Truett Seminary's TEFJ Degree in Action: An Interview with Laura Joseph
Tell us about yourself, your background, and how you came to the Theology, Ecology, and Food Justice Program at Truett.
The journey to get back to Baylor is a long and winding one, but it all factors into what I am doing now. I grew up in Waco, where my dad is a retired Baylor international economics professor and my mom worked at the Waco V.A. We not only regularly had international students in our home, but Baylor also made it possible for us to travel internationally as a family. My fourth-grade year was spent in Japan when my dad was an exchange professor, my seventh-grade summer was spent traipsing around Europe with the Baylor in Vienna program, and I visited my parents in London for a time when they were working there for a semester. I had trusted Christ as my savior as a child, and these experiences showed me that much of the world did not know him. In my senior year of high school, I took a trip to northern Haiti and saw the desperation of poverty up close for the first time. So, when I entered Baylor the next fall, I was convinced that I would eventually work overseas in a developing world context.
After graduating from Baylor, I worked as a clinical dietitian for about seven years in South Texas, and discipleship ministry to college students and outreach to international students defined my time outside of work. When I got the opportunity to go to India for several months in a volunteer teaching position, I sensed that this was a career change. I quit my job, sold my car, and went, not sure what would come after this months-long trip. God knew! I met my husband, Abraham, in the first month, and we were soon engaged. He grew up in India but had lived in the U.S. for years before returning to India to teach in a seminary there, arriving months before I came. We lived in Indi for nine years in two different stints while Abraham completed his doctorate. After India, we lived and worked in Manila, Philippines for several years. We have two wonderful children, Abigail, who is married to Nathaniel, both Baylor graduates, and Andrew, who is a sophomore at Belmont University.
During the pandemic, my husband was called to pastor his home church, Calvary Baptist Church, in New York City. Our son was in high school at the time and asked if he could finish in Texas rather than starting over in NYC. We made the decision that I would stay in Texas with him while he finished, and Abraham would live in NYC. It was during this time that I discovered the Theology, Ecology, and Food Justice program. I was so excited to see how it combined and built on my experiences as a dietitian, my time in educational ministry overseas, and my concern for the marginalized in the developing world. I have so appreciated the range of classes to hone my skills and understanding toward a new career. I desire to do work that leans into my hope in Christ in the midst of this world’s brokenness.
What opportunities has the TEFJ Program opened up for you?
In addition to having classes at the World Hunger Relief Inc. farm, I have had the opportunity to travel for class! One course took us to Washington D.C. where we learned about the legislative processes around food insecurity and hunger and met with many sincere people who have dedicated their careers to making sure people have enough to eat. Another class took us to Ital, where we visited the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, as well as Florence and Assisi.
I have also had two internship opportunities, thanks in part to Jeremy Everett, the director of Baylor’s Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty. The first was with Bread for the World, a Christian advocacy organization that lobbies for effective nutrition funding domestically and abroad. Through this internship, I was inspired to learn about all the various organizations that are prioritizing good food and nutrition for all. My most recent experience is as an intern with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships office.
What do you envision doing when you graduate from Truett?
I really hope to work for USAID in some capacity. I believe that development work suits me better than advocacy, and a career in development would tie together many components of my background–the international, nutrition, leadership, education, communication, and research pieces of my jobs and experiences. I pray regularly for a career that would use all that God has built in me and from which I can open doors for others.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to people who want to integrate their faith with creation care?
It is hard to choose just one! Here are a handful:
1) Learn the names of the top ten common trees, flowers, and birds in your area. Research shows that we know brand names of products at much higher rates than the names of the created things around us. Knowing that a cardinal sounds and looks different from a blue jay helps you see your world more clearly. Seeing leads to understanding and caring.
2) Plant something. Anything. Tend to it and watch it grow. If you like basil or tomatoes, grow some in a pot. Learn from your mistakes and try again. You might not use more of what it produces than you spent on growing it but that is not the point. Gardening is about much more than the money spent. You will experience the world around you differently, grow in appreciation of God as the creator of all things, and learn to care about his world more.
3) Learn about composting. If you can do it at home, it can be magical to see scraps from your kitchen and leaves from the ground turn into earthy sweet-smelling nutritious compost, ready to give life back to your soil. If you can’t compost at home, look up Urban Reap in Waco. The point of composting is to keep your scraps and clippings- organic waste- out of landfills where it just rots. A full 40% of waste in our landfills could be redirected to composting and become something useful.
There are so many spiritual lessons available in the process of caring for the creation around you. Watching a patch of land begin to thrive in your care and being able to taste what that soil produces brings the joy of cooperating with your Creator in the endeavor. At the same time, you experience how very dependent we are on God for the whole process, and this is humbling. Composting teaches how life can come from death and how wonderfully God has made the ecosystems of this world. Creation care leads to worship.