The Words of the Kim Family
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The Words of the Kim Family |
From December 27th to 30th, 2008, the New Jersey and New York communities’ high school ministries gathered for the annual winter retreat at YMCA Camp Bernie in Port Murray, New Jersey. With a total of 60 people, and a nearly 1:2 staff-to-participant ratio, the staff was able to spend more time with each participant, getting to know all attendees through discussions and activities throughout the retreat.
The first day of the retreat featured discussion groups with a series of questions geared towards addressing specific issues of great moment to Unificationist youth. When asked if the questions discussed were relevant, one retreat participant responded “Yes, I thought the questions were very relevant to us. I also felt the questions were created to help us think more about the crucial parts of life that are coming our way.” (In order to protect the privacy of workshop attendees, who are in high school, all quotes in this article are anonymous.) Said another: “For me the question about struggles with my family hit the target, because it is a struggle that I do not often voice. Once I talked about it, I felt like it was something I can begin to address immediately.”
These discussions were followed by a presentation given by Mike Stewart, a 28-year-old member who has grown up in the Unificationist community, on “Money and Sex” that proved to open participants’ eyes as to how much advertising creates misconceptions about money and sex, altering perceptions of the world. After the presentation, one participant expressed that he gained an insight that, “Sex and money are huge parts of everyday life that can really affect you in so many ways.” “Sex and money are both relevant to me. I appreciated the delivery and innovative talk. His logical approach gave me a down to earth way to discuss these topics with others,” said another young member.
One of the added benefits of going to a YMCA camp was the friendly staff that was on hand to facilitate activities for participants such as the climbing tower, a low-ropes course and archery range available at the camp after lunch. One retreat participant expressed that he enjoyed the rock climbing the most: “I felt like I really conquered my fears and outsmarted the obstacles I faced. Once I reached the top, the feeling of pride was great!” One of the participants who led a group activity observed:, “It was a good experience for me to be a leader”.
Later on, a panel of older youth answered questions from participants and shared about personal challenges they had overcome. According to workshop organizers, one of the breakthroughs was the level at which the participants were able to share openly and honestly about things going on in their lives after the initial ice had been broken, allowing some deeply meaningful and highly relevant questions and answers to be shared.
“My questions were answered and it really helps me to get others’ opinions especially when there can be different views,” said one young man, adding, “The panel came across as very insightful and I am grateful for their stories. I was able to grasp what they were saying.”
This set up the second day to focus on "My Identity as a Child of God" and "Marriage Preparation", talks given by Krystof Heller, a 20 year old youth group leader from NY, and Hanako Ikeno, NY Youth Minister. Both Krystof and Hanako made an impact on the participants with not only their content but also their delivery, as they conveyed their heart and concern for their younger brothers and sisters.
“These presentations were really what we needed to hear. Many of us don’t realize or question who we are or what our purpose is. I feel that I learned the importance and potential that God sees in each of us, ” commented one participant.
The evening of December 29 was the culmination of the retreat in which all the staff and participants wrote a letter to Heavenly Father, to report everything from the past year, make an offering and confess as well as let go of things holding them back. The letters were then burned in a fire, followed by a candlelit prayer by the pond on camp grounds. After this, everyone wrote reflections and set goals for the upcoming year.
The retreat ended with a slide show of photos taken throughout the retreat, followed by each group performing skits.
Some other thoughts and reflections from participants about their overall experience included:
“The retreat overall was amazing. I can’t believe it was only two days. The cabins were nice and the food well-prepared. I really loved my group and the staff was so loving. It felt like a family. The personal confession and candlelight prayer was very touching. I felt closer to God. I’m so glad I came to the retreat."
“Deep content presented in unique ways -- was very good!”
“I realized role models are important. In times when God is hard to find, it’s so nice to have a corporal entity to refer to and receive guidance from.”
“This retreat was probably the best I have been to and a great choice that I made. I came here to learn and to grow and connect with God on a deeper level. And that’s exactly what I did. I was amazed at the experiences I had and the growth that occurred in my relationship with God. You can’t make this any better because honestly it was one of the best I’ve had."
“I’m lucky to share the experience I had here with so many awesome people.”
By Jin Kwon Kim, a Youth Leader for the New Jersey Community.