CIG Missionaries: Final Update

The Generation Peace Academy (GPA) Cheon Il Guk (CIG) Missionary Trainees have made their way back home to the United States! In this final update, we learn about their final two weeks spent together with friends new and old in Costa Rica.

Contributed by Anick Muleki

On Monday, May 1, the Costa Rican Korean Evangelical Association (KEA) invited all of the missionaries to their annual sports festival. There were many different sports like soccer and volleyball and also games for children. 

At our final Divine Principle seminar the following Wednesday, we had one more of our guests sign up to join the Costa Rican chapter of the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP).

Junyo Nakamura, one of our GPA CIG Missionaries, expressed her excitement and gratitude for the support of she felt from everyone at our center, saying, “On the day of the Divine Principle seminar, there was so much love. The atmosphere was completely different. I could feel the energy focused on my guest, and everyone else’s heart was present. At the end of the seminar, my guest was smiling a lot. I felt that she was able to experience God’s love. I felt so much joy being able to see her happy.”

Then, on Sunday, May 7, we held a cultural concert, where each CARP group performed dances and songs from their home country and at the end we all sang “We Are The World” together. Many families and guests attended the concert and had an amazing time. The atmosphere was bright, colorful, and upbeat.

Finally, from May 8-10, we had a reflection workshop where we took time to digest all of our experiences from these past three months. Thursday, May 11, was our last day in Costa Rica, so the CARP members held a farewell party for us. We all gave short testimonies about our experiences, shared laughs and a few tears together. We arrived back in New York that Friday and spent a night together at King Spa and Sauna to celebrate our homecoming.