A humble request for support:

During the last week of March, from March 25th till the 28th (Tues - Thurs), a faith-based, residential rehab (나눔) I’m a part of is hosting a retreat that’s happening in Palm Springs. Folks from my nonprofit and I are planning on tagging along and offering "add-on" spiritual care services. My nonprofit, in summary, is dedicated to offering culturally responsive recovery, for Asian Americans, by Asian Americans. Recovery, broadly defined, as physical, mental, and social restoration from the harmful effects of deleterious conditions such as addiction or other afflictions.

As some of you may know, I’m in recovery myself and serve as a chaplain. As an Asian American, I could get into the myriad and complex reasons–personal and statistical–that race and culture have presented significant challenges to recovery–for myself, as well as others–but I’ll just say here that by and large we tend to hide our issues, sort of self-perpetuating the “model-minority” myth and inhibiting the precious experience of finding community and connection. However, though we do, just as others do, suffer, so too do we deserve and experience recovery. As it has been said, healing happens in relationships!

Some of the services we plan on providing are joint, contemplative practices such as prayer and meditation, the facilitation of group process sessions, and general fellowshipping. As I myself do this work year around, the associated costs for these sorts of services can become significant. Thus, your contribution could greatly help cover the costs associated with lodging, accommodation, meals, and travel…whether you might be able to donate a spam musubi or a whole night of rent, every little bit helps.

To close, a little reflection from one of the young homies:

“We had an outing with our recovery group after the meeting. It was a special night for all of us. By this time, the meeting had grown to the largest it’s ever been and I had become a co-leader with my close friend/mentor David. We took the group out to eat at a restaurant called 101 Noodle Express in Alhambra. The look of excitement and joy on the faces of the fellow inmates in the group was such a blessing to see. It was as if they had never been treated out before and this was the first time anyone had done anything nice for them. They devoured the food like hungry lions! These are the moments that are timeless and cherished. Time is not of the essence and companionship and fellowship are what brings unity.”

If you’re in a position to do so, please consider supporting our retreat. All donations go directly to Burning Pride Meditation, a 501(c)(3), and are tax-deductible. If you’re interested in further supporting our mission or would like more information, please feel free to contact me directly. Prayers and well wishes are also welcome! Thank you so much!

Palms joined,
Rev. David Woo