From September 25 – 29, 2022, we held a workshop for the GPA students centered on the life of faith during the Cheon Il Gook era. We also had a continuation of our participation in vigil prayer connected with Cheon Shim Won in Korea.
Rev. Kim Ki Hoon and Rev. Jinhwa Chung led the lectures to educate our participants on the important matter related to Cheon Shim Won.
Testimonies from the Workshop
Hyo Jeong Reflection – Hannah Bush
CSW HJ Workshop – Las Vegas
Whole Program: I am so grateful to be able to come to the Cheon Shim Won for a second time. The prayer hall feels like home. I was so moved from the beginning, by the CSW staff who picked us up late at night, then met us with dinner, and served us continuously throughout the workshop. It felt like True Parents are serving me, and I felt so humbled. I felt sorry when I found out about the suggestion of no fasting after I set the condition because for that time, I was not as present at meals or in energy and concentration. But I was strongly determined and fought to not let it slow or hold back the program. I learned a lot from this program, had good experiences in offering devotion, and connecting to God, and felt loved by the staff.
Morning Devotion: I struggled this time to stay awake for the first few days, and it was difficult to understand the content of the HDH/testimony or connect to them. The last two days I was more awake and yesterday I gained from when they talked about creativity and hobbies as God’s intention. In my prayer the first few days, I honestly expressed my struggles and frustrations to God and struggled to pray for big-level things. Then I struggled to say anything. Today, I experienced first meditating, then offering a prayer in response, and gratitude for God. I felt that my heart was difficult, more hopeful. and connecting to God. Also, I experienced that almost every day, the content of my prayer would show up, the content at my prayer would show up in the day somehow, in a lecture or some conversation, I had already prayed about the topic.
Evening condition: On the first day, I struggled with God’s words about the spiritual world, because instead of feeling happy or exited, I felt fear and sadness about my life. I felt that I have not prepared well for the spiritual world so far, and I wasted a lot of my life, not using my time wisely. But throughout the week, I feel God responded to me, telling me that it’s ok, that the heart I have now toward the rest of my life is what matters, to focus on now, not the past, and to have hope and strong determination. Reading Cheon Seoung Gyeong and Rev. Chung comments was very insightful, and the resonance prayer was powerful. I also really appreciate what said that we are arrogant and don’t know much about the spirit world, and that we need HDH and to humbly learn. The bows helped me connect to Mother’s heart. But for the condition in the future, it might help to know why specifically we are doing this condition and how it is different from the morning devotion.
Lectures: These lectures were great!! I love that it was both providential understanding and life of faith guidance. A good balance of the whole purpose and individual purpose. Rev Kim’s guidance helped me to have a clearer understanding of the role of Christianity in America and True Parents providence, and Reve Doo taught me more about the TP course and True Mother, and the providence in Father’s last years of life. Rev. Chung guidance was also clarifying. One takeaway was to have positive thinking and live for the sake of others.
Thank you so much!!
Hyo Jeong Reflection – Yeon Sun Tariq
CSW HJ Workshop – Las Vegas
The challenges I faced here are feelings of disconnection from the Korean language barrier during the prayer vigil in the morning, from Bishop Kim’s personal lecture about the reason True Mother came to Las Vegas, and from my brothers and sisters. The disconnect from my brethren is mostly because I spent the meal times during my 40-hour fast, either praying or reflecting on my experiences. I spent more time with god here than usual, but my question of what I want to do in the future is still uncertain. God is guiding my hand to be a youth pastor and support my community and also study at UTS. This is all short-term and I was desperate to hear a clarification from God if I needed to become a church leader. I didn’t get a response during the last three nights I was here. Now as I am reflecting, I feel God doesn’t want to limit my talents and me to one clear direction if I am to become any leader, I need education and experience. God is guiding me already, so my faith is already shown. But God needs a bigger mindset from me, god needs me to think big! To think like true parents.
The challenge is that I’m a do or Die person, so to think bigger than the worldview I already have is difficult. Once I receive something, I stick with it and run with it as long as possible. But maybe God wants me to learn how to adjust. And learning how to adjust as I lead others requires a universal mindset.
I hope to overcome the language barrier by understanding the heart behind the words and the intention for me to know that God is moving so many things at this very moment. God is a living God.
After Bishop Kim’s lecture, I went on a run to get my blood flowing and think about what I received from it. Now I see that Bishop Kim was simply sharing True Parents’ love and I was resistant to receiving it until now.
During my time at the Cheon shim won, I can feel so much of the love of Heavenly Parent and True Parents. Sometimes I’m completely overwhelmed by fasting for 6 meals. I didn’t feel like I’d become a perfect minus but I am exactly where I need to be. Wait, maybe that’s exactly what a perfect minus is. I feel like I am God’s object partner.
Rev. Chung also held a special lecture on Cheon Shim Won with the LA KEA Church. Rev. Chung and Willus also attended the Sunday Service with the LA KEA Church along with holding meeting with 2nd Gen Couples within the community.