5 Questions With...Hsu-Wan Chen

March 08, 2020Peter Brown

1. How did you first get involved with Friendship Presbyterian? I was introduced to the Chinese section by a college friend when I was a student. Surprisingly, after a long time, an American friend introduced me to the English section here. He invited me to various activities in G2C which were really fun!

2. What do you do Monday through Saturday? I'm a translator working from home. In my free time, I go to meet-ups in order to get to know people from diverse backgrounds. I've met quite a few people that are really interesting!

3. What is something people might be surprised to learn about you? I'm a good helper for shopping, be it watching, carrying stuff, or giving suggestions. I can convince you to buy or not to buy a certain thing. I enjoy going shopping with others and watching them buy stuff!

4. What do you find most challenging about being a Christian today? Social media constantly presents misinformation which can significantly mislead people in every possible way. But at the end of the day, we know what's said in the Bible is the only truth.

5. What is one of your favorite books of the Bible, and why? Luke, especially the parable of the prodigal son. I can relate to it so much because of my personal experience. I know I'm not lost nor dead anymore. Those verses are always very encouraging.

New Church Elders

March 08, 2020Peter Brown

Larry Dilley

Larry Dilley is a native of Spokane, Washington. He received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington, a Master’s in Education from Framingham College, and an MBA from National Taiwan University.

Since 2001, Larry Dilley has served as the Director of Information Technology Services for Morrison Academy. Larry is a co-founder of the non-profit organization Taiwan Sunshine (supporting and encouraging families who have children with special needs) and is currently serving on its board. Larry has also previously served as an elder for New Hope Christian Fellowship Church in Taipei and served on its board as chairman from Dec. 2007 to 2012. He is married to Whitney Crothers of New York, and they have a daughter, Emma, who is currently attending Wheaton College in the U.S.

Larry gives his testimony as follows: “I grew up attending church with my mother and brother, but it was not until college that I came to have a saving faith that I would call my own. In high school especially, I would try to fight against God and do things on my own strength and not depend on the Lord. But, finally, in my junior year of college, Jesus brought me to a place where I realized that I just could not do things myself and I needed to depend on Him. In 1998, I gave up the lucrative tech job I had working for the City of Seattle, and in a step of faith, moved to Taiwan with my wife where we felt God was calling us to serve Him. It has been wonderful living in Taiwan all these years, and God has provided so many ministry opportunities and ways to serve Him. The year 2018 was an especially trying time due to my experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest. It took doctors 19 minutes to get my heart beating again, and it was not known if I would survive or not. This period of my life reminded me again of just how amazing God is, how He sustains us, and how we need to depend on Him for all things.”

Peter Wang

Rev. Dr. Peter Wang came to faith in Christ through going to a youth camp when he was twelve years old and has been very active in Christian ministry ever since. Not long after, the whole family immigrated to the United States from Taiwan. While attending U.C. Berkeley, Peter sensed God’s call into ministry. Since 1995, Peter has had experience serving as a pastor, church planter, and board member of various Christian non-profits. Since 2015, Peter has been leading various missions organizations to Asia, and is currently the Executive Director of Chinese Bible Mission.

Peter has a master’s degree from Western Seminary and a Doctorate of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Currently, he serves as a speaker, professor, and organizational consultant for churches and Christian non-profits all over Asia.

Peter and Ann have been married since 1998 and have an active young daughter, Ava, who is currently a student at Morrison Linkou. Ann is a California licensed Christian Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) and a popular retreat and seminar speaker in both English and Mandarin on the topics of Christian counseling and relationships.

Gary Lee

I am happily married to Stephanie, with twin boys, Avery and Riley, and am currently a high school math teacher at Morrison Academy. I received a B.S. degree in Computer Science from U.C. Berkeley, and a Master’s in Computer Engineering from Purdue University in 2005. I was a software developer for about fifteen years before we moved to Taiwan three years ago. However, after moving to Taiwan, God called me into teaching, and in 2018, I received a U.S. teaching license in middle and high school Mathematics and Computer Science. In my spare time, I enjoy playing the violin, running, and dabbling with software development from time to time.

My faith journey began in college when I was still a non-Christian. I entered college as an undeclared major, and by God's grace, I was accepted into the Computer Science program two years later. I consider this an anomaly because I was convinced that I did not qualify, based on their high academic requirements and typically low acceptance rates. Now, for the first time, I felt a sense of purpose and direction in my college life. I was also blessed with many positive Christian influences during my last two years in college. As I reflected on the gospel, I started realizing how, through the work of Jesus Christ, God could help me to conquer childhood fears that I still struggled with.

After graduating from college, I heard a sermon on Jeremiah 29:11, which convinced me that God was the One who provided me with direction and hope in college and the ability to overcome my fears. I gave my life to Christ after this realization in 2002. Since then, I have been serving actively at church, mostly through worship and music, but have also served in other capacities, such as ministry lead for worship, pastoral search committee, Sunday school teacher, and life group leader for young families.