3rd New Hope Fishing Workshop Unites International Community in Porto
By FFWPU EUME – The New Hope Team
Participants from Germany, Slovenia, Hungary and Switzerland gathered with Portuguese members and missionaries in the Porto church centre for the third New Hope Fishing Workshop from 3rd – 8th September. Each year our core team has grown, and each year we have been able to give participants a more extensive introduction to fishing. We fished in different locations around the coast and river, using different equipment, methods of fishing and targeting different types of fish. This was our most successful year of catching, having improved our education and being able to supervise the participants more heavily – it helped that the weather was also very much on our side!
We had daily themes to guide the hoon dok hae and internal experience of the participants. The themes were The Value of Preparation, Owners of Creation, Embracing Challenge, Fishing as a Spiritual Practice and New Hope. The hoon dok hae included a combination of Mother’s and
Father’s words as well as testimonies from first generation members who had fished with Father. Participants shared that the hoon dok hae and fishing helped them to re-connect with Father in particular. We also had some talks in the mornings and evenings at the centre or on the beach, including a testimony from one of our participants, Dariusz Stec, who was fishing on the New Hope boats in Poland. Our workshop was not originally targeted towards first gen, but those who attended, including the former national leader couple of Slovenia and one of the current national leaders of Portugal, were a deep and valued addition to the programme.
We are very grateful for the funding provided by HQ which allowed us to invest in equipment, specifically rods and fishing supports. We have slowly been investing in equipment over the previous two workshops and this funding allows us to be more ambitious in future workshops with what we can provide.
This workshop brought together people young and old, first and second generation. From distant members to full time missionaries and those fresh off of gap year programmes. All of whom felt called in some way to the ocean. In an intense time for our movement, we feel encouraged that people of all backgrounds can find value in inheriting some part of True Parents’ legacy of Ocean Providence. A Portuguese speaking participant shared that despite not speaking much English, he could come to know people through observing them when fishing together. Our youngest participant at 15 shared that the workshop felt like a family and that he was inspired by the culture of selflessness and cooperation required when fishing with others.
We are grateful to God that our once small initiative continues to grow. Many are keen to return and a couple are interested in joining as staff. Most excitingly some people feel inspired to fish or arrange fishing trips for others in their own communities.
We offer this experience to the participants and to God, and we trust he could work through it. We pray that it can bring comfort and encouragement to our True Parents.
