Twenty-one Unificationist families from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, gathered to celebrate, have fun and reflect. The location was the rural Villa Maria ecumenical retreat center located near Lake City, Minnesota, the birthplace of water-skiing. The setting on Lake Pepin, surrounded by beautiful hill country, provided a respite from all the daily concerns of our families. Another benefit for us was that all meals were provided for us to give us more time to focus on our spiritual needs. The Villa Maria is operated by Ursuline Sisters who were our wonderful hosts for the weekend.

The day opened with a prayer service in the Villa's beautiful chapel. After our hosts prepared a delicious breakfast, members gathered together for a discussion group led by regional American Freedom Coalition leader David Payer. Meanwhile the children enjoyed the entire morning due to the efforts of Michael Faris who organized a soccer game and Mary Smith who organized arts and crafts. Other moms took the younger children on a beautiful nature hike. The discussion focused on the need to reconcile our relationships through prayer, supporting each other to accomplish providential activities and raising our children.

Afternoon activities included a men's basketball game. Younger children played games organized by Flore Mathison. Meanwhile the older blessed children prepared a dance choreographed by Haruhisa Higuchi. Mr. Higuchi performs with a dance company in New York City and has choreographed performances by University of Bridgeport students for church holy days. While through the weekend we became more aware of the beauty of God's creation, Mr. Higuchi truly helped each of us to be more appreciative of the beauty that we ourselves can create as being in of God's image. The rest of the afternoon was spent by swimming in the Villa's pool and canoeing on Lake Pepin.

The evening consisted of a family gathering of entertainment and dancing hosted by Bruce Gordon. The evening opened with a Tae Kwon Do demonstration by four blessed children led be Bruno Bauer. Next was a solo dance by Mr. Higuchi. This was followed by the blessed children doing their dance that they practiced earlier. It was beautiful to see their youth, enthusiasm and energy channeled into harmonious expression. Through our children's unity in America's heartland, parents envisioned hope for the establishment of God's heavenly ideal. The children's dance was followed by individual and family entertainment. The evening concluded with everyone dancing free-style disco.

The following morning, we celebrated God's Eternal Blessing Day with Pledge Service followed by Sunday Service given by Rev. Hun Suk Lee our regional director. Rev. Lee spoke on the significance of the day and the meaning of tribal messiahship as restoring our ancestors, restoring our community and building a good future. Our regional gathering combined the elements of spirituality, culture, recreation and fun to give us a beautiful and balanced experience in the realm of heart.

Download entire page and pages related to it in ZIP format
Table of Contents
Copyright Information