This Asian American grew up in a home in America adorned with statues of Buddha, with incense seeping in every room, including his own.
And yet despite all these and the religious guidance he received from his devout Buddhist parents, Alex Chu never felt any personal connection with Buddha and his parents' faith.
"I wanted to honour my parents. However, there was never a personal relationship with any of the Buddhas. It was always at a distance," Alex told CBN News.
Following the religion and meeting his parents' expectations put him under constant pressure.
He started questioning his faith when he reached high school but he couldn't shake off the feeling of restlessness and the lack of joy inside him.
It was only when he went to college when he discovered the truth that would turn his life around. He saw it in the faces of Christian students in the dormitory where he stayed.
"They seemed very tight-knit, very friendly. But even more so there was a lot of joy on their faces. They didn't seem to have a lot of pressure on them," he said.
Amazed, Alex began trying to understand the Christian faith. He found more surprises along the way, like the unconditional love preached in the Christian faith and the believers' personal relationship with God.
In his desire to find out more about Jesus Christ, he attended a Christian Fellowship meeting where "for the first time I heard about the grace of God."
Alex later joined a Bible study where he was further impressed by "the authority with which [Jesus] spoke ... [and] the love that He had and compassion for all people."
Alex then "came to that conclusion that [Jesus] was indeed the Son of God ... [and] that He died for my sins that I may have life eternally with Him."
He then told his parents of his decision to become a Christian. It took years for his parents to finally accept his decision.
After college, Alex worked as an engineer before heeding a call from God to attend seminary class in preparation for ministry work.
He is now married to a fellow Christian and they are busy raising three children.
"As an Asian American that was always trying to seek approval and achieve things, it has meant everything to me to recognise that [God] loves me unconditionally and offers an eternal life with Him," he said.
