I have known Christ my whole life, raised in a Christian household. My mom and dad met through a church in Hong Kong and immigrated to Los Angeles, CA, to escape the terrors of communism. They left their family and friends so that one day my brother and I could have a better life in the free world. Born in LA, I did not realize my parents’ sacrifice and took them for granted. I was entitled, lost, and unhappy. After college, I got a job with Ford Credit in their rotation leadership development program, moved to Colorado Springs, got promoted a few times, and moved to HQ in Detroit, Michigan. Through the grace of God, I found my way back to Christ through various challenges, doubts, and blessings.

The first blessing was getting my MBA with Pepperdine. While in Michigan and working for Ford Credit, my dad encouraged me to pursue higher education through an MBA and even offered to pay for tuition while I studied full time and quit my job. I did not take him up on his generous offer immediately. Instead, I prayed and asked God for wisdom. The direction I got was clear to continue with my job and have Ford pay for my MBA. At first, I resisted this route as it would require executive approval from Ford and also require me to work full time while pursuing education part time, meaning sleepless nights. However, I also did not want to put an additional financial burden on my parents. Thus, I decided to follow what God put in my heart and started the process of getting approval from Ford to pay for my MBA by submitting the application, updating objectives, and putting together a business case. After numerous meetings with my manager, the last step was to receive executive approval. I responded to the team with why the MBA would benefit Ford and myself. After patiently waiting a couple of days, I finally got the approval. God answered my prayers, and Ford covered 100% of my tuition, thus eliminating the financial burden on my mom and dad.

The second blessing was my promotion. While pursuing my MBA, my career with Ford Credit stagnated. I attempted to transfer from Ford Credit to Ford Motor for better opportunities but kept failing. Interviews after interviews, I kept getting rejected. What if my best isn’t good enough? Am I good enough? Am I capable? Do I even belong? I was about to give up and doubted myself as it felt that all hope was lost. On the eighth application, God opened the right door for me. I applied to the Partnership team, and after one short 30-min interview, I got the job/promotion. This job/promotion enabled me to transition to Ford Motor to grow and challenge myself mentally, physically, and spiritually.

The third blessing was finding my soulmate, my wife. I have been praying for a good Christian wife for over ten years. I have been in multiple prior relationships in California, Colorado, and Michigan that did not go anywhere. The relationships never work out due to differences in lifestyles, career aspirations, and faith in God. Over the years, breakups after breakups, I was preparing for the possibility of being single forever. While in Michigan in May 2021, God answered my prayers when I started chatting and dating Mimi. After the first date, I knew she was the one. It was love at first sight. After an accelerated dating path thanks to Covid, I got to know Mimi well, seeing each other daily. Mimi was everything I was looking for in a wife. She was a strong, independent devoted Christian. Through Mimi, I realized how blessed I was to be born in America and have my parents in my life. I saw that through faith in God, all things are possible. Mimi came alone from Vietnam, lost her mom at a young age, and despite all these challenges, through faith, she got a full-ride scholarship to Lynn as an international student, got a green card, earned her MBA from Yale, and eventually we found each other. I met Mimi when I was 29, and we married in May 2022 after I turned 30. God answers prayers. Patience and persistence are key. God has perfect timing, never early, never late. The process requires patience and faith, but I learn the best things in life are always worth the wait.