By Faith Galgalo
We often forget that every beginning comes with an ending attached to it. The moment you start something new, you also begin the countdown to the moment you will have to let it go.
Ecclesiastes reminds us of this:
“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
As I come to the close of the Fellows Program, I have found myself returning to this scripture over and over again. These past months have been a season, and like every season, it came with purpose, lessons, stretching, and growth I did not always recognize while I was living through it.
These came through structured learning, conversations, leadership sessions, and exposure to new things. But the deeper lessons came through experience.
It is easy to say “I trust God” when life is predictable. It is harder to trust Him when you are navigating a new culture, new responsibilities, and new expectations. Yet that is where my faith became less about routine and more about reliance.
One of the greatest gifts of this fellowship was community.
Not the surface-level kind of community where people know your name, but the deeper kind where people support you and encourage you. Community that reminds you that you are not alone.
If you asked me what changed the most during this fellowship, I would not start with my resume. I would start with my perspective. I came here with a mindset focused on accomplishment and what I would gain, what I would achieve, what I would do next. But somewhere along the way, my focus shifted.
I began to realize that success is not simply about arriving at a destination, but about allowing God to shape and refine you throughout the journey. This fellowship reminded me that leadership is about service and integrity. It is about staying grounded in values even when it would be easier to compromise.
I found myself becoming more patient. More reflective. More intentional. More aware of the kind of person I want to be, not just the kind of career I want to have.
A Time to Give Thanks
Gratitude feels too small of a word for what I feel, but it is the closest one I have.
I am grateful for St. Francis, for the fellows Director, Theresa, my fellow Fellows, my host family, every mentor who guided me, every friend who supported me, every colleague who encouraged me, and every moment that challenged me to grow. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn in a different environment and see the world through a wider lens.
I am grateful for the Louisville Fellows Program not only opening doors, but helping shape the kind of mindset needed to walk through them.
And above all, I am grateful to God, who has carried us through every high and every low. This season strengthened my faith in a way I can’t fully explain. It taught me that God is not only present in the moments of celebration, He is also present in the moments of uncertainty.
And isn’t that the whole point of seasons? They are designed to change you.
Ecclesiastes says:
“A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted… A time to weep, and a time to laugh…A time to keep, and a time to cast away.” (Ecclesiastes 3:2-6)
This is now my time to move forward. A time to carry what I have learned. A time to apply the lessons. A time to continue building.
With deep gratitude,
I leave with this truth:
If God was faithful in the season that is ending, He will be faithful in the season that is coming.