A teenager prays to an unknown God—and receives an answer.

"Dear God, I'm not even sure if you're real, but I'm eager to know the truth. And if you're really there, may you please show me signs or guide me in whatever ways so that I'll find and know you." For months this was the prayer of 16-year-old Kai Tai "Stanley" Chan.

Chan, who is now 22, says his mind was 50/50 on believing in something at that point—which, given his upbringing in Hong Kong, may be surprising. "I grew up in a non-Christian family," says Chan. "My parents taught me that all religions are superstitious."

Chan's parents, however, wanted the best for their son, and Hong Kong provided opportunities. His parents did send him to Christian schools throughout his life. They believed this would broaden his horizons and help him to learn English. When Chan was 15, he left home to attend a Christian high school in Canada.

SEARCHING AND FINDING

During his second year in Canada, Chan's chemistry teacher taught him that everything in the world is a different combination of substances. "I thought to myself, 'There has to be someone or something that makes it all work,' " says Chan.

"Then I met someone who was a Christian. He suggested that if there is a God, I could try to start praying to him. During the months that I prayed to this unknown God, I couldn't give up on it in my mind. God did not let me go."

Yet Chan says that he did leave Canada as an unbeliever. In 2005, he transferred to St. Croix Lutheran High School in West St. Paul, Minn., to further improve his English skills. Chan realized that even though he didn't know much about God, he knew that God was true and that God was there with him. But who was God? What did he do? Chan began to learn. At St. Croix, Chan received lessons on the love of God in Christ. Faith grew out of the vague sense of a God somewhere. His faith was bolstered by daily chapel services, religion classes, and the caring faculty and staff.

In spring 2006, Chan was baptized in St. Croix's chapel. One year later he finished confirmation classes at Crown of Life, West St. Paul. He lived with Pastor Mark Kom and his family for a few months, which "meant a lot in my walk of faith," Chan says. "They were a good model."

GROWING AND GOING

Following his graduation from St. Croix, Chan decided to attend Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) in Milwaukee, Wis. "I had eight schools to choose from, and they were all good academically," explains Chan, "but what stood out for me was that I was still so young in the faith so God led me to make that choice, to give me a solid foundation, rooted in the Word."