by the Rev. Judy DesHarnais
At the end of September, St. John’s will gather to refresh our commitment to following a teacher who loved out loud. Despite Roman oppression, Jesus dared to teach crowds about loving their neighbors. Despite opposition from church leaders, Jesus healed people where and when he met them. Despite severely limited resources, Jesus fed thousands in the wilderness. He didn’t wait for the “right” time to act. Jesus demonstrated love in action.
As I was finishing my college degree, I applied to join the Peace Corps. One reason for serving my country in this way was to give something back. My parents, my teachers, and my country had given me so much for twenty-two years, so I wanted to give to others for two years, a tithe of my time. While serving in the People’s Republic of Benin, I gained an appreciation for the freedom I had grown up with in the United States. In Benin, I had to carry a document with me to show to any soldiers who stopped me while driving down a street or highway. When I stayed at a hotel, I had to surrender my passport for the night. While the vast majority of my experiences in Benin were positive, being under surveillance in a communist dictatorship was jarring.
The freedom of movement I so appreciated is no longer afforded to many of my neighbors. Just as my white skin made me suspicious in Benin, anyone without white skin is now viewed with suspicion in the United States. I want all people in America to have freedom of movement, freedom to gather, freedom to speak regardless of their accent or language.
Having spent three years living in Germany as a child and over two years in Benin, I have been a foreigner; I have struggled with language, culture, and just being an outsider. Yet most of those I met were friendly and welcoming. This has instilled in me the importance of welcoming others. While I have never been good at learning languages, I can listen well and take the time to understand English in many accents.
Between 2007 and 2024, I worshipped with Karen refugees from Burma, also known as Myanmar. It was Karen Episcopalians that caused me to recognize and act on a call to ordained ministry. Praying, eating, singing, mourning, playing, traveling, and working with Karen, I experienced the kin(g)dom of God. None of my extended family lives in Minnesota, and the Karen became my extended family.
Because the Karen came as official refugees, they were able to become permanent residents, and most have become U.S. citizens. Unfortunately, a few young men committed crimes and lost their permanent residency. Because of the military coup and continuing crisis in Myanmar, under Article 3 of the U.N. Convention against Torture, the U.S. cannot “return…a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.” There are such grounds regarding Karen refugees from Myanmar. Immigration judges have delayed the deportation of several Karen people, including a close family friend.
Yet, despite the continuation and perhaps worsening situation in Myanmar, the current administration has determined that there is no longer a need for Temporary Protected Status for people from Myanmar (a status that was granted in 2021 following the military coup). This, combined with the risk of deportation to third countries and the fact that these deportees are being held in jails in these third countries, causes much fear in the Karen community and breaks my heart.
So, what motivates me to support Love Out Loud is my hope that we can become a community and a country that respects the dignity of all human beings. Where people are not stopped or detained because of the color of their skin, their language, their accent, or their beliefs. A place where immigrants do not live in fear. A place that welcomes everyone.
Please join me and others in the St. John the Evangelist community at 11:30am on Sunday, September 27, as we commit to follow the example of Jesus and Love Out Loud. RSVP here so we can make sure we have enough food.
