The Words of the Shimada Family

District Nine CARP Members Gather for Retreat in Denver

Koei Shimada
March 13, 2010

On Saturday, March 13, 2010, a group of brave Texans left the comfort of their flatland and embarked on a long drive up into the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Eagerly awaiting them would be their fellow CARP associates located in Denver.

District 9, which is made up of Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, is geographically one of the largest Unification Church districts, out of 12, across the United States. Despite such a vast territory, the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principle (CARP) members from this district take every opportunity to join in fellowship together, and therefore were not intimidated to travel the distances for their annual CARP retreat and ski trip.

The retreat began on Sunday evening with an exciting round of icebreakers and music. Leading this program was Melissa Davis, from Austin, Texas, and Yoshikimi Hisano, a member representing the Utah community. Together, they brought out the smiles and laughter of the college student participants to create a joyful atmosphere.

The evening program progressed on to the main event, a presentation from Hero Hernandez, the President of CARP in America. He began by sharing Rev. In Jin Moon's hope for the Unification Movement as a whole, and her sincere desire to encourage and inspire young people to strive for excellence in their relationship with God as well as their academic and professional pursuits.

Each and every young person has the opportunity to become partners to create the ideal world that True Parents have so earnestly hoped for, and have tirelessly worked to build. It was also shared that a young adult can contribute while in college through striving to be true sons and daughters of God, and sharing this message with others. Through CARP, Unificationists on campus can be natural witnesses to True Parents.

The next day was spent skiing through Colorado's capped mountains. In spite of it being the first time for many of the CARP members to be in so much snow, Denver's CARP members, being skilled and experienced, were able to patiently teach and guide the newcomers on how to ski and snowboard. The beautiful view while riding on the ski lift, or as one stood at the top of the mountain just before jumping down the slope, was awe-inspiring; it felt as if one could touch heaven.

The retreat concluded with a wonderful barbeque that rivaled in Texas' taste and succulence. Everyone was grateful for the hospitality of Ryan Mahardy, a native of Colorado, who had hosted the party and diligently prepared the loving meal.

Even though it was a short weekend gathering, the CARP members from District 9 had a memorable time experiencing God's love through the beauty of creation, fellowship, and the wisdom of a new vision of CARP guided by our True Parents.

Participant Reflections:

"Meeting and reaching out to all of the CARP members from around my district gave me inspiration and motivation to do more for my own college community and to connect to more of my brothers and sisters in the future."
Gugjin Shin, University of North Texas

"It was just inspiring to be in the middle of the vast creation and experiencing it through skiing with everyone else."
Tomiya Oshika, Collin College

"The priorities for CARP members -- spiritual life, academics and generation of peace -- are great, and the vision looks refreshingly attainable. First on anyone's mind should be their relationship with God and feeling victory and peace within themselves. Then we can be a positive influence in our relationships, as a natural witness."
Melissa Davis, Austin Community College

"CARP is all about finding God! But what is great is that my academics and careers goals are equally important. I really feel In Jin Nim's vision will take CARP to a higher level than ever before."
Kook Sun Kim, Austin Community College

"I liked that the three goals of CARP were simple, short, and clear. I really like the idea of being able to represent our faith through action on the college campus and having others also be excited about doing things."
Jeremy Rogers, Northwest Vista College

"In my college years, it's always exciting to hear how other Unification Church members are moving forward with their lives. I see the potential that a community of people with our culture can have. With CARP focused on both internal and external quality, I can feel confident in being able to achieve this 'Generation of Peace'."
Yoshikimi Hisano, University of Utah

A special thanks to the Denver Family Church, a branch of the Unification Church of America, for providing CARP with use of the beautiful church facilities during the retreat.

Written by Koei Shimada, CARP Officer of North Texas 

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