Meeting a Coworker on a Short-Term Mission Trip

While in Korea, I went on a short-term mission trip to Batasan Hills, a neighborhood in Quezon City, the Philippines. Before our departure, I looked up the location of the Zion we would be visiting—and was shocked to discover that it was very close to my company’s Quezon City branch. I had even spent two months there on a business trip two years prior, so the area felt familiar. I couldn’t help but imagine the joyful possibility of meeting my boss or a coworker there and sharing the truth with them.

As the name “Hills” suggests, Batasan Hills was filled with steep slopes. Walking up and down the hills repeatedly reminded me of our Heavenly Father, who walked through mountain villages to preach the New Covenant Passover. Recalling His path of sacrifice, I felt a renewed determination to find the heavenly family members that Father is so eagerly waiting for. I also kept praying in my spare moments, hoping for a miracle—that I might run into a coworker and have the chance to share the truth.

On the fifth day of our mission, as we were heading home after our schedule, a convenience store caught my eye. The setup looked exactly like the convenience store operated by our company branch, so I snapped a few photos out of curiosity. Just as I turned around, I saw a familiar face smiling awkwardly back at me—it was Nica, a coworker I had met during my business trip in the Philippines.

Nica worked at our branch’s convenience store. I remembered her well for her competent and lively demeanor. She was around my age, and I had wanted to become friends with her, but since our roles were different, we hadn’t had much time to interact. We had exchanged a few brief conversations and I had once introduced our church, but that was it. I couldn’t believe we ran into each other again, this time in Batasan Hills. I ran over to greet her, and we agreed to meet after her shift ended.

When we met again, I invited her to Zion, which was only a three-minute walk from the convenience store. That night, Nica confirmed the prophecies and fulfillment in the Bible about Christ Ahnsahnghong, the Second Coming Christ, and was reborn as a child of God. It was a moment so amazing that I couldn’t believe it even as I witnessed it. The fact that I stopped by that particular store at the very moment Nica was working, and that the store was located so close to our church—I truly believe all of it was prepared by God to lead Nica to salvation.

Through this short-term mission, I truly came to believe that when we long for something with all our hearts, God will certainly accomplish it. I also clearly realized why we must always reflect bright smiles and good deeds in our daily workplace lives. If I had spent that business trip with a gloomy face and low energy, I wouldn’t have had the courage to speak to Nica—and I might even have avoided her out of awkwardness. To find our heavenly family members in the workplace, we must first shine the glory of God through our gentle and beautiful character.