Enlightenment

God Leads My Way

I was troubled many times with lots of concerns when I was about to carry out a plan. Nevertheless, I prayed to God only when I was desperate. I got sobered, however, when I realized that it was not my plans and efforts that made everything possible. “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Pr 16:9 Everything has happened according to God’s will, including my overseas mission experience. It seemed as if I made a plan and worked on it, but if God hadn’t led me, I couldn’t have done anything. I give thanks to God Elohim for walking with us and leading us to heaven.

Hyderabad, India, Ryu Gi-bok

Removing Stains

I’d like to share what I’ve realized while painting the Libreville Church in Gabon. We paint our Zion building every dry season. Since we cannot do it in the rainy season even though we want to, we have to paint in this season unless we want to be surrounded by dirty walls for a year. But there is one thing we must do before painting: stain removal. As it often rains and there is lots of moisture during the rainy season in Gabon, moss and mold which discolor walls are easily formed. If we just paint without removing stains, it looks good temporarily but mold will come back and walls will look worse than before. Stain removal is necessary, but…

Libreville, Gabon, Lee Jeong-ho

Making Pittu

When there is a gathering for the male adult group in Zion, I prepare meals, selecting a dish among the menu they like. Although they are exhausted after working all day, they come to church right after work to study the Bible. Whenever seeing them, I want to make something for them and I care a lot about creating the menu. One day, I decided to make pittu, a traditional Sri Lankan food. I needed a special pot to make pittu. Pittu is thick and has a long cylinder shape, so a pot that fits the exact size is needed. When you put dough into the pot and steam it for about eight minutes, appetizing pittu is made. Although I…

Colombo, Sri Lanka, Baek So-hyeon

Unfailing Love

As we walk the path of faith, there are times when we don’t understand why certain things happen, only to realize later that those very moments were filled with God’s hidden blessings. Whenever I’m tempted to rely on my own thoughts instead of trusting in God’s will, one verse always comes to mind: Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Ps 107:8–9 Reading this passage, I am reminded once again that Heavenly Father and Mother love us with unwavering constancy and always fill us with what is good. Looking back on my journey of faith, I see how…

Shin Jun-hee from Suwon, Korea

One Meal vs. Twenty Thousand Meals

It was a day I cooked for my father. Though I was tired, it was nothing compared with my father, who had come home late and hadn’t even had lunch. So I quickly washed the rice and set it to cook. “Thanks to you, I didn’t miss one meal today. Thank you.” After finishing his meal, my father said this with a smile. I felt proud, but suddenly found myself reflecting: “How many meals have I not gone without thanks to him?” As I thought back over the years I’ve lived, it must be well over twenty thousand meals. In that moment, I was struck by how much love and care I’ve received throughout my life. Seeing my father express…

Ju Yeong-ho from Seoul, Korea

Class President Campaign Promises

At the beginning of the semester, my second child—now in third grade—decided to run for class president. Here is the campaign pledge he wrote: If I become class president, I promise to be like a school supply for all of you. First, like a ruler, I’ll always adjust to match your needs. Second, like an eraser, I’ll help wipe away bad thoughts. Third, like tape, I’ll build strong and lasting friendships. Fourth, like a pencil, I’ll leave a meaningful mark in the history of class presidents. Please vote for me! As I read his pledge, I found myself reflecting on my own faith and making a renewed resolution. I want to meet my brothers and sisters where they are, keep…

Kim Deok-sun from Busan, Korea

Like a Doubles Match in Tennis

As I’ve been learning tennis, I’ve come to some realizations I’d like to share with my Zion family. In tennis, there are two main formats: singles and doubles. A singles match is played one-on-one, with players exchanging shots across the net using their rackets. Doubles, on the other hand, features two players on each team. While the basic rules remain the same, doubles places greater emphasis on teamwork and coordination. In singles, success depends largely on a player’s individual skill. But in doubles, while personal ability still plays a role, what truly determines the outcome is the chemistry and rhythm between teammates. One player typically positions near the net to handle short balls, while the other stays in the back…

Hwang Su-dong from Incheon, Korea

The Fledging Operation of a Kestrel Family

About a month after birds hatch, they leave their nest to begin life on their own—a process known as fledging. I once watched a program that followed the story of a kestrel family preparing for that moment. For reasons unknown, a pair of kestrels had built their nest on the balcony of a 13th-floor apartment, where they lovingly raised six chicks. Then one day, seemingly no different from the rest, one of the chicks flapped its wings more vigorously than usual. With quiet determination, it lifted into the air and left the nest. A few days later, another chick began scratching at the floor with its feet, flapping its wings anxiously. From across the way, the mother and father kestrels…

Yun Eun-ju from Goyang, Korea

Longing for Our Heavenly Home

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. . . Heb 11:13–16 As a newspaper reporter, I had many opportunities to meet people from all walks of life. Among the most memorable were interviews with individuals who were incarcerated. I asked them what life in prison was…

Mira M.C. from Patna, BR, India

Chosen by God

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.” Jn 15:18–20 This year, I turned twenty, a first-year university student, just beginning a new chapter of life. Before entering university, I often found myself worrying: “What if my classmates or seniors don’t like me because…

Jahng Su-ji from Seosan, Korea

After Conscious Sedation Endoscopy

I had a stomach endoscopy for the first time in my life. My husband had previously undergone the procedure without sedation and said it was difficult, so I chose to be sedated without hesitation. The nurse administered the sedative. One second, two seconds, three . . . and my memory faded. When I opened my eyes again, the procedure was already over. I was filled with gratitude to God for allowing me to go through it without any pain or discomfort. While I was resting in the recovery room, the doctor came by for rounds. But instead of mentioning the test results, he talked about something entirely unrelated. When I asked him about the results, he looked surprised and said:…

Kim Hyeon-im from Suncheon, Korea

God Gives Greater Honor to the Parts That Lack It

One day, I tripped over a stone and fell. In the moment, I was too stunned to pay attention to the pain. But as time passed, my entire body began to ache; my hand swelled up, and a deep bruise appeared on my knee. Being unable to properly use my hands and feet proved to be more inconvenient than I had imagined. Cleaning, eating, and even praying became difficult. Each time I struggled, the members in Zion comforted me with sincere concern. The parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body…

Hyeon Su-jin from Incheon, Korea

Continue in What You Have Learned and Have Become Convinced of

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Ti 3:12–15 Although God has granted us the truth that leads to eternal life in heaven, there are moments when our faith may be shaken. Temptations that promise wealth, and a culture that glorifies instant gratification, can make the pursuit of…

Kim Jin from Daegu, Korea

A Glorious Name in the Heavenly Family Lineage

One day, while dining at my parents’ home, my father disappeared into his room after the meal and returned with a book in hand. It was a family genealogy—bound in black leather with gold lettering engraved on the cover. Even at a glance, it was clear the book had been crafted with great care. Despite my mother’s gentle scoff, “Who even reads genealogies these days?” my father paid no mind and eagerly opened its pages. He began sharing the stories written within—tales of our ancestry, of forebears who brought honor to the family name, of a man who, having no son, adopted his brother’s child to continue the lineage. With each turn of the page, his explanations drew me in.…

Gahng Min-seo from Seongnam, Korea

New Song Poetry Collection

One day, I noticed a deaconess holding a large-print New Song book and asked her why. I had assumed the large-print version—containing only lyrics without musical notation—was intended for elderly members who had difficulty reading small text or for young children who couldn’t yet read sheet music. I asked casually, not thinking much of it. To my surprise, the deaconess gave a deeply touching response. She shared that during an overseas mission trip, she brought the large-print hymnal with her. Since she wasn’t fluent in the local language, she would quietly sing the Korean lyrics in a soft voice during worship, reflecting on each word. From that moment on, the New Song book became, to her, a deeply moving book…

Im Ji-yeon from Seongnam, Korea

Surely This Is Our God

I was once someone who did not seek God. As a child, I followed my parents to temples and shrines, joining my hands in prayer to Buddha or various deities as they instructed. But as I grew older, doubts began to surface, and I eventually stopped participating in those practices. The year I left my family home and began living on my own, I was given the opportunity to hear the word of God. On a cold day, I spent over an hour studying the Bible, and among all the teachings, the one that struck me most deeply was the truth of the Passover. When I realized that Christ Ahnsahnghong, who brought back the Passover, is in fact God, I…

Oyama Yuki from Fukuoka, Japan

Dreaming of the Universe

In his writings, American astronomer Carl Sagan introduced the “Cosmic Calendar,” a model that compresses the 13.8-billion-year history of the universe into a single year. According to this scale, the Big Bang takes place at midnight on January 1, and the present moment falls at the final stroke of midnight on December 31. This framework offers a striking perspective on the vast timeline of the cosmos. Within the Cosmic Calendar, one second represents 475 years on Earth; a single day spans 38 million years, and a month amounts to roughly 1.1 billion years. Earth appears in early September, and modern humans emerge only in the final moments of December 31. All of human civilization fits within less than a minute,…

Jo Mun-gyeong from Cheongju, Korea

The Blessing of the One who Reads God’s Word, Hears It, and Take It to Heart

While on an overseas mission, I met someone who attended church but had never once opened a Bible. Believing it to be a book reserved only for clergy, he had never read a single verse. I opened the Bible and read this passage aloud: Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart [keep, KJV] what is written in it, because the time is near. Rev 1:3 I had always thought that reading, hearing, and keeping God’s word was something anyone could easily do. But I came to realize that there are still many people in the world who have neither heard nor seen the words…

Park Ji-ho from Seoul, Korea

Let’s Talk for a Thousand Years in Heaven

The greatest lesson I learned during my three-week overseas mission was the meaning of brotherly love. Until then, I had admired our overseas members from a distance, viewing them as amazing prophets and key figures in God’s prophecy, but I had never truly felt close to them. However, throughout the mission, as we laughed, shed tears, and preached together, a deep bond naturally formed. When the time came to part, I couldn’t hold back my tears. Seeing me sobbing, a deaconess gently came over and offered comfort: “If it’s this hard for us to say goodbye, imagine how hard it must be for Mother.” Though we were unforgivable sinners, our Heavenly Mother came to this earth because She could not…

Park Min-ji from Seoul, Korea

Youth

General MacArthur, renowned for the Incheon Landing during the Korean War, was 70 years old when he served in that conflict. In his office, he always kept a poem he often read like a personal creed, Samuel Ullman’s “Youth.” Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; . . . Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. . . . In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless…

Kim Hae-gyeong from Taebaek, Korea