When I was 15 I went on a short-term missions trip to Tijuana. It was here that God opened my eyes to what an intimate relationship with him looks like. I was baptized shortly after returning from Mexico, and began to live out my faith more and more. Around that same time I met a girl named Yuriko who would later become my beautiful bride - another grace that I am so thankful to God for.

Another time of spiritual growth for me was a semester spent at Tauernhof Bible College in Schladming, Austria. Here I developed a love for God’s word that I have carried with me (with ups and downs) to this day. A passage that has recently spoken to me is Philippians 4:12-13: “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Regardless of our circumstance, Christ will sustain us and give us the strength to endure.