Happy True God's Day!

We want to give you a short report on our recent 2nd Generation Teenage Workshop. It took place at the Ohio Family Church from December 29th to December 31st. There were forty-three teenagers from 13 - 19 years of age. The diverse group melded together well from the first day and actually made new bonds by the end of the workshop.

The first day was designed to help them settle in and connect to God. To do that, we showed the DVD "The Privileged Planet" and took them to a mountain for a group prayer and individual prayer walk. Groups of 7 to 8 were formed with older Second Generation as group leaders and volunteer parents as advisors. We closed out the day with the DVD movie "March of the Penquins". It is the story of love and family in a classic example.

The second day, we utilized the "8 points for Living a Life with God and True Parents" talk given by Hoon Mo Nim. Each point became a topic, with an overview and then each group dispersed to mentor each other on that topic. Later, each group presented its report to the rest of the workshop.

The third day, we used the topic about "Don't Eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil". After the group discussions and reports, the boys were divided from the girls into separate rooms. A 2nd Generation Blessed Couple, Garrun and Yusun Abrahams, volunteered to speak and hold question and answers. Garrun took the guys and Yusun took the girls. After an hour this session was still going strong. However, we moved into the closing of the workshop, had lunch and cleaned and prepared the church for God's Day celebration.

There were some beautiful and moving reflections written by the participants. Suffice it to say hearts were opened and it allowed for a new start for the 2nd Generation and their families to have a new beginning for the New Year.

The original goal was to "get something going" and maintain regular workshops and educational activities on a continuous and consistent basis. God fashioned this style of workshop for different reasons. In the future, we will make the workshops more age specific and tailor the content according to the group. In reporting to the congregation on Sunday, I challenged parents to make some radical changes in the New Year, which will allow them more time to interact and teach their children. The education starts there. The young people heard the value of reporting to parents and God. They were challenged to make adjustments and a new beginning, too. Finally, it was explained to the congregation that there have been some warning signs already concerning the second generation. We can't fail them any longer. We have the support of the regional leader to develop an educational course. We can't wait for the "big pattern" to come from headquarters and beyond. The 2nd Generation thrive when they are together and learning about the meaning of their lives; This is God's lineage, we are the caretakers.

Chris and Mihoko Rood

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