Contributed by CARP Las Vegas
From February 21 to 23, CARP Las Vegas hosted their first weekend workshop of the semester to answer the question, is there something more we are meant to experience in our lives? A total of 19 students attended—four first time guests, one returning guest, one community member, and 13 CARP members.
The theme of the workshop was “HyoJeong: Filial Piety.” HyoJeong is a Korean term coined by Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, founder of CARP, to express the heart of a child returning love to God, our Heavenly Parent. CARP Las Vegas prepared four members to give presentations on CARP’s principles. They prepared their presentations with the purpose to connect people to God and to help them understand that their lives were meant to be an expression that can bring the greatest joy to God.
The lectures were given by Mia Taguchi, Chungbom Katayama, Micheal Cordero, and JungHyo Batino. They also introduced CARP founders, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, and their work to teach people about the purpose of their lives.
The presenters paired the content with personal examples and stories to help guide participants in their understanding of the content. Between each presentation, students discussed in groups about some of their takeaways and how what they were learning could be applied to their life.
Throughout the workshop, we did both reflective activities and bonding activities. One activity was a prayer and reflection activity that guided participants through specific prayer topics. New CARP member, Yeon Ju Chiba, shared her testimony of how prayer has helped guide her to come to CARP and navigate her way through personal difficulties.
The weekend retreat closed with a final meal with their groups and a night of singing songs and sharing their experiences. The testimonies that were shared all attested to a sense of community and belonging that they felt in the retreat.
Here are a few testimonies from that night:
“I never understood the concept of God, so I’m really happy that I am able to now. I was always very confused about what God does, why [he does what he does], and now I understand what his goal/purpose is.” - Mackenzie H., first-time participant, new member
“I realized my duty as a global citizen who loves God. I usually considered society and church to be two different worlds. Therefore, I acted differently when I was in society and when I was in church. However, I feel I have to break down the world and love society as God’s children.” - Yeon Ju Chiba, CARP Las Vegas member
This retreat gave the participants new insight about God and about themselves. They expressed their desire to keep learning, and the core CARP members committed to help them through this journey in CARP.
Keep up with CARP Las Vegas on their website. Share your story to jennifer@carplife.org!