Yamok Church, Cheonghae Garden
안녕하세요! Hello! Welcome BACK to the Generation Peace Academy blog! After an eventful weekend filled with excitement and blessings 😉, GPA has left Cheongpyeong and moved south to continue our Korea pilgrimage.
We had a long drive ahead of us, but the three hour bus ride consisted of Hoon Dok Hwae, games, and lots and lots of naps to help time fly by! It rained as we made our way to Yeosu, but with the help of our amazingly skilled bus drivers, we safely arrived at our first destination, the Yamok Church.
Sign of the Yamok Church
The Yamok Church is one of the earliest churches True Father founded in Korea. It holds immense significance which is evident in a True Father quote, “The Unification Church could not be established without Yamok.” It has a rich history, being a place where the first workshops and missionary training took place. We learned more in depth about the history of Yamok from the pastor, Kim Jong Young. He gave us a brief presentation with interesting stories about the church like the hole in the floorboard True Father broke with his very own foot. Then, as a fun activity, we were taught a quick folk dance to liven up the spirit.
Afterwards, we got a tour of the humble training center and even got to go inside the room True Father stayed in for 21 days.
We hiked up a small mountain nearby that True Father and many early church members visited to offer devotion and had the opportunity to individually offer a prayer. It was a peaceful time to connect to the beautiful scenery around us and to feel God’s love.
We got onto ANOTHER bus with an even LONGER drive, but do not fret, we had a great time. Many people gave their life testimonies to each other and heartwarmingly got closer together. Can I get an “Aww?”
Before we knew it, we arrived at the Cheonghae Youth Training Center. GPA split up into two teams and had some family bonding time; we played telephone charades with goofy prompts like “Duck watching KDramas” or “Parrot singing at a Noraebang (karaoke).” Laughter filled the room and everyone was happy going into dinner.
After dinner, we played World Cafe to hear each other’s highlights from the Korea trip so far and set intentions for the next half. On the topic of sharing our experiences, we ended off the night with testimonies from members of all three missionary programs. It was inspiring to hear all the God-given experiences and we hope you can hear them someday as well!
What an amazing day GPA got to spend connecting deeper and deeper to our Heavenly Parent’s and True Parents’ hearts. We are so excited for what the rest of the trip has in store for us. Stay tuned for the next blog, written by Rebeka Bijukovic, about our time in Busan!
