Enlightenment

The Silent Helpers of Our Alley

Our house is located diagonally across from Zion. Because the church where God dwells is so close, I set off for work each morning with a joyful heart. On top of that, the alley in front of our house is always spotless—not a single piece of litter in sight—allowing me to start each day feeling refreshed. One day, I had to leave for work earlier than usual due to something urgent at the office. That morning, I finally discovered the reason the alley was always so clean. Three male adults, wearing masks and dressed lightly, were sweeping the alley. As I looked more closely at their familiar figures, I realized they were our church overseer and assistant overseers. This alley…

Gwon Mi-jeong From Seoul, Korea

Unless the Dross Is Removed

The Bible contains prophecies about those who will receive salvation. There is one verse in particular that reveals what kind of person must stand at the center of that prophecy—a verse I engraved on my heart: “Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel.” Pr 25:4 If a piece of clothing or a scarf has a loose thread when you’re about to buy it, most people would ask for a replacement. Though a single thread may seem like a small flaw, it can affect the overall value of the item. The same is true for silver—even the slightest impurity must be removed for its true worth to shine through. All the more, shouldn’t those who…

Shim Hyeon-ji From Guri, Korea

Prayer for Others

There was a time when my emotions were difficult to manage, and both my body and mind felt weighed down. But before I knew it, my mood had lifted, and I regained my strength. On a day overflowing with happiness and gratitude, feeling that Heavenly Father and Mother had helped me through my struggles, I shared with a member sitting nearby that I was feeling much better. The member smiled brightly and replied: “Deaconess, do you know how much I prayed for you?” I was momentarily puzzled by the unexpected words, but soon my heart filled with warmth and deep emotion. When I had briefly and unknowingly expressed my struggles, this member had remembered and persistently prayed to God on…

Ahn Hyo-jeong From Gwangju, Gyeonggi, Korea

Keep Watch

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”…

Park Hye-yeong From Gimhae, Korea

Small Kindness, Great Impact

The water purifier technician was running late for his scheduled appointment, so I gave him a call. He apologized, explaining that he had left his phone behind while quickly eating some noodles at a convenience store. Hearing his apology, I felt a bit sorry for him, imagining how rushed and pressured he must have been while eating his simple meal. When he arrived at my house, I asked, “Since noodles tend to leave you feeling hungry again soon, would you like a hot dog?” Hearing this, he smiled brightly and gratefully accepted. I also offered him a cup of coffee and encouraged him to eat before it got cold. The technician, perhaps lifted by the kindness, shared some amusing family…

Seong Hae-jeong From Changwon, Korea

What I Need

The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. Ac 16:27–32 I was amazed by Paul’s actions. If it had been me, I would not have tried to…

Bae Su-jin From Cheongju, Korea

God Leads Me

“The lyrics of the New Songs touch my heart and make me cry.” “I can truly feel the sacrifice and love of Heavenly Father and Mother in my heart.” “Now I understand why we are encouraged to say ‘Amen’ out loud.” “Until now, I had only known Christ Ahnsahnghong intellectually, but now I have real conviction.” “While working on my assignments, I ended up earnestly studying for the truth presentations.” These are realizations and the fragrance of Zion that came from the mouths of the students whom I had once regarded as still young and immature. During the school break, through active participation in various events like the student camp, the New Song Festival, and the Bible Preaching Contest, their…

Gwon Mi-suk From Seoul, Korea

Broken Car

Pett paf pett paf pett paf . . . With a clamorous rumble, the yellow check engine light came on when I was about to enter the highway, passing the toll gate. ‘Why today?’ It was the last day of the holiday season and there were no garages open on Sunday afternoon. I didn’t know what to do. My car didn’t become odd when I entered the highway. The check engine light had come on and off repeatedly all the day, but the engine started and I could drive with no problem, so I drove here and there to do some work. I didn’t think anything serious would happen. Late in the evening, I started out to go back home.…

Baek Hyeon-mi from Iksan, Korea

Joy of Harvesting Fruits

When I was young, my playground was all the fields and paddies in my countryside village. Helping my parents was one of the most fun plays. In the busy farming season, I ran around the fields with a hoe or a pickax in my hand, or followed my parents as they sprayed pesticides. When the harvest season came, I helped them harvest the crops that they took good care of for a year by picking beans and red peppers, or digging up sweet potatoes. Rather than feeling tired, I was just happy to be able to stay with my mom. Whenever they left for work, I always followed them. The time I spent with my parents in the fields and…

Park Jeong-ah from Gimcheon, Korea

Sorry for Leaving You in Pain

I went to my daughter Seo-hee’s kindergarten to pick her up. When her teacher brought her out, she said to me with an anxious look. “Seo-hee blinked her eyes all day. It’s not her first time. I’m worried about her.” “Ah, she has sensitive eyes, so she does that when she feels sleepy or reads a lot. I’ll put her to bed earlier, and then she’ll be alright.” I said as if it was not a big problem, and I came back home. However, probably because of what her teacher said, it seemed like she was blinking her eyes more often than before. When she was reading a book or eating or talking, she wouldn’t stop blinking her eyes. Finally,…

Jeong Eun-jeong from Seoul, Korea

I Eagerly Desired

Two years ago, I went to the hospital because my ankle was hurting. The doctor told me that my joint was worn out severely, and so I scheduled a surgery. I wanted to be quickly in full recovery through the surgery, but as the surgery day was approaching, I felt scared. I kept imagining the surgery scene, and even thought about canceling it. On the day of surgery, I headed to the operating room, lying on the bed as if I was waiting for death. Probably because I was so scared, the operating room looked cold and even the doctors’ white gowns seemed cold. I prayed eagerly. As soon as they gave me anesthesia, I fell into a deep sleep.…

Kim Jong-su from Seongnam, Korea

Escaping from the Maze

One day, our Zion’s young adult members went to Busan Citizens’ Park together. The eco-friendly park with various themes had a lot of attractions. While taking a walk to the park, we spotted a fun place. It was a hedge maze. It had complicated routes in various directions with camellia trees standing as walls. There was no way that we, the young adult members full of curiosity, would miss the chance of trying it. We immediately went inside the hedge maze. We decided that whoever came out of the maze first would be the winner. After carefully looking at the map of the hedge maze, we started our race. At first, I followed the route without any hesitation, remembering the…

Ryu Mi-gyeong from Busan, Korea

I Thought It Would Be Okay

One day, I found a bottle of drinking yogurt in the refrigerator. I had bought a pack of yogurt while ago and thought I had finished the whole pack, but one was left hidden deep in the refrigerator. It had already expired, but I didn’t feel like throwing it away and wasting it. Yogurt is a fermented food anyway. So, I thought it would be okay. When I was about to drink it, my daughter walked into the kitchen. “Mom, we have yogurt? Can I have some, please?” “No. It’s already expired. You’re going to have a stomachache.” “Then why do you still have it? Throw it away.” “I . . . I was going to.” “Mom, don’t drink it.…

Jo Eun-jin from Changwon, Korea

Things I compelled to do

“For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.” 1 Co 9:16–17 Since my childhood, I attended Zion with my parents. As I entered middle school, I began to study the Bible seriously. The words of the Bible, such as the parable of the fig tree and the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, were amazing and fascinating. I shared what I learned with my friends. One by one, the number of fruits increased. Zion members said to me, “Brother, you have a good faith.”…

Lee Jae-wook from Sacheon, Korea

Confidence

Recently, I had an interesting experience. It was about a dress sold in a foreign country. What was amazing is that people had different opinions about the color of the dress. There was an online debate on whether the stripes of the dress were white and gold or blue and black. When I looked at the dress on the screen, I wondered why there was even a debate about that, because the dress looked white and gold to me right away. I showed it to my husband. I had no doubt that he would see it as white and gold as I did, but his answer was different. “It’s blue and black.” I couldn’t believe my ears. I double-checked it,…

Shin Mi-ae from Seoul, Korea

Walking Together

Whenever I encounter an issue that is too difficult to solve alone on my journey of faith, there is a verse that I always keep in mind. “Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecc 4:11–12 As the Bible says, “One may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.” When I look around, I can see helpful brothers and sisters whom I am grateful for. They are precious companions whom God granted me to keep my faith without getting weary, and they are like Mother’s hand who lifts me up when I am…

Baek Seung-hye from Yongin, Korea

We Are the Happy Ones

The more I read this verse, the happier I become. “Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places.” Dt 33:29 I am very happy that God saved me and is my shield to help me. There may be times when I am tired and exhausted while living the life of faith, but I should strengthen myself, thinking of Heavenly Father and Mother who are always on my side to help me. Since I was called to be the happiest person in the world, I will boldly preach the gospel…

Kim Hye-in from Puebla, Mexico

Work Done by God’s Power

Recently, I was worried about participating in the short-term mission to Congo. It’s because I never used French spoken by the Congolese people. Even though I am not fluent in the language, God gave me courage and strength. “So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” Zec 4:6 Thanks to these words that I engraved on my mind throughout the mission, I was able to bear good fruit. Truly, a man’s ability does not matter as long as everything is done by the Holy Spirit of God. I no longer depend on my weak abilities. I only pray earnestly for…

Tapiwa Toruvanda from Harare, Zimbabwe

Serving With the Strength God Provides

“If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Pe 4:11 Thanks to God’s grace, I’ve received much blessing by serving in Zion. However, I sometimes felt a little burdened with the duties. One day, I asked myself a question after reading this verse. ‘Did I serve in Zion with the strength God provides?’ If I did with the strength God provides, I would not feel tired but rather be joyful. How much more thanks I…

Kang Seon-yeong from Jinju, Korea

Revering God the Mother

Since receiving the truth, I have often seen and heard Heavenly Mother through church meetings. I always took this blessing for granted. However, a sermon I heard at the worship service gave me a sudden realization about what a great blessing it was. “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” Rev 21:2 The New Jerusalem, who came down from heaven, is Heavenly Mother. God the Mother, who is almighty, has come down to this earth to be with Her children. Hearing Heavenly Mother’s voice directly and seeing Her, our holy Mother, with our own eyes! How can this be regarded as a small…

Mi-ju Seo from Incheon, Korea