Contributed by Jinil Fleischman
On February 19-22, Mother Moon, who is the co-founder of CARP, hosted a special training in Korea for young people with a passion to serve the world. The workshop was titled “Heavenly Top Gun,” drawing on the term popularized by Tom' Cruise’s Top Gun movies about the elite cadre of US Navy fighter pilots. Its purpose was to foster a deep heart of calling and service to the world, and to train youth who wish to encourage personal development and social harmony through sharing the Unification Principle teachings. Several CARP student leaders from America were able to attend, and there were several hundred participants in total from around the world. Many of them committed to offering the next 1-2 years in devotion as a missionary , whether in their own hometown or somewhere else in the world. Several recent graduates of a special “Universal Peace Academy” program at Sun Moon University (founded by Father and Mother Moon and located in Asan, South Korea) will come to America and support CARP activities in many chapters.
Held in the paradisal Cheongypeong Training Center in the mountains of Gapyeong Province in South Korea, participants had time for prayer and reflection, as well as lectures and testimonies from elders — many who were CARP alumni — who had devoted themselves as overseas missionaries for decades. On the final day — , Mother Moon addressed everyone. She encouraged them to go out to the world and create an environment of love and peace — a little taste of heaven on earth — wherever they go, so that people can experience the love of God, our Heavenly Parent.
We are so grateful that CARP students from America were able to attend! We are excited to welcome the Sun Moon University graduates who will come to America, and share the love of God to college students in America!
Here are some testimonies from CARP students who attended the Heavenly Top Gun workshop:
Mother Moon asked everyone gathered if we would go out to the world to spread God's love and substantialize the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. We all responded with a loud, "yes!" She smiled gently, thanked us, and said that she has waited so long to hear our beautiful voices. She blessed us with her unconditional support. Feeling the grace and love of Mother Moon, I felt a revival and surge of strength in my heart. No matter what I may do or wherever I may go, I know that she, as a Mother, will always support and uplift me, and in turn, I can do the same for her and those around me. I am truly grateful to Mother Moon and the precious opportunity of going to Korea.
— Tazue Nakaza, Indiana CARP
This workshop was an incredible gathering and our schedule was packed from 6:30am-1:30am. It wasn't the lectures, the program, or activities we had that was meaningful for me, but the spirit I experienced meeting other young people with a missionary spirit. Meeting Mother Moon was an unforgettable memory for me. On behalf of America, I was selected to represent all the participants in declaring a resolution to her alongside two other participants from South America and Japan. The feeling I had when I made eye contact with her as a slight smile drew on her face was a feeling of trust. I held back my tears because I couldn't help but feel so sorry and grateful towards her. There is no one else in this world who has the love she has for God and Heaven's dream, and I felt sorry that she had to walk such a lonely path until now.
— Semoon Nakama, CARP DMV
At first, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to join the workshop, but I was able to go in order to meet the missionaries who were coming to America. Throughout the workshop, I felt Mother Moon’s motherly heart raising us to practice true love. She had fit in a time for us to watch a movie together and eat some delicious Korean snacks! I felt encouraged by Mother Moon’s words to all of us to go and spread this love I received wherever I went, regardless of whether I was going overseas or not.
— Akifumi Takami, CARP Chicagp
I really enjoyed meeting all the other participants there, especially my team. The atmosphere felt very welcoming and exciting. Most of my team didn’t speak English well but it was really fun trying to communicate with the little Japanese I knew and Google Translate. I had so much fun playing yutnori [a traditional Korean game]. At first I was kind of hesitant and I was just watching and then I decided to just go for it. It was so simple but it was just really fun to shout all together and support our team. It was so fun because everyone was so into it and no one cared about how they looked. Another one of my highlights was meeting all the missionaries — Sun Moon University graduates — who are coming to the US. We had discussions about our experience in the workshop and our hope for the next 1 or 2 years that they will be in America. Even though most of us didn’t know each other, everyone seemed so close and it felt really natural. All the conversations I had felt really sincere and straight from the heart.
Joseph a’Beckett, Bay Area CARP
In Korea it was snowing. It covered the whole training center with a blanket of white. Snow can sometimes signify challenges and difficulties but it felt like this was going to be a start of something new. Mother Moon often gives the analogy of daffodils and these flowers show the first signs of spring as they sprout when the snow is starting to thaw. We youth are these daffodils that signify hope. On the final day, we all sat in a big room and Mother Moon spoke in front on the stage. It felt very intimate and I could see her in a beautiful blue two piece suit about 10 rows away. They showed a video and it made me feel very emotional because although she doesn’t show so much emotion and she is usually calm and poised, she was shedding tears sharing how difficult it has been for her. But when she looks around and sees all of us youth, she is reminded that she is not alone. She is thankful to us because she isn’t fighting by herself but we are walking hand in hand alongside her. I want to support her and I want to fight for God’s dream as much as she does.
What felt different for me compared to those going to another country, was that I knew I would be returning back home to my community that I am from. I tried to view it as, although I may not be going to a different country, I want to go back with the heart that I am a missionary. How can I create an environment within my own community where we can really be proud to share with more people. I think we can take this workshop as a reason to take a step forward in doing more than we are doing right now.
We were able to have a meeting with Rev. Dunkley (president of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification USA, CARP’s parent organization) and he shared with us that he feels there’s a big wave coming. A big Tsunami. I can feel it too! If you aren’t ready to hop on this big wave that’s coming, then you might just get flushed over. So get your boards ready, hop on and let’s ride this wave!
— Nami Nagai, Atlanta CARP