Faith & Life

No Home, but Never Without a Dream

Khadijah Williams was born homeless. Her mother, only fourteen years old at the time, had dropped out of school when she became pregnant and left home. The two moved from one homeless shelter to another, often ending up in slums, sometimes digging through trash bags just to find food. For someone constantly on the move, struggling to survive each day, dreams and hope seemed like a luxury. Still, Khadijah’s mother did everything she could to send her daughter to school whenever possible. Though they had to move so frequently that Khadijah changed schools twelve times and her attendance was inconsistent, her mother always made sure she looked as clean and tidy as possible for class. Khadijah devoured newspapers and magazines…

My Wife and the Stuffed Cucumbers

To celebrate our first child’s birthday and share a meal together, my wife and I decided to visit their place. It had been five months since the oldest left home for work and the second for college. A couple of months ago, we had visited them, but the joy of the reunion was short-lived. We ended up scolding them and returned home heavy-hearted after seeing how hurt they were. My wife, who had carefully prepared homemade side dishes for that visit, seemed even more upset than I was. I thought she would never make food for them again. But as if nothing had happened, she began preparing side dishes once more. “Why go through all this trouble again when the…

Choi Heon-chim from Wonju, Korea

The More I Give Thanks

On a hot summer day, a blackout occurred in the apartment due to excessive electricity usage. After four hours, the emergency generator was operated, but before long, another blackout occurred. The announcement asking residents to refrain from using electricity except for the refrigerator continued late into the night. I was worried because I had to move luggage brought from my parents’ house from the parking lot, but I was thankful that the elevator was operating. I was thankful that the apartment stairway lights were on so it wasn’t dark. I was thankful that I could use my phone’s flashlight when going to the bathroom, and that water came out so I could wash. I was thankful that the food in…

Im Kyung-a from Gwangju, Korea

Presenting to God With Thanksgiving

Recently, my worries have increased. I wanted to find a solution, knowing that merely worrying would change nothing. To me in such a state, God gave the answer: Be thankful. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 While thinking about how to put thankfulness into practice, I came across the idea of a “gratitude journal.” At first, I wondered what effect simply writing down things I was thankful for could have. Thinking I had nothing to lose, I decided to give it a try. Without any set format, I began filling a notebook with a list of things for which I was grateful. Surprisingly,…

Kim Min-gi from Gyeongju, Korea

How I Saved My Younger Brother

I was born as the seventh child in a family with seven daughters and one son. I had nothing special and drew no attention of people. Not only the villagers but also my relatives would even ask my name whenever they gathered on the national holidays. However, there were times when adults would pay attention to me. It was when they talked about my younger brother, the eighth child in my family. Since he was a precious son, I was an indispensable figure when they tried to find out after whom he was born. Accordingly, the most important mission for me in my childhood was taking care of my younger brother. When I think about it now, since I was…

Im Ji-yeon from Seongnam, South Korea

Greeting Opens the Heart

A TV show conducted an experiment: A man entered an elevator with his hands full of luggage and dropped a bag as he was getting off. The purpose of the experiment was to see how many people would help him pick up his bag. At first, only 3 out of 12 people helped him. However, in the second experiment nine people helped him. Why was there a different result? In this experiment, the man greeted the people as he stepped into the elevator, and when he dropped the bag more people helped him. This demonstrates that greeting people has the power to open their hearts. Greeting shows respect and consideration, and is the first step in forming relationships.

A Life of Steady Change

I once read that it is harder to maintain a changed self than to change from one’s current state to a better one. Looking back on my life, I have found that to be true. I could make plans and try something once or twice, but carrying it out consistently was never easy. The life of faith is the same. Even though I always resolve to change and live as a true child of God, it is difficult for us—who still carry the nature of sin—to put that realization into practice every single day, every single moment. To such people as us, God gave this teaching: “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself…

Yoo Bo-mi from Soon cheon, Korea

The Meaning of the Morning Glory

The symbolic meanings given to flowers according to their characteristics are called the “language of flowers.” For example, the green rose symbolizes “noble love that exists only in heaven.” I learned this from a new sister I met at a club gathering, and for some reason, it deeply moved me. That encounter sparked my curiosity about the meanings of other flowers as well. The hyacinth represents humble love, the cotton flower signifies a mother’s love, and the morning glory stands for good news. The moment I learned that the morning glory symbolizes good news, I was immediately reminded of our mission to proclaim the gospel of heaven. As those who spread the good news of the kingdom of heaven with…

Jo Min-ah from Seongnam, Korea

The Sound That Eases My Longing

“Turn left.” “Continue straight.” Even when I know the way to my destination perfectly well, I still find myself entering the address into the navigation system—just to hear its voice. I think it started after I installed a navigation system that offered Korean-language guidance. Having lived abroad for nearly twenty years since leaving Korea, I no longer face much difficulty in daily life. But when I first settled here, waking up each morning to the unfamiliar language around me made my head ache all day. If a conversation drifted even slightly beyond my understanding, I would strain to keep up, forcing my brain to work faster. When that failed, I would simply “switch off” my mind and give up trying…

Kwon Soon-young from Fresno, CA, U.S.

Air

I work in a job that requires a lot of physical movement. These days, because of COVID-19 prevention measures, I wear a mask while working, and even the slightest movement makes me feel suffocated and irritable. But when I move to a different spot for a moment, take off the mask, and take a deep breath, there is no greater joy than filling my lungs with fresh air. Then I thought, “If I had to live in an environment where the air was even more restricted than it is now, how stifling and difficult would it be?” With that change in perspective, my irritation turned into gratitude. Today as well, I thank God for giving me the simple happiness of…

Kim Min-seong from Suwon, Korea

Foreigners and Strangers on Earth

It has been several years since I came to the Philippines. By God’s grace and through the love of my Zion family, I’ve adapted so well that I sometimes forget I am a foreigner, and for that, I am truly thankful. Still, there are moments when I feel disheartened, especially when I’m unable to fully express what’s in my heart to the local members. When speaking with those who struggle with English, I try to mix in simple local phrases, use a bright smile, and express love and care through cheerful gestures. There were times when, despite looking up words in dictionaries or studying with translation apps, wondering how I could comfort a member after work, or how I could…

Jeong Eun-seo from Las Pinas City, Philippines

Saying, “Good Job,” Makes the Whole Family Happy

“Honey / Yes? / Did you see the chick that was in the backyard? / Yes, I did. / Where is it? / I ate it for this weak and old body. / Good job! Good job! Good job! Good job! I’m proud of you!” This is a part of an old Korean song called “Good job! Good job!” When viewed objectively, what the husband did was not a good job at all. They could’ve raised the chick and sold it when it grew up. However, he ate it without even asking his wife for her opinion. Even if the wife had become mad in that situation, he would not have had anything to say. Nevertheless, the wife complimented her husband, saying that he did…

Love Like a Hedgehog

One winter day, a group of hedgehogs huddled together to stay warm. But as they drew near, their sharp quills pricked one another, causing pain. After a few painful attempts, they discovered the perfect distance—close enough to share warmth, yet far enough to avoid hurting each other. This story, known as the Hedgehog’s Dilemma, offers a wise lesson for family life. The closer we are, the easier it is to hurt each other without meaning to. But when we love with respect and care, our homes grow more peaceful. This month, try the hedgehog’s way of loving—keeping just enough space for warmth to grow; close, yet always respectful. Within that space, your family will feel gently connected and warmly held.…

For the Everlasting Crown

When we are in God, we are happy and joyful with the grace of salvation and the promise of the kingdom of heaven. However, there are many things we need to be patient with and endure as God’s children. Before getting married, it wasn’t easy to go to church, leaving all the colorful neon signs of the city behind after getting off work on the weekdays. However, whenever I shook off the temptation and studied God’s word at the church, or focused on the spiritual work with the young adults of the same age group, I gave thanks to God for giving me self-control and moving my steps toward Zion. After marriage, there were more things that require self-control than…

Kang Gyeong-mi from Changwon, Korea

Mom’s Baby Book

In the days of my puberty, a war of nerves with Mom was my daily routine. As usual, I was scolded by Mom and banged the door, entering the room. I murmured that I would never talk with her anymore and sat in front of my desk. I opened a book to study. Strangely, I became fastidious whenever I tried to study. So I decided to study after cleaning up, and started to arrange books on the bookshelf. Then, I found an old book that I had never seen before. Baby Book was written on the front cover. It was Mom’s baby book. I became curious about the stories of my babyhood. On the other hand, I got nervous at…

Kim Hyeon-ji from Uijeongbu, South Korea

Little Things Add Up to Spiritual Blessings

Being faithful to God even in little things is the best way to store up spiritual blessings. In Matthew 25, we can find a good example of how to store up spiritual blessings. “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants . . . To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more . . . But the man who had received…

Ubuntu

An anthropologist visited the Bantu tribe in Africa. After gathering some children, he proposed a fun game. He put a basket full of their favorite fruits near a tree and told them that whoever got there first would win all the sweet fruits. When he shouted, “Start!” he was dumbfounded. Instead of competing with one another, the children ran hand in hand. They arrived at the tree and enjoyed the fruits all together. When the anthropologist asked, “Why did you run like that? The first place runner could have taken all the fruits.” The children responded, “Ubuntu!” adding, “How can one of us be happy if everyone else is sad?” In the language of the Bantu tribe, ubuntu means, “I…

Eye

Starting a few years ago, my left eye looked blurry as if there was a fog. The same symptom started on my right eye also. I wore glasses, thinking it might be presbyopia, but I still felt frustrated. I went to the eye hospital because my wife urged me to go, but the doctor told me to go a bigger hospital to find out the exact cause and only gave me an eye drop prescription. Afterwards, because of the busy restaurant which we were running, I couldn’t spare any time. But later when I couldn’t even distinguish an object, I felt the seriousness of the situation and went to a big hospital. The doctor said he doubted that it was…

Choi Yong-gyu from Seoul, South Korea

Time to Realize the Heart of Mother

Before participating in the mission trip to Cartagena in Colombia, I didn’t have the mind to care for other souls. I didn’t know the value of one soul and only preached the gospel with a sense of duty. I didn’t feel anything even though I didn’t have any fruit; even though I had an appointment with someone who was interested in the truth, I easily forgot about the person if it was difficult to meet up, and didn’t look for the person. I was really a foolish child. When I got to know that there was recruitment for preaching to a new region in Zion, I earnestly wanted to participate because I thought it would become a chance for me…

Huacho, Peru

Parental Love

I always thought my son was a little kid, but he is already a lot taller than I am now. It’s still vivid when he was a lovely little kid whom I could embrace, but now I can be embraced by him. I’m happy that he’s grown, but sad at the same time because I know I am not everything to him anymore. When he was a kid, he would burst out into tears whenever I wasn’t right next to him, and he said that he could never live without me. However, as he grew up, he started sharing his interests with his friends, and looked for me less and less. I thought about how much he thought about me…

Jo Eun-jin from Changwon, South Korea