As Christians, we are continually experiencing the presence of God as He works in our everyday lives. Below you can read some testimonies on how God can help and guide us through our lives. However rather than presenting them in the traditional testimonial form, the following testimonies are adapted from emails that were sent among the members throughout the year. They have been slightly modified/edited to help make them more understandable, but the basic form of an email from one Christian to others is preserved.

Below are testimonies from the following people:

Homin Lee '05
Email: hominlee@fas.harvard.edu

Hey all,

Before I mention anything else, I'd like to thank you guys so much for being great throughout this year. I shoulda mentioned this earlier, but the banner that I received after tour was one of the best presents I've ever received and the notebooks were great as well.

As for the concert, I'm just thankful that God worked through each and every one of us to make things happen. All the people who worked on publicity did a great job to get the word spread out to a different audience, and it was noticeable at our concert. Right after the fall concert, I remember thinking that there wouldn't be a better concert, but God gave me the heart to pray for more and I prayed that the spring concert be even better than that of the fall. I'm just so glad that this prayer was answered, thanks to y'all who worked so hard and ultimately God who made everything possible. Otherwise, I do agree that Paine is better, but cost may be a problem. I was wondering how the one concert at Paine-one concert at Lowell would work out. I'm not sure.

Another point that I would like to make is the following: At least for me, I find the post-concert, pre-finals time most frustrating in many ways. I hit a spiritual low just a few days ago after concert, and I sense that as a group, we might experience something similar if we don't stay attuned. I'm not sure how it is for y'all but I think that a group could easily lose focus once a big event or purpose is gone. As much as the concert is important for us, I'm assuming that in God's sight, every small thing we do as a group to serve His will matters. The one thing that surprised me during cocnert was that I thought I would get all emotional and sad since it be my last concert. While singing during the last few songs of the concert and praying after the concert, the only thought that came to my mind was that it wasn't over yet. Moreover, most of the time it's how a group ENDS its year that defines the accomplishment that has been made throughout the year.

SO, to make the long story short, I ask for everyone's focus once again as we do have a good month left of good old UC. I admit that I wanted to take it easy and did not want go to a few of the gigs and recordings by giving excuses. Also, I haven't dealt with post-tour stuff very well giving pretty lame excuses related to my thesis. I understand that everyone has a lot of catch-up school work to do, and academics is definitely another area in which we should do our best as students, so I guess it would be great if everyone could get into a "Laid-back, yet having focus" zone for the next weeks. Enjoying our work and focusing on our mission aren't two incompatible concepts. Anyway, I'm sure that Tim/Nick/Jeanette would send out more information, but the few things that we'd need to work on from now on are

1)Fellowship! Getting together post-school/semester contact info so that we can stay in contact

2)Recording: which may be one of the most important part of our ministry when we think about our long term goals

3)Gigs: Guest group performances/Art First (Crystal & I won't be there just fyi)

4)Post-tour: an important part is that we actually make our trip into a short document so that future UC generations can critique, learn, and expand our former experience. a lot of our memory is dictated by archival documents (such as photos and memoirs), so I think writing a short testimony our journal would be good for everyone's own sake.

5)Prefrosh info session: future member recruiting!

Anyway, that's about it for today, and that's probably the longest email that I wrote since coming to America. =p

best and love y'all
homie

Tim Morton '06
Email: morton@fas.harvard.edu

hey guys- i get sentimental before concerts. i just wanted to reiterate once again (how redundant can i get?) how much of a blessing it's been to lead you guys this year. i've told you this before, but i've grown more leading UC this year than i think i ever have doing anything else. and i think it's been good growth. and i can't tell you how excited i am for this concert. i really appreciate everything you all have done in terms of skit-writing, publicity, program-designing, choreo-coaching, and anything else i may have forgotten. and i was really encouraged by the short musical rehearsal we got to do this afternoon. so i hope that those of you who really need rest sleep very well tonight and get up refreshed and ready to roll.

ok, enough 3:30am rambling, tim. go to sleep.

amen.
Ann Chao '08
Email: annchao@fas.harvard.edu

Hey,

I love you all
There are just no words that could really describe how blessed this concert was to me, I'm sure it was to many others as well. I just thank God for guiding me through this year so far, and I am most thankful for UC. I tried to imagine life without UC and I came up with: 90% fewer friends, 90% fewer boba purchases, 0% visiting Mather, and I don't want to guess what my faith would be like. I would like to believe it would be strong and growing, with ABSK fellowship and all. But UC has given a vibrancy to my life that I have not imagined before, something I look forward to every week, something I pray for and love. Because you guys are my brothers and sisters and I love you all.

I haven't talked to my family much about the concert yet but I am so glad they came. I would like to find out what my dad thought. My sister who is in 8th grade and is a relatively new Christian, cried during the concert. Non-Christian friends came, I want to talk to them too about their reaction to us. For a while I've been feeling that this concert will be special--and I still feel that in my heart just as strongly as before. I have faith God will use the memories of this concert to move people and change people's lives.

Thank you for being my friends and just being the wonderful people you are

LOVE

ANN
Peter Chung '02
Email: pjchung@post.harvard.edu

It's been a rough day. I'm looking right now at the two-hundred pages of reading, the problem set, the pre-lab, the lab report, and the music prep that all needs to get done now, and I can't help but think, Where did the time go?

And thinking about all that work I need to do, I can't believe I'm sitting here now, writing this, all because somewhere between email and ebay I clicked on the UC testimonies page. There haven't been any new testimonies on the webpage for quite some time now, and not for lack of trying. It seemed like writing a testimony was something one should always be ready to give, so it made sense to put it off for more pressing concerns, like reading, problem sets, pre-labs....So why am I here now? Maybe its because I just hit a low point in my life and it just so happened that I ended up reading these testimonies, which were just what I needed. They reminded me why we Christians bothered to do all the things we do. I mean, life could be so much easier without these complications, right? And so much more fun, right? Why do I spend so much of my time with Under Construction and at church and reading the Bible and doing all those other Christian things?

A lot of people try to sell the gospel to non-Christians. First was the bribing approach--commit your life to God and your life will be easier! Then there was the reverse psychology approach--life won't get easier with God, it'll get harder--but you'll have Him to guide you all the way! Sometimes I feel like thats too much what we try to portray when we tell others about Christ and His sacrifice. We try to season the gospel to lure others in, then we trap them, change their dress, conform their lifestyle, and slap a Bible in their hand. There's a new Christian! we say. The gospel, though, speaks for itself. Why should you believe? Because it's true. Because this stuff actually happened.

A simple answer, for sure, but really the best. You don't become a Christian because of what you'll get from God, or because you've got nothing to lose, but because it's true. End of message.

Except it's not, really. After all, why should you believe in this God for whom there is no evidence? The Bible, which really knows its stuff on human nature, speaks on how God's invisible qualities have been made evident to man since the beginning of time (Romans 1:20). Who can deny a sense of freedom or wonder on a mountaintop or in a huge cavern or under the sea? There is something within each of us that yearns for a greater something; I don't think anyone can point to a man who was content with his life as it stood without Christ. And its under this knowledge and searching that God comes through us through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

For me, the sacrifice of Christ is what was always so hard for me to understand. How would this archaic death of a carpenter somehow save my life from the ultimate death of hell? It didn't seem to make much sense. But so many people are always trying to portray the Christ figure, whether consciously or subconsiously, through books, TV, and movies. Nowadays when I'm exposed to stories of people who sacrifice themselves to save people from a meteor the size of Texas or from ethnic persecution, I see more and more how Christ is reflected, albeit imperfectly, in those deaths. They help me understand the gravity and beauty of Christ's willingness to die for us, even though we had rejected God through our thoughts, words, and deeds.

Being in Under Construction has been a true test of faith. Life hasn't gotten easier, it most certainly has gotten harder; but the hardest part is that sometimes it seems as though God is not with me all the way. All my elaborate plans, built upon prayer and hard work, seem to be smashed by His hand. Sure, I've gotten frustrated...Ive been angry...I've been depressed...I've wanted to spend my time doing something else, whatever worthwhile thing everyone else was doing. What keeps me going? The command to go out and proclaim His goodness to all nations, and to be His witness. And if He choose to break me down, it's only so that He can be more powerful in my life. I know that when I mess up royally, He still loves me...so that gives me the confidence to be bold about what I do. As always, everything boils down to the Gospel--that Jesus Christ died for us while we were still sinners. In the midst of academic stress, personal relationship strains, UC difficulties, homesickness, exhaustion, confusion, disillusionment, attacks, persecution, and whatever curveballs are thrown my way, _that_ single fact of Gods grace is sufficient for me.

It's a simple message that we bring, but one that will take the rest of your life to fully understand.
Christian Garcia '03
Email: cagarcia@post.harvard.edu

"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and wither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." --John 3:8

hey all,

I spent sometime yesterday evening listening to the first Under Construction CD. I've heard it before, but now, with my recent experiences in recording session, at retreat, at our concert, at many practices and through many trials and many many good times, and with one complete semester of UC behind me, the CD had such a different feel to me. I could now hear what was behind the voices, of those who have gone on. Sure, some of them, like Jenn and Kosta and Jon and Billy are still around here, to encourage us and to communicate the group's past heritage, but for the most part those I was hearing had been only suggestions put to me by a photo on a website or a voice rising during a solo passage. But those who had only been names to me were suddenly people who have done what I've done, sung as I've sung, and have been part of a much-loved group. And I could hear the passion in their music, a music struggling with the same occasional pitch-bending or tempo-changing that we continually work to overcome, yet still carrying the sounds of praise heavenward to the Lord that they adored, and still do. And I could sense the community and the love that they had for one another, united with a common purpose in His will. I then felt the same way about them that I do about you all, my brothers and sisters in Christ.

This morning I was walking in the Yard musing about UC when I began to notice the wind flowing about me, stirring trees, recalling to me the character of the Spirit of God and how He moves in His children. Time is passing, gradually bringing surety to the uncertainties of the present semester and the possibilities of some among us going separate ways. It hurts that we won't always be together. But however God has led each one of us, whether to continue or to move on, each of us, like those before us, will forever be a member of a wonderful group, a special part of God's family that has had unique ways of ministering to His children. And my heart overflows with gratitude to the One who saw fit to allow me to be in that part of His awesome and unchanging plan.

I love you all,

your bro
christian
Dan Myung '02
Email: dmyung@post.harvard.edu

Hey guys,

It's been a rough week for yours truly. Exhaustion and discouragement are among the things bothering me. Today was particularely stressful...i think my gray hair count is rising.

Spiritually for me as well, I've been feeling (or lack thereof) distant - prayer, worship, praise are turning into motions...routines for me. The sin in my life, and my...i dunno, dissilusionment and pride and other cruddy muck is really being a hindrence.

as mentioned at the retreat...i have this big fear of my overcommitment this semester...already, the crimson is starting to gain the edge in email traffic for me...(that's bad sign!!!)

...and yet with all this, i have so many other worries bugging at me...my crappy grades...my parents' reaction to the crappy grades, my crappy grades preventing me from getting a good job...

I know, I'm worrying too much over truly trivial things...this was an issue i struggled with freshman year...but now it's coming back full force.

i guess, please pray that the Lord will restore prespective, and the assurance that despite the trials I (and you guys) go through, He will provide for us, that He can give us joy, no matter the circumstances.

anyways...enough of my gushing - i just hope this doesn't become a weekly thing for me :)

and, i hope i made sense...i've sort of been writing what's on my mind.

your tired brother,
dan
Katie's testimony was written when she had to leave Under Construction in the middle of concert week after being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Katie Choi '02
Email: kmchoi@post.harvard.edu

Dearest UC brothers and sisters,

I want to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and friendship and love. It's been a couple rough days filled with a lot of arguing with God and confusion, but by the grace of God I have found peace... and even joy. Believe it or not, I'm alone in my room right now with a nice big smile on my face :)

Although I cried to my mom when I came home from the 10 minutes I spent at rehearsal tonight. It just didn't seem fair.

Not to say that I've had or hadn't had a difficult life thus far (in all my 19 years of living :) but I've really never blamed God or questioned the hard times because I've always felt they drew me nearer to Him and made me stronger in my faith. This time was different-- I just didn't understand why I had to get sick now. I wanted to believe it was all a part of His plan, but I couldn't see it at all. I've really never been so deep-down-inside sad. My heart was broken and when I talk to my mom, all I could say is that "this is tearing me up!" Moments of silence on the phone made me realize this was really between God and me, and that "not even my mom" could explain why I was sick, now of all times.

Several things made this all worse: 1) I was feeling especially homesick coming back sick from spring break. 2) Thus UC was becoming the one thing I looked forward to here (that was eventually "taken away" from me 3) I was "unhappy" with my life in Cambridge and at Harvard. 4) CONCERT WEEK

I assessed my motives for singing with UC. I thought about my lifestyle. I thought about my relationships here. I couldn't see why this was happening to me. I knew we as humans don't always understand God's ways, but it just seemed that this concert was for Him! Wasn't I singing for Him? I really believe and believed I was.

The reason I have joy is that God revealed to me the reason I am not able to sing with UC at this concert, or rather, why I'm sick. A couple days ago, I read (in Bible reading for class) the verse "Do not say 'Why were the old days better than these?' For it is not wise to ask such questions." (Eccles 7:10). Not a really "deep" verse-- very straightforward. I liked it a lot. I remembered that over a year ago I said "I am going to be 'happy' where ever God takes me next year because I'll know that's His will." When I got my acceptance letter here, I was thankful and I saw it as a complete blessing. Though I honestly never had my heart set on going here, my dad gave me the choices of here or University of Akron (nothing really wrong with that school, either) and I thought I'd much rather go to Harvard.

Anyways, what have I been doing lately? Sorry, God... I've been complaining that You brought me here. I've asked for Your will to be done and now I don't like it so I'm just going to think about how happy I was in Akron. How much I love suburbia and my friends and good ol' patriotic Revere High.

Then, after I found out I had the virus, what did I do? I said, "Why can't I sing? I don't even FEEL bad! It would be easier if I had a cold or something that made me want to get sleep and eat well." I look back on these thoughts-- how ridiculous I was being, actually wishing I was worse (healthwise) so I could feel better about trying to get better!

I realize it's confusing, but it comes down to the fact that the mindset of being unhappy and homesick here was taking over my life. :( I missed my mom (she's been my best friend forever) and Akron, and I didn't like Mass. Ave. and the city outside our room and Harvard in general at all. I forgot how much God has blessed me in bringing me here, calling me to Under Construction-- my new family, providing a very meaningful friendship and roomateship through Amanda (and learning to adjust to college together), and in just every little bit of my life!!

So I see that God has allowed me to be chronically fatigued because He knew I need to re-adjust my view of the path He has planned for me. All this time to myself, to me and God really, has allowed me to step back and really see that I need to be living God's will and praising Him throughout. Even more meaningful is that I found about it AFTER singing at Middlebury. Going there along with this sickness has made me truly appreciate Harvard and my home, my life and health, and even my friendships so much more. I feel I am prepared to finally accept and rejoice in His will.

Love (from Him),
Katie

The following "testimonies" were written regarding doubts that one of our members, Chris, is having about his walk with God. As Christians, humans who choose to follow Christ and desire a relationship with him, we are not immune to doubt, fear, or temptation. However our struggles with these issues, although difficult to deal with, will in the end lead to a more full and complete relationship with Him. This can only happen if we prayerfully seek out God's will in these matters, or quiet our hearts until we finally hear His voice calling to us. We thank God that Chris is doing just this, and we pray for God to send comfort and peace to him and all of us who struggle with the burdens of this world.

Chris Miller '02
Email: cjmiller@post.harvard.edu

Hey all--

Spiritually, it's been about as bad as it's ever been. This sucks. The God that I've apparently known my whole life seems very foreign, far away, and unrealistic to me. Prayer gets hard, worship near-impossible. But thinking about it doesn't help at all, 'cuz I just go in the same old circles, or assemble an argument that's convincing intellectually but not really useful. There's a quote that I rely on, though; something to the effect that "It's good when we've totally exhausted ourselves in search of the truth, for then we can at last reach out our arms in desperation to our Lord." The only problem is that I'm reaching as hard as I can but it seems no one is reaching back. What more could God possibly want from me?

I've also tried not to try (sounds weird but you know what I mean: waiting for the Spirit to do something but being disappointed. The problem, too, is that patience is tricky: if I wait long enough I'm gonna end up manufacturing some "truth" of my own. I want God to do something real in my life, but there's a fine line between being open to God's working in your heart and being so receptive that you'll cling to anything, like a man who's drowning. I want something so real that I can look a non-Christian in the eye (or even a Buddhist or someone from another faith) and say "I respect what you think and feel but you're missing out on So Much More, and I'm sure of that because my relationship with Jesus has shown me not just a different way but a way that's so much better-- the only way." I couldn't say that right now because it's not true. Jesus? I know all the historical stuff and I've felt Him before (I think), but with every passing day my doubt grows. Am I Christian because I grew up Christian? So many questions. Intellectually, again, I may know the answers, but knowing the answer to a question isn't the same as being convinced by the answer. Just like reading the Bible isn't the same as being moved by it. Damn...

Thanks, IHL, cjm

David Shim '03
Email: dshim@post.harvard.edu

I've been thinking recently... I just got this song called "Like a Child" by Jars of Clay, and I can't stop playing it.

Something about this song just hits me everytime. "... with faith like a child." Just what the heck does this mean? The more I think about the line, the more it just hits me. Why can't I just believe like a child? Is it some sort of philosophical statement about ignorance being bliss? No... it means so much more.

I've been having some trouble as well with something. I've grown up having a scar on my left eye from a viral infection. Of course, it affects my vision. I have pretty much trained my body not to look through that eye. I wear one contact lens on my right eye to compensate for my impaired vision. I want with all my heart to be a doctor. I want to be able to make a difference in as many lives as I can. I want people to be happy. But this vision problem is a big hindrance. I have trouble looking through microscopes. I have impaired depth perception. Basically, I can't do my best for others.

I've prayed for my whole life, along with my family, for healing. Real physical healing, the kind that stuns the world. Yet I've been realizing that it's mostly been an empty prayer for me because I couldn't really bring myself to believe that God could just erase it. What would it feel like? I've been told by every doctor I've been to that the only hope is a corneal transplant. My mom tells me to wait until I'm 18 to think about whether to get it. Wow... 18 is just around the corner and I still don't know.

Faith like a child huh? I think this song is just hits me because this thing is really starting to bug me. I seriously believe that God created this world, that he sent his son Jesus Christ to die a horrible death on the cross for me and for all of us. That he rose again in three days. That I am saved. That I am loved. But even though I believe all that, I still doubt when it comes to my vision. I just can't comprehend that. Ironic huh?

But this doubt should have no effect at all on my love for Christ. I would want nothing more, nothing more than to serve him. I would lay down my life for him. This I believe... like a child. And this is what I call my faith. That He loves me... inarguable. That I love Him... absolutely. I don't doubt that at all. And because of that, I know that God will work things out in due time.

Chris, I don't know exactly why I'm saying all this, but it just all started coming when I read one of your e-mails. Chris, I firmly believe that God loves you, that He died for YOU. I also believe in my heart that you still love Him... I don't know why, I think I just see it in your face. And Chris, if you love Him like a child, than your spirit is pure. A child doesn't believe that this or that happened, or that this type of baptism is okay, or that we have free-will and all that intellectualism. A child just knows that "Jesus loves me yes I know, for the BIBLE tells me so" and the rest is safe in God's plan. A child is still growing.

So Chris, if you do feel God's love in your life, than say AMEN and just leave all the other stuff up to Him. I know I feel God's love everyday I'm here, and I know He'll guide me where I need to go. It's tempting to fall into a spiral saying... well if I doubt that God can physically heal me, then I must have doubts about God's absolute power, about His reign, about His very existence, and then I'm lost and alone. Cling to God's love like a child would cling to his father and fix your eyes on His amazing Love... cling to His Love, and once you tug on His arm and say that you need Him, He'll bend over and pick you up, put you on His shoulder, and show you the rest of the world from His standpoint... cling to His love.

I'm sorry if this doesn't sound right, but I just feel like I have to say something. I love you like a brother, and care about you like I do myself, and even though I can't fully believe that He'll heal my eye, I believe that you'll be just fine.

David