John Bosavanh is not the only FIRM staff member to have started as a volunteer, but he is one of the first. He has been on staff since 1997, preceded by his wife, Office Manager, Lorna Bosavanh. His relationship with FIRM goes back to when he was working in the business sector in the 1980’s.
Today, John works as a community health worker, as well as in FIRM’s mental health and lead programs. During his tenure, his work has almost always been in one form of case management or another, first in tobacco control, then healthy homes, and eventually in employment projects.
He has worked extensively with Lao elders. John and Lorna both came to America from Laos and together, they serve as Lao pastors at University Presbyterian Church.
John brings some of those pastoral skills to his work at FIRM. Working with people is what he enjoys most and people gravitate toward him. It is about trust. People, especially older people, need help with mountains of paperwork, with citizenship issues, and with practical counseling about life issues.
John provides a listening ear, wise advice, and nuts and bolts assistance in wading through the layers of details necessary to connect clients with available services.
In this dimension, John’s focus is on serving people and working for Jesus Christ.
The overlap between life, work, and ministry is clear for both John and Lorna. They have participated in the Lao Partners annual mission trips to Laos with FIRM folks, members of UPC, and others since the year 2000. There, they have interacted with the Lao Evangelical Church and provided spiritual and practical service to the people there, especially in making clean water available to remote villages.
In Fresno, John is part of connecting a network of Lao churches and pastors in fellowship and service. Meetings of these churches often take place on the FIRM campus. There are six of these churches in the Fresno area and they cross denominational lines. They get together twice a year.
Issues that affect Lao people and others whom John serves are related to poverty, language, drug abuse, immigration, legal concerns, cultural adjustment, and education. One of his missions is to help people, “think far.” That means making decisions with long term and multi-generational consequences in mind.
He reflects that, like the children of Israel who wanted to go back to Egypt several times during their desert sojourn, some Lao people long for the day when their homeland is free and they can return. John believes that it is in their best interest and that of their children, to make themselves at home in America and take advantage of all that America has to offer, including citizenship.
John takes great joy and pride in his own U.S. citizenship and in the success of his 4 children. He has high hopes for his 13 grandchildren.
Many challenges face New Americans, including the Lao people. John and Lorna Bosavanh have found, through FIRM, a way of helping to address those challenges and change lives. They are part of the reason why FIRM continues to share Christ’s love to build communities of hope with New Americans.