A simple post on Facebook Marketplace seeking friendship led Tzu Ping Liu, an international student from Taiwan, to an unexpected spiritual journey culminating in his entry into the Catholic Church this Easter. The story, a testament to the power of connection and open hearts, highlights how faith can be found in the most unlikely of places.
Liu, who goes by Davis, is a 30-year-old aerospace engineering graduate student at the University of Florida, currently serving in the Taiwanese military. Arriving in the United States with his wife, he turned to the social media platform – typically used for buying and selling goods – hoping to forge new friendships in a new country. That post caught the attention of Robert Manoogian, a 20-year-old mechanical engineering sophomore at the same university, setting in motion a series of events that would profoundly change Liu’s life.
An Invitation to “Mass and Meal”
Manoogian, involved with the Catholic Gators on campus, extended an invitation to Liu to attend “Mass and Meal,” a weekly gathering for students. Initially, Liu participated primarily in the meal portion, but his curiosity soon grew. “He came just to the meal part the first two times and then he started asking who Jesus was and then came into Mass with me,” Manoogian explained. Liu took the initiative to print out a pamphlet of the Mass in both Mandarin and English, demonstrating his eagerness to understand the service.
Growing up in Taiwan, where Buddhism and Taoism are the predominant religions, Liu had no prior exposure to Christianity. He described being “shocked” by the depth of prayer he witnessed during his first Mass. “I have never seen this in Taiwan… So this really made me very curious about this religion. So I started looking on the internet, trying to know more about Jesus,” he said.
A Logical Path to Faith
Manoogian shared a book on salvation history with Liu, which resonated with him in a way that the polytheistic religions of his homeland hadn’t. “In Taiwan there’s a lot of gods and every god has his independent story and it didn’t connect to each other. So it becomes very confusing. It’s like chaos,” Liu explained. “Then when I read the books that Robbie gave me, I found all this logical. In Genesis, God created humans and then something happens from the prophets and then Jesus comes to the Earth and saves the humans. It’s all logical. So I was very curious about this story.”
A pivotal moment occurred during winter break when Liu wrestled with doubts about his potential baptism. Attending Mass the Sunday before classes resumed, he heard a Gospel reading about the baptism of Jesus. “During Mass, the Father explained that even though Jesus was without sin, he chose to stand with the sinner. So it’s like he was walking the path of obedience to set an example for us. And it really hit me straight to my heart,” Liu recalled. “So this is a miracle that I can’t explain. It’s like God was speaking directly to me and then gave me the answer.”
Becoming Part of the Community
Liu is now participating in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) and will be received into the Catholic Church this Easter, with Manoogian serving as his sponsor. The EWTN News report highlights that Liu has begun sharing his testimony with other Mandarin-speaking students who are unfamiliar with Christianity, a practice Manoogian describes as “very powerful to witness.”
While Liu’s wife was initially surprised by his decision, she is supportive, and he hopes she will eventually join him in faith. For Manoogian, the experience has been deeply enriching, strengthening his own beliefs and illustrating the power of simply introducing someone to the core tenets of Christianity. “It’s been like this big brother, little brother moment… I’m Davis’ big brother in the faith, in a sense, as a sponsor, but then he’s ahead of me in the same engineering classes that I’m taking,” Manoogian said. He added, “It’s definitely deepened my faith because… I just told him who Jesus was and then it was kind of planting that seed and it wasn’t me at all in a sense, which has been really cool to see.”
The story serves as a powerful reminder that faith can blossom in unexpected places, and that a simple act of connection – even one initiated through Facebook Marketplace – can have a transformative impact on a life. As Manoogian reflected, “I suppose that God can utilize any source… to spread the Gospel.”
As Liu prepares to celebrate Easter as a new member of the Catholic Church, his journey underscores the enduring power of faith and the unexpected ways in which it can enter our lives. The ripple effect of his conversion, through his outreach to other students, suggests a continuing story of faith and community building on the University of Florida campus.
What are your thoughts on the role of social media in fostering spiritual connections? Share your perspective in the comments below.
