Attending church every Sunday was like any other typical routine, as were household chores, before I entered high school. With the entrance into freshmen year, I decided to attend my church's youth group retreat during the winter of '08. The theme of this retreat was "Return to your First Love" ...our first love, being God. I went to this retreat with a newfound curiosity and questions about my faith and where I stood in my walk with God. I knew all the classic bible stories about David and Goliath, the Resurrection, Moses, the walls of Jericho, and I could recite the Lord's Prayer by heart. But it came to be that I wanted something more than just common moral lessons from the classic bible stories. There were so many questions and thoughts that I wanted answers to and desires for some sort of understanding of a love that was forever. At the retreat, not only was I able to make many brothers and sisters in Christ, but also I felt some sort of stirring or ambience that has held a lasting impression within me and where I am today. Suddenly, the typical praise songs being sung during worship seemed to be able to speak beyond the lyrics presented, and they seemed to be proclamations and prayers uplifted to the Father. At that retreat I truly did "return" to my "First Love". I had wandered far off from the path that God had wanted me to walk on. School, friends, relationships, and other areas that I had given much attention to did not give me the "love" that I had been looking for. At the retreat, however, I was able to discover how much love God does shower upon us every day, from the beginning to the end. I came back from this retreat not just on some sort of "spiritual high" but with a new heart and a new mindset. That following spring, I took part in confirmation and began to take part in many group activities along with personal reflections in which I have been able to not only grow in my walk with God but also learn of his unfailing love. I guess as I became a teenager, learning and truly believing came with the concept of growing up. I feel blessed and loved by the Father, and I hope to be able to strengthen and continue my walk with God.
But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always. -Hosea 12:6
Kristine Kim, Violin
GMCYO is not just about a concert or about some show that most people may see it as. The main purpose of our orchestra is to reach out and bring encouragement to people. The most amazing part about this orchestra is that God is always with us and working through us. As a member of GMCYO, I have witnessed His glory. On November 14 2010, GMCYO went to The Children's Inn at NIH and performed to a small crowd of children with acute illnesses. As a brass player, my lip condition has a major impact on how well I play. And on that day, they were in one of the worst conditions ever! I was so scared because I did not know how I was going to play. I remember how other musician's heads blocked me from seeing the crowd as I sat in the back row. Then, as I lifted up my trumpet getting ready to make my entrance on our first piece, I saw a little girl's face through all the heads in our orchestra. Sitting on her mother's lap, this young girl sat quietly with her eyes glued to me, too! That's when I decided this is who I am going to encourage today. Surprisingly, my sound came out beautifully. The funny thing is that I did not realize the way God was blessing my playing until the whole concert was over. All that was going through my head was this determination that I was going to play for this little girl. Because of this desire, God allowed me to play beautifully to reach even one person in the audience. This is one of God's many amazing works in me, and I am positive that our audience is also able to witness something amazing at all of our concerts. What makes GMCYO so special is not just that we are able to make something happen during our concert, but that we are able to offer something people will take with them long after we're gone.
David Kang, Trumpet
God has blessed me so much in my life. I have always been a musical child and have tried out various instruments and I have always felt that God was with me every step of the way. Throughout my musical life, I felt that God was with me because of the mentors He has put in my life. My first two piano teachers both played for the congregation and were very spiritually active. We would pray before every lesson and sometimes after lessons. Then I took on drumming. I met my drum teacher at a retreat and found out that he coincidentally didn't live too far from me so I took lessons from him. Instead of rock or metal songs, we learned drumming for praise band. He told me to bring in my music from church that I had to play that week and we went over all of it. Often, he would take out his guitar and play the praises while I drummed to them. Finally, when I joined GMCYO, God sent me Mr. Kucharski and Mr. Mauldin, both very dedicated to glorifying God through their talents of music. Before the beginning of every rehearsal, Mr. Mauldin would make sure to tell a story about how God has affected his life that week and then do QT. I thought this was a great way to start off the rehearsals. Then I would take trumpet lessons from Mr. Kucharski, who would always pray for me after every lesson and encourage me to do better and better. He made me feel like I always could do better and that forced me to strive to do better. Through these ways, God has blessed me. I know that He will continue to love me and try to set me on the straight path leading towards him.
A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. -Proverbs 16:9
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. -Psalm 32:8
Joseph Jo, Trumpet