For me, justice and renewal go hand-in-hand. If you do the
justice work and you see the outcomes of the justice, you’re
going to be renewed. There’s this feeling of refreshment that
comes when you see the labor, when you’ve been toiling at this
all day in the vineyard, and then you see the benefits, when
people start to reap the benefits. Because we all know that the
work we do is not for us, it’s for others.
How would you encourage those, then, who are
maybe still waiting on reaping the fruit? Or they’ve
planted the seed, but they’re tired, or it seems like
the justice is not coming?
Keep the faith. As cliché as that sounds, keep the faith, and
continue doing the work that you’ve been called to do. One
thing that I’ve learned from working in nonprofits is that
oftentimes, we look for validation and affirmation. But don’t
expect to get applause from the people you’re supporting…
if you go into the work looking for applause and affirmation,
you won’t get it, and you’ll be highly disappointed. Because
the calling is greater.
However, I do think it goes back to the whole seeds being
planted. You may not see the benefits right then and there,
but the work that you’re doing matters. It definitely matters.
You just have to keep the faith. And trust and believe that God
sees you—because God does see you. And I guarantee you,
there are long-lasting positive ramifications of the work that
you’re doing.
Do you have a hope for what Brown can do while
you’re here, or things ministries can do to see some
results in our time here?
Before I answer that question, I want to talk about something.
Oftentimes, we talk about what isn’t. But I want to talk about
what is. Having worked in several types of institutions, I have
to tell you all that Brown University is beyond blessed. I know
we have our share of issues, but the way Brown supports
its students with its resources, and the resources that you all
have, is amazing. The fact that you all are here, and there are
multiple Protestant ministries available—that’s huge.
16 Fall 2019
So my goal for the Protestant students is that we can work
together to do some great work. We have the Veritas Forum,
which is good, but I think there are some areas where we can
come together and not just host a speaker, but come together
and do service for the Brown, Providence community, and
let them see Christians from all backgrounds, conservative
or liberal, regardless of your race, come together and do
something that’s going to highlight Christianity in a positive
way.
If you want to talk about justice, ministry is justice. It is.
Rewarding and tiring, and you may not see the fruits of
your labor in the moment. I get that we have our reward in
heaven. But honestly, sometimes we want to see it now! So I’m
blessed to work with you all. I’m blessed to be your Protestant
Chaplain. Because as much as people say I had an impact on
them, you all don’t know how much of an impact you’ve had
on me. You all keep me on my toes. And this has been the best
working experience that I’ve had in my adult career.
Any closing thoughts?
Run your race. Don’t get caught up in running someone else’s
race… If you’re running a race and God has you on this path,
just know that you’re meant to be on that path, and don’t
compare yourself to others. If God has instilled in you seeds
relating to activism or social justice, or if not, if it’s just being
an engineer, then focus on that. Run your race and don’t
worry about what the next person is doing.
Speaking to an English major—I’ll tell you, I was an English
major as well. And I would get jealous of all of my friends
in these high-power internships, right, and I’m like, “I’m still
working at the Gap over summer breaks.” But I learned not to
get caught up in someone else’s race, because eventually, my
English degree led to an internship at the Chicago Tribune,
which led to open doors for other areas. So just continue to
run your own race, whatever that race is. Because I think
there’s victory on the other side when we run our own race
and do what God has called us to do.
Kathy Luo is a senior concentrating in English and Sociology.