"Sponsoring the 'Dreams' of New Students"
My Dream International Foundation Presents Scholarships. Pastor Kwon Gu and Minister Kim Dong-shin have been selected as the first theological scholarship recipients of the My Dream International Foundation.
On the 16th, at 3 p.m., My Dream International Foundation (Chairman Son Chang-hyun) held the "2022 Theological College Student Scholarship Award Ceremony" at Korea House.
At the scholarship award ceremony held on this day, which was conducted socially by Director Song Mi-soon of the Southern Branch of My Dream International Foundation (the Foundation), long-distance travelers including Joe Kyu-sik and Lee Gi-hyun from Louisiana, New Orleans, and Kim Geum-ja, the financial director, came to congratulate Pastor Kwon Gu and Minister Kim Dong-shin, who were selected as the first theological college scholarship recipients of the foundation.
Chairman Son Chang-hyun said in his opening speech that regardless of age or gender, everyone has a 'dream,' and the foundation encourages and supports Korean youth from various countries around the world to achieve their dreams.
Chairman Son explained that the foundation not only encourages and financially supports 'dreamers' but has also initiated a new scholarship program aimed at expanding the support for 'dreamers,' specifically focusing on theological college students.
There are people in the world who enter through the 'narrow gate' (Matthew 7:13-14). Even though the gate is narrow and the path is difficult, there are people who strive to enter through it. These are the theological students.
The reason theological students strive to enter through the narrow gate is because they believe that this narrow gate leads to "life." However, as they walk through the narrow gate and face the difficult path, there are times when prayers such as "Lord, listen to me and answer me, for I am poor and needy" (Psalm 86:1) come forth.
Chairman Son mentioned that during the foundation's board meeting, there was a proposal to support theological students while discussing expanding the 'dream' program, and many directors agreed to announce the recruitment of theological college scholarship recipients.
Chairwoman Jang He-len also welcomed the support for students who are nurturing their dreams and expressed joy that the foundation can also support the dreams of theological students, congratulating the two ministers who were selected as theological scholarship recipients.
The foundation selected Pastor Kwon Gu, who is currently in the doctoral program at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Minister Kim Dong-shin, who is pursuing a master's degree at the Reformed Theological Seminary Houston, as scholarship recipients.
Pastor Kwon Gu received a scholarship of $1,500, which will be increased from $1,000 to $1,500 until he completes his degree, and is currently assisting at the Houston Sun Gospel Church under Senior Pastor Hong Hyung-seon.
Minister Kim Dong-shin received a scholarship of $1,000, which will be increased from $500 to $1,000 annually as long as he meets the qualification requirements set by the foundation, and he is currently assisting at the Houston Korean Presbyterian Church under Senior Pastor Kim Jung-ho.
Mr. Lee Gi-hyun, a foundation counselor, who presented the scholarship certificate and scholarship to Pastor Kwon Gu, expressed his gratitude for being able to provide scholarships to theological students through the foundation and said he has been supporting scholarships for 18 years since he came to the U.S. as a student in the 1970s.
Mr. Joe Kyu-sik, another counselor, who presented the scholarship certificate and scholarship to Minister Kim Dong-shin, mentioned his acquaintance with Chairman Son during his tenure as director of the New Orleans Korean School and stated that he supports the foundation because he believes that supporting scholarships for Korean talents is valuable.
Chairman Son always emphasizes 'ABC' to scholarship recipients, where 'A' stands for Aspiration, 'B' for Belief, and 'C' for Courage. He urged them to have passion to achieve their dreams, belief that they can achieve them, and courage to persevere through failures.
Reporter Yang Dong-wook
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