Faith & Life

The Value of a Glass of Milk

This is a true story that happened in America. A university student was thirsty while walking along the road. As he was passing by a farmer’s house, he knocked on the door to ask for something to drink. The farmer opened the door and asked his daughter to give him a glass of water. The girl brought him a big glass of milk and served it to the stranger wholeheartedly. As time passed, the girl grew up, and later became ill and had to undergo a surgery. The doctor in charge of the obstetric surgery was the university student who had come to her house many years ago. The surgery ended successfully, but the woman was worried about the expensive…

Be Conscious of God

In mid-November, the Namibia Zion in Africa planned a three-day short-term mission trip. The place we went to was Swakopmund, the second largest city in Namibia. Although we had our jobs and studies, we willingly volunteered for the mission. Those who could not go supported us with what was needed for the mission, wanting to participate in the gospel work of God. The short-term mission was prepared smoothly, but there was one thing that we were worried about: Most members received the truth less than a year ago, and a sister started her life of faith only five months ago. We were proud of the new members who were passionate, but at the same time worried if they would not…

Short-Term Mission Team to Swakopmund, Namibia

True Heroes

In American history, there are a group of people who conducted the “Underground Railroad,” who are now viewed as heroes. The reason is that they risked their lives in order to free slaves with a pure and loving motive, without receiving anything in return. From the 1600s until 1865, the slavery of African Americans was legal in the United States. There came a point in the 1800s when slavery was outlawed in the northern states of America but still legal in the southern states. During this period, many slaves tried to escape to the north so that they could live freely, though it was extremely difficult to do so. In order to assist in leading these slaves to freedom, many…

D. Carly Dinnie from Connecticut, U.S.

Clean Lima, Shining Peru

On August 19, 2018, ASEZ the World Mission Society Church of God University Student Volunteer Group and about five hundred Peruvian members cleaned up around the Carpayo Beach, located in Callao, a chief seaport of Peru, where there was a lot of trash. There were not only plastics, bottles, rubber, and boards, but also trash between the stones. There were untold amount of trash that we picked by going here and there at the beach without a break. After about two hours, the beach which had been suffering from garbage became clean and fresh like a baby whose face just got washed. “Clean Lima, Shining Peru!” Just as the slogan goes, there must be people who take action in order…

Busan, South Korea, Gwon Ok-jin

Dad’s Love

In my childhood, I pledged myself not to become a businessperson. It was because of my dad who was a businessman. He was so busy all the time that I could hardly see him. He frequently went on a business trip; and when he wasn’t on a business trip, he had dinner appointments with his clients. I can hardly remember my family having dinner all together. Even when he was at home, he was always on the phone. When he was done with one phone call, he would soon answer another phone call. Sometimes, he was on the phone for hours. I could hardly see him whether he was at home or not, so I grumbled to my mom. “Dad…

Wei Wei from Singapore

Erika Reyes-Soto from Ridgewood, NJ, U.S.

I was working as a freelancer, and my work was done. I remember clearly the day I decided that I would travel the world. One day, I was sitting in a coffee shop, watching people passing by. Suddenly, my mind started wondering, and I started questioning things like, ‘What is the purpose of being on this earth? Why is everything so monotone and repetitive? Where is happiness?’ I realized that even if I travel the world, I would not feel complete happiness, because everything was a routine like wake up, shower, eat, and sleep. So I came to the conclusion that this earth is like a prison. Deep down in my heart, I was looking for answers, and I was…

Courage of a Mother

Pearl S. Buck, a Nobel Prize winner in literature, spent her childhood in China with her father who was a missionary. Once, there was a drought while her father was away on a long trip. A rumor spread that the drought occurred because her Caucasian mother had angered gods. As time went by, people were filled with anger, and one day they gathered around Pearl’s house to harm her mother. Her mother was scared as she heard the rumor, but she brought out cakes, fruit, and cups of tea. Then, she opened all the gates of the house as if she’d been waiting for the day. She told Pearl to play with some toys and she herself started doing needlework.…

Memory of Love

When I was little, it was always me who was in charge of running my mom’s errands as I was the youngest in my family. When my mom wrote down the things to buy from the market, I went all over the market near the house, holding the piece of paper in my hand. One day, I saw some cute puppies a middle aged lady was selling. The three or four puppies that were in a small box had ribbons of different colors around their necks. Their black and round eyes and noses, and slightly folded ears were so adorable that I sat down and patted those puppies, forgetting about the errand. “Excuse me, Ma’am. How old are these puppies?…

Ryu Mi-gyeong from Busan, South Korea

With Patience and Thanks

Heavenly Father and Mother’s undying love and great sacrifice are contained in the Passover of the new covenant. Even while Heavenly Father was walking the path of the gospel full of suffering and pain, His only joy was to find His lost children. Realizing that, we went for a short-term mission to Passi City every Sunday to please Father and Mother. Our goal was to find our lost brothers and sisters with the heart of Father and Mother, and establish Zion so that we would fulfill the gospel mission given by God. the heart of Father and Mother, and establish Zion so that we would fulfill the gospel mission given by God. Passi is the fourth-largest city in the Province…

Iloilo, Philippines

The Miracle of Kindness

One day, John Rockefeller, a global businessman called the King of Kerosene, received shocking news that he only had one year left to live. When he was sitting in the hospital and thinking about how he would live the rest of his life successfully, he heard a noise from a corner of the hospital. It was an argument between a hospital official and a guardian. The official was informing the woman that no one can be admitted without paying, but the mother insisted that they admit her child, saying that she would prepare the money in the meanwhile. Next to them was a child who looked like a patient sitting down and crying. Immediately, Rockefeller called his secretary to pay…

The Reason My Syngonium Revived

A few years ago, I went to a plant nursery. I didn’t think I could do a good job of raising a plant, so I asked the florist to recommend a plant that would grow well even if I didn’t take much care of it. Then she recommended syngonium. I decided to buy it because the fresh green syngonium leaves that had silver-white patterns in the center made me feel refreshed, and because I gained confidence when she told me that it would be even better if I was lazy for the plant to grow well. Just as she said, the syngonium grew really well. I put it in a spot where there was no sunlight or wind, and watered…

Jeong Eun-jeong from Seoul, Korea

Bibimbap

When I came back from school, my mom used to make me bibimbap mixed with young radish kimchi, boiled barley, a spoonful of red pepper paste, and drops of perilla oil. It was one of my favorite foods. But over the past ten years, I did not eat bibimbap. Just looking at it, I was choked and tears welled up that I could not eat it. A decade ago, I heard from my brother that Mom had only one week to live. Although my mother was suffering from cancer, she had no big problem in her living. Whenever I talk to her on the phone, she always sounded positive that I thought she would be able to overcome her illness.…

Incheon, Korea

Success Created by Compliments

Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE, who was also known as a famous executive, stuttered a lot when he was young. He stuttered so bad that once, when he ordered a tuna sandwich at a restaurant, the waiter brought him two sandwiches because when he ordered tuna, he stuttered and said, “Tttuna.” So the waiter understood it as two tuna sandwiches. Whenever Jack Welch was frustrated in this kind of situation, his mother didn’t yell at him: “Why do you stutter so much? Why don’t you speak correctly?” Rather, she complimented and encouraged him: “The reason you stutter is because the speed of your thought is so fast that your mouth cannot catch it up. That’s why you don’t…

Sansevierias Revived through Care

I saw on TV a boy who was very good at growing plants. I was watching it without thinking, but then there was something that caught my attention. It was his attitude toward plants. The boy’s love for plants was different from other people; he even brought abandoned plants home to save them. It was impressive that he showed much attention to the plants and talked to them as if he was talking to someone he loved. What the boy said in the interview was even more touching: “Plants are living things. It’s sad when a living thing dies.” I admired the way the kid thought and felt ashamed of myself; because I recently let two sansevierias die. People say…

Yu Seung-hui from Busan, South Korea

Anger Is Poison Inside of Your Body

There is a saying that goes, “When you get angry once, you will age once. When you laugh once, you will get younger once.” Like these words, laughter makes us younger and healthy, but anger makes us get old and sick. When you get angry, your body produces hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which can cause your blood pressure to rise and your pulse to go faster, damaging the walls of your blood vessels in your heart. When this condition repeats itself, you can easily get diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, and indigestion, and have a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease due to the damage to the brain cells. Dr. Elmer Gates from America…

Laughter Is Followed by Blessings!

Laughter is another name for communication. Communication is to exchange one’s mind and will; so there can’t be laughter between people who don’t share minds and will. Laughter lets people understand each other even if they don’t say what’s in their hearts. So we can say that laughter is the best way to communicate. If you smile before starting a conversation, the listeners must be ready to open their hearts already. The place where there should be more laughter than anywhere else is home, and the ones we should try to please more than anyone else is our family members. How can we find laughter anywhere else if we can’t find it at home? And how can we make someone else happy if we can’t make our own family…

Power Pose On!

Standing tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, chest lifted, and hands on your hips—this is the iconic Wonder Woman pose. Just looking at it, you can almost feel the confidence and strength it radiates. Brave people often show their boldness not just through words, but through the way they carry themselves. Interestingly, research shows that striking this kind of pose—known as a power pose—can actually boost your confidence and lift your mood. In other words, your body posture can shape your mindset! This month, try power posing together as a family. You’ll be surprised how a simple stance can brighten your spirit and bring cheerful confidence into your home. Before long, you’ll be a strong and shining “Wonder Family”! Tip…

Train Yourself to Be Godly

I was a quite aggressive man. I would be frustrated quickly if something didn’t go the way I had planned, or I would throw caution to the wind and go into everything if something was unsatisfactory. Many times, my aggressiveness embarrassed people around me. During school days, my Zion members went to a nearby mountain for an environmental cleanup. Garbage collection went on along with “Do Not Throw Garbage” campaign. As there were many of us, it drew people’s attention. But again, my personality was the problem. While we were continually carrying heavy sacks of cement to repair the hiking trails, my strength got overtaxed, and I got annoyed. Even with small pranks from the members of my peers, I…

Yu Wu-seung from Seoul, South Korea

Brother Whom I Sold because of My Sin

Reading a story about Jacob’s sons who sold their brother Joseph as a slave to the Midianites by their jealousy, I came to think of many things. More than anything, it is a pity that they committed sins because they did not understand the heart of their father. “Joseph is no more and Simon is no more and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” Ge 42:36 Jacob did not love only Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Rachel. In the scene where he expressed the same grief of losing Joseph when Simon went to Egypt to look for food and was taken as captive, we can see the heart of Jacob who loved them equally. But…

Kim Min-ju from Cairns, Australia

Read When You Miss Me

Working on a school assignment, I learned about manuscripts. In the period of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, when printing techniques were not developed and books were in low quantity, it was common to transcribe books by hand. Such a handwritten document is called manuscript. Transcription was usually done by those who transcribed by profession, but parents or grandparents often transcribed books for children in the family. Many times, manuscripts were used as education materials as young children could copy letters and learn how to read while reading their parents handwritten stories and lessons contained in the book. Children who lived far after getting married could feel their parents whom they could not meet frequently through manuscripts. A typical example…

Lee Seon-mi from Seoul, South Korea