by Cindy Chu
Unlike most of my friends, I did not grow up in a Christian home. My parents were (perhaps they still are) nominally Buddhist and rigid in their traditional ways. The “Christians” I knew in high school did everything that even the worldly moral person would not do – they abused alcohol, smoked weed, used profanity, etc. They often bragged about going to church with a hangover. Their actions negated anything they said about heaven and hell. I thought, “If you think you’re going to heaven then I clearly am, too.”
It wasn’t until my freshman year in college that I was introduced to the name Jesus. I met believers who actually wanted to conform to the image of Christ. After going to AACF’s car rally and hearing countless conversations about God, Jesus, and the Christian life that’s entirely different from the ones I saw in high school, I asked my suitemate to tell me about God. In a broad nutshell, I started reading the Bible on my own, doing one-on-one Bible study with my suitemate, attending a local church and going out to more Bible studies. I tried to bury the curiosity, though, with fears of displeasing my mother. Of course, God was faithful and used my suitemate and people at the church I was attending at the time to pry at my stand-off-ishness. Eventually, verses like Romans 12:2, Revelation 3:20, and Matthew 10:37-38 rung in my head and struck a cord that made me repent.
In due course, God led me to Lighthouse. Lighthouse has challenged me to grow in my limited knowledge of God. Hearing the gospel message almost every week, getting plugged into a small group at Flocks/ FNS, and getting to know/just talking to amazing Godfearing older women such as Esther Yi and Christine Cho have been a tremendous blessing. In retrospect, God’s faithfulness was at work since the beginning of my college career.
Plans after graduation: Grad school at USD.
Favorite food: Steaks made by my daddio.
Favorite Bible character: Joseph, because he fled from temptation for the right reason, to not sin against God.
Memorable moment in college: Driving to Arizona for Sonic Burger, then finding out there’s one in Orange County.
What I’ll miss most: Limited responsibility.
What I look forward to: An excuse to sleep early without being teased, and living with Jen Shin next year.