Beautiful
Future
Foundation

I remember it was December 2009. At the time, I was serving as the second engineer on a merchant ship; disembarking in Surabaya, Indonesia, for a crew change. I was heading to the airport, excited to catch a flight back to South Korea for vacation. The car stopped for a moment at an intersection to wait for a traffic light. Sitting alone in the backseat, I heard someone knocking on the window.

A young girl, dressed in shabby clothes, who appeared to be about five or six years old, held a bouquet of flowers and offered them to me without a trace of expression. For a fleeting moment, I turned away from the pitiful, pitiful girl’s silent plea to sell me flowers. Soon, the traffic light at the intersection turned green, and my car began to move.

Since then, the look on that child’s face as she gazed at me has regularly appeared in my life, and each time, I’ve felt a sense Of discomfort and regret. Sometimes, I even feel a deep sense of conviction. Now, 16 years later, I often wonder what kind of life that child is living now. If I could go back in time, I would pull over and buy that child a cold drink.

If I had done that, I think I would feel much at peace with my conscience. Even now, I see many children struggling to survive each day amidst the world’s many hardships. While we cant help everyone, I wanted to start “Beautiful Future Foundation” to offer even a little encouragement to children facing hardship. I hope and pray that we can provide even a small amount of help and share the warmth of love with children who are struggling, hungry, and in need of encouragement.