Contributed by Yoshika Iwamoto
On May 24th-26th, the Midwest CARP staff gathered in Watervliet, Michigan at the new KOHOE site. [Midwest CARP is a hub of chapters from three states: Harper College in Illinois, Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan, and Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis in Indiana.]
The first night, we simply gathered and settled into our respective spaces. Every morning started off with Morning Devotion of study and prayer. For some of us, it was the first time attending the zoom sessions so this gave us an opportunity to interact and share with the virtual community.
The first day consisted of several talks throughout the day. In the morning, we had an opportunity to hear from Dieter Jesper as he shared about overcoming adversities in his life. Afterwards, we heard from Markus Von Euw on the importance of digesting experiences throughout the year. This was then followed by several reflection sessions.
One of the reflection sessions was held at Warren Dunes State Park, off the coast of Lake Michigan. There was a beach and trails nearby, providing a nice environment for the leaders to reflect and meditate on their past year. Afterwards, we spent some time playing volleyball before heading back to the retreat site.
Upon our return, the leaders were able to hear from Rev. Kazuo Takami, the Director of Family Federation Midwest Region. We were able to hear further about the vision of the region, and how CARP can support that vision. Afterwards, the leaders were able to share more with Rev. Takami and each other on their purpose for joining CARP over a Korean BBQ dinner.
The next day, the leaders heard from Josue Kisile on the attributes of a great leader. Each leader was able to then reflect on their vision for CARP and share it with the group. After being inspired by everybody's vision, we gathered for appreciation over one last meal before going home.
Stay tuned for more from Midwest CARP. Share your story to jennifer@carplife.org.