Dear reader, in the picture, you will see my wife Kathy, our children Jonathan, Jeremy, Margaret and me. These words constitute the testimony of God's work of conversion/calling in my life. Any testimony claims to present the truth of that reality and usually falls short due to our limitations. This will be no exception. Please accept my apology ahead of time.

My name is Tai. I was named after the place of my birth (Taipei, Taiwan), born when my family was fleeing mainland China during the ravages of Mayo Tse Tung. My two older brothers were named geographically as well ... the oldest named after a region in Canton and the next oldest after the city of Hong Kong. Our names and ages were a dead give away that the family was escaping from communist China. If we were caught, we could be persecuted or killed. This was a time of warfare and political turmoil. Yet God was gracious enough to grant a grandmother wisdom to pass on to my parents: Change the names before passage to America so that in case of capture, no one would be the wiser. I found out later that our temporary names had a Christian influence. The (rough) translation of my "new" name was "abundant or eternal life". This grandmother was by God's grace a Christian.

We lived most of our life in Grover Beach, CA. where Americanese became my primary language. My Cantonese vocabulary never grew beyond what was needed to function in our daily household activities. We were not brought up in any particular religion. There were the traditional Chinese folklore figurines and a statue of Buddha, but none of these was used as an object of worship. My mother was trained in the Chinese classics (this was a grace not normally bestowed on women in her culture and time frame) so we were taught moral stories from the Chinese culture. As an eastern child in a foreign land I often felt like a stranger in America. This must have been God's way of showing me that there is more to life than meets the eye. Even as a child, I often pondered "why was I here and how did the reality around me arrive at its current state with its glory and darkness?" There must be an answer.

I explored eastern, western and middle eastern world views and religions. I remember thinking Bullfinch's Mythology offered some very weak and implausible images of gods and goddesses. Science seemed to ignore the supernatural or exclude it and said nothing about what it meant to be human and distinct from the rest of creation. Evolution seemed to be very poor science and quite hypothetical. It left me with the same problems as the eastern philosophies did, offering no special place for mankind or my humanity. I recognized my own sinful state even before reading scripture. I saw morality had roots in all of human culture yet could not find the seed that planted it.

In God's providence, we lived across the street from a church. I started attending regularly and reading the Bible when I was still quite young. By the age of only ten or eleven, I was converted. I came to the conclusion that the Bible was God's revelation. The Old Testament was true to the reality of sin and glory, life and death, good and evil, unity and diversity, humanity and creation. It not only explained who I was (a sinner) and the world around me (after the fall) but the great need I had for the life and death of God's anointed Savior, Jesus Christ. Then as I read the New Testament I was convinced by the changes recorded in the life of the apostle Paul, that Christ must have truly been raised from the dead. Paul was transformed as was everyone who claimed to encounter the risen Jesus.

During my early years, I attended a number of different churches as I tried to determine what was true and faithful. Many years later as an adult in Rochester, Minnesota, God blessed me by having a Jewish Christian invite me to a Bible study in the book of Romans. This group first helped me to see the importance of being accountable to a local church. That study group eventually became a congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Later I met and married my wife Kathy at Trinity Presbyterian Church. When we moved to Modesto, we found Grace OPC to be a strong, Bible-preaching church that faithfully seeks to fulfill the great commission. Our family has been with this church since December of 1996. We can not merit God's grace and yet we are called to serve joyfully by His ordained means.

I was not fortunate to have a clear Judeo-Christian family upbringing, yet God has provided me with a different covenant family. One that has allowed me to examine creation, different religions and world views, and to embrace the truth of the Gospel. He has shown me that His providence, Word and Holy Spirit provide where my planning, thinking or upbringing could not. He has bought me into His fold, and as the Good Shepherd, protected and nurtured my family and me. This fold is His Church (the covenant community that spans space and time). His faithfulness expresses itself in more ways than I can tell in this brief testimony. He has brought me to new life in Christ through the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in the midst of this creation, fallen, but still glorious.

Kathy

I grew up in a Roman Catholic family. We attended mass each Sunday and believed the teachings of the Catholic Church. This meant that I never had assurance of salvation. I hoped that my good deeds would outweigh my bad deeds, and that I would have enough grace in my vessel at the time of my death for God to allow me to go to heaven after suffering countless years in purgatory for my sins. I recognized that I lived a sinful, self-centered life, and I feared God’s punishment.

In high school, a group of kids I knew were discussing spiritual issues including the end of the world. I was curious and began to ask questions. One of the boys gave me a gospel tract. It explained that the most important issue in life was knowing that you would be with God in heaven when you died. Then the pamphlet told me that it was not my deeds that would earn me a place in heaven, but those of Christ Jesus. His goodness, His obedience, and His death on the cross could save me from an eternity in hell. It explained something I had never understood before: Christ Jesus suffered and died as a substitute for His people. He took their sins in His body on the cross and was punished in their place. This is true for anyone who trusts Him alone for salvation.

It was as if a light went on in my heart. I knew that Jesus had died for me and for my sins. I turned from myself to God through Jesus Christ. I recognized what He had done for me and rejoiced to follow Him. I was so grateful! I wanted nothing but to please Him. I became a new creature.

Growth was slow. It took me a long time to read through the Bible and understand the treasure I had received. God showed me much mercy and patience. I am still learning and growing. God is shaping me into His image, helping me to be a better wife and mother. He weans me from my sin as He produces holiness in the lives of all His true children.

I am now married with three children ages 16, 14, and 11. We are so glad to have the support and fellowship we have received at Grace OPC. I have found the teaching to be very nourishing. We are thankful for the many blessings we have received as God’s people.

June 2009