Fragrance of Zion

My Son’s Talent Show

On the day when I moved to the new home, I quickly unpacked all the stuff and was preparing to attend the Third-day service. Then, my husband received a pleasant call from a member; he told us to come to Zion close to our new house because there would be a dedication service. The person who cheered for joy the most was my fifth grader son in elementary school. As his wish was to meet Heavenly Mother even once, he jumped with joy at Mother’s coming to bless us. My son’s love for Mother was so big that his eyes welled up with tears by just thinking of Mother. He helped us preach to our family or acquaintances by showing…

Eom Jin-suk from Seoul, South Korea

Following the Path Our Father Walked

Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Collecting albums was more than a hobby—it was my joy. During my busy school years and even in the lonely days of studying abroad, music helped me relieve stress and brought me delight, inspiration, hope, and comfort. Now, my favorite music—without question—is the New Songs. These songs, which praise God Elohim, have the power to move the soul. Even after years of studying God’s precious word, I had only understood it with my head—not with my heart. It was through the New Songs that I finally realized the truth of salvation and the love of God. This happened around the time I had just begun a…

Min Jong-won from San Diego, CA, US

Reset My Faith: A Great Voyage Toward Heaven

Last year was both difficult and meaningful for me. It became the very foundation for a new leap of faith. At the beginning of the year, my family faced a financial crisis. To make matters worse, a medical checkup revealed an unexpected illness. Though I underwent surgery and received treatment, my recovery was slow, and the aftereffects weighed heavily on my already weakened spirit. Daily worries pressed down on me more and more. I grew weary in my gospel work and even found myself thinking, “What if I can’t continue?” Eventually, I thought, “Maybe it’s time to stop.” While battling this deep spiritual struggle, I happened to learn about Ernest Shackleton, a British explorer—and his story awakened my wavering soul.…

Kim Hui-jeong from Osan, Korea

Heaven Is My Only Wish

I lived as a shaman for more than fifty years. It began when a difficult situation arose in my family and I visited a fortune teller. She said my daughter had to receive a spirit, but I volunteered to take her place. Since I firmly believed in the afterlife, I was convinced that faithfully serving ancestral spirits would lead me to heaven. I even saved money for an elaborate ritual to be performed after my death—something that was supposedly necessary for entering heaven. It never felt like a waste, because going to heaven was my greatest wish. Meanwhile, my daughter began attending the Church of God and tried to teach me the Bible, but I refused to listen. Foolish as…

Jang Ok-guk from Taebaek, Korea

The Faith I Always Dreamed of

I began my life of faith in a Protestant church when I was around twenty. At first, I believed, “If more people believe in God, wouldn’t this world become more like heaven?” But reality proved different. Instead of being the salt and light of the world, some churches brought scandal and disgrace to society. I felt disappointed. Still, I believed that God exists and that somewhere, there must be a true church that follows His word. With that hope, I visited many churches, listened to countless sermons, and even spoke with well-known pastors. Yet whenever I heard sermons that glorified the preacher more than God, I sighed in disappointment, thinking, “This isn’t the church of truth.” After years of searching,…

Yeon Je-gu from Suwon, Korea

Pastel de Choclo Filled With Mother’s Love

As we thought about how to share Heavenly Mother’s love with our beloved families and acquaintances, we planned a special invitation event and decided to serve a traditional local dish. The dish we chose, Pastel de Choclo, is a Chilean-style corn pie made by stir-frying ground beef and onions in a pot, mixing in raisins, boiled eggs, and chicken, and then baking it with a generous topping of mashed corn. Just as kimchi stew or soybean paste stew brings comfort to Korean homes, Pastel de Choclo is a cherished dish in corn-rich Chile that carries the warmth of a mother’s cooking. The day before the event, all the members of Zion united in prayer. Some set alarms to pray every…

Yu Seung-hyeon from La Florida, Chile

Until I Came to Understand True Love

After the rush of the week, the Sabbath arrives like a breath of peace. In Zion, where we sing praises and study the words of God together, my weary heart finds rest and comfort. Before worship, the temple fills with laughter as we clean and prepare meals side by side. Our neighbors, seeing us so cheerful, often wonder how we can be so full of joy—and indeed, we are. The happiness and blessings I now cherish were things I had never known before coming to the truth. I first came to know the Church of God through my younger brother. Having attended a Protestant church for more than ten years, I was not particularly interested in the truths of the…

Benilde Ubisse / Maputo, Mozambique

My Mom Reborn as the Youth like the Dew of the Dawn

Mom hated me to go to church. When I visited her and tried to preach the truth to her even a little, she quickly pushed me to go home. When I preached to her over the phone, she hung up on me. When I took courage to invite her to church, she vent her anger on me, saying, “Why waste time and energy?” I burst into tears. Regardless of the religion, I tried to do my best as her child, but her heart remained hard. It was when my mother-in-law stayed at my place because she fell. Both my mom and mother-in-law were suffering from illnesses and accidents in their old age. Seeing them, I was eager to preach the…

Yim Su-jeong from Gwangju, South Korea

Good, Great, and Precious

With pride in being a citizen of Korea, I always tried to live honorably before others. Through various jobs, I met many people, and later I went to the United States to study the academic field I had long admired. There, I was exposed to cutting-edge knowledge and technology. Having lived as an engineer and scholar all my life, I was dismissive of religion. I never rejected anyone for their faith, but I was repeatedly disappointed by the improper conduct of some religious people, both at home and abroad. Deep down, I would sigh, thinking, “If you claim to believe, you shouldn’t behave like that.” I resolved never to live that way. Three years after settling in Jeju, Korea, I…

Kim Kwang-min from Seogwipo, Korea

From One to Four

Long ago, after giving birth to my daughter and while still recovering, I met members of the Church of God. At that time, I had been searching for the true God, wandering from one church to another. So when I heard the words of truth, I gladly received God. My husband, however, who placed great value on the Confucian traditions handed down in his family, was displeased that I attended church. The more I felt the piercing stares of my husband and his family, the more I devoted myself to serving my parents-in-law and keeping my faith with sincerity. Since God said, “There is a time for everything,” I believed that if I obeyed His teachings and endured patiently, the…

Kang Min, Suwon, Korea

Erika Reyes-Soto from Ridgewood, NJ, U.S.

I was working as a freelancer, and my work was done. I remember clearly the day I decided that I would travel the world. One day, I was sitting in a coffee shop, watching people passing by. Suddenly, my mind started wondering, and I started questioning things like, ‘What is the purpose of being on this earth? Why is everything so monotone and repetitive? Where is happiness?’ I realized that even if I travel the world, I would not feel complete happiness, because everything was a routine like wake up, shower, eat, and sleep. So I came to the conclusion that this earth is like a prison. Deep down in my heart, I was looking for answers, and I was…

The Cat That Repaid Grace

It happened fifteen years ago. At our detached house, we often had many unexpected “guests” throughout the year. In spring came butterflies, earwigs, and millipedes; in summer, crickets, cicadas, and spiders. But the biggest trouble was mice. One day, my mom and I went around spraying insecticide and setting poison from the rooftop to the bathroom and storage room to get rid of the mice and bugs. Suddenly, we heard a faint “meow” from somewhere. Since we did not have a cat, I did not think much of it at first. But the crying continued through the night, growing louder and more desperate. In the middle of the night, my mom woke up to the sound and quickly ran outside.…

Eun-jin Choi from Tokyo, Japan

Ramie Mac Perfett from Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.

Writing has always been my way to understand the world around me, and I have kept many journals over years. I rarely went back to read old entries that I had written, simply because they always proved to be painful reminders of the constant struggles we face on this earth. They also served as a reminder that I hadn’t gotten any closer to finding answers as to why we suffer, even though they were written years ago. But recently after being blessed to be in the truth for one year—all thanks and glory to Father and Mother for the grace—I found myself reading through my old journals late one night. From one page to the next, each entry seemed to…

Choosing the Narrow Path: The Best Decision of My Life

In Wisconsin, where I was raised, and throughout much of the Midwest, people tend to lead traditional, family-centered lives, rarely moving far from home. So my choice to leave for New York City in pursuit of my dreams came as quite a shock to my family. My dream was to perform on Broadway. I wanted to step onto the world-renowned stages of Manhattan and eventually become a stage director. To pursue this goal, I majored in theater arts, studying everything from acting and directing to costume design and makeup. After earning my bachelor’s degree, I applied to several graduate programs and was given the opportunity to continue my studies in New York. Amid countless plans and decisions, it was God…

Allyssa Dunn from New Windsor, NY, U.S.

God’s Will in Entrusting Me with the Gospel Mission

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” Jn 8:32 God granted the truth of the new covenant in order to give true freedom to us, who sinned in heaven and came to this earth. Ever since I received the truth when I was a student, I enjoyed God’s blessing of spiritual freedom to the full extent. However, I started to change after getting into college. I found more and more things that I wanted to try, and God’s commands and teachings felt like chains that shackled me. Complaints and grumbles began to bud and became huge enough to be out of my control. The love and emotions that I felt at first gradually disappeared.…

Im Hye-min from Hwaseong, Korea

Book of Acts of the Female Pastoral Staff

I am a pastoral staff wife. Before coming here, I carried out the gospel ministry in El Salvador. I’d like to share what happened while I was visiting a doctor’s office in El Salvador. When I finished talking with the overseer’s wife of the main church in El Salvador on the phone in Korean at the waiting room, a nurse came up to me. “I’m learning Korean because I’m very interested in Korea. I heard you speaking in Korean, and I just came to say hello,” said the nurse shyly. She then kindly asked me when I came to El Salvador, and if I was adapting well to the lifestyle here. It was an unexpected situation, but we continued a…

Seo Ha-neul from Puebla, Mexico

Treasure Hunt Continues Every Day

People live for what they believe is valuable. The most valuable thing in my life was money. Probably because I grew up in a poor family, I believed that having economic strength was the most important thing in life. When I was in university, I constantly looked for a job to earn money. One day, I was sitting on a campus bench while waiting for my next class. Two Koreans were walking towards me, so I thought that they were going to ask me something. They did ask me a question though it was a question that I couldn’t answer. “Have you ever heard about Heavenly Mother?” Starting with that simple but mysterious question, they explained to me a lot…

Hazel Marie Victoriano Bonitillo from Iloilo, Philippines

With Uncontrollable Happiness

The ultimate purpose of life is to meet God and return to the kingdom of heaven by receiving salvation through Him. To put it another way, our lives can be referred to as the process of preparing for the eternal kingdom of heaven. Many people live without knowing the essence and meaning of life, but I believed I was different. After converting from Hinduism to Christianity around 1996, I thought I’d finally found my way and there was nothing more I could wish for. A dozen years later, I heard the message of the Bible from a colleague, who I had led a religious life together with and accepted the truth later in Nepal. Then I realized I too was…

Raju Purty from Kolkata, WB, India

My First Love Until the End

Since I was born a second child, I never imagined that I would have to take on the role of the firstborn child. However, when I was fifteen years old, my older sister, who was a lot older than I was, got married and I had to take care of my four younger siblings. Around that time, my family’s financial situation got worse, and I even had to undertake the housework on behalf of my parents who were always at work; as soon as I came back from school, I divided up the house chores among us and hurriedly finished them. I carried my youngest sibling, who was ten years younger than me, on my back all the time. Many…

Yun Hyeon-suk from Incheon, Korea

Change

I’ve been attending the Church of God ever since I was in my mother’s womb. This means that I’ve been a member of the Church of God since birth. It was when I was in middle school that I started growing in my faith, not depending leaning on my mother’s faith. As I met many friends in school who had different religions from mine, I started wondering, ‘What truth can lead me to the kingdom of heaven?’ It didn’t take long for my question to be answered. As I studied the Bible diligently in Zion, I was able to understand the truth of the new covenant clearly. However, my life of faith was put on hold when I was in…

Jang Ye-jin from Ansan, Korea