Being raised in Taiwan as Buddhist, Ya-Wen was obedient and would light incense every morning and every night for her family. Then one day as she was lighting incense the thought came to her, “I wonder what happens to me when I die, and why do I even have to die?” She was the youngest of five kids and obeyed the rules that her family had in place—as a good Buddhist girl she did whatever her parents told her to do. Ya-Wen worshipped Buddha because she knew she had to, but somehow knew that there was a god out there that she did not know. She was able to keep this a secret from her family for a long time.

Ya-Wen went to a Christian high school in Taipei, Taiwan because it was a highly sought after school, though her family did not believe in Christianity, they wanted her to have a good education. Once a month the high school would have what the students considered a concert where they played music and sang religious songs. Ya-Wen felt emotions while listening to the songs that she had never felt before and could not understand why. Her friends asked her if she was crazy. But each time she heard the music that was played it touched her heart and the same question came to her when she was younger, “Why do I have to die?”  Ya-Wen was curious and even though she knew she was disobeying her parents, she decided that she would sneak out of her home each week to attend a Christian church that her friend attended in Taipei.

Over time Ya-Wen slowly learned that God loved her. She became hungry to learn more about the truth and read the Bible every time she went to church. She learned that Buddha was crafted by human hands and knew that it was not good to worship something other than the one true God. Ya-Wen did not want to outwardly disobey her family so she continued to light the incense daily and go through the motions at home even though she knew it was not right. After graduating from college, her family suggested that she visit her sister who was living in the United States. She met a Buddhist man there and married him because she felt that was what she was expected to do. Her husband did not support her attending the Christian church but she knew in her heart she must. They had a son together and she was determined to take him to church as well. She was baptized by way of sprinkling at this church in Philadelphia. Ya-Wen went to visit her family and explained her faith many times. She prayed daily for her family and their salvation. One of her sisters did not even talk to her for three years.

After moving to Arizona, Ya-Wen’s marriage fell apart. She found herself searching for a new church to attend. She found a Chinese Christian church that she attended for a while. She was able to understand the services better as they were in her language but did not grow spiritually at this church. Ya-Wen started church shopping again and found Compass Christian Church. She met a friend who started to pray with her every night and would sing the song “He Will Make a Way” before praying for her family. When she visited her family in Taiwan the last time, this friend called to pray with her. Ya-Wen invited her mom to pray with her and she did. Her mom attended the Christian church with her in Taipei, and her older sister even prayed with them as well. Ya-Wen’s prayers are being answered daily.

Ya-Wen recently attended Discover Compass and made the decision to go all in and be baptized by immersion. She now is comforted by the fact that she knows that she will be with God when she dies. She confided, “Life is short. He can quickly take your life. In your heart you know He is there and you just have to really know who God is. He wants us to turn around and tell everyone about Him.”

To learn more about Discover Compass click HERE.