Enlightenment

The Selflessness of a Fire Fighter

“They were part of an elite squad confronting wildfires on the frontline, setting up barriers to stop the spreading of destruction. But in their unpredictable world, it doesn’t take much to turn a situation deadly.” CNN says of the 19 firefighters who are being honored posthumously for giving even their…

Michael Means from Charlotte, NC, USA

The Shepherd & the Sheep

Many of us, Mongolians, engage in stock-farming. In a vast meadow, we raise five kinds of livestock together—cows, horses, sheep, goats, and camels. Among them, we raise sheep the most. One family keeps approximately more than a thousand sheep. Every sheep has different colors—white, black, brown, dappled, and so on.…

B. Jargalsaikhan from Erdenet, Mongolia

Until a Precious Bowl Is Made

I watched a TV show about how a master craftsman, who is designated as intangible cultural asset, makes Bangjja, Korean type of hand-forged glossy brassware with yellowish color. Bangjja of such high quality were used for the king’s table. Bangjja made with traditional techniques has good durability, so it preserves…

Jo Mun-gyeong from Daejeon, Korea

Mommy Heaven

Recently in our church, we looked at a picture captioned Busy Mommy. The mother is standing at a stove, cooking and holding her child on her hip. A telephone is wedged between the mother’s shoulder and her ear, and the child is trying to grab the phone. At the same…

Joy Meela Gallant from New Windsor, NY, U.S.

God’s True Intention

“Min! Can you come home and stay for a few days?” My mom asked me in a somewhat serious voice. Usually, she hardly mentions anything that could worry my brother and me. So, if she gave us a sudden call like that, it meant that something serious was going on.…

Park Dong-min from Anyang, Korea

Mother of Six Children

My mom was a very kind and calm person. She used to read to me with a soft voice, and I liked it so much. I was brought up like a princess until I was five years old, when my little sister was born. She looked like a boy because…

Eun-jin Jo from Changwon, Korea

Answer Me

A lady, who was tender with a very warm personality, lived next door. Her baby daughter was also well-behaved probably because she resembled her mom. The baby was not afraid of strangers and made no trouble, so I gave a hearty compliment to her, “You’re a really good girl. How…

Ji-min Yim from Gunpo, Korea

Parents’ Concern

As I stay in Russia away from home, I send pictures of myself to show my parents how I’m doing. It was on a day when it hailed for the first time last winter. A shower of hail looked marvelous. I took a photo of my hands receiving hailstones. My…

Kang Yo-na from Chelyabinsk, Russia

Avoid Every Kind of Evil

I was sick for months. I bought all different kinds of medicine from the pharmacy and tried all kinds of treatment, including home remedies, but nothing made me better. When I came to the point that I might have to quit my job, I went to see the doctor whom…

Goitseone Thamae from Cape Town, South Africa

Children like Isaac

Just as people say a day without laughter is a day wasted, laughing is the best medicine. Laughing is contagious. If you laugh, many good things happen. However, people don’t laugh very well. Perhaps, there may be nothing to laugh in this competitive modern society where materialism, individualism, and selfishness…

Jo Mun-gyeong from Daejeon, Korea

Mom’s Half Memory

I have an unforgettable memory. One night when I was in elementary school, I had sharp pain in my lower abdomen. I just thought it was due to indigestion, but my mom noticed that something was wrong with me, and she took me to the emergency room. As she had…

Park Su-bin from Seoul, Korea

True Heroes

In American history, there are a group of people who conducted the “Underground Railroad,” who are now viewed as heroes. The reason is that they risked their lives in order to free slaves with a pure and loving motive, without receiving anything in return. From the 1600s until 1865, the…

D. Carly Dinnie from Connecticut, U.S.

Dad’s Love

In my childhood, I pledged myself not to become a businessperson. It was because of my dad who was a businessman. He was so busy all the time that I could hardly see him. He frequently went on a business trip; and when he wasn’t on a business trip, he…

Wei Wei from Singapore

Memory of Love

When I was little, it was always me who was in charge of running my mom’s errands as I was the youngest in my family. When my mom wrote down the things to buy from the market, I went all over the market near the house, holding the piece of…

Ryu Mi-gyeong from Busan, Korea

The Reason My Syngonium Revived

A few years ago, I went to a plant nursery. I didn’t think I could do a good job of raising a plant, so I asked the florist to recommend a plant that would grow well even if I didn’t take much care of it. Then she recommended syngonium. I…

Jeong Eun-jeong from Seoul, Korea

Sansevierias Revived through Care

I saw on TV a boy who was very good at growing plants. I was watching it without thinking, but then there was something that caught my attention. It was his attitude toward plants. The boy’s love for plants was different from other people; he even brought abandoned plants home…

Yu Seung-hui from Busan, Korea

Train Yourself to Be Godly

I was a quite aggressive man. I would be frustrated quickly if something didn’t go the way I had planned, or I would throw caution to the wind and go into everything if something was unsatisfactory. Many times, my aggressiveness embarrassed people around me. During school days, my Zion members…

Yu Wu-seung from Seoul, Korea

Brother Whom I Sold because of My Sin

Reading a story about Jacob’s sons who sold their brother Joseph as a slave to the Midianites by their jealousy, I came to think of many things. More than anything, it is a pity that they committed sins because they did not understand the heart of their father. “Joseph is…

Kim Min-ju from Cairns, Australia

Read When You Miss Me

Working on a school assignment, I learned about manuscripts. In the period of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, when printing techniques were not developed and books were in low quantity, it was common to transcribe books by hand. Such a handwritten document is called manuscript. Transcription was usually done by…

Lee Seon-mi from Seoul, Korea

Mother’s Laundry

After leaving home to live in a dormitory for my studies, I go home once a week to deliver worn clothes for laundry. I stay for only a few hours to idle and to eat, leaving extra work to my mom. And then, I return to the dormitory. My home…

Mary Rose Tandugon Tandoy from Quezon City, Philippines