Happy 37th Anniversary, Agape!! Agape is the International Spiritual Center created by Reverend Michael Bernard Beckwith, and I’ve been a part of this community for 4 years. If this name is familiar to you, it’s because it’s not the first time I’ve talked about it on this blog (read Meditation again) or on Instagram. I also made a video in 2021: LINK (+ video at the end of this article). The magnificent Cynthia James who is one of my mentors and whose Women Awakening podcast I participated in (reread article), is also a member of the Agape community. If you’ve read my book, you know that Rev. Michael and Agape are mentioned in the acknowledgments.  After My Solo Wedding in Santorini in 2017, and during the healing process, my faith has been very important to me. And I'm not talking about religion here. Agape does not represent any in particular. For me, it was the light and hope to overcome my past life and become a better version of myself, something I actually promised myself during my solo wedding vows. I discovered Michael Bernard Beckwith during a personal development program and learned that he was the founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center. I was immediately attracted to this beautiful community. Little did I know how Reverend Michael's teachings would transform my life. And because of them, my faith has deepened in ways I couldn’t have imagined.  Every week, I participate online in collective meditation and watch the worship service. So, going in person was a dream, and last month during my trip to the United States, I attended the Agape Sunday service in Beverly Hills, California for the first time. My way of thanking God and Agape for all the blessings I’ve received over the last 4 years. Achieving your dreams requires faith but also actions that create opportunities for yourself. Like pushing doors. Both figuratively and literally. Who knows what awaits you on the other side? At the beginning of this year, I added the photo of the Saban Theater to my vision board with the intention of making this dream come true. It was time for me to take action, but not only that, because opening the doors to the Universe requires being true to oneself and surrendering to miracles. There were many miracles that day!! First, I had the privilege of speaking with Reverend Michael, but also of praying with him and the practitioners, and of being invited to sit in the front rows. I was already in heaven, but that was not all, STEVIE WONDER was sitting in front of me, and he has even sung!! (Excerpt from his performance below but you can see the whole thing in the service replay HERE). You should know that many celebrities are part of Agape, such as the family of Martin Luther King Jr., the family of Mohammed Ali, Hilary Swank, Sterling K. Brown etc. Agape means “love” in Greek, I must say I certainly received a lot of love during my visit! I didn’t expect to meet so many beautiful souls, thank you to all the people who made this day remain engraved in my memory, in particular the fantastic Josephine, but also Akili Beckwith (the brother of Rev. Michael). And a big thank you to my lovely friend Nina Grae, who I also met through Agape a few years ago, and who welcomed me into her beautiful home during my stay in Los Angeles. Speaking of love, the artist Bettina Hubby created this beautiful heart with the smiles of the Agape community, Rev. Michael is in the center but if you look to the left - middle - inside, you’ll see me too! I’m very proud to be part of this art piece, available for purchase: LINK. If you’d like to learn more about Agape:
And I invite you to watch the replay of the service I attended! Rev. Michael asked me to get up and you'll see a close-up of me 😉 (22 minutes 15) LINK Have an amazing week! ! Love & Joy, L.
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I hope you followed me on Instagram and Facebook to see where I was and what I was doing. If not, here is a summary in pictures of my fabulous trip! Without a doubt, it was an incredible adventure mixed with many challenges (canceled/postponed flights, delays, change of plan, destination, accommodation, etc.) but outweighed by incredible miracles. Obviously, some of these places/experiences will be the subject of more specific articles, but for the moment, I’ll only share my itinerary. As a reminder, all photos are mine ©Laëtitia Nguyen. NEW YORK CITY If you’ve followed me for a long time, you know that this is not my first time in this city. 3 hours of time difference with France, and 3 days to adapt as best I can, fortunately Central Park is my precious refuge after the tumult of the city, shopping and museums. SAN FRANCISCO (CA) 6 hours by plane, therefore the equivalent of France-NYC - 16 hours by plane already for me in 4 days - and let’s add 3 more hours of time difference. The excitement keeps me awake! I love San Francisco, the last time I was there was 10 years ago, so I was more than happy to spend 2 days here, especially since completely by chance, The Blue Angels (Flight Demonstration Squadron from the US Navy) were giving a show! SANTA CRUZ (CA) Having lived in Brisbane, Australia, for 7 years, I really missed the beach, the surfers, and its very special atmosphere, not to mention the Pacific Ocean. So going down the entire west coast, from San Francisco to San Diego was on the agenda, and all by public transport (train and bus)! Believe me, I’ve developed new travel skills. First stop: Santa Cruz, the town of Jack O’Neill, the inventor of the surf shop. PISMO BEACH (CA) I liked this place so much that I stayed there longer. It’s been a long time since I felt this inspired as a photographer, I think the last time was when I was living in Crete (2018-2019). Landscapes like in Australia, fine sandy beaches as far as the eye can see, varied and numerous wildlife. A place where I landed by chance and certainly a great discovery… VENTURA (CA) A very large city with different atmospheres depending on the location. It feels like you're traveling in just a few minutes, it's very surprising and I really liked it. A very well-maintained historic pedestrian area with its amazing shops, the wild beach and the surfers’ beach… Definitely a place I could see myself living… OJAI (CA) So charming! It reminded me so much of certain areas of Brisbane (Australia). A small town of hippie chic artists. Music everywhere, cute restaurants, a large park… We feel that the word community has meaning here. To tell the truth, we don't really know where we are anymore when we enter this city... I loved it!! Little secret, this is where the Brothers Koren, my music coaches live 😉 Previous articles:
Have a fantastic week!! Love & Joy, L.  |
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