Lovin’ Life Youth Pastor Dave Hunter Brings Lasting Imprint to Blessed Teens Academy

Dave Hunter, youth pastor of Lovin’ Life Ministries in Clifton, NJ, presents the Lasting Imprint Seminar to the students of the Blessed Teens Academy (BTA).

Dave Hunter, the youth pastor of Lovin’ Life Ministries in Clifton, NJ, brought his booming voice and lecture magic to the Blessed Teens Academy (BTA) on March 26, 2012 at their temporary facility at Tejas Trails in Blanco, Texas. Tejas Trails is a workshop site and ranch owned and run by Unificationists Ken and Anne-Marie Morgan, and it is often used for workshops for Generation Peace Academy (GPA), Lovin’ Life’s premier character-education program, and Camp Lone Star, a camp for young Unificationists.

Upon his arrival, Hunter greeted and shook hands with each person, familiar or unfamiliar. During lunch, he discussed with the staff of BTA how they could make the upcoming days the most beneficial for the students. Following the meeting, he joined BTA members for an afternoon of swimming.

“The entire time he was here, we could feel God’s love and care through him, our older brother,” said BTA senior Kohki Nakahira about Hunter (white shirt).

That evening, Hunter, the BTA staff and BTA students gathered for an introduction session during which each of the students shared his or her reasons for coming to BTA and their experiences on the program so far. Although the meeting was originally intended to be brief, it continued hours longer than expected,

well into the night, because of the amount of content the students wanted to share. According to the students, it was beautiful to see their peers share openly with their elder brother as well as each other.

After morning service the next day, Hunter presented the Lasting Imprint Seminar, a series of lectures based on the Divine Principle that aimed to make that seminal work of theology both practical and relatable. He emphasized the importance of having a balance of the spiritual and the physical, the internal and the external in our lives and encouraged self-reflection. The lectures were well received, and many came away with new insights into the Principle. That evening, Hunter and the BTA members enjoyed each other’s fellowship outdoors with s’mores and a bonfire.

BTA students enjoy an afternoon of paintballing in the hills of Tejas Trails with Hunter.

The following day was just as event-packed, composed of a thrilling morning and afternoon of paintballing in the hills of Tejas Trails and an evening of listening to Hunter’s life testimony. The students found the testimony, which explained Hunter’s journey before becoming a Lovin’ Life Youth Pastor, beautiful and inspiring, and were able to recognize his passion about caring for second-generation Unificationists. In addition to the testimony, Hunter showed the students pictures of Unificationist couples who had been happily married in Blessing ceremonies, which, according to the students, instilled hope in them for their futures.

“The entire time he was here, we could feel God’s love and care through him, our older brother,” said Kohki Nakahira, 18, a senior BTA student who has been on the program since 2008.

Sarah Rischl, 16, who has been a BTA student since 2007, said, “He gave so much to us in such a short time. He left early the next morning, but our hearts will always be with him.”