CIG Missionaries Teach Divine Principle

The Generation Peace Academy (GPA) Cheon Il Guk Missionaries are currently spending a few weeks in the Philippines doing mission work by teaching Divine Principle to local young leaders. Recently, they set a 40-day goal to bring 40 young leaders to a seven-day Divine Principle workshop and raised $10,000 to support it. Fifteen of those participants are now preparing to attend a 21-day workshop in Manila. The following update was contributed by Joshua Holmes.

Dear Family and Friends,

I am happy to announce that the Seven-Day Divine Principle Workshop from April 3-10 for the young student leaders of Bohol, Philippines was a success!

Truthfully, the night before the workshop started, eight of the participants dropped out. This left us short of the 40 participants we had promised we would bring to the workshop. Needless to say, we were disappointed. However, we still chose to prepare the workshop as if there were 40 participants; this was an act of faith and hope that the spiritual foundation we have laid, with you and together as the Cheon Il Guk Missionary family and World Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (W-CARP), would bear its fruits! Investment is never wasted!

And God responded! After the first day, two unregistered distant relatives of Mrs. Merly Barlaan arrived. And the next day, exactly six new participants enrolled! Although it was a couple days into the workshop, we reached our 40-student goal!

We know that these things do not just happen on their own. What we experienced was the power of laying a spiritual foundation when faced with challenging circumstances. This was not just the Cheon Il Guk Missionaries’ investment; rather, it was the combined effort of all the family and friends who donated to make the workshop possible. We are so grateful for your support, and happy that there are people out there who share our same ambition. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Now here is some news! At this very moment, 15 of the Seven-Day Workshop participants are fundraising to pay for the upcoming 21-Day Workshop held by W-CARP in Manila, Philippines. This is an expression of the impact we have made on their lives. These students have been going house to house every day to raise the necessary funds. They have also set up an online fundraiser to make it all possible! Here it is:

Donate

As our last token of gratitude, I would like to share a testimony written by one of the participants immediately after completing the Seven-Day Workshop. I hope you can feel how joyful God must be.

“All throughout my life, I have always lived miserably. My father died when I was still in kindergarten, which means that in my entire human existence, I have never felt a true father’s love. I’d always long for days when I can be a son to a father. Seeing those children having precious moments with their fathers make me want to cry hard. It makes me feel envious and empty. All those years that I’ve felt lonely and unloved made me become so selfish that I only focused on my self and my own desires. I easily get angry and depressed about things that I did not accomplish. I even fight or condemn my mom sometimes for giving me a life full of problems. I never really realized that my life was predestined beautifully until I came to attend the Seven-Day Divine Principle Workshop.

At first, I wasn’t expecting anything. All I knew is that it is a Godly activity. Everything changed after I learned how God wanted a kingdom at first, a kingdom of heaven on earth that’s full of His children. But all of a sudden, humans failed to give back what God wanted – a true love.

From all the lectures I’ve gotten in this Seven-Day Workshop, I realized how dumb I am to not realize I have a Father. All my life, there is that one God who really loved me unconditionally despite all the things I’ve done.  He’s more than a Father. He loves universally. All this time, I have been so weak to realize that as I was needing a Father; God is also seeking a son.  I felt guilty for all those times where I favored Satan’s way. I felt so sad to think how great is the number of people who think and act in favor of Satan’s ideas rather than favoring God or Jesus, which is why I am greatly challenged to change myself slowly. I need to start the change I want to see in the others in my self. I felt so determined to share with others what true love is, how God wanted each and every one of us to give true love. I am now very motivated to live a life for the sake of others. I know it may not be very easy at the beginning but every huge endeavor always starts with a single step. The Divine Principle has really changed me greatly. It has changed my entire spiritual being. I am becoming more selfless and lovable and loving. I promise to practice all things that I’ve learned to the whole of humanity.

I felt like I needed to do this. I need to spread God’s love. I need to practice God’s true love. I have to contribute in realizing God’s original purpose of creation: to build a kingdom of heaven on earth. A world that is centered on true love, that is, a life lived for the sake of others.”

-John Paul Cordova, Bohol Island State University, 20 yrs. old

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