5 Questions With...Carol Song

1. How did you first get involved with Friendship Presbyterian? I was saved through an international student ministry in the Midwest of the United States. So I have always felt more comfortable in an English-language church than a Chinese-language one. In fact, I have grown roots in a medium-sized, inter-denominational, international church in the Tienmou 天母 area (northern Taipei) ever since I returned Taiwan. However, God’s interventions moved me through two Chinese-language mega-churches during 2014 and 2015, and then reconnected me to an English-language church, FPC. I did not embrace those twists and turns at first. However, the endorsement of a couple former members of FPC, plus God’s guidance, led me into a spiritual exploration which resulted in my commitment to membership at FPC. The Christmas caroling of 2016 was the first event that I intentionally made time for and merrily found a home in.

2. What do you do Monday to Saturday? I serve at a private university called Ming Chuan University, the first U.S.-accredited university in Asia. My responsibility is to assist the Executive Vice President in various areas of international education, including accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, coordination between the Taipei headquarters and Michigan (U.S.) campus site, and hospitality services to the university guests. For more info about our institution, please scan one of these two QR codes.
          
3. What is something people might be surprised to know about you? I've traveled through 23 countries, and most of them are developing countries. One of my previous jobs was in World Vision Taiwan (WVT), a faith-based, international, child-welfare organization. Serving as a program manager, I was given the privilege to manage the fund entrusted by Taiwanese donors and conduct regular project monitoring in the beneficiary countries, e.g., Mongolia, Kosovo, Angola, and several other countries in the southern Africa region. It was a prayer answered and a foretaste of Heaven to see how God’s kingdom could be established gradually through Christian humanitarian work, where the poor may seek a new identity in Christ and transform their community along the beautiful unfolding process.

4. What do you find most challenging about being a Christian today? We are called to respond to the Great Commission wherever we go. I find it challenging to balance (or to be strategically and spiritually well-positioned) between thriving in your relationship with God (in his calling) and building bridges with others to make peace with God. The challenges can be boiled down to a number of issues—for me personally, it’s about time management, cultural sensitivity, prayer centeredness, a Scriptural base, and a servant heart.

5. What is your favorite book of the Bible? In terms of servanthood, it is the book of Joshua. Whenever I am called to serve in God’s name, the first chapter of Joshua comes to me as spiritual encouragement. Knowing my nature of avoiding conflicts, God often speaks through the book to position me, whether in confronting non-believers or disciplining junior Christians, whether at a funeral or beside a sick bed. The key is to trust him with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding.

In terms of my personal life, it is the book of Psalms, where God’s commands are to praise him and give thanks in all circumstances through faith. My experiences of bad things often turn around after I express my praise and gratitude.