This is Andrew.

Today, I want to share something that is both difficult and deeply meaningful for me to write.

After a long season of reflection, I have decided to officially bring the activities of Make A Circle and Talkle to a close.

Even as I write these words, it still feels bittersweet. There is gratitude, peace, sadness, and joy all mixed together.

When I graduated from middle school, I left Korea and moved to the United States by myself. I learned a lot. I experienced a lot. But it was not always easy.

Growing up as a foreigner in another country, I often felt like an outsider. I never fully felt at home among Koreans. I never fully felt at home among Americans either. Somewhere along the way, I became familiar with loneliness.

By the end of my years in the U.S., I was exhausted in ways I did not fully understand at the time. Later, I moved to Canada. And that was where something important changed. I began to discover the power of community.

I started surrounding myself with other international students and people from different backgrounds. For the first time in a long time, I felt understood. These people became more than friends. They became family. They became home.

That season shaped me deeply. It taught me that people are not meant to do life alone. And it taught me how life-changing it can be when someone creates a space where others can belong.

Eventually, I became a missionary working with international students, helping build communities and support networks for people far from home. I loved that work. I truly did.

After nearly twenty years abroad, I returned to Korea. As I settled back into life here, I found myself asking the same question: ‘What am I supposed to do now?’

The answer felt surprisingly clear. Build community. Create connection. Help people find belonging.

I saw that Korea had become far more international than when I left. More foreigners were living here. More cultures were intersecting. More opportunities existed for neighbors from different backgrounds to know one another.

So I decided to start something — not just a community for foreigners, not just a community for Koreans, but a community where both could learn, grow, and belong together. That became Make A Circle.

The beginning was incredibly simple. I posted a message on a local neighborhood app: ‘I don't have any friends in this neighborhood. But I can speak English.’ To my surprise, a lot of people responded.

One conversation became two. A few people became a small group. A small group became a community. Five people became ten. Ten became twenty. And slowly, something beautiful began to take shape.

Over the next four years, Make A Circle grew far beyond anything I originally imagined. We eventually opened our own space. We launched English conversation programs. We created Talkle, a project that combined AI and human connection to help people learn English in a more meaningful way.

We built an app from scratch, often learning as we went, making countless mistakes along the way. And it eventually grew into both online and offline spaces where people could truly connect.

We organized cultural exchange events. We partnered with local organizations. We launched Korean language programs for foreigners with the help of volunteers.

We hosted book clubs, running groups, discussions, workshops, language exchanges, and countless gatherings where strangers became friends.

Most importantly, we met people. So many people. People who were lonely. People looking for friendship. People who had just arrived in Korea. People who wanted to understand a culture different from their own. People who simply wanted someone to share life with.

Of course, not every moment was easy. Community never is. There were conflicts, misunderstandings, difficult conversations, and unexpected challenges. But even those moments taught us something.

Somehow, through all of it, we continued to grow — not only as a community, but as people.

There were many times when I thought I was building a community for others. But in reality, this community was also carrying me. Again and again, people from this community encouraged me, supported me, believed in me, and reminded me that I was not alone.

The vision of Make A Circle was always simple: to help neighbors connect, to help people from different cultures become friends, and to create a community where people could share life, resources, experiences, and hope.

To make our neighborhood a little more diverse. A little more welcoming. A little more just. A little more beautiful.

I honestly do not know how much of that vision we accomplished. But I do know this: if even one person found a friend here, if even one person felt less alone, if even one person discovered a sense of belonging, then this journey was worth it.

Because that was the dream from the beginning. I knew what it felt like to be alone. And I hoped fewer people would have to feel that way.

There is still so much I wish we could do. So many ideas left unfinished. So many dreams left on the table. But life moves in seasons.

My circumstances have changed. I now have responsibilities that require my full attention. Even after starting a new job, I tried to keep everything going — early mornings, lunch breaks, late nights, any spare moment I could find.

But eventually, I had to accept something difficult. Not everything is meant to last forever. And sometimes wisdom means knowing when to let go.

I believe communities have seasons just like people do. There is a season for planting. A season for growing. A season for harvesting. And sometimes, a season for releasing.

To every person who ever attended an event, joined a conversation, volunteered, hosted, encouraged someone, or simply showed up — thank you.

Thank you for your time. Thank you for your trust. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for helping build something that mattered.

Make A Circle was never something I created alone. It was something we created together.

Although Make A Circle is coming to an end, I do not believe the story ends here. In many ways, I think this is only the beginning.

If this community taught us anything, I hope it taught us that meaningful connection is possible — that strangers can become neighbors, that neighbors can become friends, and that ordinary people can create extraordinary communities.

So wherever life takes you next, I hope you continue making circles of your own: at your workplace, in your neighborhood, at your church, at your school, around your dinner table, wherever you are.

I want to thank Jesus. During some of the loneliest seasons of my life, when I felt completely alone, He found me. He welcomed me. He loved me. And He invited me into a community far greater than anything I could build myself.

Because He reached out to me first, I learned how to reach out to others. For that, I will always be grateful.

Below this post, I will leave a space where anyone can share memories, stories, reflections, or hopes for the future. If Make A Circle meant something to you, I would love to hear about it.

Your words will help preserve this story, and they will help me carry this chapter into the next season of life.

With love and gratitude, Andrew Perhaps one day, somewhere else, another circle will begin.