Contributed by Midwest CARP
From May 21 to 23, Midwest CARP hosted its first virtual workshop. Fifty-four participants joined the event nationwide and even from Canada, London, and Austria. The theme was “God’s Story: Awakening Our Life’s Purpose,” highlighting the significance of events in human history. Speakers—Rosia Schmitt, Jinil Fleischman, Josue Kisile, and Adelina Lazar—shared about the heart of God, concluding the workshop with the significance of our roles in building God’s ideal family with the values promoted through Headwing Thought.
On the first evening, the event opened with icebreakers. The participants were also given a reflection period through an intention setting activity. Following the reflection activity, the first presentation was given. Participants were inspired by the content that was presented by these young speakers, shedding light onto the longing of God’s heart as He strives to restore the relationship that was lost with His children. Many, like Ange Rangala (New Jersey), also felt that this was the spiritual nourishment she needed after being restricted to home activities since COVID-19 hit.
Rangala says, “The workshop was the best thing that happened to me especially during this quarantine period. I feel like I’ve done something worth it this year despite the situation, and it has left a mark on my life. The Divine Principle teachings could not have been explained any better. Light was properly shed on every topic, and I feel like it’s now my time to find out what God is truly calling me to do.”
Another participant, Clair Owaja (Illinois), was touched by the course that CARP Founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon had to walk, stating that her highlight of the workshop was hearing about “the art of joyful perseverance in the face of adversity [as demonstrated] by Rev. Moon’s life.”
During the workshop, the participants also had an opportunity to hear a testimony by former CARP President Michael Smith. He shared about his past CARP activities against communism and the brutality that members were often met with on the frontline. Many were inspired by the spirit of these past CARP members, determined to confront and bring down communist ideals during a time filled with tension.
Tamae Seto from Alaska shared, “Uncle Michael's testimony about CARP's stand against communism was my highlight. I was very inspired by the first-generation CARP members who fought for a world they believed in, and it inspired me to also fight for the world that I believe in.”
Before each session, song offerings were presented by CARP chapters/members from around the nation. The presence of these members was felt as they performed and sang to inspirational music before each presentation. Over the duration of the workshop, the members were also split into discussion groups and were given the opportunity to explore the presentations and testimonies with other participants. These discussion teams remained the same throughout, allowing people to connect across state and national borders during these difficult times. There were also Q&As at the end of the day, giving participants the chance to ask the speakers any questions that may have risen throughout the day. This clarified uncertainties and reinforced the content after a long day of lectures.
After a weekend filled with insightful talks and discussions, the workshop was concluded with a goal-setting activity utilizing a Japanese concept of Ikigai—directly translating into a reason for being—to reflect on their purpose in life and the next steps following this workshop.
My highlight was discussing with and getting to know my team. I learned as much from each group member as I did from the lecturers. I also appreciated how the discussion questions prompted me to reflect honestly on applications to my own daily life. It's really nice to have discussions about faith and values in a young adult context. Faith is meant to be an everyday lived experience so being able to talk about such topics with people who are in similar stages of life as yourself has been very valuable. - Emmie Leroy, Minnesota
This workshop really woke me up from my day-to-day routine and brought me back to a much more spiritual base of life. Thank you for the great speakers, and great content shared. I highly value the group discussions and to have time in our groups. - Andreas Egger, Austria
I was kind of lost on my purpose and my relationship with God, so hearing these lectures made me remember my purpose and helped me connect to God. It was also great learning these things because I haven't been up to date with the DP. - Akio Fujita, Indiana
I love CARP because the conversations we have open me up to think deeply about my life not based on what others expect from me, but what God expects from me…I think Uncle Mike was my favorite; I really appreciated his fatherly advices. I also wrote down all the reflection questions and want to keep reflecting on them. - Chakya McIntosh, Michigan
Share your story to jennifer@carplife.org!