I STILL REMEMBER the derogatory label, even after all these years. “Gooks,” he called them. I lashed back, defending the Asian families who fled their war torn countries to start new lives in America in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
“Didn’t your great grandparents immigrate here?” I asked, trying to control my emotions as I confronted the Faribault man who spit out the venomous word. But I knew, even as I spoke, that I could not quell his hatred.
Now, nearly 30 years later, I hear similar disparaging terms directed toward Somalis and Sudanese and, yes, Hispanics, too.
Don’t we ever learn?
These thoughts, of anything I could have considered, passed through my mind yesterday afternoon as I photographed Hmong families participating in a “Let the People Praise!” mission event at my Faribault church, Trinity Lutheran.
Deacon Johnny Vang of New Life Lutheran Church, Robbinsdale, with his wife Tina and children, Leviticus, 10, Cecilia, 7, and Christian, 4.
I could forgive the man who nearly three decades prior had spoken with such ignorance. But I could not forget.
The organizers and participants in Sunday’s mission gathering wouldn’t expect my thoughts to wander back to that previous unwelcoming American attitude toward Southeast Asians. But I am honest and this post would not be mine if I ignored that unsettling flashback.
With that historic frame of reference, I could only admire the faith and fortitude of the men and women who stood before me in the sanctuary singing in the Hmong choir, speaking of their mission outreach to Southeast Asia and in Minnesota, specifically in Robbinsdale and the east side of St. Paul.
Members of the Hmong choir wore colorful, ethnic costumes.
The congregation, including individuals from the Hmong community, sang at Sunday's mission celebration.
Churches initially embraced Cambodian and Laotian refugees in the years following the divisive and turbulent Vietnam War. I remember, during my first newspaper reporting job out of college in 1978, writing about a Southeast Asian family resettling to the small Minnesota town of Gaylord. I don’t recall details now, but the compassionate sponsorship of this family by a local church made an impression on me.
That care and love triumph over the hateful words and attitudes of the past.
It pleased me to listen to those involved in the Hmong Lutheran Ministry speak of mission trips to the Communist countries of Laos and Vietnam and to Cambodia and Thailand. The “Communist” part certainly doesn’t please me, but the Christian outreach does.
“They are hungry for the gospel and they want to be saved,” a Hmong deacon told us.
My favorite photo of the day shows the Vang children, Leviticus, Cecilia and Christian on the floor in the narthex, the church doors into the sanctuary flung wide open. This symbolizes to me the doors that are being opened to Christianity through mission work here in Minnesota and in Southeast Asia.
Later the Rev. David Seabaugh of Bethel Lutheran Church in St. Paul, home to a Liberian ministry, used nearly the same words: “The Liberian people are hungry for the gospel.”
I considered then how complacent I’ve sometimes become in my Christian faith, even in my free access to the bible, and in my personal outreach.
I needed to hear this Scripture from I Chronicles 16: 24:
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
God doesn’t care if we’re black or white or yellow, or even Lutheran for that matter, or where we live. He considers us “the nations.”
Today, just like 100 years ago when the Germans and Italians and Swedes and Norwegians and so many others immigrated to America, “the nations” are still arriving on our doorstep.
Are you welcoming them?
A sombrero rests in the side aisle prior to a musical performance by Hispanic children from the Le Sueur and Henderson areas.
Members of the Hispanic children's choir perform.
A representative of the Sudanese ministry spoke at the mission gathering. "Before, we suffer a lot," he said, calling it "God' s plan" that the Sudanese came to America and to Minnesota.
A musical performance by the Sudanese.
Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Very interesting post. It’s great that your church is doing so much to reach out to everyone – regardles of ethnicity. I don’t think I’ve EVER met anyone named “Leviticus”!!!
Worthington is – last I heard – the “second most ethnically diverse city in MN” – in otherwords, only the Twin Cities are more diverse. (Yes, I live in Bigelow, but we do everything in Wgtn – Bigelow is too tiny!) At the beginning of the school year a science teacher at the high school said that there are 28 languages spoken in the school. My kids are in a minority in their classes…seriously. It’s a fascinating city to live in! Albeit also full of issues.
We at Trinity could do more to reach out to others. But the Minnesota South District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, of which Trinity is a member, is certainly reaching out. The Worthington area is included in the Hispanic outreach of the LCMS.
I was surprised to read that 28 languages are spoken in the Worthington school system. That is absolutely incredible. Do you have a list of those languages? I’d like to see one. Are there interpreters for all 28 languages? I cannot imagine the educational challenges your district faces because of communication issues.
But also, what an opportunity for children to embrace different cultures. Does the Worthington school district celebrate its diversity in any special ways?
I do not have a list, though I suppose that the school district does. I could ask them if you’d like – send me an e-mail and I’ll remember better! Or, I could give you their number if you want to call in an offical capacity as a journalist!
I know for sure that there are NOT interpreters for all of those – not even close. There are Spanish, Karen, Anarhic (I think it is) and perhaps a few more, but that’s about it. One of the ELL teachers is in bok club with me and her stories are hilarious and also often, heartbreaking (I mean, she doesn’t tell us stuff she shouldn’t, but even just her experiences with the kids are so wild…)
The school TRIES to embrace the diversity but really…in many ways it’s overwhelming for them, I think. In town we have an International Fest in late summer which is well attended by all kinds of people. The take-home papers from school are always in Spanish, but nothing else.
Thanks for the additional info, Gretchen. I can certainly contact the school on my own should I choose to follow up on this.
I can only imagine the challenges for parents, students, teachers, school officials… I do believe you when you say it must be overwhelming.
Audrey,
Thank you so much for this post! I love the pictures and the blog post. 🙂 I’m glad to meet you at Trinity this past Sunday. God bless you!
You are welcome, Tina. I enjoyed meeting you and your family also and learning about the mission work occurring right here in Minnesota.
I don’t know if you are aware, but MinnPost picked up this story as the featured post of the day in Minnesota Blog Cabin on Tuesday.
Found it! 🙂 Thanks for all your work!
http://www.minnpost.com/mnblogcabin/2011/11/22/33331/mn_prairie_roots_reaching_the_nations
This is awesome! Keep up the good works! May the Lord be with all and move them according to His will.
Amen. Thank you for all you are doing in mission outreach.
I heard the term “gook” for the first time two years ago online. Someone had called me that on an online networking site. It didn’t hurt me at the moment because I did not know what it meant. I was a bit enraged when I later learned its derogatory meaning.
There will be those ignorant “Americans” who believe this land is theirs and people who immigrate here should return back to their country. I will never understand that mindset. Aren’t we all immigrants because our ancestors had to have come here from somewhere.
Well, said. It hurts my heart that 30 years later, people are still using that derogatory word.