Posted in reflections, tagged childhood on September 26, 2017| 1 Comment »
Photo by dimas danardana
By Ajung Sojwal
…but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything… John 15:15
I met her on the first day of kindergarten. Jet-black hair, much longer than my bob cut, with the friendliest smile I had ever seen on anyone. She took one look at my cautious examination of the classroom and pulled me to sit next to her on the second bench. (more…)
Posted in shared stories, tagged childhood, family, identity, marginalization, women's roles on May 28, 2013| 3 Comments »
Photo by Ken Fong
I walk each day as an Asian American Christian woman drifting between four separate worlds (Asian. American. Christian. Woman.). These worlds often have opposing values that affect my mindset and how I respond and make decisions.
I grew up in Boulder, CO one of a handful of Asian Americans in a graduating class of 650. My dad was a producer and director for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. When I was nine years old, he directed Romeo and Juliet and I would accompany him to the rehearsals. He mentioned in passing that I would never play the lead role of Juliet because I was Chinese. (more…)
Posted in reflections, tagged childhood, insecurities, self-worth, shame, truth-telling on March 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Photo by Tony the Misfit
By Joy Wong
All my life, I have had an unexplainable aversion to large groups of Asian Americans. For instance, when my husband Will wanted to check out a dumpling food truck that was swarming with Asian Americans, I felt a strong inner reluctance to approach that crowd. Another example — when I first started college, I initially felt a repulsion to the Asian American campus fellowship. Most of the time, I attributed this reaction to my introverted tendencies — but why the aversion to Asian Americans in particular?
It’s only recently that I’ve begun to unpack this strange reaction. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged childhood, culture, identity, role models, wholeness on November 2, 2010| 2 Comments »
Photo by qthomasbower
By Joy Wong
Recently, I was delighted to discover an old TV family series called Little Men, based on the book by Louisa May Alcott. Little Men was the sequel to the more famous book, Little Women, and it tells the story of Josephine March and the school that she runs with her husband. While the story can easily be judged as overly idealistic and sentimental, it reminded me of how the character of Josephine (aka “Jo”) March was one of my childhood heroines. I related to her tomboy-ish nature, and admired her for her boldness in defying social conventions to be true to herself and her convictions. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged childhood, healing, minimizing needs, not being a burden, shame on March 15, 2009| 1 Comment »
Photo by MarcinMoga/Lolek
by Joy Wong
I was sitting in Dale S. Ryan‘s class called “Recovery Ministry and the Local Church,” and the topic of discussion was receiving from God. Dale pointed out that receiving from God should be so simple, like a child receiving a gift, but it is often complicated by adults. We often don’t trust the gift or the Giver, suspicious that the gift requires something in return. He then asked the rhetorical question, “What could be more precious than coming to God with our needs?” (more…)
Posted in Beverly, testimonies, tagged caretaker, childhood, community, empowerment, family, friendships, healing, identity, mental health, mentorship, parents, peacemaker, professional network, psychology, support on August 13, 2008| Leave a Comment »
(left to right) Tita Valeriano, Grace Choi Kim, and Beverly Chen
by Beverly Chen
I met many challenges as the oldest child of immigrant parents. One of the major challenges was being forced to take on parental responsibilities for my younger sister because my parents were busy working long hours at their restaurant. (more…)
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