Faith & Life

Mother’s Love that I Haven’t Realized

Before I was born, my family had lived in Lima, the capital city of Peru. One day, there was a very strong earthquake in a region in Peru. At that time, my father was working at the Ministry of Home Affairs, and he was in charge of reconstructing the region damaged by the earthquake together with a group of professionals. Owing to this, my family moved to Huaraz, Ancash. After a few years, I was born as the last of six siblings. My oldest brother was thirteen years older than me. All my family took care of me with love. One morning, I got up and looked out the window of my bedroom. Things like white beads were falling from…

Mertty Polack from Lima, Peru

The T-Mac Time

On December 9, 2004, there was a basketball game between the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs. When they had only 41 seconds left, the score was 68:76; the Rockets was 8 points behind. More than half of the audience left the stadium, thinking that the Spurs is going to win. But then Tracy McGrady in the Rockets, who was nicknamed T-Mac, began his outstanding performance. T-Mac scored 3 points. Then the Spurs gained two points from free throws, and made the score 71 to 78. Then T-Mac made a three-pointer plus one point by shooting a free throw, and the Spurs also got two more points. T-Mac could’ve given up there, but he didn’t. He scored three more…

Manners

After completing a six-month rehabilitation course, a tennis player had a match. In the match, he played with all his might, but he lost the game. A reporter came to interview him. “How are your injuries?” The tennis player replied, “I won’t mention the injuries. That will diminish the winner’s triumph today.”

Mother’s Mind

My sister is one year older than me. Since we are similar in age, we often squabbled like friends. On all such occasions, however, my parents scolded me. I couldn’t accept their minds no matter how well they treated me because I thought it was unfair. As I began to work, I moved out from my parents’ and lived by myself. I went to see them once a week. One day, my mother, my sister, and I went shopping to a department store together after a long time. Looking around, here and there, my mother spotted my sister’s old shoes, and went to a shoe store to get a pair of shoes for her. I thought, ‘She will buy my…

Choi Eun-hye from Incheon, South Korea

The Selflessness of a Fire Fighter

“They were part of an elite squad confronting wildfires on the frontline, setting up barriers to stop the spreading of destruction. But in their unpredictable world, it doesn’t take much to turn a situation deadly.” CNN says of the 19 firefighters who are being honored posthumously for giving even their lives to fend the blaze of a wild fire in Arizona. The United States as a whole not only mourns the death of these fearless men, but is conscious of the situation they must’ve had when approaching the wildfire. In the U.S., the sacrifice of a fire fighter is not just the task of confronting disaster; it starts with the training. One who desires to serve must first willingly accept…

Michael Means from Charlotte, NC, USA

Mother’s Faith

On September 17, 1960, many people who were watching the Rome Olympics paid attention to one female American athlete. She won a gold medal in the 100-meter dash by running it in 11 seconds which was equivalent to the world record. She also added two more gold medals in the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter relay. Her name is Wilma Rudolph. What made her a great issue was not her three gold medals, but the fact that she suffered severe infantile paralysis which made her unable to walk when she was little. She explained what made her success, as follows: “It is all thanks to my mother. She always let me believe that everything is possible if I really want…

Taking Time to Think

Dale Carnegie, the bestselling author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, once appeared on a radio program where he openly discussed the strengths and weaknesses of past U.S. presidents’ policies. A few days later, he received a letter from a listener fiercely criticizing his opinions. Feeling humiliated and believing his reputation had been tarnished, Carnegie immediately wrote a reply in the same harsh and scornful tone as the letter he had received. However, the next day, when he reread his draft at work, he realized it made him appear petty and arrogant. So he decided to write a new letter instead. This time, he expressed gratitude, saying he would remember the listener as a valued friend who had…

Failure and Experience

Avery, a renowned Canadian microbiologist, failed in the majority of his countless experiments. Those around him often felt sorry for him and expressed concern, but he never once frowned or became discouraged. “Even a failed experiment is of great help to me. If I stumble but pick up something each time I fall, those things will eventually add up and lead to success,” he said. We call it “failure” when we do not achieve what we hoped for. However, if each failure brings us meaningful insight, it becomes a valuable experience. The greatest failure is not trying at all out of fear of failing.

A Life Blossomed Through Seven Years of Text Messages

Eight years ago, I met a Korean-Japanese young adult during a united short-term mission trip to Hiroshima. After returning to Osaka, I stayed in touch with her—sending text messages whenever I saw beautiful scenery or when there was a Bible webinar. Every year during the holidays, I also sent her warm greetings. Last winter, we arranged to meet again in Hiroshima. Just before the trip, I received some surprising and joyful news: a deaconess who had participated in that same short-term mission years ago had recently moved to the Hiroshima Zion. It felt like Heavenly Father and Mother had already paved the way for this young adult to be led to salvation. On the day of our meeting, I worried…

Hwang Mi-ryeong from Osaka, Japan

When to Stop Criticism

Psychotherapist Alice Miller once said that you can tell whether it is appropriate to criticize someone by paying attention to how you feel when you do it. “If, when criticizing a friend or someone around you, you feel a sense of pain, then it’s okay to proceed. But if you feel even the slightest pleasure, that’s when you should hold your tongue.” Feeling pleasure while criticizing is not true criticism—it is condemnation. Such an attitude often stems from pride, from viewing yourself as superior to the other person. If you do not stop at that very moment, it will not be the other person’s faults that are exposed, but your own character that ends up being criticized.

The Three Keys to Success

From childhood, the future of those who have dreams differs greatly from those who do not. Most who hold dreams go on to achieve success, while many without them struggle to find stability even in adulthood. Those with dreams make plans and take action to achieve them; those without dreams often drift through life from day to day, uncertain of their direction. Yet there are also people who, despite having dreams, live no differently from those without them. They dream big but lack concrete plans or consistent effort. Instead of working toward their goals, they spend their days vaguely worrying about whether their dreams can ever come true. They fail to realize that dreams, plans, and action are the three…

A Photo With Dad

When I heard about a contest for photos taken with your dad, I felt excited and decided to join. Our house is filled with pictures—one wall is practically a photo gallery—so I thought it would be easy to find a picture of me with my dad. I went home, heart fluttering, and began searching through drawers and flipping through all our photo albums. But to my surprise, no matter how many pictures I looked at, I couldn’t find a single photo of just the two of us. “Where are all the pictures of me and Dad? There are so many photos, but none with Dad in them!” I exclaimed. That’s when my dad quietly said, “I’m not in the pictures…

Park Yoon-jeong from Seongnam, Korea

The Secret Behind the Stickers

One day, I noticed some stickers on my desk. They featured a cute bunny character—exactly my style. Assuming my mom or younger brother had left them there, I peeled one off and stuck it on my phone. But even after that, more stickers kept appearing on my desk. Curious, I asked my mom, “Mom, are you the one leaving those stickers for me?” Before she could answer, my dad—quietly watching TV—spoke up instead. “That was me. I eat bread as a snack at work, and those stickers come inside the packaging. They looked like something you’d like, so I asked the other employees not to throw them away and give them to me instead. There are other designs too, but…

Lee Su-bin from Gangneung, Korea

Tiny Celebrations for Everyday Joys

“Congratulations” is a word we use to share in someone’s joy and good fortune. We hear it often on special occasions—birthdays, weddings, promotions, school admissions, and graduations. But if we take a closer look at our everyday lives, we’ll notice countless small moments that are worth celebrating too. Like getting a great deal on something you needed. Or reaching the crosswalk just in time for the light to turn green. Bringing an umbrella on the exact day it rains. Finishing an entire book. Finding your favorite dish served at lunch. Finally recovering from a cold . . . Wouldn’t it be lovely to exchange a small congrats for these tiny wins too? This month, try sharing these tiny celebrations with…

Cheering on Our Family!

Life is a lot like a marathon. Just as a runner keeps moving toward the finish line without stopping, we too live each day continuously, carried forward by the flow of time. And for marathon runners, nothing is more empowering than the cheers of the crowd. Even when they are breathless or feel as though their legs might give out, applause and words of encouragement give them strength they didn’t know they had. In the same way, each member of your family is running their own race—working hard to complete the course set before them. So cheer them on with all your heart. Wish them happiness, support their dreams, and encourage them in both their daily efforts and long-term goals.…

Immunity in Life

Children tend to fall ill more often than adults. This is because adults have stronger immune systems—having already fought and overcome many illnesses on their way to maturity. The same principle applies to life itself. Some people collapse helplessly when faced with trials, while others remain unshaken no matter what hardships come their way. Those who have never faced difficulties, or who repeatedly give up when they do, often have weak “life immunity” and struggle more easily. In contrast, those who have endured many hardships—or who keep striving to overcome them—develop a stronger resilience, enabling them to withstand even greater challenges. In the end, trials are not obstacles to avoid, but essential experiences that strengthen the immunity of our lives.

Believing in the Words: “It’ll Happen When You Do It”

Just a few days before the “Our Mother” Writing & Photo Exhibition opened in Pyeongtaek, I made a phone call to my brother-in-law. “Hey, what are you doing on Sunday?” “It’s my day off. Why?” “Would you be able to spare some time? There’s an exhibition at the Church of God in Pyeongtaek, and I’d love for you to come with me.” “Sure, why not.” Honestly, I was surprised by his cheerful response. A few years ago, I had shared the truth of the Passover with him and introduced our church, but he had reacted quite negatively. Since then, it hadn’t been easy to bring up church matters again. But when I heard that the “Our Mother” Exhibition would be…

Lee Yeong-ju from Osan, Korea

If You Truly Have the Heart

In my group of Zion, most members are seniors over sixty years old. Though their bodies are advanced in age, their faith is as fresh and strong as that of the young dew of dawn. I would like to share the fragrance of Zion from one 86-year-old member who bore a beautiful fruit during the Pentecost Holy Spirit Preaching Festival. For many years, she had been devoted to Buddhist prayer. When her health declined and she could no longer visit the temple, she had a dream in which her late husband appeared and told her to go to church. A few days later, she met our church members, listened to the word of God, realized the value of salvation, and…

Choi Jeong-ae from Jeonju, Korea

A Mother’s Legacy

“My son! This Bible is what I received from my own parents. I’ve read it many times, so it is now worn and old—but it is the greatest treasure in our family. I believe it is far better to give you this one book than to leave you a hundred acres of land. If you read this book and live by God’s word written in it, I would be happier than if you became the owner of a million acres.” These were the words spoken by the mother of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, as she lay dying of illness when Lincoln was only thirteen years old. Her final words took deep root in young Lincoln’s…

After Six Years of Waiting

This year, I finally began my activities in the young adult group. Ever since I moved up to the student group, there had been a friend I always hoped to lead to God. She faithfully attended church events and closely listened my truth presentation. To me, she already felt like one of our heavenly family. But the circumstances around us were never easy. Due to opposition from her parents, six long years passed by. Many times during that not-so-short period, the thought of giving up crossed my mind. But every time, I held onto God’s promise that “when the time comes, He will give,” and I never stopped praying for my friend. Just before her final year of high school,…

Kim Gah-eul from Geoje, Korea