Faith

Despite our somewhat disparate backgrounds, our heritage of faith is remarkably complementary. Both sides of the family have a tradition of being active in the church. The Asian branch was exposed to the work of missionaries in China two generations ago. Her mother comes from a Christian family that emigrated to the Philippines before WWII and produced a number of influential Christian businessmen, pastors, even missionaries throughout Southeast Asia, some of them making their way to the U.S.. Her father converted to Christianity with a somewhat Brethren flavor as a result of the prayers and persistence of an aunt as he entered university. After the subsequent conversion of the rest of his family, their split-up under Communist rule, and much persecution for their beliefs and house church, most of the family also converged in the U.S., where her father devoted his life to building a non-denominational Chinese church on both the east and west coasts, and established an evangelistic ministry to Chinese students throughout the U.S. and in several countries outside of the U.S. Click here to see a memorial to his life and ministry.

The staunchly Anglo-Saxon branch has roots going back to waves of immigrants to Eastern Canada and New England from England during the Civil War and even as far back as the founding of Salem by Roger Conant. More recently both parents were brought up with the dedicated prayers of a grandmother, the quiet devotion of both parents, and an insistence on attending Sunday School in a primarily Baptist tradition. They wound up in a Wesleyan college with a shared interest in missions and education that eventually led to them joining OMF, an interdenominational mission founded in the 1860s by Hudson Taylor as China Inland Mission. They served as missionaries in Thailand for over 30 years before "retiring".

Naturally, with this background, neither of us has particularly strong brand-name loyalty to a given denomination. As a youth, the "Chinese" girl was encouraged to take on leadership and responsibility in a church structure that didn't take youth (particularly American-born) or women particularly seriously. The "American" boy did not feel very at home in any of the numerous churches he visited while on furlough/deputation. It is perhaps understandable that neither felt a desire to walk in their parents footsteps, but both were molded in a strong Christian community that would leave them dissatisfied with anything else.

We met (see story) at Gordon College, a liberal arts Christian College not far from the aforementioned Salem, and were challenged to broaden our outlook on life. Over the years we have participated in a singing group, missions trips to Florida, the Philippines, China, Europe, and Costa Rica, been involved with InterVarsity (and Urbana), International Students, college student ministry, youth group leadership, and worship ministry. Currently we are active in a small, evangelical, Spirit-filled, Presbyterian (USA) church. It may have it's shortcomings, and we may not agree with every practice, policy, or theological viewpoint, but it has been our home for longer than either of us has been in one place before and we are committed to staying with it as long as we are able.