From Peggy O'Brien
09/07/06 20:14 Filed in: Messages From
Alumni
Hello Everybody,
I am writing to say that I have recently come on board the A Force (email list), within the last few days. I planned on mostly lurking, but when Mark and Vickie asked who was listening, I felt compelled to say hello and add at least a few words.
I was on the list several years ago, and I believe that I changed e mail address. For some reason, I just never got back on with my new address. I'm not sure what drew me back now, but I think with my last birthday (the big 50), I may have gotten a little nostalgic and felt the desire to connect with my past. I guess this is a part of that.
I have many fond memories of the Agape Force. Before joining, I saw them for four years in a row at Gospel Ranch in northern Minnesota, a camp that I just happened to go to. I remember that the only reason I chose that camp was because they had horses.
I knew nothing about
God, and cared nothing about
him. Tony's sermon on the love of God
got to me, but it wasn't him that really drew me
in. It was the young people, all
of YOU that loved God so much that you'd
stand up and clap your hands for hours at a time
and sing like you meant it. The love that
you showed me, that shone through each of you,
it got to me. I can't explain what
meeting you was like for me. You had
something that was real, so real it shone out of
you. I knew that was what I wanted.
I loved being in the force, and even though I saw the problems with the leadership, I loved you people and felt a deep sense of connection with all of you. Even though I don't know many of you on this list, I still feel a connection with you. Those were amazing, crazy times. Does anyone remember the hay bales on the ranch where we would sit out and have a big outside service/concerts, eating watermelon after the service, making sloops in an old wrecked farmhouse when we first bought the Texas property, of course the terrible door to door teams? I remember a lady thought I was Patty Hearst when we were doing dtd in San Fransisco.
DTI was an incredible experience for me. I was in a really small class, I think there were 12 of us. I will never forget the leaders of my class; Gail Ensmenger Shoemaker, Martha Knutson Harrison, Bev Something, Tim Buttram, and John Surma. They were fair, gentle, kind, firm, loving, and compassionate. I remember I was the slowest runner, and Gail always stayed behind with me and encouraged me. She was my star, and I will always thank her and Martha for the love they showed me the whole time I was there. I think because we were in Minnesota and so far from Tony, the leaders had a chance to really shine and weren't afraid to be themselves,. They truly , really made a difference in our lives.
I think the reason I have mostly fond memories may be that I didn't stay in long enough to experience any abuse. Oh yeah, I was called in by Louis once and told that I wasn't praying "fervently' enough at our prayer meetings. But I didn't take him seriously, because I knew my heart, and I knew how fervently I really was praying. I saw lots of things that were unhealthy, but mostly I was kinda quiet, and tried to not rock the boat. I was incredibly shy with the boys when we had a large group experience, so I probably never talked to any of you unless you were on my team. I remember I had a crush in Houston on a really cute boy with dark hair from Canada. I don't remember his name. I probably never spoke to him.
I was on Louis's team in Santa Rosa, Mary Gross' team in Sacramento, Mike Rogers' door to door traveling team in California, and then later we went to Georgia, Larry and Carol's team in Minneapolis, then there was three weeks in August in Houston, and I stayed on in Houston at the Prayer team with Lynn Nicodemus. I'll never forget the time we all fasted for three weeks approximately, and then tried to go give blood at the blood bank. Then I worked for a while at the garden on the ranch.
After about a year and a half, I spoke to Tony personally and told him I wanted to go home to go to college. Believe it or not, he was supportive of that decision. I left, and then missed it so much that after a semester I wrote Tony and asked him if I could come back for the summer when I was out of school. He let me come back and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to take care of children of force members, be a sort of "nanny" because I have always adored children. So I got to spend a summer living on the ranch taking care of Fawn Patton and Winton and Heather Nicholson. It was a wonderful summer. Then I got to go to California to watch Heather and Winton during the performances of Agapeland at the end of that summer. I also spent some time in Modesto with Ray's sister, Connie and her family before I went back to college.
Then I married a man from church who had been through DTI, and we joined together. We lived in a little house in a small town near the ranch with Rick and Pennie Motter. My husband worked with Andy Davis in graphic arts, and I attended Texas Eastern University for the year. It didn't last too long. My husband didn't like a lot of the rules, like mandatory basketball teams for the guys, and no sliding the salt and pepper shakers, and I got pregnant, and we quit, and shortly after left for Minnesota in June of 1979. My daughter, Rachael was born in October of 79.
I finished school after the baby was born, majoring in spanish and elementary ed. I have been teaching second grade for 22 years, since Rachael started kindergarten. Unfortunately, the marriage didn't work out, and we divorced when she was two.
I am still single, and have finished raising my two daughters (I adopted an eight year old girl in 1995). I am in the process of selling my home, and am looking at buying a townhome so I have less upkeep. I attend church, even sing in a choir, and have a relationship with God that is quite different from in the 70's, but it is real for me. I was turned off to "Christians" after my divorce, but never to God. I have come a long way in my journey.
This has managed to be way more than a few words, and I know I rambled somewhat, but it gives you an idea of my experience in AF and catches you up a bit. Now back to lurking.
Love to you all,
Peggy O'Brien
I am writing to say that I have recently come on board the A Force (email list), within the last few days. I planned on mostly lurking, but when Mark and Vickie asked who was listening, I felt compelled to say hello and add at least a few words.
I was on the list several years ago, and I believe that I changed e mail address. For some reason, I just never got back on with my new address. I'm not sure what drew me back now, but I think with my last birthday (the big 50), I may have gotten a little nostalgic and felt the desire to connect with my past. I guess this is a part of that.
I have many fond memories of the Agape Force. Before joining, I saw them for four years in a row at Gospel Ranch in northern Minnesota, a camp that I just happened to go to. I remember that the only reason I chose that camp was because they had horses.
I knew nothing about
God, and cared nothing about
him. Tony's sermon on the love of God
got to me, but it wasn't him that really drew me
in. It was the young people, all
of YOU that loved God so much that you'd
stand up and clap your hands for hours at a time
and sing like you meant it. The love that
you showed me, that shone through each of you,
it got to me. I can't explain what
meeting you was like for me. You had
something that was real, so real it shone out of
you. I knew that was what I wanted.
I loved being in the force, and even though I saw the problems with the leadership, I loved you people and felt a deep sense of connection with all of you. Even though I don't know many of you on this list, I still feel a connection with you. Those were amazing, crazy times. Does anyone remember the hay bales on the ranch where we would sit out and have a big outside service/concerts, eating watermelon after the service, making sloops in an old wrecked farmhouse when we first bought the Texas property, of course the terrible door to door teams? I remember a lady thought I was Patty Hearst when we were doing dtd in San Fransisco.
DTI was an incredible experience for me. I was in a really small class, I think there were 12 of us. I will never forget the leaders of my class; Gail Ensmenger Shoemaker, Martha Knutson Harrison, Bev Something, Tim Buttram, and John Surma. They were fair, gentle, kind, firm, loving, and compassionate. I remember I was the slowest runner, and Gail always stayed behind with me and encouraged me. She was my star, and I will always thank her and Martha for the love they showed me the whole time I was there. I think because we were in Minnesota and so far from Tony, the leaders had a chance to really shine and weren't afraid to be themselves,. They truly , really made a difference in our lives.
I think the reason I have mostly fond memories may be that I didn't stay in long enough to experience any abuse. Oh yeah, I was called in by Louis once and told that I wasn't praying "fervently' enough at our prayer meetings. But I didn't take him seriously, because I knew my heart, and I knew how fervently I really was praying. I saw lots of things that were unhealthy, but mostly I was kinda quiet, and tried to not rock the boat. I was incredibly shy with the boys when we had a large group experience, so I probably never talked to any of you unless you were on my team. I remember I had a crush in Houston on a really cute boy with dark hair from Canada. I don't remember his name. I probably never spoke to him.
I was on Louis's team in Santa Rosa, Mary Gross' team in Sacramento, Mike Rogers' door to door traveling team in California, and then later we went to Georgia, Larry and Carol's team in Minneapolis, then there was three weeks in August in Houston, and I stayed on in Houston at the Prayer team with Lynn Nicodemus. I'll never forget the time we all fasted for three weeks approximately, and then tried to go give blood at the blood bank. Then I worked for a while at the garden on the ranch.
After about a year and a half, I spoke to Tony personally and told him I wanted to go home to go to college. Believe it or not, he was supportive of that decision. I left, and then missed it so much that after a semester I wrote Tony and asked him if I could come back for the summer when I was out of school. He let me come back and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to take care of children of force members, be a sort of "nanny" because I have always adored children. So I got to spend a summer living on the ranch taking care of Fawn Patton and Winton and Heather Nicholson. It was a wonderful summer. Then I got to go to California to watch Heather and Winton during the performances of Agapeland at the end of that summer. I also spent some time in Modesto with Ray's sister, Connie and her family before I went back to college.
Then I married a man from church who had been through DTI, and we joined together. We lived in a little house in a small town near the ranch with Rick and Pennie Motter. My husband worked with Andy Davis in graphic arts, and I attended Texas Eastern University for the year. It didn't last too long. My husband didn't like a lot of the rules, like mandatory basketball teams for the guys, and no sliding the salt and pepper shakers, and I got pregnant, and we quit, and shortly after left for Minnesota in June of 1979. My daughter, Rachael was born in October of 79.
I finished school after the baby was born, majoring in spanish and elementary ed. I have been teaching second grade for 22 years, since Rachael started kindergarten. Unfortunately, the marriage didn't work out, and we divorced when she was two.
I am still single, and have finished raising my two daughters (I adopted an eight year old girl in 1995). I am in the process of selling my home, and am looking at buying a townhome so I have less upkeep. I attend church, even sing in a choir, and have a relationship with God that is quite different from in the 70's, but it is real for me. I was turned off to "Christians" after my divorce, but never to God. I have come a long way in my journey.
This has managed to be way more than a few words, and I know I rambled somewhat, but it gives you an idea of my experience in AF and catches you up a bit. Now back to lurking.
Love to you all,
Peggy O'Brien