Faith & Life

Could You Patent the Sun?

By the mid-1950s, polio was as scary as an atomic bomb. In the United States alone, more than 40,000 people died or became disabled due to polio, and there were about 500,000 victims around the world every year. It is now declared that polio which made the world so terrified has ended in most countries except for a few countries. That is thanks to Jonas Edward Salk, an American medical researcher, who developed the polio vaccine. In 1955, he officially announced the safety of the vaccine, after years of research and injections to himself and his family for clinical trials. The success of the vaccine development was led to a festive atmosphere in the United States, and many pharmaceutical companies…

Net Preparing

Net is a tool for catching fish. Before sailing, a fisherman prepares his fishing net. Net gets entangled after fishing and he have to arrange it to use it again. If he leaves it alone and just throws it into the sea, it doesn’t open properly and he cannot catch fish as much as he wants. Though it is hard and takes time to untangle the net, he shouldn’t be lazy to do it if he wants to enjoy having a boatful of fish. Before going to the sea of the gospel, we, fishers of men, too must prepare the fishing nets of the word of God. Since it is a precious tool to catch a life, we must put…

Meeting the True God

I was raised by my grandparents who were missionaries. Naturally, my life was filled with the faith in God. Jesus Christ was the hero of my life and I thought that I could do nothing without Him. I believed that if I prayed to Jesus—our God and Savior—about my worries and even something so trivial, He would always answer me. I studied hard at school by day, and when I got back home, I helped my grandmother with the housework. And at night, I studied hard. For my every effort, God helped me much, that I could be on the top of the line at school. God also blessed me with so many talents such as singing, sports, and writing,…

Neeru Patricia Berry from Chala, Vapi, GJ, India

Two Important Days

A speaker asked the audience at a lecture hall. “There are two most important days in your life. When do you think they are?” The audience gave various answers such as “the day when I was born,” “the day when I got married,” and “the day when my child was born.” The speaker listed their answers one by one and said with a smile. “The first important day in your life is when you were born, as many of you have said. Seeing you nod, I think all of you agree to this. Then, when is the other important day?” The audience responded confidently as if they could guess the correct answer, “It’s the day when I die!” Then the…

Tree Planting

Micro dust today is causing a big problem in all seasons. While the debate on how to resolve the problem is ongoing, environmental experts came up with a sure and easy solution—tree planting. A few years ago, Korea Forest Research Institute found out that the forest absorbs 42% of micro dust created in Seoul. Tree planting seems to be an easy solution, but it takes much effort and time for a tree to fully grow from a seedling, absorb micro dust, and release clean oxygen. It is the same with our new members whose faith grows over time; they eventually become mature gospel workers who do good in the world. The forest of the gospel, which God has been cultivating…

Language Etiquette Begins at Home

There is joke that if you say, “I’m a boy,” with a wry look and in an aggressive tone, you mean that “I’m a bad boy”; and if you say, “I’m a boy,” with a smile and in a soft tone, you mean that “I’m a good boy.” The reason they sound totally different though they are the same words is the difference in the vessels that contain the words. When you set the table for a guest, the taste of food is important, and you can’t help but care about the plates that contain the food. If the size, shape, and color of plates harmonize with the food, it looks more delicious. But if the plates are dirty, broken,…

Without Knowing the Value

There are about 350,000 species of plants on the earth. Among them, only about 3,000 species are cultivated for food. The edible plants are less than 1% of all. Grasses have their own names and characteristics, but before they are known, people regard them merely as weeds. As for weeds, the dictionary defines them as wild plants that grow well though uncared, or as plants that prevent the crops from growing properly. However, as their hidden efficacy is discovered, weeds are no longer treated with contempt but regarded as precious now. So some people define weeds as plants of which the value has not been found yet. It must not only be in the world of plants that something is…

Just like the Good Samaritan

Peru was a familiar place though I’d never been there, because I learned about it through videos and fragrances of Zion. In 2019, I decided to go on a short-term mission trip to Peru as I thought that I would be able to learn many things there. While preparing for it, I was so excited. Our preaching area for three weeks was Huancayo, the city located 3,200 meters [10,500 ft] above the sea level in the central part of Peru. While traveling from Lima, the capital city, to Huancayo with the bus for eight hours, our breathing became faster at a high altitude. It was altitude sickness. Though we were tired, we were thrilled that we came to the place…

Seo Ha-neul from Puebla, Mexico

Dignity Maintenance

For the Korean government officers who are in charge of the administration of the country or the local public entity, dignity maintenance is not a choice but an obligation. All public officers must follow the State Public Officers Act Article 63, “No public officer shall do any act detrimental to his dignity, regardless of whether it is for his duties.” Since it was made into a law, the fault that can be easily overlooked if it was made by an ordinary person may become a reason for disciplinary action against the officer. Some claim privacy protection of the government officers or argue over the range and level of disciplinary actions. However, the opinion that their ethical standards should be stricter…

Luxury at My Fingertips

This is what happened when I was young. I was about ten years old. There was a cosmetics store in the street where I often go to and from school, and outside the store there was a basket full of nail polishes. One day, my sister, who is two years younger than me, and I stopped in front of the basket while passing by the store. The small glass bottles filled with the colorful and fine liquid looked so pretty. I’ve never painted my nails before, and when my friends sometimes showed off their painted nails, I was envious. Probably because of that, I quickly put a nail polish from the basket into my pocket despite myself. At that time,…

Kim Do-yeong from Buenos Aires, Argentina

A Boxer Who Left the Ring with Smile

Peter Buckley was an English professional boxer. He had a total of 299 fights for 19 years, 31 wins, 12 draws, and 256 losses. It’s the world’s worst record. Whenever he stepped into the ring, he lost but he didn’t reject the offer. He fought two or three times a month, and before the bruise and fatigue from the previous contest disappeared he had the next fight. In 2008, he got his 300th fight in Birmingham, his hometown, before he retired. Many people paid attention to the result of his last fight. The result was victory! He had been called forever a loser, but he ended his last fight with victory and left the ring with smile. As for the…

Force to Lift up

In order for an airplane, which is made up of heavy metal, to fly in the air, there must be a combination of various kinds of forces such as momentum made by engines and resistance made by the air. Here a force to lift up, also known as lift force, is included. Lift force is produced not just by having wings, but it happens when there is a certain amount of speed. The reason the airplane runs on the runway with its fastest speed is to gain lift force. If it moves slowly, it cannot have enough speed to fly up in the air, bearing its weight. Therefore, it runs as fastest as it can and flies little by little…

As Magpies Build a Nest

Magpies build a nest when they’re about to lay eggs. They build a nest at the top of a tall tree that can protect their young from natural enemies. They bring branches and weave them together to make a frame, and apply mud to fix it tightly. The inside of the nest is covered with dry grass or down feathers to make it cozy and soft. They have to fly up and down more than a thousand times in order to get all the materials together until the nest is finished. Apart from gathering branches, it is more difficult to weave the branches tightly. Branches frequently fall to the ground by the wind. Then the magpies do not pick them…

Warm Wintering

When I heard that my Zion members would repair the roof and the wall of an old house of an elderly couple, I decided to participate in the demolition work for one day. On the morning of the volunteer, I drove to the house for about an hour, admiring the landscape of fields covered with white frost. The brothers and sisters who arrived there earlier welcomed me with a bright smile. I was a little worried that I might not be helpful because of my weak body. Before getting into the full-scale work, we carried all the stuff out of the house. Working hard, we sweated even in the cold weather. After having a delicious lunch, I went up to…

On Nam-yeol from Wonju, South Korea

Elohist

The word “banana” is derived from the Arabic word “banan,” which means “finger.” Since the fruit looks like a finger, it has got the name “banana.” Kiwi fruit, which is mass-produced in New Zealand, has also got its name because it resembles a Kiwi bird, which is the national bird of New Zealand. It is the same with the name “Elohist”; we are called “Elohists” because we resemble Elohim inwardly, not outwardly. ‘As the saying goes, “An apple never falls far from the tree,” parents and children naturally resemble each other. The Elohists, who are reborn to be conformed to the image of God in righteousness and holiness of the truth, must resemble Heavenly Father and Mother. As the Elohists,…

My Sweet Home

What would it taste like if you describe love with taste? Koreans often liken affectionate glance to honey dripping eyes. And just like honeymoon and sweet home, when comparing love and happiness with taste, it is often expressed in sweetness. Actually, sweet means pleasant in many languages. Adequate sugar calms your mind and makes you feel better. This is because sugar triggers the release of serotonin, the hormone that is released when you feel happy. Give your family sweetness this month in a variety of ways. Your home will be sweet home. Tip Speak in a sweet and soft voice. Look at each other with eyes full of love. Say what makes the other person feel better just by hearing…

Loving and Learning

‘How can I spend my summer vacation meaningfully?’ Although each of us belonged to a different Zion, we’d been participating in the IWBA education together. In 2017, we all hoped to have a special experience during our summer vacation which came only once a year. Being on the same page, we decided to take action before it was too late. Our plan was to fly to a country we had never been to, broaden our horizons both physically and spiritually, and display God’s glory through our good deeds. The place we were going to stay for ten days was Salt Lake City, the capital of the state of Utah, in the Midwest U.S. Just like its name, we prayed that…

Noh Min-a from Anyang, South Korea

A Man Who Took Off His Shoes

“Earth is blue.” This was spoken by Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space on April 12, 1961, looking at Earth out of the atmosphere. Gagarin entered Earth’s orbit on the spacecraft Vostok 1 and flew around Earth for about one and a half hours and returned safely. He succeeded in flying a lonely and fearful flight that could not guarantee the pressure of the gravitational acceleration and his return alive, and he still remains a Russian hero. At that time, there were many candidate cosmonauts excellent in flight, adaptability to sudden pressure changes, and expertise. Before the final successful candidate was announced, all the candidates were given the opportunity to board Vostok 1. Then, Gagarin, unlike other candidates, quietly…

According to the Words That There Is a Time for Everything

I lay in bed, but I couldn’t fall asleep. I just kept repeating, “Father and Mother, thank You,” in my mind. I was surprised to see a text message from the chief hairdresser this morning. “I‘ll be baptized today.” I checked that short sentence over and over again. She had said she wasn’t interested until the previous day. It was unbelievable. We’ve known each other for seven years. I could’ve given up after seven years of refusal, but I didn’t because she was just like me before I received the truth. Somebody preached the gospel to me tirelessly for about ten years until I became a child of God. I wasn’t interested at that time. I took the words as…

Lee Yeong-ja from Paju, South Korea

A Person Who Wants to Put On a Crown

The crown, which symbolizes dignity and authority, is decorated with gold and jewels throughout the ages and the world. Korea’s National Treasure No. 191, a golden crown in Silla Dynasty, is elaborately decorated with about 375 grams [0.8 lb] of gold and 77 pieces of comma-shaped jade. The crown used at the coronation of the Iranian Pahlavi Dynasty was studded with 3,380 pieces of diamonds and 369 pearls. The weight of the gems alone is 10,400 carats and the crown weighs about 2 ㎏ [4.4 lb]. The U.K.’s Imperial State Crown that attracts the attention of the world is densely decorated with 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and 5 rubies. And the front of the crown has…