| This blog post was written by Sharon Cho, who served with CLA-LA as an administrative assistant for the last two years. She leaves us to continue the pursuit of justice at her church and in her community. Thanks so much for sharing your life and love with us! |  |
One of my favorite hours working at CLA-LA was “existential crisis hour” every Thursday, at 11AM. Half-jokingly, the interim Executive Director Susan Vincent and I would allow ourselves this hour to question the meaning of life. We wrestled through all of the current tribulations occurring in our world, struggled to confront our personal attributions towards those problems, and questioned how we could even help, in spite of all the restrictions we were surrounded by.
It was conversations like these that strangely brought consolation because it gave me permission to feel understood and not alone, as well as the opportunity to dialogue and learn.
This is a glimpse of what CLA-LA has given to me and to so many others.
It was conversations like these that strangely brought consolation because it gave me permission to feel understood and not alone, as well as the opportunity to dialogue and learn.
This is a glimpse of what CLA-LA has given to me and to so many others.
I’m thankful to have been given the literal space to have many honest conversations with people from different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. My eyes have been opened to neighbors, communities, stories, and struggles that I would have normally never have met or been exposed to. Every conversation I’ve had, whether it’s been with a client, volunteer, attorney, or staff member has shown me a glimpse of the image of the Father, and His unfolding will to see all of Creation live out His story.
I’ve been inspired by the resilience of the human spirit to continue hoping in life and seeking God, despite their unfavorable circumstances. Stories of people thanking God for changing their life during prison, or immigrants still turning to God for help even when their spouses had just been deported or when they were on the verge of losing everything. Through these conversations, I’ve been challenged in my ignorance, yet thankful to have been given a safe space to vocalize it and dialogue to be changed and transformed.
Though I’ve encountered countless stories of hopelessness and frustrations because of the limitations of the law, there has always been the sight of hope. Whether it was through a client’s smile after a prayer, or one of our own volunteer attorney’s staying after clinic hours to listen and give advice.
I walk away CLA-LA feeling more courageous to go into places of unfamiliarity and discomfort, empowered to keep an open heart and mind towards others, equipped to love and give more than I have ever before. My time here has simplified my notions of what life is supposed to be about: to discover the love and will of God for me and creation by listening, seeking, and serving those around me. I walk away humbled by the justice and compassion I witnessed, and empowered to share what I have learned to all of the people I meet in this next season of life.
I’ve been inspired by the resilience of the human spirit to continue hoping in life and seeking God, despite their unfavorable circumstances. Stories of people thanking God for changing their life during prison, or immigrants still turning to God for help even when their spouses had just been deported or when they were on the verge of losing everything. Through these conversations, I’ve been challenged in my ignorance, yet thankful to have been given a safe space to vocalize it and dialogue to be changed and transformed.
Though I’ve encountered countless stories of hopelessness and frustrations because of the limitations of the law, there has always been the sight of hope. Whether it was through a client’s smile after a prayer, or one of our own volunteer attorney’s staying after clinic hours to listen and give advice.
I walk away CLA-LA feeling more courageous to go into places of unfamiliarity and discomfort, empowered to keep an open heart and mind towards others, equipped to love and give more than I have ever before. My time here has simplified my notions of what life is supposed to be about: to discover the love and will of God for me and creation by listening, seeking, and serving those around me. I walk away humbled by the justice and compassion I witnessed, and empowered to share what I have learned to all of the people I meet in this next season of life.
