VOICE: A personal reflection

V O I C E

An unfamiliar concept for me (Alex) – growing up as an already-shy Asian American kid.

Having gone to schools that were majority white and Hispanic, I was conscious of the fact that most of my peers didn’t look like me.

There were things (often small, but telling things) that were said and done that often made me feel “othered.”

So when I did end up finding people who looked like me, what I found with it was also a sense of safety and acceptance.

Because, finally… I felt like there were people who “got” me.

We could relate over "nerdy" topics, like Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, and Maple Story.

They didn't judge when we opened our packed lunches our moms made, which other kids said looked strange or “smelled."

And though we didn’t know how to articulate it, we also found comfort in sharing in a similar struggle of being "in-between" different cultures and generations - and with that - also clashing values, expectations, and norms.

Looking back over the years, God has taught me to see that he "knit me in my mother's womb" (Psalm 139) with intention and purpose - which includes my ethnic heritage.

And that the sense of loneliness and exclusion I experienced growing up actually allowed me to especially empathize and be able to minister to those who experience those same feelings.

And that all my experiences - all the ups and the downs - have shaped me into who I am and taught me invaluable lessons I still carry with me today.

Getting here wasn’t easy, but through it all, God has taught me to not only accept—but embrace—being both Asian and American:

To strive to be humble and meek, while being confident in my worth in him.

To listen well and not feel a need to speak, while also speaking up when it comes to helping or advocating for others.

To seek to serve the greater good, while also doing that through recognizing and leveraging my unique gifts and strengths, too.

…And that brings us to today.

One of the many reasons why my wife and I felt called to start our podcast was to create a place at a table where we’ve found Christian AAPI voices to be few and far in between.

To amplify the stories of people whose voices society has historically dismissed and devalued.

To create a space for fellow AAPI brothers and sisters listening and watching to experience a sense of belonging, of comfort, of being seen and heard - one in which you’re able to say:

“They ‘get’ me.”

Especially in celebration of AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Heritage Month AND Mental Health Awareness Month this May, we are SO excited to be inviting some incredible AAPI guests (many of whom have changed our lives!) on the podcast to explore topics related to the intersection of our mental, emotional, and spiritual health... which historically have been taboo or stigmatized areas in Asian culture.

We truly hope these stories, lessons, and this podcast encourage you and remind you that, no matter your background or how others made you feel,

YOUR VOICE

YOUR TALENTS

YOUR GIFTS

YOUR EXPERIENCES

YOUR STRUGGLES

YOUR HERITAGE

YOUR FAMILY OF ORIGIN

YOUR HARD-EARNED LESSONS

YOUR UNACKNOWLEDGED PAIN

YOUR UNSEEN ACCOMPLISHMENTS

THEY ALL MATTER.

May God continue to reveal to you how he’s intentionally created and designed you, how he's sovereignly orchestrated together all your life details and experiences...

To point you towards and empower you in the specific Kingdom role he's uniquely made you for.

"For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be."

Psalm 139:13-16