Outreach in Hawaii Delves Deeper

Momentum has been building in Hawaii, where participants of all ages and from all around the country have gathered to learn more about their faith and to share it with others. Hawaii has been a place that True Parents have invested a great deal in, and the new outreach team seems to be reaping the fruits of this investment. A young team member from New York shared, “For once in my life, I feel inspired to learn about the Divine Principle not as an obligation but voluntarily. I want to be able to set a strong foundation especially through our efforts at the University of Hawaii campus.”

The second week of outreach activities, January 25-30, started off with Sunday Service at the Honolulu Family Church and an inspiring message from Reverend Ernie Ho. After sharing a delicious lunch with the community, the team headed to Waikiki Beach for brief outreach activity. Later that evening, they had the opportunity to snorkel in Hanama Bay and enjoy a leisurely dinner before gearing up for a day of outreach.

On Monday, they were able to meet half as many people as they had the entire first week. The team gave 11 one-on-one introductory presentations, four overviews of the

Principle of Creation, and made 12 appointments for future presentations and discussions.

The team has been truly inspired and dedicated to their task; some have even awakened at 4:30am every day for prayer at Waikiki Beach. “We all need our Heavenly’ Parent’s Word to understand God’s heart in one way or another” said a senior team member from New Jersey.

Through these efforts, outreach on campus continued to grow day by day. Senior members of the team have even begun training three young members to give introductory lectures with PowerPoint in order to help keep up with the demand for presentations. One of the guests who had heard a lecture on the Human Fall remarked, “I always thought that the fruit in the Bible was a literal fruit. I didn’t think about the deeper meaning behind the symbolism.”

After hearing the Mission of the Messiah lecture, another guest commented, “I went to Catholic schools and never heard the priest talk about John the Baptist. I never considered that he may not have fulfilled his mission,” one student remarked. Another student was so fascinated she stayed to hear the lecture on the Human Fall.

It was a busy day for the outreach team with 35 new contacts, 10 one-on-one introductory lectures, and 15 new appointments. One of the young Unificationists gave her first presentation. She reflected, “It’s nice to see how everyone can connect with the points in the Divine Principle.”

On Thursday, the team reflected on True Mother’s words from her talk in Kona on January 18 that emphasized the providential importance of her visit to Hawaii. They prayed for Hawaii and for the students of the University at a nearby park, before heading out for more outreach on campus. Another young team member gave her first presentation and exclaimed, “Sometimes I didn’t know what to say, but I’m grateful that I had help from others to answer any questions or explain any concepts better. I still have a lot to learn!”

The team celebrated a successful week on Friday. After a day filled with more presentations and meetings, they gathered with guests for a pizza party. Over 40 people attended to hear a short talk, play games, and enjoy each other’s company. The evening was filled with interesting discussions, so much so that many were reluctant to leave. The event was a wonderful closing to an inspiring week, one that the outreach team will use to continue to propel them forward in their next week of activities. All of the participants agreed with the response of one senior team member from New York City who said, “I am grateful from the bottom of my heart to be called to this Pacific island which bears such great significance in the providence of our Heavenly Parent and True Parents!”

The Outreach team continues with one more week in the beauty of Honolulu.  Let’s send them our prayers of support and love for their investment.