Contributed by Chungbom Katayama and Yoshika Iwamoto
On December 26th-28th, Midwest CARP hosted an end-of-semester Divine Principle retreat with CARP chapters from Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. We had a total of 28 participants, including staff members. It was hosted at the K.O.H.O.E. campgrounds in Michigan through the support of the Jesper family. Among the participants, there were five new CARP members who were recently outreached on campus.
The first day consisted of orientation, icebreakers, a Divine Principle presentation, and an evening activity. The presentation was given by Indiana CARP member Martin Kisile, who presented on the “Principle of Creation.” He expressed God’s original design, His heart of joy at the time of creation, and the hope God carried for humanity. In the evening, CARP Las Vegas alumnus Kwasi Boakye facilitated an activity on the topic of gratitude. He expressed the importance of reflection through gratitude. The participants were given the space to process their own life experiences.
The second day consisted of morning activities, two Divine Principle presentations, ice skating, and an evening activity. The two presentations were given by CARP Grand Rapids alumnus Hebangja Kisile, who shared the chapters covering the “Fall of Man” and “Restoration.” He shared the root cause of human suffering and reasons that the suffering continues today. Hebangja also expressed God’s suffering as He sees the state of today’s world. He also shared about the heart of God rooted in hope and perseverance as He continues to work towards salvation through central people of history.
In the afternoon, the participants went ice skating. The whole session was filled with laughter and excitement as many of the CARP members were skating for the first time. A few returned with bruises from falling, but everybody carried a huge smile on their faces.
In the evening, the participants took part in a repentance activity facilitated by CARP Harper College president Akifumi Takami. By looking back at their past through the framework of repentance and redetermination, they were able to write a letter to God. The night ended with burning the letters as an offering to God.
The third day consisted of a morning activity, the final lecture, goal setting, and testimonies. The fourth presentation was given by Grace Kisile who shared about Rev. and Mrs. Moon’s life mission to bring world peace. She shared the CARP co-founders’ journey of developing peace from within, and expanding their ability to love within their family and the world. On that foundation, we set our individual goals and intentions to prepare for the next semester and year.
Some reflections from the attendees:
“The activities helped me a lot. At first, I didn’t open up a lot. I’m a little lazy, but the workshop helped me wake up early. Sharing about God helped me to learn from others. It helped me learn that God is all around in everything, God is a mother, father, brother, and sister, and God is in everything.” - Chicago, new CARP member
“I’m grateful for the sharings we had. I didn’t always know what to say before, but here, I felt it was safe to share honestly. Through interacting, I realized more things than just being on my own. I wanted to be open to talk to others that God maybe wanted me to meet.” - participant from Hungary
Share your story to ryota@carplife.org.