Luke Lin’s Dream
  Luke Lin’s Dream
      Mr. Luke Lin is one of the so-called “foolish” people that I know. He may be the most “foolish” among them. He not only dropped out of his Ph.D program, he also quit his teaching job to devote himself to volunteer work. Following his dream was costly to Luke, but this did not deter him. He never says no to others when they ask him for help. He works long hours every day without thinking about his own well-being. Now his dream is expanding. After accumulating 12 years of experiences in volunteer work, he is launching his new project, the Renshi Academy. The academy will combine online and solid educational resources for students to use. This will allow him to help more students. He is trying to promote this program without regard for his own financial status. In today’s world, where most people think of their own interests first, his selfless acts stand out.


Principal Hu-qin Shi
Something Wonderful Happened
    In an effort to emulate Luke’s altruism, our 2014 Cyberfair team organized a sale last Christmas to raise money for My Culture Connect. My Culture Connect is Luke’s organization that supports educating children in rural areas.
    Wanhe is a small rural school of 57 students. Most of these students come from impoverished homes that have long received governmental support. For these families to donate to our sale was difficult; they do not have easy lives themselves. Nonetheless, after the interviews with Luke, as they learned more about the way Luke helps others without asking anything in return, everyone donated a used item for the sale. Teachers and students, working with parents and community members, raised an unbelievable 5, 800 NT dollars. As Wanhe Principal, I was simply amazed. Some may ask why people with so little would give so much. I simply would like to say, “Great job.”
Lack of Opportunities
    People who know Luke understand that he is fluent in the English language. He speaks and writes English well and his comprehension of both spoken and written English is good. What people do not know is how difficult the road to this level of competence was. It did not come easily. He was the youngest child in his family, his brothers and sisters much older. He grew up in a rural area with a deficiency of learning materials and opportunities. Not having the means to better himself, he lacked self-confidence in his own abilities. He was fortunate in that he did excel in language learning due to his inquisitiveness and diligence in study. When he entered college, right up into PhD Programming, he studied English literature and foreign languages. This really helped his English proficiency.
    In college, he willed an important change in his personality. Destined to become an educator, on entering Chiayi College, Luke made up his mind to do something about his natural shyness. He begin to “push his limits” by making opportunities to speak to people who used a different language. Once, he asked an older American lady to teach him English. She gave him Bible lessons, most of which he did not understand due to the language barrier. This did not deter Luke. He just tried harder and expanded his efforts to talk with foreigners. It is not difficult now to understand why he is fluent in English at this point in his life. He has earned it through patience and diligent hard work through the years.
    Through all of Luke’s experiences over time, he understands that when learning opportunities are lacking, it is more difficult to grow. It is not so much a matter of not having the ability to learn; it is having access to the educational opportunities and materials. Luke’s love of and study of philosophy has had a significant influence on his road to full time volunteerism. Altruistic principles, developed on his path, led him to place more emphasis and importance on helping others than on finishing his PhD. He left his doctoral program to lead a life he felt much more fulfilling, working and influencing people in a myriad of positive ways through volunteerism.
Living a More Fulfilling Life by Helping Others
    In 2010 Luke helped the international organization, Up with People, with their events in Pitou, Changhua. Up with People is dedicated to being a positive force in people’s lives. Their aim is to promote positive messages such as: care about others, be compassionate, face the world with a smile, treat people well, listen to the voice of conscience, and act on changing yourself for the better. A group of about 80 Up with People students stayed in Changhua for nearly 2 weeks. They sought to positively impact the local community with their service programs at schools and their concerts. However, they had to rely on local people for logistical support. The promotion representatives of the organization contacted many people, but didn’t receive enough support to take care of their food, transportation, and housing. After meeting Luke in Jhutang, they explained to him the problems they were having. Three days later, they were breathing sighs of relief. Luke had made a lot of phone calls and found half of the host families they needed. He was able to do so because his 8 years of volunteer work had laid a solid foundation for a big project like this. During the group’s stay in Pitou, Luke took care of many things and worked as a troubleshooter for them. Mark and Hygeia, the promotion representatives from England and the Philippines, were very surprised that Luke spoke English so fluently. They were very happy to work with a person without facing a language barrier. On returning to their home countries, Up with People students worked as My Culture Connect volunteers and were supportive of its exchange programs. It was with the support of Up with People students that Luke’s Skype session project was realized.
Finding True Happiness in Life by Pursuing your Dream
    Luke’s motto is: achieve your own personal growth by helping others. However, there is often a huge gap between your dream and reality. When he started to do volunteer work Luke experienced periods of disillusionment. Not all people appreciated his help. It was not that simple. When he launched his free class at the Ming Harng Temple, many students enrolled. After a while, only 6 remained. Partly due to a lack of trust in him, partly due to the impact of a contagious disease called SARS on Taiwan. He was worried that he was falling short of his own expectations and those of the nuns who spent money on two English classrooms. He wondered, maybe many people do not see my efforts in a positive way. Many people seemed to react in a cynical manner. He wondered if cynicism was a way people protected themselves. Fortunately, Luke’s patience and fortitude stood the test of time. He wins so many people’s trust and support now. Going through all this was not easy. It requires a deep philosophical understanding in support of your ideals and dreams.
    Is there a direct relationship between a person’s achievements and his/her vision? Many say that this is so. Taking Mr. Luke Lin as an example, we note that, during his 12 years of volunteer service, he has offered free after-school programs, produced and presented English newscasts, developed and promoted Skype sessions and developed many English teaching materials. His newest adventure is a project named the Renshi Academy. Renshi will develop and make learning materials and teachers available to all who desire to improve themselves through education. There is often a price paid for pursuing dreams. Luke is a fortunate man who has enjoyed the support of his family and friends as he follows his dreams. The idea of working selflessly for others may be counterintuitive to many, but the result is good works and the role modeling so valuable to our young people and others.
   
 

One Man’s Dream: Luke Lin