Fragrance of Zion

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

A New Dream Found in My Country

When I was about to enter middle school, my family’s circumstances got bad suddenly, and I had to leave my family and live with my aunt in America; I had to emigrate out of the blue, leaving my loving family. Fortunately, the life on the opposite side of the world wasn’t so bad. At school, there were many friends of my age from Korea, and I quickly became a friend of American students. Not long after I moved to America, my grandmother who was worried about me came to America and she left me no room to feel lonely or alienated. But I still missed Korea. A few years passed and I was more familiar with my life in America…

Lee Min-gyu from Seongnam, Korea

Because I Love Them

From morning, the rain sounds so nice. It brings back my old memories of the time I met the members from the Church of God for the first time long ago. As far as I can remember, I’d never had that kind of sincere conversation about the world’s future which I was very afraid of. I used to go to the Buddhist temple, believing that I could go to paradise as long as I lived a good life without causing trouble to others. Of course, I didn’t live a good life enough to guarantee that for sure, but I still believed that I could fill the rest of my life with good deeds. The problem was the period of my…

Yang Seong-rim from Gimhae, Korea

Where I Need to Return

I was always sick while raising my three children, probably because I became exhausted physically and mentally. Many nights, I couldn’t sleep. I went to see a doctor and was diagnosed with the initial stage of depression. I tried many things that the doctor suggested for treatment. I had time to learn new things, and met my friends and talked, eating delicious food together. However, it was still painful though I spent more time and money for taking lessons, eating, and traveling. The fun time was temporary and I soon got tired, and my mind was covered with darkness again. Whenever I lay down on the bed at night and thought about the day, tears came out of my eyes…

Oita Ai from Togyo, Japan

So That It May Go Well With You in the End

On February 17, 2016, my son graduated from elementary school. My husband who worked two hours away from home even took a leave take time off work to participate in his graduation ceremony with me. At the graduation ceremony, the names of the graduates were called one after another, and they were given their certification of graduation. Some were called to come up to the platform to receive awards, and my son was one of them. I was so happy that tears welled up in my eyes. People might think that he received an academic excellence award or something like that, but what he received was an athletic award that was given to those who had talents in athletic activities.…

Lee Sun-deok from Gumi, South Korea

The Greatest Joy

Long hair that comes down below the shoulders, beard, a denim jacket, sunglasses, and cowboy boots! This was me before receiving the truth. I let my hair and beard grow because I was shooting a film at that time. As an actor, I was in quite many movies, and made one or two movies myself. I felt satisfied with my talent and lived according to my standard, not thinking about how other people viewed me. However, it was different when it came to religion. Although I claimed to believe in God and know the Bible, it didn’t make sense whenever I read the Bible. Although my pastor didn’t really teach me the Bible, I believed him more than God, but…

M. Dorjdagva from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Blessing Granted Through Love

My family is pretty close and open to each other. My parents are always like friends to me, and we are always bright and active when we are together. My friends who have older brothers say that they often argue with each other, but I have good relationship with my older brother, too. That’s probably why my family was the first one that came to my mind when I received the truth through my friend when I was in high school. Since I had just moved to a city from a rural area, I was worried that I might meet some bad friends, but Zion members were so kind that they made me think, ‘I didn’t know there were still…

Kim Hye-ji from Anyang, South Korea

All Joy and Happiness Are in Mother

When my son introduced his future wife to us, my wife and I liked her right away because she told us that she went to church. Since we were Christians, there was nothing more I would want as long as they made a harmonious family, living an upright life of faith. Soon after our son got married, we found out that our daughter-in-law’s church was the Church of God. Although we were unhappy about that, we couldn’t show it to such a good daughter-in-law. At our devoted daughter-in-law’s request, we had been to “Our Mother” Writing and Photo Exhibition hosted by the Church of God, and listened to the church news she often delivered to us. Then one day, our…

Lee Sil-geon from Daegu, South Korea

Time to Repay God Who Has Waited for Me for a Long Time

In the barren desert where it was difficult even for a clump of grass to grow, manna which God sent to the Israelites was food of miracle. However, as they ate it for every meal for forty years, they began to regard it as miserable food. My parents received the truth when I was about five months old, and they chose to walk the path of prophets a few years later. Thanks to that, I grew in much love and care from many brothers and sisters in Zion. My life at Zion was only full of joy until I became a teenager. During my school days, I started to feel unhappy that I had to keep worship services in Zion…

Seo Jun-yeong from Seongnam, South Korea

Awakened with Mother in Mind

I visited my hometown in ten years to celebrate my grandfather’s 80th birthday. If I were to describe my grandfather I used to know, I would say, “strict and strong.” He was also very diligent, so he alone usually took care of his crops, except during harvest. That was why I was sure he was quite strong and robust. However, I was surprised upon seeing him ten years after I last saw him. He had gone so weak. He hardly moved and didn’t speak that much as well. He mostly stayed in his rocking chair and slept but when he needed to stand or sit, he needed assistance. I didn’t know what to do other than to show my respect…

Jomarie M. Supleo from Mandaluyong, Philippines

As a Seed Hidden in the Frozen Land Springs Up out of the Ground

I moved to the city of Siheung to live together with my younger son. It wasn’t easy to leave a place where I’d lived for over sixty years, but I was happy to move there because my oldest son and daughter too live in that city. But one day, my oldest daughter came and said something that confused me. “Mom, I heard that there is Heavenly Mother in the Bible.” Heavenly Mother? I had been Catholic for decades, but never heard about Heavenly Mother. So I didn’t even pretend to listen, but made her leave. After that, I would get mad at her and persecute her a lot so that she would not even want to mention it anymore. However,…

Shin Dong-rye from Siheung, South Korea

God’s Blessing for My Whole Family

In the summer of 2017, my happy dream finally came true; I had been dreaming that my whole family would sing in one voice and share hope for heaven in God. When I was attending a Sabbath morning service together with my loving family, my eyes were filled with tears of happiness. I always had faith in God and hope for heaven in my heart ever since I was in primary school. However, I stopped going to church, seeing so many problems in Christianity, and then I got to know about the Church of God. While studying the truth of the new covenant, I became confident in going to heaven and received the truth with joy. It was about two…

Seok Min-seo from Seoul, South Korea

Accompanied by Angels

When I was going to India, a small problem occurred in the process of issuing a visa at the airport in Nepal. The money I had was only Indian rupees, but they said it was impossible to pay unless I had Korean won, American dollars, or Nepalese rupees. Even the currency exchange machine was broken, so I was going here and there without knowing what to do. But with the help of two kind foreigners, the urgent situation was solved. It was definitely Mother who sent the angels to me. The appearance of angels didn’t stop there. I planned to spend one night in Nepal and then go to India. So I wanted to see if anyone from the hotel…

Kim Ji-young from Busan, South Korea

Realizing God’s Love

It was around the time when my sister attended a Protestant church. One day, she returned home with bruises all over her body. Shocked, I asked her what happened. She explained that she got the bruises from a religious ritual of the church. ‘How can the church that hurts the members be right? I’m sure there is no God!’ I came to distrust the church and made a conclusion that God does not exist. My sister too no longer attended the church. Time went by, and my sister started attending another church named the Church of God. I could not understand at all why she would attend a church again after having such a horrible experience, and I firmly rejected…

Kang Yeon-suk from Incheon, South Korea

From Persecution to Blessing

The brothers and sisters participated in the preaching festival with one accord even in the scorching heat and the glowing sun that could peel their skin off. Their fragrance of Zion spread all over North India. I want to share a gracious story of the Shillong Church. Several months ago, as two young adult members were preaching the gospel, they were severely persecuted by a pastor and some members from a Protestant church. There were many passersby at that time. Among them, a female adult saw it on her way back home, and she couldn’t help but shed tears because she felt heartbroken. She didn’t know why she felt that way, but she was troubled as if it had happened…

The Church of God in Shillong, India

Brotherly Unity in Zion

In the region of Bakaiya in Hetauda, Nepal, there are two towns—one for Tamang people and the other for Majhi people. Until the two towns were formed, the two ethnic groups had been in conflict with each other since centuries ago. To infuriate the gods that Tamang people believe in, Majhi people threw slices of pig fat at Tamang people’s temple, and Tamang people threw slices of cow fat at the counterpart temple. At one time, the people of the whole community had to relocate themselves due to extreme violence caused by the conflict. What would it be like if you meet an implacable enemy in Zion? In Zion, it doesn’t matter at all which ethnic group you belong to.…

Kiran Gautam from Hetauda, Nepal

With Parent’s Heart and Soldier’s Spirit

I was born in a poor farmer’s family as the youngest of eight children. Since my childhood, I was always worried about what to do to live without hunger. After much consideration, I decided to be a career soldier. I had to go to the military anyway, so I wanted to be a noncommissioned officer just like my cousin working in the Special Forces. I thought I could settle down, while getting monthly salaries. However, my cousin stopped me, saying that it would be too hard. So I gave up enlisting in the Special Forces. Instead, I applied for a noncommissioned officer in the army and finished the education without a problem. But guess what happened next. After I was…

Park In-seob from Paju, South Korea

Blessings of the Feasts, Which Even a Lion Couldn’t Stop

I am an electrician. I work for a company that sells heavy logging equipment. When the Autumn Feasts were just around the corner, I had to go on a business trip because one of the machines had a problem. The business trip could take days, but the Feast of Trumpets, which I was eagerly waiting for, was only a couple of days away. I wanted to postpone the business trip, but it was an urgent matter, and no one else was able to handle the problem. I left for the trip, asking God through prayer to help me solve the problem and come back in time. The region I had to travel to was a town called Obala, located near…

Djangue Rudolphe from Douala, Cameroon

When We Seek God and Stay Close to His Word

In March 2020, the Philippine government implemented Enhanced Community Quarantine [ECQ] in the capital city due to the spread of COVID-19. It was not clear what would happen in Bacoor where our Bible Center was located, though it was somewhat far away from the capital city. So Brother Tirso and his wife Jane, who were building up their faith, wanted to preach to their family. The brother and the sister invited us to their house as my wife and I were working for the Bible Center in Bacoor. We could feel how earnest they were, so we hurried to go to Dasmariñas where they lived. When we arrived there, their son and daughter, and the sister’s mother welcomed us in.…

Mark Sumeguin from Mandaluyong, Philippines

Since God Leads the Gospel Work and Our Members Dedicate Themselves to the Gospel

At present, I’m carrying out my gospel duty as a missionary in São Paulo, Brazil. I’ve learned what mindset I need to have for the gospel after experiencing God’s grace. So I would like to share the realization through this writing in the Elohist. The Church of God in São Paulo manages the branch church in Ribeirão Preto. In 2019, the Ribeirão Preto Branch Church was granted a new temple under God’s grace. We were so grateful and worried at the same time, because Ribeirão Preto was 300 ㎞ [190 miles] away from São Paulo and so it was difficult for our members to go and help its construction. While I was urgently in need of help, unexpectedly one brother…

Seol Yun-deok from São Paulo, Brazil