Light, shine in front of people

[Heavenly Workplace People] Column Opening

Oral narration/Kong Lei Hanqing‧Compilation/Lin Minwen

Everyone has a different life due to different experiences. Yet every human being is God’s workmanship. This is my life story, the experiences that have made me who I am today and how I can help others. I hope that after reading it, you can also think about: How has my experience shaped me, and how can my life story help others?

little light

I grew up in Hong Kong. At that time, my father stayed in Guangzhou, and my mother took my sister and me. She worked hard in the clothing factory to give us two sisters the opportunity to study. When we couldn't pay the tuition, there were always people who helped us in time so that our studies would not be interrupted. When he was 14 years old, my father was finally approved to come to Hong Kong, the family was reunited, and the economic situation improved slightly.

The hardships I faced when I was young shaped my personality of relying on myself in everything and striving for first place in everything. I remember often hiding under the quilt at night with a small flashlight just to read. With a little bit of light, I can only see a few words at a time, so I just read and read. I hope that this little bit of light can pave a way for me to get ahead.

At the Christian high school I attended, the Bible was part of the curriculum. I also study hard in order to get better grades than others. Many of my classmates were Christians, but I had no interest in faith at all. I even proudly said, "I won't waste time like them."

When I was 16 years old, I was sponsored and guaranteed by a friend who owned a restaurant in the United States. With the right time, location, people, and all the conditions in place, my family came to the United States as refugees.

At first, I encountered many difficulties due to differences in language and culture. In addition to going to school, I also worked in a restaurant. A classmate in Hong Kong told me that she was praying for me. I couldn't help thinking, how could she pray for me if she couldn't see me? Can this God transcend time and space, hear her prayers in Hong Kong, and take care of me in the United States?

I have always been interested in science. From the biographies of scientists, I discovered that Newton, Pascal and other great influential scientists were actually Christians. I also thought, if they are so smart and still believe in this God, is it true that science is not inconsistent with faith, and that science can even lead us to know the Lord of creation?

The light in my head suddenly turned on. No one led me, so I came before God to confess my sins and invited Him to be the Lord of my life. In the past, I was a troublemaker and a competitive person; after I believed in the Lord, I became a peacemaker. Knowing that God is the only one, I changed from striving for first place to pursuing excellence.

open door

When I was at Maryland State University, my professor encouraged and recommended me to transfer to Cornell University because of my outstanding academic performance. There I met my husband, Dominic, and they served together. Through a professor's introduction, I got a summer internship at AT&T. After graduation, I joined the company and started a 33-year career.

As soon as he joined the company, he was recommended by his supervisor to study at famous institutions such as Princeton University and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. I am 100% dedicated to my work, and frankly, I am a workaholic. I worked in the same company for 33 years, held 16 positions, and finally retired as a senior executive. It has not been a smooth road, with many detours.

In the first ten years, he was very arrogant and encountered obstacles everywhere. The next 15 years were less arrogant, but still perfectionistic. If you can do something yourself, you expect others to do it; if you can't do it yourself, you don't expect the team to do it. During those years of performance evaluation, my achievements were outstanding. Although my colleagues around me felt that I put too much pressure on them, I thought it was for their own good and the good of the company.

In the last eight years before retirement, I have more opportunities to receive management training, learn to build connections and manage popularity, and think in other people’s shoes with a humble attitude. Unexpectedly, I was appreciated by senior executives and invited me to take on projects that others considered a hot potato. I also organized the best team in a short period of time, which not only solved many problems, but also increased productivity tenfold.

Even though I am busy at work, I am not idle in serving. He served as a Sunday school teacher in the church for many years; later he founded the organization "Called To Work" and organized annual conferences; and also performed various other community services, such as serving at Cornell University and Princeton University for 21 years. Admissions interviewer. In addition to being on the plane due to business trips and the two months of confinement, otherwise I would definitely come to the temple to worship God on the Lord’s Day. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and righteousness,” and that’s what I insist on. The verse goes on to say, “All these will be added to you,” which is correct at all.

If I have achieved anything along the way, I know it is the opportunity given by God and the way I learned to be efficient. Even when I encountered ups and downs, God intervened, gave me a turning point, and led me to broad places through different channels, allowing me to see His omnipotence and infinity.

blue sunday

What supports me through various challenges in the workplace include IQ - the ability to solve problems; emotional intelligence - the perspective on how to deal with other people's words and deeds; and adversity quotient - the tenacity to bounce back from adversity and win in defeat.

The workplace culture of the 1980s and 1990s posed a great challenge to Asian women. During a meeting, I proposed an idea that I had obtained after praying for a long time, but there was no response from the audience. It seemed that I was invisible. A few seconds later, a white male colleague proposed the exact same idea, and everyone enthusiastically agreed. Although I could be furious at this time, I decided to respond with high emotional intelligence and be "smart as a snake".

I said loudly: "Thank you for agreeing with my idea. Let's do this together and make a good contribution to the company." I changed the situation to appreciating the other party and benefiting the team.

Anyone who knows me and has attended lectures knows that I often say "Thank God it's Monday!" However, this has not always been the case. There was a time when I cried every Sunday night. Thinking of having to face those people who deliberately took away my project and team the next day, I couldn't express my gratitude and praise. God’s words in Romans 12 reminded me, “Don’t be hypocritical in your love for others...respect others and give way to one another...be diligent and don’t be lazy...” That’s what I do.

When I entered the company on Monday, I still showed professionalism and positivity, and believed that adversity builds character. By constantly praying and insisting on acting according to the truth, those colleagues gradually turned enemies into friends.

I can not let other people’s words, deeds, and attitudes devalue my value or influence my response, and I can deal with others with wisdom because I know my own value in God. No matter how my colleagues treat me or how unfriendly the environment is, I firmly believe that I am a child of God; He loves me and treasures me. No challenge or setback can detract from this value. This belief is like a lamp that lights up my life.

The CEO of the company coached me and answered any questions I had. I once heard him say that he can achieve success in his career "because I am surrounded by people who are more capable than me."

Think about how you used to be so competitive, demanding perfection, and thinking that what you couldn't do, others couldn't do either. It was quite a shock to me to hear such an accomplished person be so humble and see others as better than themselves. The CEO’s broad-mindedness and support and care for the younger generations inspired me a lot.

Perhaps, I can also use my experience and expertise to support and inspire younger generations and influence more people?

Entering the country of the workplace

I often think, what can help people do a better job than faith? Later, I met a supervisor who shared the same philosophy and jointly founded the "Workplace Mission" ministry. They held special conferences every year to spread the concepts and practices of "dual-career ministry" in the hope that Christians would see work as their calling. Treat the workplace as a workplace. The three goals of the ministry are: Encourage: Encourage people in the workplace; Equip: Equip leaders; Expand: Expand connections and advance God’s kingdom into the workplace.

I would place an empty chair in my office to remind myself to invite Jesus into my work. Through the platform of ministry, Christian workplace professionals are often encouraged to live out their faith at work. However, some churches view work as "worldly" and have little teaching on how to view work as service. Although the church also invited me to share the theme of "Workplace and Faith," the impact was still limited.

In the past, the ministry organized activities, but since 2019 it has started to follow up. Until 2021, "Workplace Mission" will cooperate with nine organizations to hold a global conference on "Workplace is the workplace, local to the whole world" online on June 5 and 12. With the two main axes of "walking with the Lord at work" and "fulfilling the mission at work", Christians should be encouraged and equipped to become workplace missionaries of "dual-career service" through the sharing of outstanding workplace professionals.

Among the 1,200 people who signed up for this conference, 22% are pastors, co-workers, and seminarians. They can see that God is raising up a movement, and church leaders have also received the vision. I believe that when these organizations form the Work As Mission Strategic Alliance (WAMSA) to share and integrate resources, there will be synergy and the impact will be multiplied. What makes me even more excited and gratified is that many Christians have established fellowships and Bible study groups at work, and lighted lamps in the workplace. I hope that these scattered lights can reflect each other into a sea of lights and shine light in front of people.

However, Christians who have knowledge and experience in their respective professions often do not know how to use their expertise in the church.

Take myself as an example. After serving children and youth Sunday schools for 30 years, some may ask whether it is overkill. I don't think so. In dealing with children and students, I learned to proactively build relationships and communicate actively; I found the potential and strengths in children with different personalities and helped them develop their God-given gifts. Preparing and teaching lessons every week also trains me to convey ideas clearly in a way that the audience can accept, and also exercises my courage and ability in public speaking.

Whether it’s skills or attitudes, I apply the training I received in the workplace to my service, and I also apply what I learned in service to my workplace. After all, these are the resources God has given me. The workplace, church, and community are all fields where I serve God and serve people.

▲Instead of "balancing" family and work, it is better to find the rhythm and rhythm, ask God for grace and resources, and dance with God. The picture shows Elder Kong’s family portrait.

Rhythmic home

Whenever I’m asked about how to balance work and family, the image of a gymnast walking cautiously on the balance beam comes to mind. As a wife and mother, I know how difficult it is to balance work and family. Rather than saying “balance,” it’s better to find the rhythm and rhythm in different stages of life, ask God for grace and resources, dance with God, and live. A complete mission life.

Before taking care of your family, you need to take care of yourself physically, mentally and spiritually. I practice "healthy living habits", including spiritual practice, exercise, relationship management, etc., no matter how busy I am, I will never miss it. Time is too precious, so use it wisely and focus on quality and efficiency.

When the two children were young, I didn’t spend much time with them at night, but I tried to listen and talk with them among the daily necessities. I also openly share the challenges I face at work and ask them to pray for me. We as husband and wife also pray for our children constantly. We believe that although we cannot be "perfect parents," we can be "praying parents." My son said to us during the wedding: "Thank you, thank you, thank you for praying for me." This made me very happy.

Weekends are chore days. In our family, "housework" is called "privilege." It is time for family members to serve each other and the family. My son also used this word at his wedding: "It is a 'privilege' to be your son." Now that the children have grown up and become independent, even during the epidemic, we still get together through Zoom every week to chat, play games, and share and pray.

My husband, Dominic, and I have very different personalities. We admire each other and build on each other's strengths instead of comparing ourselves to each other. He is very wise and often gives me good suggestions and ideas. No matter how busy we are, we still deliberately spend time dating and talking; when we are in different places on business trips, we will also communicate by phone and video.

During those years of professional development, I am very grateful to have received great help from my mother. She has lived with us for 25 years, and she has really made it easier for me to prepare meals and pick up and drop off the children. It is not easy to get along with three generations under the same roof, but God used it to mold me, allowing my children and I to learn to respect our elders, and giving our mother the opportunity to see our life in Christ. Although my mother and I do not live together now, we are still closely connected; she likes to watch Chinese dramas, and we also watch them and discuss them with her. I can also use my experience from watching the drama in my lectures, which helps me achieve many benefits.

▲Through lectures, series of courses, tutoring classes, one-on-one and other methods, Elder Kong continues to teach, encourage and equip people in the workplace to become "dual-vocational ministry" workplace missionaries who live out their faith and fulfill their mission at work. The picture shows Elder Kong and his husband Dominic.

Restart

In 2017, the project was very successful and we won three awards within three months. At the same time, he is often invited to give lectures at churches in other places. At this time, my colleague accidentally said: "Elaine, you are like a candle burning at both ends!" I was stunned.

Weighing the current situation: Thanks to her husband's plan, retirement life will not be lacking; she has successfully purchased a house in San Diego, where her son lives, in advance, and plans to live there after retirement; the company allows voluntary retirement and provides additional bonuses. God has prepared and provided for me to step down at the peak of my career.

However, for me, a workaholic, this is not a retirement (retirement), but a refirement (reFirement), allowing me to focus more on the "mission of the workplace" ministry. The epidemic in 2020 did not stop the service. Because the lectures were moved online, I can go around the world to encourage and equip people in the workplace without going out, expand resource links, and help more Christians understand and practice the relationship between the workplace and their faith. combine. During the epidemic, there were 20 sharing sessions per month, and there were nine sessions on one weekend.

These lectures can reach thousands of people and are the platform to reach the largest audience. However, they are one-way communication and have limited impact. I began to be invited to record a series of courses, ranging in length from six weeks to eight weeks to 13 weeks, so that I can teach professionals who are interested in learning more efficiently. I often work with churches to lead seminars or retreats, which are then followed up by church staff. If there are students who are particularly serious, they are invited to join the "mentor class" and deliberately train them to become group leaders who can then lead others. I also provide one-on-one (individual) or two-on-two (couple) supervision and companionship, with the goal of sharing more of my workplace experience and expertise and helping more people. During the epidemic, there were more than 20 one-on-one supervisions every month.

▲If every Christian lights his or her own lamp, it can gather into greater brightness and warmth and shine in front of the world.

light shining in front of people

When I retired from AT&T, my colleagues who took away my projects and subordinates and made me experience the "Sunday blues" organized a celebration party for me and made a commemorative book. She wrote on it: "After all you have been through, I am deeply impressed by your grace, grace, kindness, and positive attitude."

I was really moved after reading it. I invited her to have dinner with me and thanked her for taking the time and effort to organize such a warm and grand retirement farewell party. She formally apologized to me for everything in the past and explained her behavior at the time. At the end we hugged each other in tears and blessed each other.

This unexpected result was God’s beautiful bow for my career.

However, is this really unexpected? In fact, as long as you pay attention, you can keenly observe and understand the various actions of God in everyone's life.

I remember when I was in middle school in Hong Kong, I needed to choose an English name. Looking through the dictionary, I picked Elaine, which was easy to read and remember but not too ordinary. I didn't think much about the meaning of this name. Many years after becoming a Christian, I accidentally found a bookmark in a bookstore and discovered that Elaine means "light." This is exactly in line with another of my life sayings: "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5: 16)

Inside and outside the workplace, God has injected rich resources into my life, and I have had various experiences at different stages, all in order to help more people.

Once my own little light is put on the platform, it can shine in front of others. I am even more looking forward to encouraging and equipping people in the workplace and expanding resource connections so that we can gather little bits of light and radiate greater brightness and warmth to shine in front of the world.

In order to let people see the glory of God the Father.

Elaine Kung, founder, president and speaker of "Mission in the Workplace". After obtaining bachelor's and master's degrees from Cornell University and Princeton University, he served in multiple technical and business leadership positions at Bell Labs and AT&T, providing career guidance and other life skills needed by people of all ages. He retired at the end of 2017. Elder Kong and her husband have been passionate about evangelism and discipleship training for many years, and have served as speakers, consultants, teachers, deacons, directors, deacon board presidents and church elders. In 1996, he founded the "Called To Work" ministry to encourage Christians to do their jobs well in the workplace, bear good witness for the Lord, receive God's blessings in the workplace, and become a blessing to others, equipping Christians to become A workplace missionary with "double-vocational ministry". She has received many honors and was awarded the Minority Women Career Achievement Award, Outstanding Business Woman, and Most Dynamic Manager. He is currently a director of the Association of Christian Messengers and the chairman of the Chinese board of directors of the Theology of Work Project, as well as the directors of 12 international organizations. She lives in San Diego with her husband and has two adult children.