West Block Cheon Il Guk IWs Rev. Larry Krishnek and his wife, Akemi, traveled to Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah from March 4-13 to visit Unification families and communities. The following reflections were submitted by Rev. Krishnek after the conclusion of their trip.

We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and were welcomed by Pastors Mike and Adonia Hentrich and their four children. Their guest room in the parsonage became our home while we were there. We enjoyed getting to know them as a family and to witness their ministry work up close.

I was last in Denver 18 months ago, so I was very surprised at all of the renovations and improvements in the church and the parsonage. There is now a beautiful lounge with a modern coffee shop as well as a separate room where the French-speaking members of the congregation holds their services and meetings. Other improvements are underway.

After Pastor Adonia’s inspiring Sunday message, Akemi and I were given the opportunity to share our reflections on the many events that took place in Korea such as True Parents’ Birthday, the Summit Council for World Peace, the Sun Hak Peace Prize, the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), the International Conference on the Unity of Science (ICUS), Foundation Day, and more. It’s so hard to catch the entire picture unless you are there, so we wanted to convey what we witnessed as best we could through photos and testimony.

The following day we were invited to attend a discussion on Tribal Messiahship work. Dr. Mike Hentrich, Pastor Mike Hentrich, and many others came to share a great lunch and discussion. There’s a lot going on and plenty of enthusiasm, and everyone is looking for the best way forward. I recommended that the community invite Demian Dunkley for a “We Can Do It” workshop to help plan the path forward in Denver.

In the beginning of the IW mission, I worked by myself, and after a few months my wife, Akemi, was able to join me and the benefit has been huge, particularly in her connection to our Japanese community and the thoughtful, personal follow-up she does after our visits. At Akemi’s invitation, many of our Denver Japanese brothers and sister came together at the church to share their testimonies and to discuss True Mother’s vision and plans.

Every community has its own unique character, and God’s love and True Parents’ investment shows up in wonderful and interesting ways. But the passion to truly attend True Parents, to build God’s Kingdom is strong everywhere. It’s the families that build the communities, and it’s the visits with the families that occupies most of our schedule.

In Denver, we enjoyed dinner with Roger and Hiromi Wise, long-time Denver members and our friends from long ago. We shared tales of the past and hopes for the future. They are soon to be grandparents, which is the best motivation for staying healthy and energetic that I know of.

Just two hours northwest of Denver is Laramie, Wyoming where George and Maria Love live. We drove up there for the day and got to experience the frigid Wyoming wind, but more importantly the warm love of their family—the only Unification family in Wyoming.

Jim and Shirley Chimes have been in Denver for many years. They have been actively involved in our church community since the ‘80s. I’ve known them since that time and they still shine brightly!

Gary and Alice Fleischer live in the same house where Gary grew up. But life has taken them many places. Gary was a missionary in Israel and now his website tparents.org is the go to place if you want to find any speech or any information related to our movement. Alice is perpetually 21! She sings in the choir and is currently pursuing her doctor of ministry degree.

Dr. Mike Hentrich, the elder Mike and previous pastor, is now back in Denver after spending some time in Korea where he earned his doctorate and also served as a lecturer at the Cheongpyeong Heaven and Earth Training Center, including the Top Gun workshops. It’s fascinating to see these two generations of one family working together.

This is just a snapshot of so many precious people we could meet. I know True Mother would like to see and hear from everyone.

Pastor Mike Stovall and his wife, Wendy, hosted us in their home during our stay in Salt Lake. The Utah family is smaller, just 10 families. But, they have many middle and high school children, which brings a lot of life to the community. Living with the Stovalls gave us a lot of opportunity to learn about their fascinating lives and their ministry in Utah.

I was invited to give the sermon on Sunday. The title was “Shining Rays of Hope,” and I once again shared through pictures and testimony about the recent Holy Days in Korea. Pastor Mike arranged for a Q&A sharing after service. Most of the community was present.

We spent one afternoon with Takuya and Yurie Ishii and their two sons. They moved to Utah last year after serving many years in Nicaragua and Chile. Their eldest daughter is now taking a gap-year with Generation Peace Academy (GPA) and has recently spent time at Leda.

We were also invited to the home of Rev. and Mrs. Hwang, former regional leaders, for an excellent sushi feast. The Hwangs operated a Japanese restaurant for a few years that has recently closed. Now Rev. Hwang caters sushi for different events and teaches golf. His eldest of three daughters serves as captain of her high school golf team.

The Kuhlmanns, Poul and Pamela, welcomed us to their home. Jerry and Bonnie Nichols took us to the beautiful new museum of Natural History and to the Holy Ground.

We are so touched by the generosity and the sincerity of our families. Truly the seed of True Parents’ love is planted deeply and we see that. Feel that.

Akemi had never been to Salt Lake, so I took her to Temple Square. We stopped into the Family Research Center, where visitors can learn about their ancestors. The staff was so helpful and I made some headway in working out when my grandfather immigrated to America. Most importantly, we experienced the heartfelt investment and care that is given to visitors.

It helped me see more clearly the vision True Mother has for Hyojeong Cheonwon. There we will create an atmosphere in which people will not only be inspired and served, but embraced and transformed by God’s love.