Midwest
Blessing & Family Ministry

"To help Midwest Blessed families foster loving relationships through initiating and supporting family oriented activities to bring joy to God."

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Special Feature: Midwest Blessed 2025

We encourage you to celebrate and support those from the Midwest who prepared and attended the April 12th 2025 Cosmic Blessing!

Each have navigated a unique journey to find each other, and all are honorable in making this next invaluable step of an eternal commitment of true love before our Heavenly Parent and True Parents.
There were 24 couples in total, with at least one from or currently living in the Midwest, who were able to attend this year.

If there is a couple you would like to suggest to be added to this feature, please contact our Midwest BFM Team at christelle.carlson@gmail.com.

David Lee (Columbus, OH)
& Lisa Regidor (Las Vegas, NV)

"It has been an exciting journey. A couple of highlights are our many coffee dates getting to know each other, visiting each other and receiving the Blessing in Korea!! Spending time together and with each other's families has also been a highlight. We are looking forward to the relationship we will grow, building our faith together and supporting each other in our dreams."

Joseph a'Beckett (Bay Area, CA)
& Chloé Wojtowicz (Chicago, IL)

"We feel eternally grateful to have received the Blessing! It's quite surreal; it feels so natural to be Blessed together forever, and at the same time unfathomable. We look forward to beginning life together, exploring God's vision for us as a couple and what it's like going through every part of life with a partner. We can't wait to explore these new realms of heart that have now opened up to us through the Blessing, and grow closer to Heavenly Parent through each other and our future family.”

Manny Moyongo (Minneapolis, MN)
& Karen Yuda (Minneapolis, MN)

"We’ve known each other for many years, we’ve worked with each other in different ministries at our local community in Minnesota, but we didn’t always think we’d get Blessed someday. We were asked to be a dancing representative couple just a few days before the ceremony and it ended up being an amazing bonding experience. The Blessing was an event of true joy, a joy we’ve been searching for since we decided to pursue it wholeheartedly. It was also heartwarming seeing brothers and sisters we know getting Blessed at the same time and sharing that experience. We give all gratitude to Heavenly Parent and True Parents."

Seiji Lindstrom (Ohio)
& Yoshie Horii (Hyogo, Japan)

"Through our entire matching process, we felt so guided and protected by Heavenly Parent. We did a lot of conditions together and we felt that it was so helpful to building an amazing emotional and spiritual foundation for our relationship moving forward. We appreciated the deep, honest and sometimes difficult conversations which always brought us closer together. Next up, we are going to be moving in together in Japan getting ready for a major life change."

Jeong-Sook Lalonde (Ontario, Canada)
& Eugene Yoon Kook (Maryland)

"We are deeply grateful for the precious opportunity to receive the recent Cosmic Blessing. Standing together as a couple, committing ourselves before Heavenly Parent to build a true, Blessed family, was an indescribable honour. One of the greatest highlights was being surrounded by thousands of other couples and families—our extended global family—who are also on this journey. It reminded us that we are never alone and will always have a community to walk with. This moment was the fruit of a path built on trust in God, and we are filled with gratitude for the love and support of our families, True Parents, and Heavenly Parent. We look forward to discovering a deeper part of God’s love through the life we will build together."

Justus Monestere (Lousiana)
& Shina Muraoka (Indianapolis, IN)

Parents John & Mihoko Monestere with Officiators Randall & Lindy Denham held the groom's part of the Blessing from the Monestere home in LaPlace, Louisiana. The Izukaya couple served as Pastor couple for the Muraoka family.

“The Blessing turned out quite beautiful, with our homes decorated with flowers and photos of our beautiful children. Justus was able to stay in the living room through the ceremony until after Holy Mother Han's prayer. Our officiators even felt a connection of heart with Justus after the ceremony holding his hand gently. We are so grateful that our precious children could receive the Blessing from True Parents!"

Chan Phil Tan Juliano (Malaysia)
& Reika Watanabe (Indianapolis, IN)

"Before we met, we were both going through a difficult time emotionally. However, after we met through the matching process, we truly felt that we were exactly what each other had been looking for, and we deeply felt that it was guided by Heavenly Parent. In my case, I had given up on having a joyful Blessing for various reasons, and I believed that my Blessing would be a path of sacrifice. But through him, I truly felt how beautiful and precious the Blessing prepared by True Parents really is. We hope to become a couple who can pass on this blessing to many people."

Terushi Nakaza (Indianapolis, IN)
& Sanae Kato (Chicago, IL)

"The biggest highlight of our experience was of course, being able to receive the Blessing from God and True Parents, and being able to do so on such a special and providential day. We felt a lot of Heavenly Parent’s love being able to celebrate so many incredible events all at once, while also having our own personal experience unique to us. It was also very special to spend time with the other couples and celebrate all together. Terushi’s next step is to continue working for GPA and Sanae plans to continue working in Chicago till the end of the year and move to Indiana early next year."

Michael Brown (California)
& Nana Shibata (Illinois)

"A highlight in my matching/Blessing experience was the times we were able to visit each other's families. It was a precious opportunity to spend time with each other in person (as we live in different states), and connect with our future in-laws. I look forward to being a part of each other's day to day life once we officially start a Blessed Life, and to ultimately enjoy life together. " - Nana

"The biggest highlight for me is learning how to emotionally grow within a relationship, alongside my partner. Outside of our similar interests and upbringings, I felt the most connection we have in our partnership when we learn to express our emotions towards each other." - Michael

Kalusisiku Revely (Congo-Kinshasa)
& Fortune Kisile (Indianapolis, IN)

"Despite never having met in person before, we received the Blessing after only a short period of communication, feeling a unique mix of joy and loneliness that only distant couples can truly understand. My husband wished deeply to be by my side, and by Heavenly Parent’s grace, we were able to meet in Korea shortly after the ceremony. We are deeply thankful to Heavenly Parent and True Parents, especially True Mother, for the opportunity to grow our faith and change our lineage through this experience. Though we will return to our respective countries for now, we look forward to reuniting and starting our family life together, centered on Heavenly Parent."

Kensei Yee (Chicago, IL)
& Eri Kawa (Los Angeles, CA)

"We are deeply grateful to have received the Blessing from our True Mother in Korea, surrounded by the love of our family and friends. We truly believe that without the guidance of our Heavenly Parent and True Parents, we would not be where we are today. One highlight was witnessing the joy of all the other couples receiving the Blessing along side us. We are excited to begin the next chapter of our lives together in Los Angeles, where we will continue to grow, strengthen, and deepen our relationship."

Riki Menning (Minnesota)
& Amanda Themen (New Jersey)

"One of the highlights of our matching and Blessing journey was our commitment ceremony, which took place at a youth winter workshop in Michigan. It was a meaningful moment that really set the tone for everything that followed. Another unforgettable experience was being part of the performance crew, where we had the honor of dancing in front of True Mother. Looking ahead, we'll be continuing our relationship long-distance as we each finish our studies in our respective states, excited for all the steps still to come."

Miyuki Granstrom (Seattle, WA)
& Yuhtoku Joshua Fujikake (Bay Area, CA)

"Grateful to be Blessed under Heavenly Parent and True Parents. Both finishing school within the next year before moving in together, looking forward to that time."

Doo-Wan Magene (Uganda)
& Victoria Konan (Michigan)

"We were both raised knowing we have to go to the blessing to continue creating families with God at the center. We are grateful that we were able to make that pledge before our heavenly parents and become blessed central families. It has been a privilege for us to receive this blessing recognizing the hard work our the heavenly parents has invested throughout the course of 6000 years of restoration to achieve it with our true parents. That’s why regardless of the challenges that could occur, our focus was to work towards getting this blessing and protecting it. We were also extremely lucky to have been part of this blessing coinciding with the opening of the Cheon Won Gun."

Upcoming Events

“I Am Grateful” Children’s Daily Family Devotion Journal: Now Available

The children's daily devotional created by YAYAM, I Am Grateful, is now available for purchase!

This simple resource can empower your family to develop a daily and sincere relationship with Heavenly Parent, True Parents, and your family through practicing gratitude.

In this 13-week journal, you'll find daily gratitude pages to fill out together along with weekly gratitude-focused family activities. Each week also includes some simple Korean phrases to learn and practice.

You can order your copy here!

More Upcoming Activities

See what else is coming up that supports Midwest Blessed families (including YAYAM) on our Midwest Family Ministry Google calendar! You can also keep track by adding any, or all, of the sub-calendars to your own personal Google calendar, or you can simply print out the whole calendar.

To view ministry specific activities, click the blue triangle in the upper right corner of the calendar and check or un-check the ministries you want to see.

To add any of these sub-calendars to your personal Google calendar, click “+ Google Calendar” at the bottom right of the calendar. All sub-calendars will be added at first by default, and then you can later delete the sub-calendars you don’t want to follow.

Past Activities

"Speak Their Love" February 2023 - Photos, Stories, and Winners!

Our St. Valentine’s themed subregion-wide family activity has concluded, and winners have been selected!

Midwest families were invited to "speak" a special someone's Love Language, whether to your spouse, parent, child, sibling, relative, or friend. The 5 different main Love Languages are Quality Time, Physical Touch, Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, and Gifts. Some ideas suggested were a dinner date, helping out with the dishes, or a letter of appreciation.

For every photo/story submitted of either the gift given or of the person they gifted to, each giver received a raffle ticket for three chances of a $40 gift card prize, or the potential to be selected for a prize of $30 for a most notable story. The won prize is then to give some extra love to the winner’s receiver of their original gift!

You can watch a fun little video of drawing the winners by clicking on the video screenshot to the right.

Below, a summary of the raffle winners and selected notable story winner are….!

Pastor Marian North!
*"Experience of a new car [for my husband]"*

Ivan & Christine Lozano!
*"We did a fondue for our son. He loves spending time together so this was a hit for him.*"

Laura McCormick!
“Wilma is 95 and has been in the hospital for the past few weeks. I wanted to help her feel loved by visiting her, calling her, praying for her, and bringing her cards and this little bear friend. Her own daughters live far away and cannot be here right now. I know she appreciates the attention, and I appreciate the opportunity to care for someone of the older generation."

Notable Story: Pastor Hebangja Kisile!
“One of my wife’s top love languages is spending quality time together. She appreciates it when we can disconnect from the rest of the world and spend some intentional time with each other, either doing an activity or just sharing our hearts with each other. This is not my top love language so I have to make intentional effort to connect with my wife in this way. This month, we had the opportunity to go to Dubai together for a friend’s wedding and it was also an opportunity to step back from our busy lives and just enjoy each other. We went to a desert safari where we got to ride a bike in the desert and then rode a camel together for the first time. My wife was very happy that we could do this together and that made me happy in return."

Congrats again to all of the winners this year! The vote for the notable story was once again a tough one, as so many of the stories shared were touching of how a seemingly small intentional action to love another in the way they feel most loved can go a long way.

We also encourage you to view the rest of the many heart warming photos and stories shared by clicking on the album screenshot below:

Thank you so much to everyone who joined in, and we hope some extra love was shared around this year!

Previous “Midwest Families Give Together” Activities

Catch the spirit of past subregion-wide family activities hosted so far! Just click on the album screenshot to view the whole photo album, plus the to read the stories behind the photos.

“Prepare together with your family a special treat to give to your local neighbors, relatives, and friends!”

“In the spirit of Halloween, dress up together as a family, community, or solo with a theme!”

“Honor couples married 40+ years, in the spirit of the April 2022 Cosmic Blessing and True Parent’s Holy Wedding Anniversary”

“Send in a favorite photo of you with your dad and share about the moment behind it!”

“Send in a favorite photo of you with your mom and share about the moment behind it!”

"Speak" a special someone's Love Language, whether to your spouse, parent, child, sibling, relative or friend! — “‘Speak’ a special someone’s Love Language, whether to your spouse, parent, child, sibling, relative, or friend!“

Midwest Youth & Young Adult Ministry - March Activities

The Young Adult Ministries of Chicago Family Church gather together to reconnect with the brothers and sisters of the community. They bonded around pizza, and games. GPA's HUSA group and carp members also attended this event as well. This is hoping to be a reoccurring gathering where brothers and sisters of the community can just relax and bond together.

In the month of March, the Youth Ministry in Minnesota gathered together to learn more about a life of faith from a video testimony by Adonia Hentrich, DP+Community Jeopardy, and a movie night. They topped it off with a birthday celebration for one of the kids.

Connect More with Midwest Families

Recent Midwest Births and Ascensions

Contact your local pastor if you would like to request a feature of another Midwest ascension or birth!

Emilia Kiyoe Sugimori
February 8th, 2023
(Shuichi & Pattie Sugimori)

Henry Ren Hasegawa Canarsky
January 21st, 2023
(D.J. & Chika Canarsky)

Colin Koryo McCready
January 10th, 2023
(Vinson & Mariko McCready)

Maia Marie & Mabel Kei
September 16th, 2022
(Tom & Sonomi Vetterli)

Stephen Tsubaki
September 2022
(Isamu & Johanna Tsubaki)

Leon Kenneth Rinkema
July 18th, 2022
(Immanuel & Sunmi Rinkema)

Dominick Thomas Urbonya
July 11th, 2022
(Aaron & Nina Urbonya)

Sofia Jangmi Oliveira
June 26th, 2022
(Lucas & Nina Oliveira)

Frederick Joon Wagner
June 18th, 2022
(Rohika & Julie Wagner)

Jonathan Tadaaki Menning
June 15th, 2022
(Kenei & Katie Menning)

Calvin Gullery
April 16th 2022
(Toby & Sun-Young Gullery)

Luca Yoshi Murray
March 9, 2022
(Canaan & Erika Murray)

Caden William Repke
February 21, 2022
(Ken & Rhoda Repke)

Emika Amy Yee
January 24th, 2022
(Senji & Sumika Yee)

Momo Lindsay
January 17th 2022
(August & Chiyo Lindsay)

Lucille Marianne Perley
January 12th, 2022
(Julie & Peter Perley)

Marilyn Eaton
Ascended February 23rd, 2023
BFM’s In Loving Memory
**Marilyn Eaton Memorial Fund**

Joel Lindstrom
Ascended January 29th, 2023
BFM’s In Loving Memory
**Joel Lindstrom Memorial Fund**

Karin Smith
Ascended September 5th, 2022
**Support Family's** **GoFundMe**

Daniel Landreth
Ascended September 2, 2022
BFM’s In Loving Memory

Alina Scanlan
Ascended May 22nd, 2022
BFM’s In Loving Memory
**Support Scanlan Family**

James Anderson
Ascended January 23rd, 2022
BFM’s In Loving Memory

Midwest Prayer Requests

View fellow Midwestern brothers and sisters in need of support HERE.

If you would like to submit a prayer request, please contact your local pastor.

Prayer requests recommended are for births, ascensions, serious injuries, or serious illnesses. Please include the name of who to pray for, their church community, summarized prayer point(s), and a duration of time. Consent is needed from the individual or individual’s guardian of whom to pray for.