Minyeol leads worship at his church.
One year ago, Minyeol was wrapping up the last semester of his undergraduate classes. Now, he is finishing up the first year of his graduate studies in Theology. There are still challenges having all virtual classes, but his optimism to push through is inspiring. We asked Minyeol to answer a few questions on how his fall semester of graduate school is going. Here are his answers translated in English:
What do you enjoy most about college?
- I have started my second semester of college during my first year of graduate school. Because it is still virtual classes, there are some challenges, but there is a subject that I like the most. This is a sermon course. In order to do ministry in the future, you need to prepare for sermons, and this course teaches you how to prepare for a sermon. I enjoy listening to it.
What is your favorite thing to do on the weekends?
- There are still many limitations due to Covid-19. But I think the best thing to do is to worship at church on Sundays and to talk with people.
What is the most challenging thing about college?
- The most difficult part is having non face-to-face academic classes. For the virtual classes, there are many things that are needed in various situations, and it is difficult to talk about ministry without any in-person communication.
How does the scholarship money of 700,000 KRW help you pay for school or does it help you with living costs?
- I am very grateful to receive the 700,000 won semester scholarship through KKOOM. I am currently living with a lot of support and I am content in my life.
Do you have anything you would like to say to your KKOOM supporters?
- A heartfelt thank you to the KKOOM supporters. In the future, I will not forget this grace, study harder, and do my best to repay you in my life. I want to meet and say hello to each and every one of you, but I cannot do that. So I would like to say thank you, even though it’s a short gesture.
What are you most grateful for?
- Everything is by God’s grace. There are many things to be thankful for, but I thank God for giving me the opportunity to study so difficult, and I am most grateful to the KKOOM organization that gives me a precious scholarship in a difficult environment.
What helps you get through really tough days?
- Even hard days seems to have strength. There are many ways to overcome this, but the most intensive method is to meditate while listening to praise or take time to reflect on my heart through prayer. This is how I overcome the most difficult situations in my life.
What is your favorite season of the year and why?
- I love all seasons. One of my favorite seasons is winter. The reason is simple. Because there is Christmas when Jesus was born.
Minyeol volunteering at Aemangwon Children’s Home in summer 2019
Anytime we hear from Minyeol, he is most grateful for you. By investing in his graduate studies, you are keeping hope alive for this young man navigating the world through difficult circumstances, something that he acknowledged in this blog post.
Each of you may have experienced your own difficult days this year as well. Despite the unexpected we have navigated the past several months or the past two years, we extend a heartfelt thank you for taking the time to support, care, and give love to young adults like Minyeol.
Even through the hard days, you give strength to a young man on the other side of the world. Your generosity is reminding Minyeol to be grateful for everything he has. Through the holiday season, we hope you find joy through rest and are continuing to stay safe, healthy, and blessed. Thank you for being a blessing to our college scholars Minyeol and Jaehyuck.
With gratitude,
-Grace Lee, Executive Director
