Keishin's Final Blog

It’s coming up to the last days of the 6 months I have spent in Japan.
I left the Keisei centre and parted with the rest of the group early to tie off lose ends in Ichinoseki –the town I had been previously staying in for 5 months. I have had to say goodbye to many an era, but goodbye’s still seem to be one of the hardest things. For me goodbyes are accepting and letting go of the fact that I will never have this same experience ever again. All I can do is keep these beautiful memories and people close to my heart and embrace the next beautiful thing.



We were thrown a surprise goodbye party the night before we left. To me this is a perfect example of their sincerity in welcoming us and seeing us off properly. It was just so beautiful. With singing and dancing and speeches dedicated to each of us. I know that I cry a lot, but in this atmosphere more people than me were moved to tears. So that was the atmosphere we left.
One thing that I was most surprised by with CARP’s witnessing method, is that most people don’t join CARP because of the Truth. They stayed close to CARP for reasons more like; that they felt a deeper sincerity and love, or because of the family atmosphere.
This is why the atmosphere within the CARP house is so important. It is so important that they keep a family atmosphere. It is important that big struggles aren’t created, because they keep a harmonious house not just for themselves, but for their guests, ultimately the world. If you can create a little heavenly world people will be drawn to it. To me, this seems to be one of the most important things.



Being at the Keisei centre was actually very short. Not nearly enough time to absorb and understand everything. However we did do our best to copy their CARP material, we looked at their structure and the little quirks which create their atmosphere.
However, we are also fully aware of the difficulty in taking one thing and just plonking it in another country/culture. So I guess the big question is how to take everything we have learnt and tie it together and bring it back. I think that will take a lot of trial and improvement… and time. However it is so important to make a start and do what we can! Ganbarimashou!!!

A lot can happen in two days

This weekend Mariam and Keishin will be helping as kitchen staff on the 2 day-workshop. Last week Alban and I had the chance to do the same thing. It was one of the most intense things I have ever experienced.
Non-stop back-breaking work starting from 6am and we hardly took breaks right through to 2 in the morning, where we were still preparing breakfast for the next day! And yet the kitchen staff all managed to maintain their cheerful, serving, chong-song spirit throughout, even though they were all university students already overloaded with intense schoolwork and the demanding CARP centre lifestyle.
I was amazed at how much effort was invested into making such beautiful and quality meals each time.. (The pictures show the breakfast we ate on both days).









All the workshop staff members (who are basically all CARP students) on the workshop invested with this much dedication. I was told that during the 40-day workshop they have each summer, the team leaders only sleep 3 hours every night. Often it's because of late-night sharings they have with the guests participating. These one-to-one talks often carry on until 3am. I discovered that these talks are also the turning point for most 1st generation - where they decide to move into a CARP centre and devote themselves to God and True Parents.

On our 2-day workshop (actually there were 2 concurrent workshops in the same place) there were about 30 guests (and 30 staff) and these workshops take place every weekend. And this is just in the Tokyo block. So you get some idea of how active and successful members are, investing into witnessing, aside from their studies.

It's breath-taking stuff. I'm hoping that one day I can attend the infamous 40-day workshop as well, and see for myself the ultimate transformation that takes place in people's lives.

All the best to Mariam and Keishin for this weekend! I'm sure it'll be an eye-opening and heart-stirring experience.

Those marvellous Japanese designs

I just had to post a picture of this..
Check out the margarine tubs they have here - with a purpose-made hole for the spoon..!!
As you can imagine Japan is filled with thoughtful little details like this.. but I must say, this was probably my favourite so far,

Alban's first post

Hello,
for those who don't know me I'm Alban Wyser (or my brand new nickname is Momotaro who means Peachboy) it was given to me just this week end,when I went to a 2 days workshop as kitchen staff.
So I'm nineteen and I'm from the french part of Switzerland.
I'm here for one week now in the Keisei's CARP center.
It's a huge change, everything is so different, eating rice for the breakfast...or the driving side, the people's size, the culture, temperature and so.. well a lot of things.
I'm speaking english to the members here, well...we are trying to communicate switching between english and japanese but we are doing our best to understand each others.
See you
Alban (Momotaro)

Photos(top to bottom): (i)Alban at the end of cooking on the 2 day workshop, (ii)Alban making a cake for one of the winning teams from the workshop's Performance evening, (iii)Shibuya, one of the busiest shopping areas of Tokyo, (iv)Alban with another CARP member on their day out shopping

Alban Arrives!

On the 5th of July the three of us greeted Alban (from Switzerland) at Narita airport. It turned out to be difficult to spot eventhough we had a wonderful name plate - which was actually a piece of A4 paper which we coloured in during the drive to the airport.

He has been very brave, as he came a little later than the rest of us, is the only boy out of the Europeans in our house and both Yoshiko and I abandoned him to go to Cheon Pyeong for a few days, the day after he arrived.
At the moment both him and Yoshiko have joined a two day workshop for new guests as cooking staff!

I'm sure they are having a great time!

Fish Heads

Most days, we have been making effort to help the CARP members around the house. Dishes and Cooking for example. The three of us girls had a first experience of cutting up and gutting fish, which Japanese people seem to be a natural at. This is a heavenly cook book!!! for Cheon Ill Gook!!!! Jokes!

Korea Night

During Yoshiko's first months at the CARP house on her own, she met some Japanese Christians. They invited us to a "Korea Night".
Actually we found out that there is a lot of tension between Christians and CARP in Japan. However we went anyway, and it turned out to be a really nice event with many young people.

The ball seems to be rolling

Over this past week, everyday has somehow become more and more busy.
Today we managed to drag ourselves out of bed, 2 minutes before opening with sore muscles.
The week started with a lot of planning. Brainstorming and drawing out a colourful calendar. But we have also experienced some really nice things this week. We visited a hospital which is run by a blessed family and both Mariam and I experienced witnessing for the first time.

Out of my one year on STF I didn’t get a chance to go witnessing once. I remember doing it once when I was 12 in London. But I can barely call it witnessing. I have always looked at it as an activity for the really brave and strong. It was something which I knew wanted and should do, but something that I thought I might be able to wheedle my way out of for the rest of my life.




We had given guidance by the centre leader. It was simple because of language, however it was one of the most inspiring and beautiful lectures I have heard. The language barrier actually made it possible to really receive the real essence, without fancy words and long sentences. The lecture had something very natural and pure about it. It was truly inspiring.


Going witnessing was really interesting. There are rules on whom to approach. I thought it would be like fundraising where we approach everybody, but actually with witnessing we often waited for somebody who fit a criteria and who we felt was prepared.
The CARP approach is also really relatable and understandable. It’s very friendly, like a questionnaire, starting with simple questions which get deeper and deeper. I actually really enjoyed it. Witnessing is actually something really beautiful and I think it’s so important to find a spiritual child in this life.
Other than that we have somehow been running here and there. Yesterday we wanted to cook an English meal. But it ended up becoming spaghetti bolognaise with cake and custard for desert… if you can call it custard. We tried making it from scratch and it became an absolute mission and disaster… even though we followed all the instructions. Why! Why???
Then yesterday we played sports with guests. These kinds of evenings are called “Care”. About 6 of us played basket ball and Badminton with really short reflection and goal making. The evening was actually a lot of jokes, with a lot of energy and laughing and the internal aspect really subtle but effective. Again, I was particularly inspired by the CARP member’s natural enthusiasm. It just isn’t forced and is often funny and free. Out of the months that I’ve spent in Japan, I have started to love Japan most in the last week.

Keishin.

Best of Both

In the past, I was a person that was critical of the Japanese movement. I used to think that it was too extreme, that it wasn't possible or normal to be so "hard-core".

However, deep down I think that I was trying to justify my own lack of passion. I have come to realise that one of the things that i would like most, is to have the same level of faith and passion that the Japanese UC community dedicates.

I arrived in Japan in early February this year. After years of wishing to speak Japanese and having recently been blessed to a Japanese, I felt that it was about time to just throw myself into it.

I spent the last few months with a Japanese family in a village in the countryside. I managed to overcome culture shock and - for once in my life - take a LOT of time to myself; studying japanese by myself and I started attending Japanese Ink painting lessons.

It was all really wonderfull and manytimes, I wondered why life couldn't always be this way. Sitting by rivers and eating ice-cream. Taking long walks and reading books. However after a while, I started to wonder what was the purpose of it all. I even felt internally stale. and felt frustrated easily.

So I found myself on a night bus to Tokyo.
Life went from my own pink bedroom, with birds singing and frogs croaking out my window.
To sharing a room with 5 other gilrs, next to a traintrack and a childrens playground.

I have to say though, that I suddenly feel really enriched.

I don't yet know much about the structure of CARP, and why it works so well here. But I can say that I have been struck and inspired by the dedication of the CARP members here. Yoshiko said once, that she hasn't seen any conflict here - in a house of 20 people - and it doesn't surprise me. Everybody is serving each other and there is a lot of energy and positivity.

As Europeans, we are wondering what we can offer to a country with a movement that is so advanced. However, there is a reason that True Father blessed so many East/West families. I am really starting to realise the importance of connecting and understanding the best of both worlds as there is a lot that we can learn from each other.

Love

Keishin