Jennifer Wan’s story is one of God reaching out to someone who wasn’t even aware He existed. Raised in an atheistic family, her parents sent her to study at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology in Ireland. There she was invited to church. Although she initially refused the invitation, she eventually consented to attend a service. Her English was not very good at the time so she couldn’t understand the preaching, or words they sang, yet she experienced great peace and even cried during the worship. Over time, she received a Chinese Bible from a woman in the congregation, and began to listen to sermons in Chinese. One sermon especially spoke to her to the point that she wanted a relationship with Jesus Christ. She then persistently sought to be baptized, but realized she had much to learn about what it truly means to be a follower of Christ. God orchestrated things so that Jennifer also earned her master’s degree in Ireland leading to an internship with the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and later a job in TV broadcasting in China.
After working five years as a reporter she sensed God calling her to ministry instead. She applied to a Christian college, but was repeatedly blocked from enrollment. Jennifer admits this was highly frustrating and determined if God did not make a way, she would continue in her broadcasting career. CIU had not been on Jennifer’s radar at all, yet several people in her life recommended it to her. Subsequently, she applied to CIU and the process went flawlessly. She says, “God opened the doors wide open for me; I got everything settled in one month!” God’s provision was evident in the donor scholarship process. Without this assistance she would not have been able to afford to study at CIU. In reflecting on her journey, Jennifer notes, “God is such a faithful God. He has led me step by step.” God has placed a burden on Jennifer’s heart for Muslims and Syrian refugees. She currently works with a local church’s Syrian refugee ministry. While not entirely sure what her future holds, she says “I know I will follow God's guidance; wherever He sends me, I will follow.”