September 2025

You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens.

-Mandy Hale

In the last night of our facilitators’ training, we talked briefly about faith and hope.  How do we live into our faith and hope?  First of all, we need to know what we trust (faith) and for what we hope. This self-exploration is not easy because too many of us have been told what to believe and how we should hope.  We rarely examine for ourselves the basis of our faith and hope. Second, we need to see if what we trust and hope for is healthy. Do we trust the right people, right institutions, right spirit/divine/whisper? What should we trust them for? Does this faith feed into healthy hope? Third and the question before us, how do we live into that faith and hope? What concrete steps do we take to plan accordingly? When and how do we know to live into that faith and hope?

As you know, I lost my beloved mother in early July and I recently learned that my aunt, my father’s twin sister and my mother’s childhood friend, died less than a week ago.  It is quite overwhelming to sit with such heavy emotions.  So I have not been exactly myself and I have not been able to actively reach out and organize for this year’s program.

At such a time, how have I been able to live into my faith and hope?  I have thought about canceling this year’s program but if we lose momentum, it is not easy for a small organization to bounce back. I know. We were there 3 years ago.  We had to cancel and it took a lot of energy to re-initiate the program. I do not have the stamina to repeat that level of re-engaging with our community and our youth leaders.  Momentum is real and something we need to honor.

You see, I am a Christian, the type of Christian that many conservative Christians would denounce, but nevertheless, I am a Christian. My faith is therefore connected to my calling - I trust that I am called to work with young leaders to instill in them the inherent value of their own vocation.  Even if I am not able to muster energy, I lean into the trust that God will work through all circumstances and send the people to help me. Yes, I have moments of doubt and question whether I am called to this mission. Many mornings… but I persist.

Faith means that I lean into my trust. So I reach out to facilitators, train them, interview candidates for the micro-internship, reserve rooms, and order food with the hope that we will have enough participants. I live into my trust for God to provide, I live into the hope that people will come. Did I passively trust and hope? No. I reached out to our community organizer, I emailed previous participants and current facilitators, and for me, I prayed every morning.  Was I anxious? Yes but not to the point of paralysis because I trusted God to do their part while I lived into my part. Does trust guarantee success?  No, but whatever happens, I will learn from the results and try to do better next year.

Being aware of and living into the very faith and hope requires much work but also letting go of the very things I have absolutely no control over is difficult.  It isn’t easy but it is easier than trying to control everything. Because ultimately, I am all to human and know my limitations, especially this year, where I feel very frail.

Sam Joo

CEO and Founder

September 1, 2025