Contributed by Jinil Fleischman
My name is Jinil Fleischman (you can call me Jinny for short), and I am pleased to introduce myself as the newest member to join the National CARP team!
Jinil and his parents during graduation at UNLV.
I am 25 years old, and have just finished four years of college. I graduated summa cum laude from the Human Services program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). During my four years at UNLV, I also served as the president of the CARP chapter at UNLV as well as for the Hub of CARP Las Vegas.
Jinil and his four older brothers.
Though I have been living in Las Vegas for the past four years, I was born and raised in the Bay Area, CA. I have four older brothers and have been blessed with a very supportive family. I couldn’t have made it where I am today if not for them.
Just as with most of us, my life’s journey has not always been smooth sailing. My family has always loved me and cared for me and have instilled in me positive values and a knowledge of God’s existence and love.
Jinil’s senior prom in high school.
However, there came a time during high school when I came to question everything that I have been taught in my life and even my very life’s purpose. I wasn’t satisfied with who I was and the meaning that I experienced (or didn’t) in life. I realized that I needed to find my own answers.
These were my own dark ages, a time of feeling purposeless, valueless, hopeless, and unloved. Don’t get me wrong; there was still a lot of good in my life. I graduated from high school with straight A’s and with acknowledgement for my achievements in music (drums and percussion) and sports (lacrosse).
Jinil doing community service work in Peru on GPA.
But I knew that I wasn’t on track to live a happy and meaningful life unless something changed. I decided to postpone going to college, and instead I joined a gap year program called Generation Peace Academy (GPA), an affiliated organization of CARP also inspired by the teachings of Father and Mother Moon.
Joining GPA was truly a turning point of my life. What I had planned to be three months turned into three years. I got to travel around the US and world and expand my perspective. I also got to test the values and principles that I was taught when I was young, and I discovered that life is truly meant to be lived for the sake of others. Most of all, I met God and discovered that He loves me and has a purpose for me.
Also in Peru on GPA.
I had found a new sense of hope and purpose. Also, during my second and third year with GPA, I had the opportunity to be a team leader and pass along what I had gained to the newer participants. I had found a calling: to support others in their journey to finding God’s purpose for them.
After three years away, I was finally ready to start college. But rather than focusing purely on academic and professional success, I wanted to have a college experience that could also satisfy my desires for meaning and contribution.
CARP Las Vegas and their Tribe Talk on Thursdays for UNLV.
I was drawn to Las Vegas where one of my mentors and close friends from GPA was trying to form a new CARP chapter, based on Mother Moon’s initiative. It was exactly what I was looking for: an environment where I could continue to develop myself and where I could contribute to something greater than myself.
CARP LV’s Core Team!
These past four years with CARP Las Vegas have been some of the happiest and most meaningful years of my life. I have seen lives transform; I have built some of the greatest friendships I have ever known, and I have discovered the joy of striving to make the world a better place. There have definitely been many challenges in these past four years, but I would never trade them for anything.
CARP LV’s end of semester party with members and family this last spring semester.
I am so grateful to join the National CARP team! CARP has been growing and developing for the last four years, and I’m so excited for where we will go from here. Just a few weeks ago, Mother Moon spoke to 360 American and international CARP students and expressed her hope for us and belief in us.
I truly believe that CARP can and will be a powerful force of hope and revival for the entire United States and the world, and I am so proud to be a part of it!
Welcome Jinil to the CARP team! Connect to him at jinil@carplife.org! Follow our Facebook Page for more stories!