Tag: adoption

Jinwoo Chung was born Montgomery County, Maryland, to parents who immigrated to the Rockville area from Korea. Holding a strong conviction to help others, Jinwoo studied psychology in college and eventually found work as a case manager and counselor for a boys group home. He recounts how, in forging relationships with youth who had experienced deep familial trauma, his perspective on family-building was deeply impacted. After navigating the emotional journey of fertility treatments with his wife, the family began to look into the process of adoption, a decision spurred by the couple’s unwavering belief in the power of familial love, irrespective of biological ties. When they matched with a birth mother through an adoption agency in Maryland, Jinwoo describes feeling initial anxiety about how his community would receive the family’s adoption of a child who would not present as Korean, but that this fear was quickly dispelled. He recognizes the fears and doubts that come with parenthood, especially through adoption, yet remains steadfast in his belief that every child deserves to be known and loved, through it all guided by his devotion to faith and family.

Joseph Yoo was born in Korea and immigrated to California with his parents when he was 6. Coming from a family of ministers, Joseph recounts grappling with the expectations to follow in his father’s pastoral footsteps, which he initially resisted before discovering his own personal calling to serve the church. As an adult, he describes family life with his wife and son, underscoring the challenges of embracing unconventional paths. He finds inspiration in their son’s remarkable ability to find joy in life’s simplest pleasures and reflects on the connection between joy and holiness. His story invites us to explore the intricacies of identity, resilience, and the transformative power of familial love while also serving as a testament to the unpredictability of life and the beauty that unfolds when one embraces the unexpected.