother Gilmar Witnesses to Me

My elder brother watched the sermon, Breaking the Silence, and several after it. He liked them and asked me to watch, too. I have a degree in theology and at first the sermons were hard to digest. Rev. Hyung Jin Moon I knew was always smiling and happy. Suddenly, he spoke like a prophet. I had many theological discussions with my elder brother. I loved Mother and had many personal experiences with her in Brazil and in Costa Rica. She is also the only Korean person that I know who could pronounce my name just like a Brazilian would do.

4. Another Spiritual Experience

I am a flea market vendor in Homestead, in south Florida. I have the habit of blessing my spot every day with holy salt. I also pray asking God to send good people to buy our merchandise. At the end of the day, when we were getting ready to go home, a Jamaican woman came to buy sunglasses. Her request was somewhat strange. She asked me: “Which glasses were the most expensive ones?” When I showed her a few pairs, she said: “Any are fine – I just need to buy the most expensive pair, because God told me to come here and buy the most expensive pair. I was resting at home. I don’t even like to come here, but God told me I had to come and bring you a message.” She said that she was a spiritualist and could see things. I asked her: “So, what do you see?” She looked at my wife and myself and said: “I see the most beautiful people of this flea market working hard to survive. You look like angels. I see you are humans, for I can see your sin and mistakes in life, but at the same time, you look like angels.” I asked her: “What was the message?” She said that God told her that I was having a very hard life for the last five years but it was necessary. Then she said that my life was going to change, and I would do something that I knew [how] to do – something I used to do before.

I told her I used to be a church minister but I was retired. Then she said: “Well, it looks like God did not retire you yet. He showed me that there is a new tide in your church and you should not go against it because it comes from God, and it is God’s Will.” She then said, “This new tide will drag you with it.” She started singing a Christian song. One of the verses said, “Look at Jesus.” She would point to one spot at my shop. During many parts of the song she would sing “Look at Jesus” and would point to the same spot. Then she said that there was another message from God to me. Something I would need for my new life. She recited Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd.”

From that day on, I decided to take the Rev. Hyung Jin Moon’s issue seriously.

5. Another Spiritual Experience – the Voice from Heaven

After studying words by both Father and Mother and doing prayer conditions, I asked God for directions, but nothing happened. I had no experiences until one day when I was shaving and not even thinking about the issue. I heard a voice inside of my head, saying: “The Messiah’s mission is too heavy and difficult for just one person, it takes at least three, just like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are one in the eyes of God, so are True Father, Hyung Jin Moon and his son.”

Then the next step was to ask God to show me what I could do to help him, but again – no dreams, no voices.

But then I received another visit.

6. Another Visit

Again, I was working at the flea market, this time in Lake Worth, Florida. Again, when we started to pack up to go home, a car stopped at the side of my store. An African-American woman lowered the car window and shouted: “Hi, how are you?” I greeted her and asked about if she was a vendor. I asked her this because cars were not supposed to be there. She said: “No, I am not. I just came to see what is going on. Why are you afraid?” I just laughed. Then she said, “Conditions will be better now.” That caught my attention. Then she started to pray after a minute or so. She looked at me and said: “Stay clean – I just cleaned you!” And just like that, she left.

That night, I had many dreams with Father and Rev. Hyung Jin Moon but one dream was the most powerful. I was in Brazil, living close to the Temple. It was around 6 pm, and all the members were in the Temple to attend a sermon that True Father was going to give at 9 pm. Someone brought me many pages of a sermon that I should translate into Portuguese. Father wanted to read that sermon to the members. I started to translate, but I was so distracted by many things I had to do. Someone came and asked me about the translation, and I said that I did not finish it yet. He said that Father was waiting for the translation.

Time passed and it was 9 pm. Another brother came to ask about the translation. I told him that Father should start the sermon. He said Father could only start after I finished the translation. I could see Father in the Temple. He was sitting in a big chair waiting. Time passed. It was 11 pm and again another brother came and asked me, if I had the translation ready. I told him that it was ready but I needed to print it in big letters for Father to be able to see, because he didn’t like to use reading glasses. Again, I told him that Father should give the sermon because it was late, and again the brother told me that Father could not talk without the translation and he was waiting for me.

Again, I could see Father waiting in his chair and all the members waiting, but I got distracted by other things I had to do. Time passed. It was 1 am. The same brother came again to ask for the translation and again I told him that Father should start the sermon. He told me again that Father was waiting for the translation. I went to the Temple to see what was going on and I saw Father sitting on his chair, looking at me with sad eyes. Someone said, “Father is waiting for the translation.”

So, as a result of this dream, I decided to translate the Unification Sanctuary website from English into Portuguese.

7. “Now You Have to Save Brazil”

The following day, I had another dream – also a very clear dream.

I was in Brazil fundraising. I was young. A brother came and called us to go to the Temple because True Father was coming to talk to us. We were all in the Temple waiting for Father, but instead of Father, Rev. Hyung Jin Moon came. We all stood up and bowed down to him. In my heart, he was Father. Then he called me to the front. I came and kneeled down before him then he placed his hands over my head and prayed. When he finished, I stood up and looked at his face. He looked into my eyes and said with a voice sounding like the voice of God: “Now you have to save Brazil.”

I decided to write to Rev. Hyung Jin Moon. That week I finally said “Yes” to sister Lourdes’ [Secretary to the World Mission Dept.] question to me.

I was ready to accept a Mission.

8. My New Mission

It seems to be an impossible mission. It is just immensely huge. But I remembered Jesus’ question: “Gilson will you help me?”

I also remembered that God sent me the words of Psalm 23.

I am accepting the Mission of Continental Director of South America for the Unification Sanctuary, and I feel I need this Psalm at this time.

A Psalm of David.

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right pathsfor his name’s sake.
Even though I walkthrough the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

So I ask you. Can you at least do a diligent investigation? Can you do spiritual conditions, pray and ask God and True Father directly? Can you watch Rev. Hyung Jin Moon’s sermons and arrive at your own conclusions?

Are you willing to help Jesus carry his cross? Because his cross is very heavy and he needs all the help he can get to rebuild all that was lost.

Editor’s note: This submitted testimony was given minor editing for clarity, grammar and punctuation.