D: What do you guys do? 

K: I’ll go first, mine’s easier [laughs]. Pediatric dentist.

D: How long have you been doing that?

K: I finished my residency in 2011, so it’s been 6 years now.

D: Do you like what you’re doing? What part of your job do you love?

K: I mean, obviously when you think of a dentist, you kind of equate them with pain. But you are there to alleviate pain from the patients and restore their function, in terms of their eating and stuff. So in that aspect, you know, it’s worthwhile. I mean, if you think about what you’re doing, it’s actually making things better for the kids. Because of the diet nowadays, you know, there’s so many refined sugars, candies, and juices, there’s a lot of heavy cases where they need a lot of work. So, I feel like I’m doing something to help things.

D: I notice you go on mission trips and serve that way too.

K: Yeah, I think God has given me some talent including this, so I’m trying to utilize it for His glory. But going on missions, for me, is actually a fun thing. It’s not a hard choice to make, because I feel like I’m going on an adventure. And it just kind of helps me to kind of get away and put my mind on things that have more purpose too - to do His work. When you go there, you kind of forget about all your stresses and everything else, and just doing stuff. At the same, God blesses you and the whole team actually. So, it’s just a great opportunity and I always look forward to going. It’s always a humbling experience and I’m glad to be a part of it.

M: Mine’s very simple. I’m in marketing for a biopharma company.

D: Did you always want to do that?

M: Uhhh … no. A lot of people who have known me for a long time actually thought I was going to be an anchorwoman.

D; I could see that.

M: Or a journalist. Yeah, I really admired Christiane Amanpour. She’s an international reporter for CNN. So that’s kind of what I envisioned in college. I had worked at CNN when I was in college and done internships for FOX, KTLA, and stuff. You know, the actual world of being in news was very different from what I’d imagined. So, for me it was a personal decision. We were dating at the time and I knew I wanted to marry Kiyoung, settle down, and have a family. So I couldn't envision the lifestyle required in my career - like moving once every year like all around the country or the world. Actually, Kiyoung’s best friend brought me into his company at the time which was a pharmaceutical company, so it’s been 15 years in the industry.

D: Wow. So it seems like you really enjoy it.

M: Yeah, I love what I do.

D: Do you interact with people everyday?

M: I do, yeah. I mean, I work in the office. For the past five years, I’ve been in the oncology space, working on cancer drugs. It’s a very personal and passionate topic for me. I really feel like what I do makes a difference. We lost my father-in-law … it’s been 9 years now. He lost his battle with lung cancer, and the drug that I work on now is for lung cancer.

D: That’s awesome. Thanks for sharing that.

D: When did you guys actually come into faith with Christ? When was the first time you encountered God in your life?

M: For me, it was the summer of 7th grade going into 8th grade. I actually grew up in the Catholic church, but God never felt personal. The Catholic church felt like a dungeon - dark and impersonal. Just more focused on the rituals and the traditions. Go to confessional every Sunday and whatever. Then when I moved back to NY from NJ, my uncle brought me to his church. It was my first retreat. That was actually the first time I heard God speak to me, and I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. That was the start of my personal relationship with Christ.

K: For me, it was more of a gradual process. I actually don't know the time or date of my accepting Christ. It felt like I always feared God growing up. I mean, it could’ve been sometime in my elementary days. I used to go to church by myself when I was younger, in Korea. It was just like a 20 minute walk from my house. I had my offering money with me. I know that some other kids would go to the store and buy stuff with that money, but I - for some reason - always needed to bring that money and give it to church. I guess I had that fear of God in me. That kind of made me do things, I guess. Ever since then, I think the teachers took care of me and led me in the right direction. I give credit to all those people who came into my life. That’s how I became who I am, I guess.

D; Your faith grew over time.

K: Yeah, it was more like a gradual thing, not a radical transformation.