My connection with Incubator was truly, as they call it, a
“God thing”. God, in His sovereign and mysterious way, put all the pieces
together to bring me to where I am now – at the cusp of a reinvented music
ministry I never imagined could happen to me. Although my love for singing and
worshipping began at an early age, it took some time for me to understand how
to channel that love into something that would glorify God and help others
understand His deep love for us. That breakthrough took almost two decades.
Growing up in a family that was highly dysfunctional took an
early toll on me. I struggled with a deep darkness since the age of nine. I was
highly temperamental, socially awkward, afraid, and everyone knew it. It made
me very lonely as a child. But what the enemy intended for evil, God turned
around for good. Due to the loneliness and pain inside me I turned to prayer
for comfort. I turned to music for release. I didn't know it at the time, but
God was birthing in me a ministry that would give a voice to the lonely,
abused, and ashamed. I didn't understand how much God loved me because of the
constant rejection around me, but that didn't stop God from pursuing me and
healing me through the darkness.
I dabbled with songwriting for several years starting from
middle school. It wasn't until after college that I wrote a piece that I was
finally proud of. It was called “Hold On” and it was written in absolute
vulnerability and transparency. I remember crying as I sang the words that
flowed effortlessly from my mouth. It literally took fifteen minutes to write
that song and when I was finished I knew something special had taken place that
day. I felt the distinct nudge in my spirit to continue writing and to share
them with others so that they would “not feel alone” in their faith journey. I
shared the song with a close girlfriend who honestly told me she did not really
like it, but I could not shake the feeling that what I had written would touch
people's lives. And I was right. It did.
I was connected to Koo Chung, a singer-songwriter/producer
who was well known amongst Asian-American Christians on the eastern and western
coasts. He heard two of my songs and signed me to his label Broken For Good
Records. It was not too long after I released an EP that was moderately
successful, which led to a full album titled Finding Ophelia. I spent almost
every other weekend doing a show singing my songs that consistently brought
tears to many people's eyes, especially the women’s. I recall even getting a
phone call from a close friend of mine, who was not a Christian, telling me
that she and her friend were listening to my CD and wept when “Hold On” played.
They admitted they didn't understand why they wept, but I had a feeling the
Holy Spirit was ministering to them even in their unbelief. It was one of the
many moments that confirmed to me I was given a gift and a calling to encourage
and minister to the lost and the hurt. Little did I know, however, that I was
one of the lost and hurt.
During one of our tours with Koo, who was my boyfriend at
the time, our tour van caught on fire and everything we owned burned to ashes.
I took some time off after our van fire to pursue a corporate job again because
I was deeply angry and afraid of God for what had happened. How could He let us
lose 80K worth of equipment when all we were trying to do was serve Him? I
decided maybe music ministry wasn't for me and I should take the “normal” road
and just work in corporate America like everyone else. Perhaps, music ministry
was not for me and I did not hear correctly when God called me to do it. By
this time I was married to Koo Chung and we both stopped pursuing music for a
long time. It took almost four years to recover from our loss (and the trauma)
of the tour fire. But God, in His infinite patience and wisdom, kept gently
calling us back to the ministry. My husband decided to give music another shot
when he could resist the call no longer. I, on the other hand, asked for a
sign. I prayed, “Lord, if you feel I am ready to do this again and you want me
to do this, then you will open a door for me.” Literally, a couple weeks after
I prayed Tami Rowbotham contacted me and asked me if I were interested in
auditioning with Incubator Creative Group. Although I was suspicious, I decided
to take the leap of faith and audition with them although everything kept
screaming at me that I might get royally scammed by this group I could not find
much information about.
It was a long process of “dating” Incubator, over six months
actually. During that time I learned a great deal about their values and unique
approach to helping artists grow a music ministry. They were quite keen on
working with artists that truly wanted a ministry, not just a recording
contract. My heart resonated with much of what they had to say about the music
industry, Christianity today, and what they believed a music ministry should
look like. I especially resonated with their belief that a music ministry
should be transparent, especially with the ugly side of a faith-based walk. When
my audition was over they offered me a contract to work with them officially as
a roster artist. I was honored and excited to work with a group that understood
my heart for ministry and I felt confident they would help me get to the level
I was not able to reach by myself. They had been very supportive and
encouraging during my audition process and it felt great to have a team rooting
for me (and my calling), with a passion I lacked for myself! In fact, it feels
like I’m working with a church, with pastors, that care deeply about me and the
reason why I was placed on earth. They not only wanted me to fulfill my calling
to minister, they also wanted me to reach my potential in order to help the
Kingdom of God grow.
