Meet Our Mentors

Our mentors for Journey International Ministry (JIM, for short!) are Andrew, Angela, Sam, and Carol. We’re excited to meet you!

Name: Andrew Chen

Hometown: Hacienda Heights, CA (a small town in LA)

Occupation: Senior analytics engineer @ stealth startup || Data bootcamp founder

My not-so-super power: Remembering people's hometowns

Three-sentence testimony: I grew up non-religious and was very driven/ambitious growing up. I started to investigate Christianity in my freshman year at UC Berkeley because I believed there had to be more to life than chasing after success and money as it felt like a relentless cycle. After exploring the evidence for Christianity and going to church for a year, I became Christian my sophomore year and my life has never been the same since!

Name: Angela Chen

Hometown: Arcadia, California

Occupation: Data analyst @ Acast || Former pharmacist

My not-so-super power: Chewing at least 10 times a bite for good digestion

Three-sentence testimony: When I was young, I thought God was just someone who gave you good things when you were good and punished you when you were bad. But going to college, I learned about God as a personal Creator who loves us and who wants us to know Him and love Him. When I understood myself as I grew older, I realized that all along God has been merciful towards me and I can trust Him with my life.

Name: Carol Nie

Hometown: Beijing, China

Occupation: Dual master’s degree student in Environmental Studies and Public Health @ UPenn

My not-so-super power: Laughing to death at things other people don't find funny at all

Three-sentence testimony: When I was younger, I always wondered if there is anything beyond this world, and the atheistic answer "no" made me feel very scared of death and lost about the ultimate meaning of my life. Coming to college, I learned that Christianity is not a myth as I assumed, but it is backed up by logic, reasoning and historical evidence. The Christian God is the source of my hope and joy for life now, and He gives me a purpose that I have been looking for since my childhood.

Name: Samuel Zhang

Hometown: San Ramon, CA (a nice place in the Bay Area)

Occupation: Software Engineer @ Amazon

My not-so-super power: Even Andrew probably can’t remember all the cities and states I’ve lived in

Three-sentence testimony: When I was a teenager, the idea that there was a God seemed ridiculous because I thought that science could explain everything. However, the more I studied mathematics, the more I came to realize that the elegance of the world pointed to a creator. The more I learned about myself and the world, the more I also came to see our need for God too.