'Faith and Public Service'
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WASHINGTON, D.C.
A Latter-day Saint can be an appropriate representative of the U.S. government and reflect the light of the gospel at the same time, Jeffrey M. Hovenier, United States Department of State, told young adults June 29.
He spoke at the "Faith and Public Service" speaker series at the Church-owned Milton A. Barlow Center in the nation's capital. A large portion of the audience consisted of BYU students who reside at the Barlow Center while working and studying for a semester in BYU's Washington Seminar program.
The series aims to encourage students toward careers in the public sector by presenting speakers who have successfully combined the principles of their LDS faith with their roles as public servants.
Brother Hovenier, a BYU and Georgetown University graduate, has had a career with the U.S. Foreign Service, living in Greece, Austria, Croatia, Paraguay and Panama. (He noted his four children were all born in different countries.) He and his wife, Laura, and 11-year-old daughter will soon relocate to Lima, Peru, where Brother Hovenier is incoming counselor for narcotics and law enforcement affairs at the U.S. Embassy.
He most recently served as director for central and southeastern European affairs at the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President, where he was responsible to advise the U.S. president, the vice president and national security adviser and other senior White House staff on all issues related to central and southeastern Europe.
Brother Hovenier related an experience he had while going through the screening process for the White House assignment. The interviewer noted to him that some of the interview dealt with honesty, integrity and loyalty, but added that since she knew he was a Latter-day Saint, she did not think it necessary to ask.
While not proselytizing in the workplace, Latter-day Saints have no need to downplay or hide their religion, Brother Hovenier said. "When pushed or invited, we can openly say, 'We believe in a prophet today. We believe the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored.' " He acknowledged it may not always be a comfortable conversation, but "with prayer, sensitivity and common sense, we can be an appropriate representative of the U.S. government while still practicing our religion and being a light."
Members can try to be "available to colleagues and let them see a person who reflects Latter-day Saint values." They must be true to their faith, themselves and what they believe while respecting the workplace, and other cultures, he added.
The verses in Doctrine and Covenants 88:78-80 "have spoken to my soul," he said, as he sought a career and has served his country in other parts of the world. "Part of what has driven my desires is this injunction from the Lord," he said. Following the counsel to learn diverse things helps "so we are prepared to carry out the missions He's given us."
Among his duties has been to assist in re-opening the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade when diplomatic relations were restored in 2000. As peace talks broke down over Kosovo in 1999, he received a prompting to call the mission president and "suggested" that the roughly 30 LDS missionaries leave Serbia. The president acted immediately on the advice. NATO air strikes began a day later.
Brother Hovenier told the audience that those insights felt as if they were divinely inspired.
He shared another "divinely inspired opportunity" that happened when his membership in the Church was considered by a group developing the constitution of Kosovo. One of the leaders on the committee suggested that the draft — minus any protections for religious groups or worship — would not pass Brother Hovenier's approval (even though his approval was not necessary). The committee reworked the final document to include wording guaranteeing religious freedom for all faiths and religious movements.
He also told of an encounter when he was with the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb, negotiating Bosnian peace. He was on the road with an ambassador who knew he was LDS but kept insisting he taste the delicious wine served with dinner. Despite Brother Hovenier's reminders that he doesn't drink alcohol, the man continued to press, finally ordering him as his superior officer to take a sip. Brother Hovenier replied with a firm "No."
"I promise I won't tell your wife," the man said in exasperation.
Brother Hovenier countered, "That's not the issue. I would know, my God would know, and you would know."
That ended the exchange.
The "Faith and Public Service" speaker series, co-sponsored by the Brigham Young University Washington Seminar, Seminaries and Institutes and the Church's Office of Public and International Affairs, occurs three times a year at the Barlow Center. Forty BYU students in the Washington Seminar program are housed at the center while interning with businesses, agencies and government offices for a semester. In addition to enhancing their class work, field trips and work experience, the speaker series offers university students and other young adults in Washington, D.C., an opportunity to hear how high-ranking government officials meld their identity as a Latter-day Saint with their duties as citizens.
