Austin’s Volunteering Story for Love Beyond the Orphanage
The Lunar New Year event was simply amazing. What a wonderful time seeing everyone laughing and having a good time. With over 30 people attending, we ate some delicious food and played games together. This was also my first time to experience a Korean Lunar New Year with traditional games and some traditional food. We made some great new relationships there. The time went by so fast. What an honor to meet these incredible people. I can’t wait until the next event.
We were able to follow up after the event and meet up with some of them for food and games. Even though we couldn’t speak Korean well, we were able to still have a good time together. Unfortunately due to the Coronavirus, we had to post-pone some of the meetups and group gatherings. Recently, Korea is lifting the ban on social distancing, so we are both glad to be able to meet in person again.
Fast forward to now. As I am writing this for Love Beyond the Orphanage, I began thinking about something in my childhood. Even though I was adopted, I still lacked something. I lacked someone that could empathize with me. For example, someone who could relate to me when I was teased for being Asian. I grew up with lots of pains just like so many other adoptees. I want to use the struggles that God allowed for me to endure to help others. Instead of being consumed by bitterness or things that I think I deserve, I want to use these scars to show the next generation I made it, and they can too.
“who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”