Blessings Given to Those Who Believe and Do

A plan for short-term mission was made for Chachapoyas, a city with a population of about 40,000 in Amazonas Region, Peru. Thirty-eight volunteers were grouped into four different teams, and each team was to preach for fifteen days.

Before starting to preach, we made a resolution to complete the mission, fully depending on Heavenly Father and Mother, and we asked God for help with one mind. Then, two assistant overseers went there a few days before the first team took off, to look for a proper building to be used as a branch church and for the areas to preach.

Even in Lima, which is a big city, it takes about three to four months to get a big house. Practically, it wasn’t going to be easy to find a proper house in a remote city in a few days. However, we found a place within three days. The landlord gave the house keys that day, and even things such as chairs and desks that we needed to operate a branch church.

It reminded me of Jesus sending two of His disciples before entering Jerusalem. Nothing could stop it when God said, “Tell him, ‘The Lord needs it’ ” (Lk 19:31). I could feel that our short-term missions were ready to be fulfilled as God said, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations” (Mt 24:14).

On December 12, 2016, the first team left for Chachapoyas. They preached the truth of Heavenly Mother diligently for two weeks. The second team did not only preach the gospel, but also share the food of the words with those who had received the truth through the first team. The third and the fourth teams put spurs to the preparation for the construction of a branch church there.

In Chachapoyas, which had been dark spiritually, over forty precious heavenly family members were found through the short-term missions that had been conducted in sequence for two-months. Half of them kept worship services.

Within a short period of time, a branch church was established in Chachapoyas, and I was very impressed while staying there for four days. I had thought I would be busy visiting here and there once I went to Chachapoyas. However, I almost didn’t need to visit anyone because the Bible studies didn’t cease with the new members who came to Zion.

I arrived in Chachapoyas in the late afternoon. When I was about to go out to preach, I received a phone call that some new brothers and sisters were coming to study the Bible. They studied the Bible until late at night, and the next day, the study continued from morning until afternoon.

After they finished the Bible study, another group of new members came and studied the Bible for quite a long time. Then I got ready to visit new members, thinking that there would be no more visitors as it was late in the evening, but then another group of members came.

The new members regarded God’s commandments as precious, and made efforts to keep them. One of them is Brother Ocampo and his six family members.

The brother’s family works in a farm in the suburb. As soon as they learned the importance of the Sabbath day, they asked their boss to let them keep the Sabbath day. It took a great courage for them to ask for it, because they might get financial disadvantage if they displeased their boss.

At first, the boss rejected their request, but then he changed his mind through an unexpected incident: In the afternoon of one Sabbath day, while the boss was cutting a big tree, a branch fell on one side and hit his head. The boss almost lost his consciousness. Later, he called the brother’s family and gave them permission not to come to work on the Sabbath day. Brother Ocampo and every single member of his family came to keep the next Sabbath. Thankfully, His boss also promised to learn God’s word.

One thing I realized while cultivating a new gospel field is that God’s blessings are given to those who believe God’s word and put it into action. In this difficult time when the whole world suffers economically, the brothers and sisters in Peru too have their own hardships. Nevertheless, many of them joyfully volunteered for the short-term mission to be the protagonists of the Bible prophecy.

Through the members who met the true God and took their first step forward in faith, I saw God give blessings to those who put His words into practice. They held on to the Sabbath day, which has God’s holy promise, with a determination that they would not suffer spiritual loss even if they would suffer physical loss. They definitely showed what it means to forcefully advance on the kingdom of heaven.

I pray that all the members of the Chachapoyas Branch Church will become great gospel workers and shine the glory of Heavenly Father and Mother. Please let everyone have beautiful faith and become precious materials for the heavenly Jerusalem Temple!