Embracing the Journey of Faith

Photo courtesy of GPA

A recent 2022 GPA kickoff workshop, “Embrace My Journey of Faith,” prepared many young Unificationists in their upcoming evangelizing missions across the country and overseas. Some 42 first-year GPA participants, 54 second and third-year GPA participants, 24 Cheon Il Guk (CIG) missionaries, and 10 Heavenly USA missionaries comprise this year’s team.

“There are actually more people coming, even among the first-year participants,” shared GPA Director Roland Platt in a Sept. 13 report to FFWPU USA leaders. “There’s international youth from Germany, Poland, Japan, and Korea, and a few more coming from the Dominican Republic and Nepal.”

Platt said GPA is now registered to receive and train people on an H-3 visa, and this new status means more possibilities. “This is a big breakthrough, and very exciting,” he said. Staff now anticipate exponential growth of international GPA participants over the next few years, as demand steadily grows in different parts of the world. 

Photo courtesy of GPA

“There is a high demand for missionaries in Europe, Africa, and Latin America,” said Adelina Lazar, CIG U.S. program staff. “But because of the limited numbers, we are currently unable to respond to the calls of all the nations.”

“However, we are opening the doors to the Young Adult Missionary Program,” she said, “which is an opportunity for college students and graduates to join the mission for one semester.”

Lazar said an accelerated course is currently in development — consisting of internal guidance and lectures about witnessing, connecting with God, and deepening personal faith and sense of identity. “This will be a valuable resource for those who would like to join the missionary program but might feel they don't possess the tools needed for becoming a victorious missionary,” she said.

For the 2022 missionaries, Platt said having a greater number of participants return for another year has provided “a very rich environment” that helps first-year participants feel embraced and uplifted. “It’s a very joyful and exciting group,” he said, describing team bonding group activities that created “a spirit of actionizing around the kickoff workshop. “[We had] less lectures, but lots of fun activities that were challenging and meaningful,” he said.

Photo courtesy of GPA

In a separate, earlier workshop, CIG staff similarly shared guidance with their missionaries — touching both on internal content, such as the heart of salvation and building a foundation for the Messiah, as well as more practical tools, such as understanding the standard and requirements to become a missionary, and how fundraising is a great foundation for a successful witnessing experience. 

Platt said a big highlight of the recent kickoff workshop was welcoming Dr. Chung Sik Yong, Regional President, FFWPU North America, and Rev. Naokimi Ushiroda, President, FFWPU USA. The pair shared personal insights and experiences that helped shape their lives of faith, and engaged GPA participants during a Q&A session. “Much of the Q&A guidance revolved around fundraising as a great spiritual practice,” said Platt, whose team has already completed a successful week of fundraising. “They’re having such great experiences out in the field,” he said. 

While GPA participants are training in their life of faith and investing in the providence in America, CIG missionaries will do evangelical work overseas, from November to May 2023. On Sept. 22, the CIG missionaries will head to Albania for six weeks of intensive training, followed by in-country mission work for six months, which will conclude in May 2023 with three weeks in Korea. “All of our missionaries will gather there to support and receive True Mother,” said Platt. “We are going there with the heart to bring an offering and a gift of support and inspiration to True Mother.”

Photo courtesy of GPA

GPA leaders noted six months is the longest duration to date that CIG missionaries have been sent abroad. “It’s usually been three or four, or maybe five months, max,” said Platt. “But we feel the longer they can be in their countries, the more profound the experiences will be.”

Missionaries will be sent to Zambia, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Romania, Israel, and possibly Italy, where teams will join local evangelical efforts. “Our hope is to build a united missionary front that takes on the baton from the 1975 missionaries,” said Lazar, “and stands as filial sons and daughters who can comfort True Mother.”

You can learn more about the Generation Peace Academy here.