New Acts
Every blessed footstep that spread salvation emits fragrant scent.
People of Amazon Returned into Mother’s Arms
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” Rev 22:17 The Bible says that whoever wants can receive the water of life that the Spirit and the Bride freely give; however, we had never thought of the natives living deep in the Amazon rainforest; we had such a narrow perspective. In actuality, they were definitely among the 7.8 billion people, and the news of salvation was preached even to indigenous people in Brazil according to God’s prearranged plan. It started with what Brother Ivanildon said. The brother lived with indigenous people and taught them…
The Manaus Church in Brazil
In Lambarene Where God Has Opened Wide the Door to the Gospel
The way to Lambarene, a small city in the west, from Libreville the capital of Gabon! After driving for five hours on a rough road unpaved here and there, we arrived in the city and saw houses on both sides of the road and people walking in front of the houses. “Let’s preach the truth to as many people as possible. Let’s save even one more soul before we go back.” Everybody’s heart was burning with fervor. Our short-term mission to Gabon, a distant country from Korea, was truly a worthwhile experience. The people in Lambarene loved the words of the Bible. We had thought they would be cautious about us, Asians, whom they were unfamiliar to, but most of…
Short-Term Mission Team to Lambarene, Gabon
Gospel Trumpet Call Resounds in Patna, India, beyond Nepal
The sound of the gospel trumpet blown from Nepal has crossed its border and is resounding powerfully in its neighboring countries like Bhutan and India, and even in the Middle East. Among the Nepalese brothers and sisters who are carrying out their mission as part of world evangelism, several formed a team to establish Zion in Patna which is the central city of Bihar in East India. Patna is the capital city of the state of Bihar, where people’s income is lower than any other states in the vast land of India. Due to its poor living environment and serious public safety issues, even the government finds it hard to manage. What came to our minds while gathering information about…
Short-Term Mission Team to Patna, India
Do Not Give up to the End
At the end of 2018, we received an abundant blessing of the Holy Spirit through the New Jerusalem Preaching Festival, and went on a short-term mission to Kobe in Japan in the beginning of New Year. On the first day of our short-term mission, we met people who willingly listened to us and made an appointment to meet us the next time. It seemed like it was going smoother than we’d thought, but soon after, it became difficult to do our mission. The response to our preaching at best was “It was interesting to know what I didn’t know in the Bible.” Hardly anyone related the word of God to his own life. Over a week or two, we gradually…
Short-Term Mission Team to Kobe, Japan
Where We Are Headed Is the Starting Point
I went on a long-term mission to a region I had been to on a short-term mission previously. I was busy, taking care of the members I had led to Zion before, and as a result, I didn’t have time to recollect my old memories. I was embarrassed of myself because my gospel goals were only about increasing the number of fruits. With a resolution to please Heavenly Father and Mother by finding gospel workers who would undertake the gospel mission, I walked over an hour every day to get to new places for preaching. Since our brothers and sisters had diligently preached there, many people had already heard about the Sabbath and the Passover. However, they did not want…
Choi Su-hyeon from Seoul, South Korea
A Small Change, a Great Blessing
People say that the darkest hour of the day is right before sunrise. My life before meeting God was like that. While I was experiencing many things after having a baby, my self-esteem took a hit, and I felt depressed every day. Even after moving to Jejudo Island which is my hometown, I felt like I was all alone in the middle of the desert. The words of the Bible, which I learned for the first time through the members of the Church of God, were like a streak of light. Seeing how the prophecies of the Bible had been fulfilled without missing a bit, I was convinced that God exists, and I was overjoyed, comforted, and moved by the…
Han Dal-lim from Jeju, South Korea
Following Father’s Path
I am a newly appointed missionary to India; it’s been just three months since I came here. I thought I had many experiences in overseas missions, but since I came to India, I’ve often thought I am like a child who flounders around, not knowing what to do. While staying in the Hubli Church during the preaching festival, I sincerely realized that God had sent me to India to train me to be a suitable prophet for the gospel. I’ve engraved on my heart the realization I received through this trip, and I am writing to share it with Zion members around the world. It takes more than twelve hours to travel from Pune to Hubli. In India, this distance…
Pune, MH, India
Without Losing a Single Soul
About a month after I moved to Syracuse, I needed to go to a hair salon, and so I looked for a Korean hair salon in my neighborhood on the Internet. Happily, there was one that opened a year before, not that far from my place. I made a reservation by phone and went there the next morning. Although I arrived on time, the hairdresser was not there. Her husband asked me to wait, apologizing, and brought his wife a while later. While she was doing my hair, we talked about things and the church. She asked me which church I went to. “Have you heard about the Church of God by any chance? I attend the Church of God.”…
Kim Hye-yeon from New Windsor, NY, U.S.
The Flower of Unity Blooms in the Frozen Land of Eastern Europe
Starting the year 2019, Mother blessed us, saying, “If you unite, the gospel in Europe will go well.” Now that a year has passed, I feel that Mother’s words are being exactly fulfilled in Eastern Europe. Last spring, I was carrying out a mission as a prophet in Korea; then I came to Czech Republic in Eastern Europe. The barrier to the gospel in Europe seemed very high at that time. My heart ached when I saw people try to argue with us with their own knowledge and logic rather than try to learn about the word of God, and on the other hand I was thankful and sorry to the Korean members who stayed in Czech Republic for a…
Park Seong-hyeon from Prague, Czech Republic
Doing My Best
Two years ago, I had a cancer surgery. After the surgery, I was admitted to a convalescent hospital to receive cancer treatment. One day, I was knitting on a terrace when one kind-hearted patient approached me for a talk. We soon made friends with each other. She was indeed very gentle in character, which I could deduce from her first impression. Even after I was discharged from the hospital, I continued to stay in contact with her. When I heard of the news that a concert would be held in a nearby Church, I invited her to the concert. I was afraid that she would reject my invitation, but she willingly agreed to come. After the concert was over, she…
Lee Gyeong-ja from Suwon, South Korea
Just One More
The bright new year of 2020, filled with hope for the Kingdom of Heaven, has arrived. In the New Year, 20 churches from the U.S. Southeastern Church Association united to go on a 21-day short-term mission to Newport News, Virginia. It is said that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. When we reflect on Mother’s will, it seems that Mother granted this short-term preaching to us as a gift so that we could leave our lacking and sad hearts behind with the year 2019 and have the right habits and correct gospel mindset for the new year of 2020. I truly give thanks to God Elohim for always giving us much joy and happiness. It wasn’t easy…
Alex Post from Ridgewood, NJ, U.S.
Heavenly Family I Met in the Town of Hope
Mexico, where most of its land is mountainous, is dense with many villages along steep hills even in the middle of the mountains. Since its state religion is Catholicism, the majority of people believe it, and people never forget to mention Catholic Churches when choosing tourist attractions in any area of Mexico. However, people are not interested in the words of God, and countless people don’t go to church, disappointed by secularism of the Church. Despite such difficult environments, I’ve found our heavenly family members full of hope for Heaven in a town called La Esperanza. Interestingly, esperanza means hope in Spanish. As usual, I was preaching the words of God with Zion members, and a man came and talked…
Lee Su-bin from Puebla, Mexico
Clothed with the Holy Spirit of the Feast of Tabernacles
A few years ago, I invited a boss of a publishing company whom my wife came to know because of her work, to the “Our Mother” Photo and Writing Exhibition. Telling us that he’d been aware about the Church of God, the boss was greatly moved by the exhibition and studied the Bible. It turned out that he was truly seeking God. In his youth, he was severely injured while fighting against the robber who broke into his house, and he almost died at that time. Since then, he was interested in God and the life after death, and attended many other churches. However, he was not confident in any of them. Meanwhile, he said it seemed like the Church…
Lee Jeong-hyeon from Incheon, South Korea
From the Moment We First Met
A few months ago, I met a lady named Kana through a friend in Tokyo. Just as my friend told me we would get along well, she and I were on the same wavelength from the first time we met. Even if we could not meet often, we talked over the phone and always stayed close like family. I was sure that she would be God’s child, who has such a beautiful and gentle heart, and I wanted to go to Heaven together with her; I felt that her soul was seeking God every time we talked. Before the Passover, I made up my mind to deliver God’s sacrifice and love to her. Then, I prayed to God for the…
Oba Miky from Osaka, Japan
Power of Change
Recently, a new sister received the blessing of leading her younger sister to God. She loves God’s word. Whenever she had time, she would come to Zion to study the Bible even though she was tired from work, and she would share the word of God with her family members when she went home. Then she led her mom to Zion. However, as the Movement Control Order was implemented due to the COVID-19, she could not come to Zion to study and worship. She was sad and discouraged. What was worse, she faced financial difficulties, so she had a hard time. But she thanked God for helping her in time of need and did not lose her faith. Since she…
Lim Chia Kee from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Mother’s Special Lesson
In the Bible, youth is likened to the dew of the dawn. The pure and clean dew of the dawn is beautiful but it is seen only for a while. Though young adults receive great blessings in the time of youth, it passes quickly. So I made up my mind to take the blessing whenever I get a chance. In the beginning of this year, I applied for a short-term mission to Quezon City, Philippines, after coming back from Panaji in India. Quezon City is the biggest city located in the southwestern part of Luzon. The population is as large as the vast land, and there are the National Assembly, government offices, and prestigious schools. Probably because of this, the…
Kim Min-cheol from Anyang, South Korea
Gospel Work Fulfilled in Amazon
In 2020, COVID-19 pandemic alert was issued in Peru, and we were constrained on gospel activities and our daily life. Nevertheless, the gospel did not stop but even reached the Amazon region in Peru. The one who played the catalytic role was Brother German. Amazon’s forest, which functions as the lungs of the earth, is large; it lies in Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. The brother, who is a teacher in Cayamas, visited his daughter who is in Piura, and on the way home, he happened to stay in his cousin’s house in Chiclayo, Lambayeque, because of the moving alert due to COVID-19. Thankfully, he heard the truth through his cousin, who was our Zion member, and accepted the truth, showing…
Lee Sun-yong from Chiclayo, Peru
Toward the Ocean of the Gospel, Where Waves of Blessing Are Surging
The Republic of Panama which is famous for the Panama Canal is a country where I have memories of my first short-term preaching. Although it was only for a short period of time, the time I spent preaching all day and sharing Mother’s love with the overseas brothers and sisters was truly a happy time. One thing I felt bad about was that I had to receive much help from the local brothers and sisters, because I couldn’t explain accurately even the words of the Bible that I knew due to my poor Spanish. This is the reason why I chose Panama for the short-term mission again when I was given a chance two years after the first short-term mission…
Oh Ji-yeong from Incheon, South Korea
Seeking Humble Souls Who Long for the Truth
The Netherlands, the land of tulips and windmills, is well-known for having expanded its territory by filling wetlands and lakes with earth and building levees. The Netherlands literally means “low countries.” There are many low-lying lands there, so the Netherlands reclaimed land from the sea to prevent chloridation of farmlands by sea water. The newly reclaimed territory of the country is one sixth of the total area. So the Dutch people are very proud of themselves, saying, “God created the world but the Dutch created the Netherlands.” After we were sent to serve as missionaries to the Netherlands, we diligently preached the gospel together with the local members or short/long-term mission members, to seek the souls who were waiting for…
Ah Yeong-hun from Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Fruit of Patience
Participating in the gospel work in the continent of Europe has been accompanied by the love and blessings of Heavenly Father and Mother. Patience is one of many things I have learned while preaching diligently. Just as farmers grow and harvest crops with patience, Father and Mother have taught me the patience it takes for one soul to receive a new life. While preaching the gospel diligently in London, I had not been able to bear fruit for a long time. Many people showed interest in the words of God when we preached in the street, but that was just it. Many people did not keep their promise to meet again. Also, even after studying the Bible several times, many…
Pamela Lau from London, U.K.