5 Questions With...Hao-Han Chen

1. How did you first get involved with Friendship Presbyterian?  I first started to attend Friendship Presbyterian Church back in 2008 when I returned to Taiwan after having completed my studies overseas. In 2012, I moved out of Taiwan for work and only relocated back again for good at the beginning of 2019, now married and with an almost 4-year old daughter (and second baby on the way). The whole family enjoys coming to Friendship and my wife goes to one of the ladies' gatherings every once in a while, but hopefully in the new year we will get plugged into a community group more regularly.

2. What do you do Monday through Saturday?  Monday through Friday is pretty much all work, so on Saturday I like to keep it to the family. Lately, on the weekends, we have been doing a fair bit of house-cleaning and shopping to get ready for the newborn. Work is now in the leather craft supplies business (my family business of 40 years) with lots going on, trying to grow sales, develop new products, expand the warehouse, and everything in between.

3. What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?  When I was in university one summer, I took a theology class inside a medieval castle in Austria. There I made friends with a group of students and we decided to go to Rome together after our studies to see the Colosseum and Vatican City, and for some reason that I cannot remember, we were invited to the U.S. Ambassador's residence in Rome and spent the night. The residence was built with bullet-proof glass and I remember staying in the guest basement where there was a mini-bar and we were served fresh, chilled watermelon and it tasted amazing!

4. What do you find most challenging about being a Christian today?  Finding time between work, family, and church. I feel like I have a hard time letting faith permeate my life, in the sense that church feels compartmentalized to something I do on Sunday, with the rest of the week focused on work and family. Living in a pluralistic society where people have different beliefs is also quite challenging, as I feel that imposing what I believe on people, and even family, is arrogant and insensitive. However, I also cannot imagine how my life would be like without God, as He has shaped me as a person, changed my life for the better, and blessed me in so many ways. 

5. What is one of your favorite books of the Bible?  I must confess, I have never read the Bible cover to cover. But I generally find the books of the New Testament easier to understand, as whenever there is too much history involved, I tend to miss the point. However, I quite like the book of Psalms as I think it is a special book in the Bible in that it shows you how to pray and how to have a deep conversation with the Lord. You also learn about people's emotional struggles and how they praise God for His goodness and promises. It was definitely one of my go-to books in the early days when I was exploring the Christian faith.