© 2023 Mora Franco
© 2023 The Urantia Book Fellowship
by Mora Franco
Translation by Jack Holloway
Many readers of The Urantia Book who are fifty years old (or maybe a little Older) find themselves asking, “Where are all the young readers of the Urantia movement?” Well, here’s a glimpse of where they are and who they are.
We had the opportunity to talk with María Auxiliadora, Rocío, and Andrea—three women sowers and diffusers of the teachings revealed in The Urantia Book. They represent three generations of a single family who inspire, through their art, the sharing of the legacy of Jesus from their homeland— beautiful Venezuela—to the rest of the world.
Andrea, from a very young age, began to attend Andrea in 2010—at the Venezuelan Nacional Encounter conferences held in her country with her mother and her ma abu (grandmother). They also took her to face-to-face study groups, principally the group led by Marcelino Ramírez, who is a pioneer in the dissemination of The Urantia Book in Venezuela. The girl was always very attentive to everything that was happening around her. Her faith in God the Father and in Jesus grew, following the example of brotherly love exhibited in her family nucleus and friends. She was encouraged to be creative from an early age, since her talent and her gifted nature manifested themselves even as a child.
To share a bit of history, the first reader of The Urantia Book in this family was María Auxiliadora who, little by little, managed to arouse the spiritual curiosity of those around her. In the beginning she attended study groups alone. But soon her daughter Rocío began to accompany her, bringing along Andrea, who was two years old at the time. Rocio tells us, “I knew that the girl was not going to understand what was being talked about at least not mentally, but her spirit might,” and with that hope she was taken to the First National Meeting of Urantia Book Students in Barquisimeto in 2010, She was only three years Old at the time of that meeting, but seemed to pay attention to everything said. According to Rocio, “She was always a very calm child, and she still is. This conference could be called Andrea’s presentation to the public, as there were people from various parts of the country, and they all got to know her as the belle of the party.”
In 2011 there was a gathering in Maracaibo where these three generations of women also participated. María Auxiliadora always sowed the seeds so that her granddaughter Andrea could get closer to The Urantia Book, and begin to understand it as best she could.
Two years later, at the second Encounter in Maracaibo, these two women, María Auxiliadora and Rocío, had the audacity to incorporate the six-year-old girl in a presentation to the public. Andrea was asked simple questions, so that she could express herself freely, and this experience helped her to internalize the revelation to such a point that a video Los niños también sabemos de Urantia (We children also know about Urantia) was filmed. This film represented Andrea’s public debut in the Urantia community. The Other participants were amazed to see someone so young and yet so knowledgeable; it was a complete success. Just search YouTube for “Los niños también sabemos de Urantia” (see below) (or even “los ninos tambien sabemos de Urantia” [sic]) to find and watch this three-minute video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ng9ddkS4k
Due to COVID- 19 and certain public safety situations in Venezuela, further face-to-face meetings became impossible, but they continued to participate in the study groups by Zoom in Mérida the small and more rural town where they lived.
Andrea began to draw from a very early age; she seemed to have been born with the facility for this art, and was essentially self- taught, although her grandmother always encouraged and supported her. At first her work was not directly related to The Urantia Book. She began with sketches, then experimented with drawings on canvas, watercolors, and oil paints but, due to the high cost of the materials, she finally discovered digital drawings, which has become her mainstay.
In 2020 María Auxiliadora asked Andrea to do some drawings for María’s next presentation. The Child did freehand colored sketches of Adam and Eve, the Planetary Prince, and Machiventa Melchizedek, much to the amazement of many who saw them. After the presentation, and having seen the beautiful, natural and innate artwork of Andrea, Marinett Morales asked Andrea’s family for authorization to incorporate this material into that year’s Urantiathon. They produced a tasteful audiovisual with her images, bringing great joy to the many participants of that event, who thereby witnessed Andrea spreading her artistic wings.
It should be noted that Marinett and Pablo Morales (The Urantia Book Fellowship’s Latin America Subcommittee [LASC] Area Coordinator for Venezuela) are siblings, and Marinett has recently been designated as the LASC Field Worker for Buenos Aires, Argentina, collaborating with Mora Franco, who is the Area Coordinator for Argentina. Pablo and Marinett are members of another multi-generational family of Urantia Book readers, and have always fomented and supported Andrea’s artistic creations.
The following year Marinett began another audiovisual production. This new project was adorned with digital drawings by Andrea and had the textual content written by her grandmother María Auxiliadora, with the voice track of her mother, Rocío. The subject matter of this presentation focused on the Lucifer rebellion, a subject that Andrea soon became passionate about. She asked her grandmother and everyone else she came in contact with a series of complex questions related to this dire event, and asked her mother to read to her the papers covering the sordid details. She was deeply touched with disbelief that Lucifer could deny the existence of the Paradise Father of all.
This year for the birthday anniversary of our beloved Universe Sovereign, Andrea created a drawing of Jesus, beginning with a blank sheet of paper and creating the beautiful image before the very eyes of over 280 online participants. Her mother Rocío also participated by reading aloud several passages about the Master’s life. This work had a mesmerizing impact on the entire community of readers. For another presentation of the same event, she digitized the drawings of Mary and Joseph, Mary and the Annunciation, Mary pregnant, and Mary with the newborn Jesus in her arms.
If we go back in time, when Andrea was collaborating with the Lucifer rebellion presentation, the only tool she had to work with was an outdated and severely damaged Android tablet. She managed to keep it functioning until the two dark areas on the screen grew so large that she could no longer see her work. So, by early this year, she no longer had this essential tool, and when she was asked to participate in the Jesus Birthday Celebration on August 21, her grandfather Tito lent her his tablet for brief periods when he was not using it. She would work diligently, almost non-stop, and then reluctantly return it to Tito.
As a result of this situation, and in recognition of Andrea’s active and valuable participation, Pablo Morales, the LASC Area Coordinator for Venezuela, brought to The Urantia Book Fellowship’s International Fellowship Committee a funding request proposal to purchase a new Apple iPad for her use. The proposal was approved, and Andrea, who is now fifteen years of age, was thrilled and grateful for this unparalleled support, and has begun a new and ambitious project titled “Dialogues with Andrea.” This project is mainly directed to children and adolescents, using a comic book format to attract their attention, while presenting the teachings of The Urantia Book.
The photograph below, where Pablo presents Andrea with the new iPad, clearly reflects her delight in this overwhelming blessing.
Maria Auxiliadora, Andrea’s grandmother, tells us,
I always sowed the seeds of this revelation [The Urantia Book] in my family, but without forcing it on anyone. I instilled the teachings through the testimony of my life itself, with my own spiritual evolution. And that’s how it has been with Andrea since she was in her mother’s womb. I intuitively knew that she would be special, and I thank our Paradise Father for the privileged talent and gracious demeanor of this child. We have shared a deep and meaningful relationship since she was a little girl. She is always asking me things about our planet Earth, and little by little it is paying off.
Like all young people she is distracted by worldly things, and has many Other interests. However, despite her youth and all of that, Andrea is a very, very, spiritual girl, very given to that life of peace and tranquility; she is a girl who harbors no hate in her heart.
This project is mainly directed to children and adolescents, using a comic book format to attract their attention, while presenting the teachings of The Urantia Book.
Her mother, Rocio, says,
Ah what can I say about my daughter. I can barely fathom all the happiness and love that everyone gives her- I don’t have that talent or those gifts! Hahaha … I am very grateful to God for the opportunity for growth that Génesis Andrea is experiencing. She already has a vision Of her life work— that she will go to art school and that it will be her profession.
We close this article with the words of Andrea herself:
I have faith in Papa Dios and I trusted him in very difficult moments that we went through this year with the health of my pa abu (grandfather). I told my family, “Grandad will be fine, Grandad will be fine!” I was certain that he would be OK, and I trust in God. When they brought my grandfather home I told them, “I had faith that it was going to be like that!”
What inspires me? You could say music—the flute attracts my attention, also classical music, rock—all kinds of music inspire me. Although something permanent might reach me at any time, for now I just let the artist or combinations of artists flow, I let their Sound reach me within.
How do I see today’s youth? I have met young people who are extremely disoriented in the spiritual sense. God and faith are no longer given importance. I think that young people today should pay a little more attention to those things.
What do I think about the "“Dialogues with Andrea” project? I’m super excited. I can hardly believe it! I’m so happy to have received such a wonderful tablet! I was expecting something super, but what they brought me is beyond super, even more incredible! I am extremely thankful. I am very happy and grateful to everyone in [The Urantia Book Fellowship]!
What do I think about the “Dialogues with Andrea” project? I’m super excited. I can hardly believe it!