Contributed by CARP Bay Area
On October 31st to November 3rd, CARP Bay Area spent our Halloween weekend at our well-anticipated three day Unification Principle (UP) Retreat out at Oakhorse Ranch in Valley Springs. The retreat was co-hosted by Family Federation for a Heavenly USA and CARP with the theme “Discover Your True Value.” This retreat gave us, as students, the opportunity to step back from school and our regular day-to-day activities to focus on nurturing our hearts and discovering our life’s true value and purpose.
During the retreat, we separated into four different groups we called ‘families’ to create a familial culture of brothers and sisters. These families created a space for each participant to have genuine discussion of ideas and personal experiences but also to create strong bonds.
To start off the retreat, we had a Halloween family night: carving pumpkins, face painting, Just Dance, and baking cookies and pumpkin pie. Each family spent time together carving their own jack-o-lanterns! It was a festive evening to bond together as a CARP family, which set the tone for an amazing retreat.
The first full day, our guest speaker, Mr. Bento Leal, gave three presentations on the “Path to a Fulfilling Life.” Bento Leal’s presentations gave participants a framework and vision of an ideal world, family, and life and delved into the major roadblocks in achieving this ideal. Each talk was followed by meaningful discussions within our families.
In the afternoon, we had a time set for sports and team building activities. Each activity required teamwork between team members to win and reach the goal whether that was to cross from point A to B using only three pieces of cardboard or having to run and capture a hat without being caught.
We ended the day with a specially prepared evening program. The evening program was designed for participants to reflect deeper on their life and their value. The first activity was called Radar. Radar is a game in which everyone is encircling a chair that represents the center. A statement is presented by a facilitator, and those who resonate with the statement step closer to the center of the circle.
Despite the challenge to be vulnerable, everyone fully participated and practiced support and honesty. The activity created a sense that we are not alone in our experience. This activity was followed by a reflection and forgiveness activity. We wrote letters to our past selves, forgiving our past selves for any mistakes we made. We also wrote letters of determination to our future selves of who we want to be, what we want to accomplish, and more. To conclude, we gathered around a bonfire to offer up our forgiveness letters singing “Amazing Grace.” It was an emotional night, but it gave participants hope and determination to move forward.
Our final full day of the retreat was learning about the big picture of how the Unification Principle can not only transform us as individuals, but can have a ripple effect in transforming the world around us.
The day started with morning exercise doing Just Dance and a morning habit of reading inspirational words to prepare us for the following presentations from our speaker, Markus von Euw. We received two talks in the morning by Mr. von Euw on how the Unification Principle has been at work throughout history. It opened a wave of great discussion.
After lunch we played a friendly, but competitive game of soccer with everyone engaged and having fun. It was a great way to get our blood flowing and bodies moving!
The final lecture was about the vision and history of CARP and its founders, which was given by student leader, Gabriela Von Euw, senior at Cal State East Bay. She inspired participants by presenting the amazing things CARP has done throughout history on a national and international level. She also shared about the great works of our founder, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, in creating a world of peace and how CARP fits into the bigger picture of ‘Peace Starts With Me.’
To conclude the retreat, we had our very own CARP talent night and testimonies. Our talent night included magic, song, music, dance, and comedy. We finished the night with testimonies sharing our experiences in CARP and the impact it has made in our lives.
This retreat gave us as participants a new found sense of purpose and the space to reconfigure what is of real value in our lives. The campus culture sends a message that our value comes from what we materially have or how we externally look. CARP wants to change that message that a true experience of our value comes from fulfilling our God-given purpose, which is to leave a legacy of true love.
It was an unforgettable experience filled with great content, food, activities, and of course great company.
“I’m truly satisfied that I made the right decision to be here and to be a part of CARP. Because after every presentation, I can think more positively, feel peace inside and love from the people around me. Moreover, I realize the importance of marriage and family. Therefore, I learned I can prepare to have a healthy marriage and be a good wife, so I can raise children with good character. In the meantime, I heard the voice of God here at this retreat while listening to the talks and discussing with my team. Gathering to sing and doing the evening activities together really touched me. We had the opportunity to reflect, to forgive ourselves, and to think of what we could do for our future. Especially in this retreat, we could get to know CARP members better as brothers and sisters as one family that we wouldn’t get to know usually from just the one hour club meetings every Wednesday. My favorite part of the retreat is definitely the outside activities and helping Ms. Mori to cook good food for you guys. I really appreciate what Uncle Markus, Uncle Bento, Kazuya-san and Ms. Mori have done. They really have a big, loving heart to come and support us.” - Olivia
See more of CARP Bay Area on their Facebook page. Share your story to jennifer@carplife.org!