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I grew up in a little place in Hanoi called the Water Village. It wasn't some rural village though, it was like a rustic little suburban area. It was full of other missionary families, and we were all close. We'd climb trees together, make mud pies, and play superheroes all day long. I grew up with that whole carefree and wild mindset.
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After learning that only Christians (people who accepted God) were allowed to take communion and got to Heaven, I told my father that I wanted that too. He prayed with me and that day, I became a Christian. I didn't fully understand it at the time, but my life did change. I recognised that I was a different person, had more responsibilities and privileges and that I had someone powerful by my side.
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My dad was called to be a pastor at Island ECC, so my family moved away from little community we knew and out into the big city. It was a drastic change of pace and environment, and it took me years to adjust. We built a life here and I have no idea where or who I would be if we hadn't moved.
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The touring West End production came to Hong Kong and was looking for child actors (not for the tour though, just the HK performances). My mom signed me up and I made it to the last round of auditions. I enjoyed the experience a lot and fell in love with theatre. After that I started doing school productions, where I met most of the friends I have today.
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In sixth grade I was slacking off with school work. Because I was in middle school my mom managed me less and I did really bad in school. I had to be put in AP, where you stay after school everyday to do your homework and quit all extracurricular. It was a wake up call and I took it really hard. I had to learn to start being more responsible and productive, to prioritise school more.
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I never liked service more but on this mission trip I saw God through the work we did. Despite growing up as a missionary kid in Vietnam, I had never noticed the poverty but here I was witnessing it first hand. I also met my best friend Webley Woods on that trip.
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In seventh grade I got baptised with my best friend. Some people say that that was too young to be baptised, and while I agree, I don't regret it. I started taking my faith more seriously than ever. Focusing on prayer and devotionals and who God wanted me to be.
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Like many others who went, I experienced God in a new and fuller way during vida. I was on a spiritual high afterwards and starting developing really good habits in my relationship with God. I just really felt like my faith had been renewed.
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I had been dreading my sixteenth birthday for a while, I was very anxious and afraid. But just before my birthday I was listening to a worship song and felt God speak to me. It was a song about how wonderful he is and I realised that no matter how hard anything had been, he was there holding my hand. He helped me MAKE it to 16, it was a gift to still be alive. And it changed my perspective, that each new day I was grateful to be alive.
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In the summer of 2019 I saw that a bunch of broadway celebrities had been doing monthly poetry contests and it looked pretty cool. They were spilling their innermost thoughts and fears and passions. I began writing too and it changed my life. It was such a good outlet for me and I've also used it in my devotionals to get closer to God. When I started sharing my work it was even better. People reached out to me saying they felt heard and felt my poetry speak to them.