Faith & Life

A Surprise Visit From My Son

When he was little, my son was full of affection and always clung to me. But once he entered adolescence, he began to drift away, choosing time with his friends over time with his mom. And now that he’s an adult living on his own, I hardly get to see him at all. I know it’s natural for grown children to leave the nest and become independent, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit empty. Even when he stopped by the house, it was usually just for a quick errand before rushing off again. I’d tell myself, “It’s just because he’s busy,” but deep down, I felt a small sting of loneliness—probably because I simply missed him and wanted more…

Seong Deok from Pyeongtaek, Korea

Blessings Revealed When We Broaden Our View

There’s a saying: “A frog in a well cannot imagine the ocean.” That used to describe me. Although the Bible calls young adult who willingly dedicate themselves to God “the dew of the dawn,” I thought my best effort was simply attending worship services and gatherings diligently. One day, I was shown the vision of completing the gospel mission around the world. That changed my perspective. When I looked beyond my narrow view, I realized there was so much more I wanted to do—and could do. Among those things, I felt a strong desire to plant the flag of the gospel in places where the truth hadn’t yet reached. I immediately acted on that desire. I went to a city…

Kim Jeong-hwa from Seoul, Korea

Dad’s Way of Loving

My dad often went on overseas business trips—so often, in fact, that he spent more than half the year in foreign countries. My sister and I, born just a year apart, were raised entirely by our mom. We spent so much time apart from Dad that I once even forgot what he looked like. One day, Mom stepped out to the market and left me home with Dad. But because I didn’t recognize him, I burst into tears and tried to run outside. I later learned that the incident had been a heartbreaking shock for him. When I was twelve, our whole family moved to Vietnam to live together. But even then, Dad was always busy. He was quiet, reserved,…

Kim Yae-eun from Seongnam, Korea

True Wealth

A man once visited the home of a poor friend. The old house was drafty, and even the gentle spring breeze made the inside feel cold. In the small refrigerator, there was only a little milk. Wanting to serve his guest, the poor friend warmed the milk and offered it to him. Just then, someone knocked on the door. “I’m so hungry. Could you spare me something to eat?” Without even opening the door, the man shouted, “What could you possibly get from this house? Don’t ever come to my friend’s home again!” But the host quickly stood up, opened the door, and handed the beggar the very milk he had been about to drink himself. The beggar gratefully drank…

With a Heart of Earnestness Like Mother’s

They say, “Fall seven times, rise eight,” but after stumbling only twice, I lost the courage to try again. In truth, I had not really stumbled. Though the two overseas short-term missions I joined bore no visible fruit, I gained priceless realizations and moving experiences. Even though communication was difficult, everyone rejoiced in one another’s joys as if they were their own, and comforted those who were struggling. Through that, I felt what true brotherly love is. Serving in a foreign land not only broadened my perspective, but also gave me the overwhelming joy of knowing that we had revealed God’s glory. Looking back, there was so much to be thankful for. Yet one thought kept circling in my heart:…

Eom No-eul from Seongnam, Korea

This Is ( ).

This makes your heart flutter. This makes you ready to do anything for it. This allows you to be free from complaints. To achieve this, you have to give up something else. This shouldn’t just remain in your hearts. This cannot be obtained if you do your best only within your boundaries. You can get it if you break the boundary. People without this are the most pitiful in the world. Anybody can have this, but unfortunately, more people die without making it theirs. If you don’t do anything about it, it stays the same, but once you put it into action, it becomes reality. What hinders this is not the environment or hardships, but “settling for the present.” What…

Until I Came to Understand True Love

After the rush of the week, the Sabbath arrives like a breath of peace. In Zion, where we sing praises and study the words of God together, my weary heart finds rest and comfort. Before worship, the temple fills with laughter as we clean and prepare meals side by side. Our neighbors, seeing us so cheerful, often wonder how we can be so full of joy—and indeed, we are. The happiness and blessings I now cherish were things I had never known before coming to the truth. I first came to know the Church of God through my younger brother. Having attended a Protestant church for more than ten years, I was not particularly interested in the truths of the…

Benilde Ubisse / Maputo, Mozambique

The Shepherd & the Sheep

Many of us, Mongolians, engage in stock-farming. In a vast meadow, we raise five kinds of livestock together—cows, horses, sheep, goats, and camels. Among them, we raise sheep the most. One family keeps approximately more than a thousand sheep. Every sheep has different colors—white, black, brown, dappled, and so on. I was born a son of a shepherd. I spent my childhood in Bayanmonkh-som (district), Khentii-aimag (province) until I came to Ulaanbaatar City to enter university. Usually I lived separately from my parents to go to school; during the summer vacation, I came back home in the countryside and tended the sheep in pasture, following my parents who are shepherds. Through such lifestyle and experience, I came to realize the…

B. Jargalsaikhan from Erdenet, Mongolia

Until a Precious Bowl Is Made

I watched a TV show about how a master craftsman, who is designated as intangible cultural asset, makes Bangjja, Korean type of hand-forged glossy brassware with yellowish color. Bangjja of such high quality were used for the king’s table. Bangjja made with traditional techniques has good durability, so it preserves its shape for a long time, doesn’t get discolored easily, and it gets the glossier as you use it more. Recently, it has been attracting more people’s attention because it’s proven that Bangjja neutralizes heavy metal toxicity and eliminate food toxicity and food poisoning bacteria. To make brassware with such outstanding effects, not only highly sophisticated skills but also a fairly complex process is demanded. The first step is melting…

Jo Mun-gyeong from Daejeon, Korea

My Mom Reborn as the Youth like the Dew of the Dawn

Mom hated me to go to church. When I visited her and tried to preach the truth to her even a little, she quickly pushed me to go home. When I preached to her over the phone, she hung up on me. When I took courage to invite her to church, she vent her anger on me, saying, “Why waste time and energy?” I burst into tears. Regardless of the religion, I tried to do my best as her child, but her heart remained hard. It was when my mother-in-law stayed at my place because she fell. Both my mom and mother-in-law were suffering from illnesses and accidents in their old age. Seeing them, I was eager to preach the…

Yim Su-jeong from Gwangju, South Korea

A Conductor and His Passengers

While checking passengers’ tickets, a train conductor said to a passenger, “You are on the wrong train. Please transfer at the next stop.” The conductor also said the same thing to the next passenger. “You, too, got the wrong train. Please transfer at the next stop.” However, the more tickets the conductor checked, the more people he found who had gotten on the wrong train. When he found that the train was full of passengers on the wrong train, one of the passengers politely asked him, “Excuse me, conductor, but wouldn’t it be you that is on the wrong train?” It turned out that the conductor had the wrong train.

Let’s Reduce Plastics!

The environmental pollution caused by the use of plastics is coming to the fore as a global issue. The Indian Government is making every effort to reduce plastics, proclaiming the policy of prohibiting plastics. To support that, the members from the Church of God in Pune, India, and the ASEZ members from Korea conducted the Reduce Plastics Campaign together. “Save India! Save the earth! With Mother’s love!” Powerfully chanting the slogan, we stepped off forward. It was not easy to hold placards and walk for a few hours in India, where the streets were not well maintained. Moreover, it rained all throughout our parade that we got soaking wet. But the rain couldn’t stop us. Then the citizens began to…

Hyeon Yeong-gyeong from Incheon, Korea

Mommy Heaven

Recently in our church, we looked at a picture captioned Busy Mommy. The mother is standing at a stove, cooking and holding her child on her hip. A telephone is wedged between the mother’s shoulder and her ear, and the child is trying to grab the phone. At the same time, her other child is standing behind her, watching her. The mother in the picture seemed to be stressed because she was overwhelmed with so much work, but she did her very best by multitasking. Some brothers and sisters said that the mother looked somewhat under pressure and to be in need of some help, but as a mom myself, I saw it differently. In my mind, I captioned the…

Joy Meela Gallant from New Windsor, NY, U.S.

God’s True Intention

“Min! Can you come home and stay for a few days?” My mom asked me in a somewhat serious voice. Usually, she hardly mentions anything that could worry my brother and me. So, if she gave us a sudden call like that, it meant that something serious was going on. Sure enough, I found out that she had been taken to the emergency room because her lumbar disc had become worse, but it seemed that she had to stay in the hospital for some time because she was not getting any better. So I took emergency leave and went straight to my parents’ house. My mom was lying on the bed at the hospital, and her condition was worse than…

Park Dong-min from Anyang, South Korea

Dad’s House

When I was young, my dad built a house by himself; he saved his salary and bought materials such as bricks, cement, steel bars, and shovels, and piled them in the yard. I still remember my dad digging ditches, with beads of sweat on his forehead and dust on his face. In my eyes as a little child, the construction never seemed to end, and I did not understand why he worked so hard to build the house. When I became an adult, the house my father had built for years was eventually completed. It was the most beautiful two-story house in the neighborhood. Exterior walls painted in great color, a garden for Mom, and the interior with the feeling…

Madrid, Spain

The Reason the Big Tree Fell

A big tree had stood firmly for four hundred years on a hill in the State of Colorado in the United States, but one day it fell down with a loud crash. The tree had overcome rough storms for several hundred years. Even though it had been hit by lightning fourteen times, it had not fallen. It had been strong enough to endure several huge storms and even an earthquake. Then, why did this strong tree fall? Surprisingly, it was because of several small ground beetles. Ground beetles went inside the shell of the tree trunk, and continuously gnawed its stems tree little by little. Eventually, the strongest and the greatest tree in the forest ended up falling.

The Words That Should Not Be Spared for the Family

“Thank you” that makes the listener smile. “You need any help?” that makes the listener feel reassured. “Excellent job!” that attaches wings to the listener’s shoulders. “Good morning” that makes the listener start the day vigorously. “Did you eat?” that shows your love and care towards the listener. “You’re doing well” that strengths and encourages the listener. “Thanks to you” that makes you all become one in mind. “Sweet dreams!” that makes the listener sleep in peace. “That’s not your fault” that eases the listener’s sadness. “Thank you for your hard work” that recognizes the listener’s labor and effort. “I’m sorry” that calms down the listener’s anger. “I trust you” that makes the listener do his hardest. “Do not worry.…

Mother of Six Children

My mom was a very kind and calm person. She used to read to me with a soft voice, and I liked it so much. I was brought up like a princess until I was five years old, when my little sister was born. She looked like a boy because she had only a few hairs and red chubby cheeks. Since my grandfather and grandmother had been eagerly waiting for the birth of their grandson, they were disappointed when my sister was born. After my sister’s first birthday, my mom’s stomach started to bulge again. When my mom came to an event at my kindergarten, with her belly bulging out and her face swollen, I felt a bit ashamed of…

Eun-jin Jo from Changwon, South Korea

Start the Year With Words of Blessing

When a new year begins, people often exchange words of blessing. In Korea, these are called deokdam—words that express wishes for another’s happiness and prosperity. Since ancient times, Koreans have believed that words carry power—that what we speak can come to pass. From this belief, the tradition of sharing deokdam was born. Because deokdam is meant to uplift and bring joy, it should be spoken sincerely, not merely out of habit. When words are offered with genuine warmth, their power to encourage becomes even greater. This month, share heartfelt deokdam with your family. In giving such blessings, both the one who speaks and the listener will be enriched. Tip Offer deokdam using words like the following: Expressions of gratitude Wishes…

The 101st Hit

A reporter asked a question to Benjamin Franklin, well-known as a scientist, politician, and diplomat. “How could you accomplish your goals without giving up, despite many difficulties?” Franklin replied, “Have you ever watched a stonemason work? He hammers the same spot at least 100 times even if he may not see any hint of a crevice. But when he hammers the 101st time, there comes a crack in the rock. The rock is cracked not because he hit it so strongly on the 101st try, but because he hit it 100 times before.” We need patience to get the results we want. It is the same when we preach the gospel. There are times we feel frustrated because things don’t…