CIGYM Continued Overseas Outreach

Hello everyone~!
Sorry for the long gap of silence for almost a month now. We are happy to say that all the missionaries are healthy and well, and still kicking!

Online Witnessing Committee Group Photo! This is the team focusing on creating workshops and events for our overseas mission countries through Zoom, working with the various CARP chapters in those countries and communicating with their local leaders.

Although we had to leave our beloved mission countries earlier than expected, it didn’t stop us from continuing our efforts to invest in the people we met and worked with over there! Several of us are currently part of a group entirely focused on creating events for each of our overseas mission countries of Albania, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Israel, and Peru! We have successfully launched and/or supported a couple events the past few weeks, and are currently in the stages of launching a few more!

Peace Talk Event in the Dominican Republic. (May 22, 2020)

On Friday, May 22, we launched our fourth online event through Zoom called Peace Talk. This is an event we have been doing the countries of Albania, Czech Republic, and Israel as well, and involves getting together to read two pages of different quotes from various famous people involving specific topics, such as, “How Can I Be Truly Happy?” or “What Is Most Valuable In My Life?” We split into small breakout groups to read, and then discuss together about the topic and readings. It is an event that creates a space for people in their communities and country to come together to interact and share with each other honestly, without fear of judgement, and go deeper into topics we normally do not really talk so much about. We also do fun activities together to get to know each other and make new friends!

Half Day Workshop Staff Picture!

We met up an hour before the start of the workshop to do last minute check-ins and preparations.

Kicking Off the Half Day Workshop

Group Photo with the Workshop Participants

On Saturday May 23, we held our very first half day workshop! What made this workshop so special was that it was a conjoined event, with people from Albania, Czech Republic, and Israel joining the event! This workshop is a slightly more advanced version of the Peace Talk events we normally do, receiving lecture presentations about topics involving fundamental questions of life, such as, “what is the purpose of life?” or, “what can we learn from the natural world around us?” The participants had a great time doing icebreakers and taking in the lecture content, and we finished the workshop full of enthusiasm and excitement! We are hoping to do another workshop, soon, and are hoping to be able to launch one for the Latin American countries as well!

We are currently making plans for three Peace Talk events for the Latin American region, among the three, we will be holding a Peace Talk event for Peru and Costa Rica for the very first time! We are looking forward to making new friends and meeting new people, and hope for the success of these events!

See you next week!!

CIGYM from America to Europe and Latin America!

We held our second Peace Talk Event in DR last Saturday. It was a lot more successful than the first one, and the CARP members and guests from the first event invited their friends to this one. In total there were around 45 participants at the end. Discussion Topic this event was: What Is Most Valuable In My Life? (The Most Valuable Thing In Life Is Love.) We will be holding our third Peace Talk event today.

The European Tribe Talk/CARP Talk events, held in Israel and Czech, have been going on longer than Latin America. So, they are currently preparing for an international CARP Talk event now, combining guests and CARP members from Czech, Albania, and Israel. We are also going to be inviting Scotland to this event (since we have contacts from last year.) This week as seen in the last photo in above we were able to successfully invite CARP members from Czech and Albania

“Being part of this weeks first CARP talk with all Czech, Israel and Albania CARP members it was such a profound experience hearing the perspective and hearts of each other from different parts of the world. I was so moved by my small group I had a discussion with, this may feel small but we really are making an impact in the world. ”

— Tsurue (3rd year GPA, 1st year CIGYM)

Latin America: We are currently contacting Peru to begin doing Peace Talks there, too. They are busy right now, so they won't be joining until the end of the month, but things are looking pretty positive right now. We are also contacting Costa Rica. We are hoping to be able to hold an international Peace Talk event between these three Latin American regions in the future: DR, Peru, and Costa Rica.

We are currently planning a half-day DP workshop for the European countries. Members from the Online Witnessing committee will be giving the lectures, and the committee is currently communicating with the European leaders in terms of the content.

COVID-19, more like CIGYM-20(20)!

Hello! It has been a while!

It’s almost been two months since returning early from our mission countries due to the widespread impact of the corona virus. As soon as we returned, we regrouped and split in to four different committees: online witnessing, witnessing system, young adult CIG training, and working with the current CIGs in training. We’re making the most of this situation and continuing our mission, even while in quarantine.

The online witnessing team has been focusing on creating online events for our mission countries. We are all under quarantine, but through the power of technology, we are still connected. Through the use of Zoom, they have created international events for the mission countries in South America and Europe, respectively.

The witnessing system committee has been working hard to put together an education track for guests to know where they are at and to help guide them to the next step. With each person in the committee having their own different backgrounds/experiences of witnessing, they are compiling a bunch of information from different countries’ systems like Dominican Republic, Peru, Albania, Ukraine, Romania, to inherit good points from each of the countries and put in in the system. They have also been conducting interviews with many members both old and new to learn about the key points needed in this track.

As we’re concluding this year of CIG missionary, the future of CIGYM is getting brighter and hopeful as we are welcoming over twenty new missionaries! They are all currently in training and the CIG training committee has been working to raise them up and prepare them for this upcoming year. Throughout the day, they provide guidance to the trainees and work closely with the staff to guide them.

Lastly, the young adult CIG program has been developing thanks to the YA CIG Missionary Education Program committee. Similar to the witnessing system, they are creating an internal education track for future young adults (both CIG graduates and college students alike) who commit to being CIG missionaries. Their focus is on preparing these future young adults to really be ready to go to their overseas country understanding the importance of their mission. This program is for people who hold an interest in witnessing overseas, even when they don’t have any prior experience. The program is being developed to help guide these future members and prepare them.

Amidst all this fear and uncertainty, we are striving every day to continue being this light of hope!

Quarantine Means Slow Down for Most, But Not Us

Buenas~ Peru is here with updated news on what has been going on here the past two weeks.

It’s been two weeks now since we gathered close to 30 people to play sports by the sea. Since then, there’s been another 14- day extension to the quarantine period, we received news from our staff that we have to leave as soon as we have a flight confirmed from the Embassy and during it all, as a team, we are in a state of limbo.

…. But the week only got busier:

Along with our daily outreaching activities, we expanded our ways of connecting with the CARP members as well.

On March 18 we gave English class to the CARP members in the evening. Due to other situations that has come up in the week, this has been the only time we were able to teach English thus far, but ever since the quarantine period started, we’ve been able to spend more time together. We would utilize the backyard and play sports in the afternoon, Rena Saito has been teaching Andoiel Castro (14 year old) how to draw, Fernando and David Lee has been working on helping each other improve their musical skills, and more. It is as if two cultures are merging into one and we are learning to treat each other like family.

Naturally we’d expect things to slow down; the whole country is in quarantine, but it had the opposite effect. Due to our guests being free from work and school, more people could schedule conferences via Zoom or Skype. Technology has been our greatest asset thus far.

Soonmee Iwasaki stated that the amount of conferences she would schedule in a week almost doubled in average.

On Sunday, March 22, we heard from our CIG staff that measures are being taken to send us back to the United States. Some of us felt that they were prepared, for some, not so much. It was not as devastating as the time when our European teams had to be sent back. Maybe that has helped prepare our mindset the past 1.5 weeks.

“Our mission does not stop here. There are still so many opportunities to reach those who need these Principles that we teach here in CARP. Whether it is through video calling and giving lectures or just calling them to keep the connection, it will all eventually lead themselves to become true leaders. This is actually very exciting for me to be able to do that and there is so much that God has planned for us.”

-David D. Lee, CIGM 3rd year

On Wednesday, March 25, President of Peru announced an extension of 14 more days of quarantine. Everyone expected it- our team also. The week of March 23 was focused mainly on continuing our studies and conferences, trying to get two more guests to complete this education course and introduce them to the traditions of CARP.

In the past 40 days, we’ve gone from switching out one CARP member to the next due to either health issues or simply graduating. This is the final team who stuck through thick and thin.

Peru: Celebrating Our Guests' Mile Stones!

Buenas!

Peru Team is here sending our greetings and an update on what’s been happening with the team!

On Thursday, March 12, we celebrated the 18th birthday of one of our bright- spirited- girls, Laura Silva del Aguila! She was introduced to CARP by Johanna Van Galen, a GPA member from last year. The morning she arrived, Rena Saito showed her two clips: one from Kana Ishii, a 2nd-year CIG missionary from last year, and second, from Johanna. The depth of love and support she felt from them could visibly be seen through the tears she shed. As she held her face in her hands and watched while leaning her head forward, it was as if she was virtually communicating with them and responding to their questions of, “Are you doing well? Do you remember the term I taught you? It was-” and she’d finish the sentence together. It was such a moving time for the three girls who were present; Rena Saito, Soonmee Iwasaki, and Laura. 

On Friday, March 13, two major things happened for the CIGs overall- one was that three teams from the European nations were sent back to the US… as Risako Yonetani, a 3rd-year CIG missionary from the Czech Republic put it, it was truly bittersweet. On the other hand, as Peru CARP, we could celebrate Nyls Ericcson for completing all the conferences that CARP has to offer to guests. To many, this may seem normal, but to the team that was working side by side with Benjamin Ottosson and Nyls, it was a moment to celebrate and rejoice, since not everyone we reach out to finish hearing all of the conferences. Over the past month, it has been such a joy to see how Nyls reacted to the CARP Principles, center environment, and the members here. This day was followed by a boba date with Nyls and the team! As Nyls was getting ready to ride the bus back to his home, he shared that this was one of the best days of his life…

Our hearts go out to all those affected by the Corona Virus breakouts… but we are positive that good things will occur later on!

On Saturday, March 14, we hosted a CARP- GPA outing day. It was initially supposed to be a half-day seminar where we introduce CARP and it’s values, and share Pure Love testimonies from the CIG missionaries. As the week progressed though, and we began to prepare, Dokhwa, the president of CARP, shared on Thursday that we cannot have indoor events, only outdoors. Regardless of the sudden change and the investment that went into decorations and game prep, we stopped working on it and moved onto sharing the updated news with our friends. It’s amazing that we could have such a wonderful outing day with all of our guests because the very next day, the government of Peru announced that nobody can leave the house unless they were out to buy medicine or food.

We are truly grateful that we could work under such circumstances to celebrate and give out care, education, and love until the last moments of being allowed free interactions. We are praying that all of our friends and family are safe and finding new ways to continue our CARP activities and strengthening old and new bonds. We are excited to see what this week’s challenges and victories will be brought to the table!

Dominican Republic: Creating New Bonds and Deepening the Old

Buen Dia~! This is the Dominican Republic team here yet again with a brand new update of this past week!

This past week our team was able to have the opportunity to visit the Heroes Monument here in Santiago with alumni, Gabriel Marchitelli, and Dominican Republic YSP Leader, Jake Laviña. Afterwards, we headed back to the center for some much needed team bonding time. Since we haven’t had any opportunities to spend some quality time together as a team since we arrived in this country, it was a welcome and very fun experience for all of us. Later that same day, our brother Gabriel Marchitelli left for Santo Domingo to catch his flight back home to the United States.

Group Photo at the Heroes Monument

(From Right to Left) Gabriel Marchitelli, Jonte Crawford, Jake Laviña, Miyuki Granstrom, Fuyu Fujioka, Sotetsu Honda

Group Jump Shot - USA Team

USA CIGYM Group Picture

(From Right to Left) Miyuki Granstrom, Fuyu Fujioka, Tatsuhiro Narifusa, Sotetsu Honda, Jonte Crawford

Group Picture with Gabriel Marchitelli Before He Heads Back to the USA

CARP Santiago Team with Gabriel Marchitelli

On Wednesday, March 11th, the Santiago CARP house was gifted with the arrival of the Santo Domingo CARP Leader, Carlos! Although it is a 3 hour bus ride, he had decided to come all the way to Santiago to help us prepare for the 1 Day Workshop we decided to host on Saturday, later that week.

On Thursday, March 12, we were invited to have dinner with a Venezuelan couple. After attending the YSP launch we held at ISA University a few weeks back, they have been keeping in contact with us, and were eager to hear testimonies about our mission so far. We went over to their house and met their fellow team members and house mates, and shared about our various experiences over dinner together. At the end, we had a group photo and promised to continue keeping in contact with each other as we support each other’s activities! (Surprise! The couple and their housemates were also missionaries! It was an amazing bonding experience for all of us there!)

On Saturday, March 14, CARP Santiago held a 1-Day Seminar for both new and old guests alike, as well as some YSP members who were interested in learning more into depth about the CARP Principles. The lecturer during this workshop was Carlos! The missionary teams did our best to help prepare the seminar, cleaning the CARP center in the morning before the program started, and preparing food and activities for everyone. At the end of the seminar, the participants wrote out reflections about their experiences from the day. Here is a short excerpt from one of the reflections:

““I really enjoy learning about the Principles here in CARP because they completely changed my life for the better. I want to continue to learn, and be able to share these Principles with other people.” ”

— Seminar Participant (Future Full-Time CARP Member)

1 Day Seminar

Carlos giving a lecture about the history of CARP and how the Principles we teach were first created.

1 Day Seminar

Sisters had a mini dance party with Just Dance during activities time.

1 Day Seminar

The brothers decided to play the human knot activity during the activity time.

1 Day Seminar

Song Session

1 Day Seminar

Song Session

1 Day Seminar

Three YSP Members playing the Follow the Leader Activity

1 Day Seminar - Group Photo!

Later that day, after the Seminar was finished, Carlos departed to return to Santo Domingo. Before he left, he held a miniature meeting with all of us to share about how the seminar went. At the end, both Carlos and Yefry (the two CARP leaders in the Dominican Republic) took some time to express their gratitude to all of us.

““I am really grateful to everybody here for supporting the seminar. Since I first arrived, I could feel a different energy compared to Santo Domingo. The spirit here is really high! It made me so happy to see everyone working together - Japanese missionaries, American missionaries, and Americans. I felt like you really don’t need me here. You guys are doing great on your own! I’m really glad Yefry (CARP Santiago Leader) has everyone’s support and isn’t pioneering CARP by himself here now. Thank you for all your hard work!” ”

— Carlos, CARP Santo Domingo Leader

““When I first came here to pioneer CARP last year, I was all by myself. There were cockroaches, sounds of cats fighting outside... I was actually pretty scared! Then two of the Japanese missionaries moved here from Santo Domingo, and last month the American missionaries came to help too! I thought you [USA team] would only stay for the YSP Launch at ISA... so I was so happy when I heard you decided to stay here in Santiago instead! CARP Santo Domingo has four [Japanese] missionaries... but here in Santiago, we have seven! Both Japanese and American! I feel so blessed, being able to work together with this team!” ”

— Yefry, CARP Santiago Leader

It’s been a pretty eventful week here in the Dominican Republic, and we’re preparing for even more this upcoming week! Until next time! Pasa-buen dia~!

Peru: From Being Guests to Friends

It has been such a joy to watch each guest grow in their desire to learn, make it a part of themselves, eventually want to share these universal principles at CARP to others. What is unique to the CARP center and witnessing experiences here in CARP Peru is that we have a diverse range of people we get to work with, grow alongside, and invest in. We have a group of full-time CARP members who we barely see throughout the day, then we have members who finished hearing all the conferences that CARP has to offer, but has yet to apply in their waking life. Finally the last category of simply being new!

Throughout March 3 to March 8, we held numerous meetings and discussions surrounding the development of returning guests from a year ago (or more). It has been a journey of supporting one another as a team to make sure we give well-balanced quality time, care, and education to each one of them. Most nights, we end up staying up past our designated ending time due to the fact that we are planning for each individual scheduled to return the following day!

On March 4, Rena Saito and David Lee had great experiences with their guests. Rena gave her first conference here in Peru, and David had a one-on-one study with his guest, and had a great time talking with him afterward.

Milagros receiving a conference from Rena, our first year Cheon il Guk Missionary

On this day, Milagros was to receive a lecture from Fernando, our only CARP member who is assigned to help us to give the conferences. At this specific time though, due to some miscommunication, he was booked for another Spanish-speaking guest. Luckily, Milagros has been studying English the past couple of years. Next thing you know, Rena is pulling out her laptop and opening up the PowerPoint slides. You could see from her initial expression that she had not intended to give one and was a bit nervous, but later on in the evening, we congratulated her and laughed at the situation together. We truly felt that even though we may be short-staffed, God still works. He knows our situation well, and is able to work with what He has; we were so grateful for that!

This is a short conversation held between David Lee and Albert:

From left to right: David Lee, second year Cheon il Guk Missionary socializing with Albert, 33, a returning guest of one year

David asked Albert, “What do you think of CARP?” Afterwards, David shared how he was genuinely impressed, and at the same time, very moved by the response that he received from Albert. Albert says, "CARP really brings out and restores the values lost in humanity. And in the future I would like to teach these Principles because I love the environment that is here.”

Jesus is becoming one of our good friends to help other guests feel comfortable in a new environment!

David says that Albert doesn’t always share so deeply. Laughter often times cuts off his response, and after some time, he continues to share. You have to first explain things by giving real-life settings, and break down the abstract concepts to be more concrete. Once you do, he will start asking the right questions.

This past week, we focused more on an upcoming event we are having this Saturday, March 14. That naturally brought up topics of who can help with the preparations for the event beyond the immediate CARP and Cheon il Guk Missionary team. On March 7, we reached out to Jesus to see if he could help us with snack prep, serving, and activities planning. So far he’s been such a big help! The most noticeable areas in which he has been able to assist are communicating with the local people; especially in the area of conveying our hearts and motivation to them. Earlier in the week, he even helped explain to parents why we are here from the United States!

Every day, we are so grateful for the initial efforts that has been laid here from our previous years’ missionaries - for having met, and raised such wonderful people with open and trusting hearts. Without it, we would not be having such deep and fulfilling experiences this early into our mission.