Interview with Kevin Liu

What is your full name?

Liu Han Ren. [sounds like sweaty man in Chinese]

How did you become a Christian?

I met the EBCB winter team in 2004. Jude and Susie shared with me. At first I thought they were telling me the same thing as the people I met before, because I’d been to my sister’s (non-Christian) church and they’d taught me some 14 lessons, but because of some bad testimonies I thought that religion wasn’t that good. I asked them (Jude and Susie) and they said real Christianity is not like that. Gradually, I wanted to know more about Christianity so I came to EBCT’s bible studies and Sunday worship services and as I learned more and more about Christianity I wanted to believe in it.

When I was young, whenever I used to feel helpless or challenged, I would just pray to God even though I didn’t know who He was or what kind of religion he was. It’s good to have that feeling back, Now that I know what it really means to know God and who He really is.

So you were led to Christ by EBCT people. Is that why you decided to come out to EBCT?

Mm. [means 'yes' in Chinese lingo]

You are our praise ministry rep [analogous to committee head]. What made you want to learn guitar and how did you become so good?

I was forced. Hahaha. At first, Dennis asked me to pray about that, because at that time, they knew that they were going to leave, and they wanted to look for another praise leader. I said I learned piano when I was young, so they asked me if I was willing to [play the guitar and lead praise]. So I prayed for it, and I saw that God really wanted me to do it, to use the gift from Him to serve the church. At first I started in the retreat, and then I became a praise member, and then the praise leader.

How come I learned so fast? I guess you could say I have a musical background. And I still practiced hard because in the beginning I didn’t realize…I couldn’t even imagine that I would be able to play the guitar. But after I practiced, it’s getting better.

You got more buff. Have you been swimming?

Yeah. It’s preparation for the military

Do you have any fears [about going in to the military]?

Actually, I’ve always expected to go to the military. Nowadays, people say that the military is getting easier.

What are you planning on doing during your military service?

During that time I want to use my free time to study and to seek for what God wants me to do. I’m still not that sure, and I hope that God will tell me more clearly. Either Nutrisci or just go to work without studying. I’m not sure because people say that it doesn’t really help if you go to graduate school. They say it’s like wasting two years, and you won’t really use them in work.

***Kevin will find out where he’ll be stationed after 5 weeks of boot camp, which starts tomorrow.***

What is a bible verse that has inspired you or challenged you and why?

Matt 6:33. Because as a Christian, we know that our most important purpose is to live for God. To see Him as our Savior and our Lord. But sometimes, we will forget about His grace and His sovereignty. So this passage will always remind me that no matter what I do, I should seek for His will and His kingdom first. And then I need not to be worried about challenges in life, because I know that He’s in control of all things. So if I seek for what He wills, I will be okay.

Do you have any plans for marriage in the near future after you get back from the military?

I’ll pray for that. Before, during the fifth year of college, I was thinking about getting married, because of examples like Jeff…. I saw Jeff’s growth in his relationship, and I thought that a relationship can really make people grow to be more mature, and also sometimes I would imagine the life after marriage. Like, it would be very peaceful and happy. And, when you’re in a relationship with someone else, there are lots of things that you have to give up, and to think about the other person. So, I was willing to do that because I want to challenge myself to see if I was willing to sacrifice like that. But, in the end, something happened, so…and because I’m going to the military, it would’ve been hard for a relationship to go on, and I also didn’t think I was prepared yet.

I want to learn more as a single person and to be more prepared, because, you know, the time was not right at that time. I hadn’t graduated, and I didn’t even know what I was going to do because the military was coming. So I think God wanted me to wait and keep praying for that.

Do you have any other specific prayer requests for EBCB to pray for?

Keep praying for my family. Also, for my heart of service towards my family. They aren’t believers. I’m so sad. Please pray for patience and love toward them.

Are you worried about your spiritual condition at all in the military? Away from the body?

I think my life will be regular and I’ll have my own time to study, so I’m not worried about that. And also, it’s not very hard there I guess. I’ll have two periods of holidays during boot camp. I’ll have holidays during the military service, too. I’m not sure when the holidays will be. If I have a break, I’ll come back to Taipei.

How has your life become different since you became a Christian?

Um, after I became a Christian…I think the HS really works in people so that you will know what’s wrong and what’s right to do. And gradually you will be more willing to not just restrict your behavior, but to have a loving heart for other people because you want to learn from Jesus Christ. Before you’re a Christian you will think that when you do good things to people you want something back from them. It’s not real love. But after you become a Christian, you know that what you do is for God. I think that’s a real challenge. It’s that it’s easy to love people who are lovable, but for some people that are very wicked or very unlovable, sometimes it’s hard to do that.

[At this point, Kevin started talking about some of the persecution he faces today as a Christian from people who misunderstand his faith, and how he has learned to be patient and to restrain himself while seeking opportunities to speak the truth in love]

Why is your English so good?

I think I love learning…when I was a child, I think my parents forced me to go to cram school, starting from age 9 or 10. After getting into senior high school, there was a classmate who always shared with me English pop songs, so I was very affected by him. I guess that’s the reason why I wanted to learn more about English. Also, in senior high school, I didn’t go to the regular cram school. I went to a teacher’s house. She always talked to us about movies, and interesting articles. And she was very funny. Because of that, I like English.

What are your last words to EBCT before you go off to the military?

“See you later.”

EBCB?

May God be with you. Love you all.