Find our dear brother, Shigemune Mori

Today was an incredible day in Bridgeport for a number of reasons. First, we were fortunate enough to welcome our national President, Dr. Michael Balcomb, to meet with Shigemune’s family, including Yoshi and her brother, Eli, and Shigemune’s mother, Mitsu-San. We gathered at Rev. Hempowicz’s house and from there visited Seaside Park, praying together at the beach (where Shigemune was believed to have separated from the boat) and at the canon ball site (where our community had come together in all night prayers for two nights in a row). We prayed sincerely, asking Heavenly Parent to accept this incredible sacrifice as an offering for God’s greater purpose and to re-commit ourselves to being better sons and daughters, fulfilling all of the dreams and goals we know Shige would have wanted for his own life.

Around the same time this afternoon, at Seaside Park, there was an active recovery effort by the Bridgeport police, a local diver, three psychics and a prayer team, in an effort to recover Shigemune’s body. The local diver came voluntarily with his own boat in order to assist in anyway he could, along with the psychics. The Bridgeport police sent out three boats with infrared and sonar technology, as well as 6 crew members originally stationed elsewhere that day, to re-scan this area, sending divers down to meticulously check again, areas previous searched since this ordeal started.

Brothers and Sisters, after 5 days of prayers by our members (from all over the world), searching by our rescue crews (the Coast Guard, Bridgeport Police and Fire Dept, and local search and rescue teams), and even volunteering by local citizens and spiritualists, we have truly done everything we could in order to try to find our dear brother, Shigemune Mori. And this is all we can do, give 110% of our heart and energy into this and offer this completely to our Heavenly Parent. It is in God’s hands now, and what we need to do as a community from this point forward, is to come together in unity. I am sure this is what Shigemune would have wanted. We need to acknowledge where we may feel guilt, anger, or our own shortcomings in this situation, and offer it all up to our Heavenly Parent at this time. We all need to find closure from this experience and the way to do this is to come together in unity of heart and gratitude. True Mother’s life motto has always been to be more grateful today than yesterday and even more grateful tomorrow than today. Let us be grateful that in the midst of such a horrible situation, God has opened a way for us to re-determine ourselves to our Heavenly Parent.

While Yoshi and her family consider when to hold a Seonghwa, I would like to take this coming Sunday as an opportunity for us to come together and bring closure by holding a special commemorative service in honor of our dear brother. We will join together in song and testimonies as we reflect on Shige’s life and the importance of unity at this time.

Also, as a way to support the family financially, there is a fundraiser happening for you to donate to (youcaring.com/yoshi-mori-and-family-586277).

Finally, our 24-hour prayer vigil will officially end tomorrow, Friday, from which our community is invited to take part in a daily prayer until the Seonghwa, in Carstensen Hall, starting at 5PM. If you cannot be there physically, please consider taking this time as a time of prayer and reflection from where you are.

Thank you again dear family, for all of your love and support for the Mori family. May Shigemune’s spirit be at peace at this time, as we move forward from this point, more closely than we ever have before.

Thanks be to God and True Parents for this very unique and special time before us,