Community is an important cornerstone of our ministry. Spending time together, often seeing the same people each week, weaves us into each other’s lives. Dan and Cowboy have been a fixture of the Isaiah 58 Ministries communities for almost 20 years. They have filled our lives with joy. When Cowboy died in March of 2024, we took a moment to give his family space to mourn and remember Cowboy in their own tradition.
In April, we invited the family and friends of Cowboy to gather to remember him, tell stories, and support his brother, Dan, as Dan prepares to move to be closer to his sister. We recognize that Cowboy’s Buddhist faith is not our own, and it was important to us to respect this, while still creating space for the grieving Isaiah 58 Ministries community. We are grateful that so many people chose to stay on a Friday afternoon to remember Cowboy and support Dan. We shared poems, stories, laughs, and a light meal. We recognized the ways that our community will be changed with this loss. We are grateful that we can support one another.
Dung (Cowboy) Nguyen
1967-2024