Can you give us some
background information about yourself?
I was born in
Pennsylvania. When I was two, I moved
to Maine, so I became a “maine”-iac transplant. I have two older brothers, 7 and
9 years older, so I got picked on a lot. My parents were Orthodox Presbyterian.
When did you become born
again and how?
I was raised in a Christian
home. My mom told me that when I was three years old, I raised my hand to
accept Jesus in my heart. However, what I remember is that, when I was 10 years
old, I was walking up my driveway after school and I said to Jesus, “I want to
give you everything.”
Can you tell us about
your educational background?
I did my undergraduate work
in Western Pennsylvania at Geneva College. I got a Bachelor of Engineering in
Engineering with a concentration in Electric Engineering and a Bachelor of
Science in Computer Science. After that I moved out to Chicago to attend Moody
Graduate School. I went for a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies.
Why did you choose
engineering?
When I was in high school, I heard a gentleman speaking about the needs of
workers in remote areas for people to repair electronic equipment. For example,
if an LCD screen on a laptop computer goes bad, it costs the same amount to buy
the entire laptop as it does to simply replace the LCD screen. For me that was
when God called me to work in a foreign country.
So you feel God called
you to work in a foreign country?
Yes. For me, it was like
Isaiah ‘s calling. He heard God saying, “Who will we send?” And Isaiah said,
“Here I am; send me.” God revealed to me that there is a need in other
countries and I responded to this need. In the beginning I was looking for a
technical school to repair electronics and then a professor advised me that
with the mind God has given me, I would be better suited for a four year
college.
After that you went to
Moody; when did you decide to go there?
About the same time I
decided to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. My thought at that time
was that after getting my engineering degree, I would go to Moody for training
to live in a different culture. This was the plan from the start. One thing I
would like to share about Moody is that when I first filled out the application,
I thought I was going to go into the undergraduate program, since I didn’t know
that they had graduate school. When I called them right before sending in my
application, they said that I couldn’t get into the undergraduate program
because I already have a BS. So I applied for a program that had less to do
with my desire to live “overseas”.
After I completed my first year, Moody started a program in
Intercultural Studies, which coincidently had the same exact first year as the
program that I had chosen, so to me that was a real confirmation that God
wanted me at Moody.
What did you study in
such program?
The basic thrust of the
program is learning specific skills with which to go to a foreign culture,
learn from the people, and to be able to live in that culture, and teach truth
in a way that the people can understand.
Do you feel that such
program equipped you to go other countries?
Yes, you learn many things.
You have to go to another culture realizing that ethno- centricity is death. If
you are addicted to your own culture you will never make it as a communicator
in another culture. In the past, many
people have gone to other countries and taught the natives to live according to
the new-comers culture, but a foreign worker needs to leave his own culture
behind as much as possible if he is going to effectively communicate
cross-culturally.
Now that you just
completed your education, what are your plans?
I am looking to get work
experience and while getting experience I am going to pay the loan from my undergraduate
program.
What is your favorite
verse?
That’s a difficult question
to answer. I guess I would have to say
that Isaiah 54:10 is my favorite. It
says, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my
unfailing love will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the
Lord, who has compassion on you.” No
matter what circumstances surround us, God never forgets us or changes His mind
about taking care of us.
What is your favorite
food?
I like all types of food, I
suppose it’s probably much easier to say what food is my least favorite,
although nothing comes to mind in that area either. Actually, I think the best part about traveling to other
countries is tasting the food there.
What is the best advice
you ever received in your life or you can give to someone?
I think the best advice I
can give so far in my short life is that it’s always better to pay the
emotional price in order to forgive someone than to hold onto something since
once you experience bitterness, it’s a very difficult opponent to shut out of
your life.