Contributed by Rena Saito and Tamae Seto
CARP Hawaii took on the Big Island with our first-ever Kona retreat from December 18th to the 21st. In total, there were 8 participants. The intention of the retreat was to grow our understanding of the role of Father and Mother Moon — who we call True Parents — and their work for peace, which was accomplished through lectures from our CARP Director, Keiko Nakama. The Big Island has been a special place for Father and Mother Moon, where they have often visited and spent a lot of time during their lifetimes. We had the precious opportunity to tour their residences, called the King and Queen Garden, as well as one of their business ventures at the Kona Queen Coffee Garden, where we got to sit in the same spot Mother Moon always visits overlooking the coffee farm and Kona.
During our stay, we were graced by testimonies from some individuals who had first-hand experiences with True Parents. Chuck Frumin, pastor of the Kona Family Church sang us a self-composed song for Ocean Challenge (a youth training program on the ocean) about ocean fishing followed by his testimony in the Unification movement as we sat around the couches in King Garden. The next day, Bruce Brown, the first American Father Moon ever met, sat down with us and shared his deep and intimate moments with True Parents as well as his journey in the movement.
On our last day, after two lectures in the morning, we went out on a tour of the Hilo side of the island. We visited a small cowboy town and afterward headed to a waterfall for some reflection time. That evening we ate out and enjoyed a warm bowl of ramen before heading out to see the stars. Under the cloudy skies, inside the rental car we took some time to write fuzzy fuzzies, messages to each other to express our gratitude and appreciation.
The Kona retreat was a time to bond, to grow our appreciation for our True Parents and share some of their accomplishments. We were blessed to be able to visit the Big Island, a place Mother Moon loves and cherishes, and learn more about them in such an intimate place.