One day in January of 1997 my life changed forever.

I attended mass and stood in the back of the church as usual, not caring much about what was going on and why. Unfotunately, the childlike faith I once embraced at five years of age slowly disintegrated as I became an adolescent. It’s like once I learned how to drive, I threw God into the back seat and took control of the wheel. On the surface it seemed like I was going for a pleasant ride, but deep down I was completely lost and clueless as to where I was headed. That feeling left me empty and hungering for something more. Little did I know that Something More was about to happen at an evening Mass one Sunday at St. Maria Goretti Church (SMG) in San Jose.

First, a little background.

I was a second-year college student attending Sunday evening Mass each week, but more so out of obligation than anything close to faithful devotion. I always stood in the back of the church. I was usually always the last to arrive and the first to leave. But the particular Mass I attended was a youth Mass and it actually had good music, so I was drawn in to a certain extent. A unique characteristic about this Mass was that the teens were invited to gather around the altar during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Not only did I get invited every single week to join the others at the altar, but the person extending the invitation happened to be a close high school friend who went through a massive conversion and became a Jesus freak…which freaked me out a bit! I wasn’t down for this Jesus thing. Not yet anyway. I rejected his invitation every single week and yet he persisted.

So, this particular Sunday he finally gave me an ultimatum that if I didn’t go up with him, he’d stand in the back with me for the entire Mass. What a guilt trip! So what happened? I gave in. I went up. Gathered with the others. Then, completely caught off guard, God touched my heart and there began my journey of conversion (Luke 24:30-32). My friend persisted, and how I’m glad he did. The power of persistence goes a long way!

Shortly after that, I gave God permission to fully enter into my life and I made a commitment to try and follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. From that point on, my love and passion for youth ministry was born, flourished, and transformed from a hobby to a profession. It was during these years of ministry that God revealed a gift within me I never would have imagined having. I fell passionately in love with sharing the Good News of Christ through public speaking. When God calls, He doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. God transformed a shy, insecure, little Asian dude who was terrified of public speaking, who used to prefer an ‘F’ on a class project rather than muster up the nerve to speak in front of a classroom, into a passionate spokesperson for His Son. That is the power of grace (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The ministry I was blessed with at SMG was just the launching pad to greater opportunities. Since then I have done youth and young adult ministry within the Diocese of San Jose at many differenct parishes. I’ve done various talks on various topics for various audiences, and I loved it so much, that I truly feel called to this ministry of the spoken word. I want to spread the Good News to as many people as possible and after much prayer and discernment, I know God wants me to continue and expand this personal and professional mission. One of my greatest joys in life is in hearing just one person telling me that something I have shared resonated in their hearts. I am grateful for every opportunity that God allows me to be his messenger.