Risa’s Family, USA (FVP Story 2021.)
“Yes, the crisis on the Korean Peninsula does affect the life of this girl from the Floridian peninsula in the US. We are all connected and this issue of Korean reunification is not just a dream for Koreans, it is also our dream ”
Risa is from Miami, Florida, U.S.A. She currently lives in Korea for graduate school, but her connections run deeper. In 2015 she participated in the 1K Campaign and read “Korean Dream: A Vision for a Unified Korea,” by Dr. Hyun Jin Moon. It sparked her interest in Korea. She thought about her parents and she thought about her grandfather. Grandpa fought in the Korean War in the 50’s. She remembered his stories about his time in Korea. She realized grandpa fought for freedom and peace for the Korean people. Risa felt it was her honor to continue what her grandfather began.
So, she got involved. On her undergrad campus in Miami she gave a speech on Korean reunification at the campus TedEx. After graduation, she went to Korea to volunteer. A few years ago, Risa created “Imagine Your Korean Dream,” an English language tutoring program for Koreans; both North and South. The program joins volunteer English language tutors and Korean students for 10 weeks for conversations covering culture, history, nation building and many more from the book Korean Dream. The experience exposed Risa to cultural differences and expanded her worldview.
We may never know how our own act of service translates to the next generation. For Risa, her grandfather’s example, when he put his life on the line for a free Korea, inspires her to pursue the dream of a peaceful, unified and free Korea. Their story reminds us that when we plant the seeds of the culture of service and peace in the family, it can grow through generations.