Contributed by Yoshika Iwamoto
From May 23rd - 25th, Midwest CARP hosted their summer retreat on the beautiful KOHOE Campgrounds in Watervliet, Michigan. Sixteen participants gathered from CARP chapters in Chicago, Minnesota, and Indiana to join the first in-person retreat since the pandemic.
There were four presentations at this workshop, all given by CARP students/alumni: Kai Moyongo, Norikuni Nishikawa, Karen Yuda, and Yoshika Iwamoto. They covered the first three chapters of the Divine Principle and about the founders of CARP, respectively. The participants had the opportunity to further explore the content in the team discussions that followed each presentation. There was also a Q&A session at the end of the retreat facilitated by all the speakers and Rosia Schmidt, the emcee and one of the program coordinators for this retreat.
On the first day, the participants reflected over their intention for the retreat. Each person was provided time in nature to think about their attitude, contribution, and goals for the week. Afterwards, everybody gathered for icebreakers and a scavenger hunt around the campgrounds. There were many activities throughout the retreat that helped the teams build openness and teamwork, one of them being an evening activity that took place that night. Participants were able to learn more about the members on their team through a deeper discussion activity over ice cream.
The second day consisted of a trip to the Indiana Dunes. The members had opportunities to hike and explore the natural wonders of the sandy dunes overlooking the Michigan Lake. Later, everyone played a part in a competitive game of beach volleyball. In the evening, members gathered for a praise & worship session, and many felt inspired by the songs that sang of God’s glory. The day ended with a bonfire. It was an enjoyable evening with smores, a guitar by the fireside, and CARP members laughing over jokes and reminiscent songs.
On the last day, the participants were able to share and reflect to conclude the retreat. Participants shared about their gratitude for the family-like environment, the content, and fun activities. Many also expressed their desire to come back to the Midwest CARP retreats in the future.
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