Summer 2024: Walls Come Down
“Through you God will serve mankind.
Through you he will make the world good.
Without you, He can do nothing.”
Our summer workshop in July 2024 was all about breaking down the walls that hold us back from being who we are meant to be: divine, brave, loving, honest, purposeful, living with integrity, generous, forgiving, accountable - people that God and True Parents can count on. Walls are everywhere. Not just physical ones like the Berlin Wall or the border between North and South Korea, but between people who used to be friends, between parents and children, and sometimes even between God, our Heavenly Parent and us. It takes real and hard work of the heart to bring these down and build bridges instead.
This workshop was special - the stories that we heard had such depth that even the staff was surprised by how they turned out. The Holy Spirit must have been with us. Naturally, to have balance in the program depth was paired with lots of fun - sports and games, laughter with old and new friends, creative groups, a scary and fun Flashlight Game, lots of singing, and a huge party.
Reflections from Participants
“From the workshop I take with me the understanding that it is always possible to change. Nobody is perfect, everyone has a different story and different life, but in the end all that matters is what you choose to do to make a change. I need to take down the walls that I built.” (Israel)
“I received a lot of love from others. I’m really grateful that I could feel God through people. They gave me a lot of hope and I felt appreciated during the Tap Someone Who activity. I started to also appreciate myself.” (Poland)
“What I enjoyed the most was working with my teammates. It’s just amazing to experience love from brothers and sisters.” (The Netherlands)
What did you learn?
“I learned how Bible stories can be analyzed, learned about Jacob & Esau’s story, about True Mother, and her position in the Providence. About walls, historical and internal. About life of faith.” (Lithuania)
“I learned that if I want to change something in my life it’s not going to happen only if I pray about it. I need to do something for it, fight for victory.” (Ukraine)
“That God loves us all, doesn’t matter how many mistakes we’ve done. That I need to be less rough with myself. That everyone has their struggles, even if it doesn’t seem that way.” (Izrael)
“We need to overcome ourselves. Sometimes we just need to talk with people even if we are scared.” (Ukraine)
“People are in tough situations and I should be more grateful for the relationships I have with my family and friends. People here are very welcoming and kind. I learned how important it is to love even when it’s very difficult and that sometimes it is better not to talk than to be mean.” (UK)
We couldn’t have done this without our sponsors. The 70+ people present at the workshop were financially supported by the FFWPU EUME HQ and the 7 people who donated through GoFundMe. Thank you again for your generous donations!