Volunteers are spreading a message of hope in Albuquerque with a simple envelope.
Joshua Park, director of the International Youth Fellowship in Albuquerque, said volunteers are collaborating with the Christmas Cantata by delivering 50,000 invitations which include information and tickets to the performance.
The Christmas Cantata is a musical performed by the Gracias Choir, which will tour the United States for the first time this year, he said. IYF became involved with music because they wanted to help spread hope.
“We are not just delivering the letter, we are delivering hope and happiness to the people,” Park said. “If they can come to our event and see the musical performance, we are sure they will receive happiness in their life.”
Park began volunteering 10 years ago, he said. He entered law school in South Korea, but he was diagnosed with an eye disease and was told he would be blind by 19.
“It was a really hard time, but one day I met this organization, and then I learned hope and faith, and I can overcome a situation through this organization,” Park said.
The IYF has been active in 70 different countries since 1990.
Jose Moreira has volunteered for IYF since 2004. He said he had been an alcoholic and addicted to video games at the time. He was in search of something more and by chance found a flyer for the program.
“People believe the youth are the future of tomorrow, and if the youth don’t have strong hearts, then they do drugs and fall into addictions,” Moreira said. “But if you have somebody leading you, then you can overcome everything. The only person that stops you, most of the time, is yourself.”
Since participating in the IYF program Moreira has not smoked, drank or played video games, he said. During his volunteer work he has learned to be a leader and proactive.
“In the movie ‘Drumline’ there’s a part where they say ‘one band, one sound’. So we actually become one sound as we do volunteering work and friends for life,” Moreira said.
Sarah Shin, originally from South Korea, said she began volunteering earlier this year because of her brother’s influence. She was first exposed to IYF when her brother was completely transformed after participating in the program, she said.
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“So many people don’t have hope, they want to die,” Shin said. “I think they have a weak heart, so I want to teach them how they can have strong heart.”
Before the IYF program, Shin was depressed and drank a lot, she said. Currently, she is trying to stop drinking and now has a dream of spreading hope.
Lauren Marvin is the assistant culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @LaurenMarvin.
