Katie To Korea: Journey of Dreams
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My Story:
I was born Kui Nyu Choe. I was adopted from Pusan City, S. Korea when I was four months old. My paperwork stated that I was abandoned and left with nothing but my name tagged to a blanket. I have never felt abandoned or not loved or incomplete in any way because of being adopted. Although my adopted family made me feel loved and a part of them in every way that they could, I know very little about my culture or my people. My faith in God played a huge role in making me feel complete even though an intregal part of me was missing and unknown.
I knew I was different growing up, not looking like anyone in my family or the majority of my community. It wasn't until I birthed kids of my own that I had someone, something that looked like me. Someone could finally say, "Oh, she has your eyes" or "she has your smile". I no longer felt alone in that aspect. I always dreamed about returning to Korea to see where I came from, experience the culture and be in a place where people looked like me. It may sound silly but it's something I long for. I always said that I would return some day, I just didn't know when I could financially get there. My husband and I have a blended family, we have 5 girls all together. Finances are a stretch at times so taking this trip seemed long in the future. An opportunity presented itself and I'm giving it to God and believing that my some day is here.
God brought amazing twin sisters into my life in the 7th grade, they are also adopted from Korea, we bonded right away and are dear friends to this day. One of them (hopefully both) is planning a trip back to Korea in August 2017 with her family. She asked if me and my husband wanted to go with them. This is an ideal opportunity as they taught in S. Korea for some time and know the area and can help us get around and with the language barrier. I have also started the paper work of searching for my birth parents to see if there is any information in Korea that didn't get onto my adoption papers (my social worker tells me there may be - trying not to get my hopes up). The social worker also told me that the orphanage that I was adopted from is still open today and that I could go and visit if/when I go to Korea. I believe that God brought me half way across the world for a purpose. He knew my life's story and that being in MN was what was best for my life. He knew my family would love me and the friends and relationships that I would make would be blessings to me every day.
My goal is to raise $3,000 for air, travel, hotel (not including my husband's portion-believing we can save that on our own) and gifts to bring to the kids in my orphanage by May 2017. If we are able to make this trip, my heart would explode with so many emotions. Even if no information was found on my birth parents, I would feel so over joyed to have the chance to return not only to the country where I was born but to the orphanage where God hand picked me from. To experience this with my adoring husband and one of my closest friends is adding perfection to a dream come true. I really appreciate your time in reading my story. I know I have a lot of funds to gather in a short amount of time but I am not giving up. This trip means everything to me and I know with my own discipline and the support of all reading that anything is possible with God.
I will be posting updates and pictures along my journey. Thank you for walking beside me with your support, whether through prayer, emotional and/or financial.
I humbly thank you,
Katie Kui Nyu
I was born Kui Nyu Choe. I was adopted from Pusan City, S. Korea when I was four months old. My paperwork stated that I was abandoned and left with nothing but my name tagged to a blanket. I have never felt abandoned or not loved or incomplete in any way because of being adopted. Although my adopted family made me feel loved and a part of them in every way that they could, I know very little about my culture or my people. My faith in God played a huge role in making me feel complete even though an intregal part of me was missing and unknown.
I knew I was different growing up, not looking like anyone in my family or the majority of my community. It wasn't until I birthed kids of my own that I had someone, something that looked like me. Someone could finally say, "Oh, she has your eyes" or "she has your smile". I no longer felt alone in that aspect. I always dreamed about returning to Korea to see where I came from, experience the culture and be in a place where people looked like me. It may sound silly but it's something I long for. I always said that I would return some day, I just didn't know when I could financially get there. My husband and I have a blended family, we have 5 girls all together. Finances are a stretch at times so taking this trip seemed long in the future. An opportunity presented itself and I'm giving it to God and believing that my some day is here.
God brought amazing twin sisters into my life in the 7th grade, they are also adopted from Korea, we bonded right away and are dear friends to this day. One of them (hopefully both) is planning a trip back to Korea in August 2017 with her family. She asked if me and my husband wanted to go with them. This is an ideal opportunity as they taught in S. Korea for some time and know the area and can help us get around and with the language barrier. I have also started the paper work of searching for my birth parents to see if there is any information in Korea that didn't get onto my adoption papers (my social worker tells me there may be - trying not to get my hopes up). The social worker also told me that the orphanage that I was adopted from is still open today and that I could go and visit if/when I go to Korea. I believe that God brought me half way across the world for a purpose. He knew my life's story and that being in MN was what was best for my life. He knew my family would love me and the friends and relationships that I would make would be blessings to me every day.
My goal is to raise $3,000 for air, travel, hotel (not including my husband's portion-believing we can save that on our own) and gifts to bring to the kids in my orphanage by May 2017. If we are able to make this trip, my heart would explode with so many emotions. Even if no information was found on my birth parents, I would feel so over joyed to have the chance to return not only to the country where I was born but to the orphanage where God hand picked me from. To experience this with my adoring husband and one of my closest friends is adding perfection to a dream come true. I really appreciate your time in reading my story. I know I have a lot of funds to gather in a short amount of time but I am not giving up. This trip means everything to me and I know with my own discipline and the support of all reading that anything is possible with God.
I will be posting updates and pictures along my journey. Thank you for walking beside me with your support, whether through prayer, emotional and/or financial.
I humbly thank you,
Katie Kui Nyu
Organizer
Katie McDonald
Organizer
St. Paul, MN