“Hey sis, I went on a tour at Christ Cathedral today. It was magnificent and Trudy said she needs more docents. Would you consider doing something like that?” My brother-in-law Shaun said to me.
“Sorry, I don’t qualify. I don’t speak English” I teased Shaun.
Even though I have to speak English daily while working, most of the time I spoke my mother tongue language, which is Vietnamese. My accent is heavy, and sometimes my pronunciation is incorrect but I took courage and applied to be a docent at Christ Cathedral after talking to Trudy.
The first visitors I took for a tour on campus were a family of five people visiting from another country; looking at their faces, I realized that they probably didn’t comprehended what I said because I talked too fast with my Vietnamese accents. I stopped, apologized and repeated in a slower and clearer tone. Then I saw an approval with smiles on their faces. Another time, a lady approached us “Hey, what’s going on? I heard you speak in English and she spoke in Spanish. How do you two communicate?” “It’s the Holy Spirit’s work. He is among us so we have no problems with communication” I responded with a joyful laugh. (The visitor’s son interpreted for her in a softer voice)
I have had chances to meet so many people from other faiths, from different parts of this country, and from around the world who come to see this one and only place. I have learned about and shared with admiration about the man with vision and dream, Dr. Schuller, who decided to keep Crystal Cathedral as a worship place. I love to take visitors to “The Chapel in the Sky” whenever I have a chance because up there, on a clear day, while visitors are taking pictures, in a split second with my dreaming mind, I could imagine being in Catalina Island even for a few minutes. I also love to show visitors the statues, sculptures placed on these lush acres of land by those masterminds. I don’t know much about architecture but enjoy talking about buildings which were designed and built by world class architects. I had fun selling candles during cathedral fundraising time in 2015 and talking about renovation and transforming from Crystal Cathedral to Christ Cathedral; I am also eager to show visitors models of transforming on the second floor and to talk about Marian Court. Furthermore, with a sad heart, I also tried without success as to help a young lady who came all the way from Florida three months after her mother passed, as she diligently looked for her mom’s name etched on one of that Crystal Bricks Wall composed of 20,000 optical glass bricks in the Cathedral Cultural Center.
Oh, and look at that Tabernacle and sculpture of the life of Jesus on the base of it. I asked a group of seminarian visiting from Vietnam to help me understand some of those sculpture scenes. “What part in Bible talks about a group of people with stunned looking faces, gathering around a pair of feet? I have pulled out my hair trying to figure out this scene“, I asked. After few minutes, one young man told me it’s connected to the scene above -Jesus ascended into heaven. Now I see! I think God was testing my vision: farsighted or nearsighted. I have to admit that I have not read or paid attention to the Bible before and now I think I have to broaden my knowledge about Jesus’ time and life. It inspired me to attend Bible study at St. Justin Martyr Church in Anaheim lead by Kevin on Monday evening at 7 PM
When you have something so precious and beautiful, would you put it away and hide it or you have an enthusiasm to show it to everyone who just happens to stop by? Christ Cathedral is an extraordinary place as our church, our refuge, our spiritual home. Each time when I think about coming to Christ Cathedral in Orange California, it bring me joy because it’s where I can find true love, peace and beauty, receive a big hug from Trudy, see the smiling face of Jesus, come to the open arms waiting to embraces from Abba, receive the forgiveness of Father who also defends his sinful daughter; and it also reminds me of the ten commandments from the Lord.
With great pride, being a docent at Christ Cathedral has given me a right to walk around and to show whoever wanting to come in to see my Father’s house.