The Words of Hak Ja Han Moon from 2013
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The Words of Hak Ja Han Moon from 2013 |
The 2013 Seonghwa Camp was conducted at the World Jamboree Training Center, Goseong (about three hour's drive from Seoul) from August 2-4. The camp was organized with the internal goal of increasing the pride that our young people feel about being second- and third-generation members that are to grow into the leaders of the 2020 Cheon Il Guk age and to provide an opportunity for students in our younger generations to better harmonize and unite with one another. By inviting their outside (non-member) school friends to the camp, our aim was to provide a turning point by which these invited friends might in the future accept True Parents and establish a deeper tie with them.
In order to prepare for the camp, staff members, including university students and Universal Peace Academy students arrived at the camp five days earlier and stayed there to take care of all internal and external arrangements. They did a forty-day bowing condition for the camp while continuing with the rehearsing of the camp program procedures and the duties of the management team. The staff members placed their maximum effort in preparation for the camp, setting up (at times in the rain) around 1,300 tents to be used by the young campers.
Around seven thousand people came despite the rain on the first day. The campground was divided according to Korean church regions. Five people stayed in each tent. The camp began with an opening ceremony that included flags bearers from all the regional church headquarters. A singing contest, which the regional headquarters had prepared for, was the next program to enliven the main stage. Participating students had practiced singing in their churches; this process helped deepen the faith of those participating because they prepared by doing bowing conditions to True Parents. It also strengthened the sibling love among participants. Intense competition emerged between the eighteen participating regions. The national headquarters church won the first prize.
The second day's schedule started with Hoon Dok Hae through the public address system. After Hoon Dok Hae, everyone received some pumpkin taffy. The taffy and candy, awaiting us after every Hoon Dok Hae, were special treats from True Mother. Different programs took place simultaneously on the second day. The Challenge Valley course had military-style guerilla programs through which the bodies and minds of our Seonghwa students were trained, the preliminary rounds of a talent contest were conducted on the main stage, and a Divine Principle lecture contest was on-going in the audio-visual room. In addition, the Seonghwa Harmony Festival had around thirty small-scale programs readied for immediate participation. The festive aura was heightened through different programs that the young people could involve themselves in, including kart-riding, quad bike riding, rappelling and zip-lining (wearing a harness, attached by pulleys to a cable, called a zip line, the person goes rapidly down the zip line for some distance high above the ground). The Seonghwa Olympic Festival, a food festival, water sports and fairgrounds all kept the young people occupied. The temperature was so hot on that day that True Parents treated everyone to ice cream during lunchtime.
In the evening of the second day, the Seonghwa Cultural Festival took place with True Mother in the audience. Part I of the cultural festival was conducted in the following order: True Parents' entrance, a report prayer, a group photo, a congratulatory performance, a Divine Principle lecture demonstration by a Seonghwa student representative, a holy song choir, a talent show, a special performance by the True Grandchildren, True Mother's message and the lightning of the campfire. True Mother encouraged participants saying, "I am proud of all of you Seonghwa Hakseng [middle and high school students] that are participating here today! I am certain that True Father would have been pleased with all your preparations and performances."
Part two of the Seonghwa Cultural Festival went in the following order: "Story Dance" performed by the Seonghwa team of the headquarter church, fun dance performances by the southern Seoul church Seonghwa team, "Black Light" by the Jeonbuk church, "Seonghwa Style" by CARP, rock music by the band "Reborn." congratulatory performances by Heogak and Turan and a candlelight prayer session.
On the third day, an awards presentation for winners of different contests took place and time was allotted before the closing ceremony to reflect on the camp theme -- Let us become dedicated sons and daughters of the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind -- and through reflection to become determined to be Seonghwa students that will testify to True Parents through their lives and activities wherever they live and study.
The camp became a turning point for the entire Unification community in recognizing the importance of educating second-generation members and in becoming united in heart. Below are some reflections and testimonies by participants and assessment by outside people related to the event.
When I learned that True Mother would participate, I felt this camp held special significance. For this reason, I started offering conditions long before the camp started. In the headquarters church we had the theme "How great are our True Parents?" With that concept in mind, I offered desperate conditions and practiced for the talent contest. While sincerely devoting myself, I thought increasingly about the fact that the messiah came alone to the fallen world and how great True Parents' life courses were.
This is how I came to participate in the camp. Finally, the time came for us to demonstrate what we had prepared for through the talent contest in front of True Mother. After watching the entire talent contest, True Mother expressed how Father would have been pleased if he had seen us perform.
I just happened to look up at the sky and noticed how the clouds resembled True Father. I had goose bumps from seeing that and realized that True Father was actually looking at us and strongly felt the existence of the spiritual world. The time spent at the camp was precious because I came to realize that True Parents are with us.
"I am the oldest second generation member in Belarus. However, the small number of second-generation members and the political suppression in Belarus intimidate our lives as young members. Nevertheless, this camp has enabled me to see True Parents face to face and to realize that many second-generation members live in the homeland of our faith. This simultaneously greatly surprised and delighted me. I am proud of being a child in a blessed family and will convey this heart to my younger brothers and sisters in Belarus."
We were on our way to the camp on a bus. I gave an orientation explaining the camp schedule, the necessary precautions and the heart they should have toward the camp experience. Once I finished orienting the young people on the camp, I prayed. I then tried to get some sleep for the rest of the way. While trying to sleep, I suddenly saw a vision. I saw all Seonghwa students inside our Heavenly Parent's heart. All of a sudden, I realized the immense value of Seonghwa students, who are True Parents' children. I also felt 1 had to offer more dedications to make Seonghwa students healthier and stronger.
I was so surprised and overwhelmed by this experience that tears continually rolled down from my eyes for some time.
Around seven thousand students participated in the camp, yet not a single accident occurred. This in itself shows that the event was a success. I have seen numerous events conducted by affiliated groups of the Jamboree Alliance, yet none have been as organized as this event. I was quite surprised by this facet. The staff members from the various regional church headquarters arrived in advance to prepare for the camp. The organized and systematic methods employed as the staff members prepared for this large event and the way in which the staff of each regional church took turns leading the student campers throughout the camp schedule was enviable.
I last worked with the Family Federation in relation to a Seonghwa students' camp about ten or so years ago. I was quite glad to work with FFWPU after such a long time. Retrieving (after the camp ended) the one thousand five hundred tents that the event required concerned me. When the camp ended, I went to the place where all the tents were supposed to be placed. I was indeed surprised to see that most of them had been returned and were well arranged. I have worked with many other groups, but none had such a high rate of retrieved tents.