Fragrance of Zion

A Happy Path of the Woman Pastoral Staff in Zion

I am the first born child in my family, and my parents always wanted me to be given over to God just like the mother of Prophet Samuel. My parents sent me to a theological seminary so that I could become a pastor and serve God. Before receiving the truth, my dream was only to be a pastor who serves God. In India, pastors are approved in society; they are honored and served by Christians as absolute beings to them. When they are registered in the association, they are guaranteed with lots of income. More than that, I had passion to serve God. Unknowingly, however, I had pride that I attended the second largest theological school in Asia, so I…

Angela Berry from Thane, India

Praise to God in an African Local Language

The Republic of South Africa uses English as an official language, but there are ten more local languages: Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Tswana, Tsonga, Ndebele, Venda, Southern Sotho, and Swati. Even though you are fluent in speaking English, if you have your own mother tongue, you will feel more comfortable with your mother tongue. People here, too, like to speak in their tribal languages. It is the same with Zion members. Sometimes, when I greet them with a short sentence in their local language, they are delighted like a child, saying, “How did you know that?” This happened when the New Songs were translated into the Afrikaans and Xhosa languages. After the morning service on a Sabbath day, we announced…

Kim Min-gyu from Bellville, Cape Town, South Africa

When You Pray Earnestly

My life has been completely changed after receiving the truth and being baptized at the age of fifteen. Since my behavior was not like before, everyone around me said, “You are so different nowadays.” Even though my friends, family, or relatives asked me, “Where are you going?” or “What is going on?” I didn’t give them any answer. It was because I was afraid of being ridiculed if they found out that I attended the Church of God. However, after studying the prophecies of the Bible fulfilled without missing the smallest letter or the least stroke of a pen, I couldn’t just sit back anymore. I started to deliver the precious truth, which I shouldn’t keep only to myself, to…

Rakesh Kumarakunta Rathinam from Puducherry, India

Gospel, God’s Gift to Fill My Weak Faith

It was when I was attending a college abroad. When I went to my home in Mongolia for summer vacation, my mother who had become Christian preached to me the word of the Bible many times. Since I had grown up with Buddhist beliefs, I had no idea of ​​God or the Bible, but gradually the words of the Bible began to get my attention while having conversations with my mom, and finally I converted to Christianity. After graduating from college, my husband and I decided to live in Mexico. There, we tried to find a church to attend. One day, I got a call from my mom. She said she had found the true church, and she arranged a…

Uyanga Shar from Mexico City, Mexico

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

After a Long Wait

My husband and I do a small food business. We usually work from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., but one day we left work around 2 p.m. and came home because I caught a cold and was very sick. While closing the window to lie down and get some rest, I saw some people going door to door. Since it was a very hot summer day, I wondered what they were doing under the scorching sun. When they knocked on my door, I asked my husband to open the door quickly. Then he asked me, “You want me to open the door for people you don’t even know?” And I said yes. I was filled with curiosity, so I quickly…

Elisangela de Oliveira Silva Assuncao from Feira de Santana, Brazil

Gospel Work Is Surely Done in Its Time

“The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly”Isa 60:22 God promised He would do this swiftly. When I look back, I realize my gospel life has flowed according to this prophecy. While praying to God and waiting with patience, God’s grace which was given to me spread to my family and to people I had never known. It happened as “its time” came. From when I was seven, I went to church that believes in God Jehovah as the Savior. That church denied the existence of the soul and of heaven and hell. However, I could see many words about hell in the…

Ahn Jong-hui from Ansan, South Korea

To Finish the Spiritual Marathon

My mom died when I was three, and my father did when I was nine. My oldest sister, who was sixteen years old at that time, became the head of our family, and we strove to overcome the sorrow for losing our parents and the financial difficulties. After I entered middle school, I learned running and became a member of the national team as a marathoner. Unfortunately, however, my ankle got injured while training in the severe cold of under -40ºC [-40ºF], and I had to give up being an athlete. I grew up, overcoming the absence of my parents and the hard life of athlete, and I became arrogant; I felt proud of myself for being strong and successful.…

Enkhod from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Mother Answers Even the Smallest Prayers

One day, about five months after I had my first child, I lied down to get some sleep. Then suddenly a thought came into my mind and kept me from falling asleep. ‘What happens when I die?’ I had no idea why I was curious about it all of a sudden, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the life after death. Maybe it was because I had just become a mom, who needs to take care of her baby, and it made me even more eager to avoid death. Around that time, I met some people from the Church of God. Actually, my relationship with the Church of God began when my first child was still in my womb. I…

Kim Gyeong-suk from Osan, South Korea

An Amazing Plan for Salvation of Each Soul

Among many things happening in life, some are just simple incidents, whereas some are life-changing experiences. I can say meeting my wife was a once-in-a-life-time event, because I received Elohim through her. She’s from Colombia, a country in South America. When she was in high school, her family immigrated to Canada. They arrived in Windsor first, but soon, they planned to move to Montreal in Québec. However, things didn’t go as they planned, and they ended up in Edmonton instead of Montreal. My wife, then a high school student, entered a school among many in Edmonton—my school. We had a good relationship in school. During college, and even until I left Edmonton and came back, we remained as a couple,…

Joshua Michael Dimm from Edmonton, Canada

After Realizing Heavenly Father and Mother

I was born in Denmark, and when I was twelve years old, my mom and I moved to Malmö, Sweden. As I grew up, I became selfish, and I couldn’t see any meaning in life. I moved back to Denmark and I partied as much as I could. I started working out a lot, wanting to be the strongest and the best looking. Then, I moved back to Sweden and went back to school with intent to start a new life. One day, someone knocked on my door. Two Koreans were standing outside, wanting to tell me about God the Mother. Since they didn’t speak English well, I didn’t really understand what they were talking about, but I was still…

Simon Peter Lindmer from Gothenburg, Sweden

The Most Valuable Work

‘Is Jesus really God? Does God even exist?' Growing up in a Christian family, I attended a church during my school years, but as I went to high school and learned biology and evolution, I started to doubt God’s existence. In science, even a simple theory is followed by evidence that proves the fact. But for God, however, it seemed there was no evidence to prove His existence. I couldn’t understand the Bible and there were many difficult parts to believe. Though I couldn’t believe in God, I was barely keeping my faith by asking God to let me know if there is the absolute truth that can testify about Him clearly. After doubting for about four years, God, who…

Natnael Assefaw Seltene from Denver, CO, U.S.

Mother’s Prayer That Leads Me to Life

On the earth, God creates life. Human mothers carry their children before they are finally given life. In that time, the children can hear and know their mothers’ voices even before they are born, though they have never met them. I realize this is the same with Heavenly Mother and our spiritual life. I am certain that it is no coincidence that Mother gave me birth, prays for me, and thinks of me. Even before I was born on the earth, Mother was with me, guiding my entire life, and finally led me to Her. For this, I am so thankful and I would like to share my fragrance of Zion regarding this. When I was eight or so, I…

Lachae Garrine Berrien from New Windsor, NY, U.S.

According to the Will of God

I never thought about having any other religion, under the influence of my grandmother who was a firm believer in Catholicism. When my sister and brother-in-law who were attending the Church of God told me about the truth, I was glad to know what was in the Bible, but that was pretty much it. I did not want learn further. However, my mind changed when I went to the Church of God once with my sister and brother-in-law. It seemed like the people in that place were filled with love. I also enjoyed studying the Bible. I learned about the secret of the forgiveness of sins and it answered more than enough of my question I had─why would people just…

Selenne Christine Sanchez from Los Angeles, U.S.

A Blessed Mission, the Duty of Giving Love

A pastor couple of a small church used to live next door when I was young. As my mother was a close friend of them, I naturally started to attend their church because I had been a Christian since my birth. Sunday was the busiest day of the week for me. Since I hold various positions in the church—president of the youth group, manager of general affairs, secretary, etc., I had to go to church early in the morning and came back home around midnight, totally exhausted. Despite that, I loved working for the church. My only desire was to love God and do the work of God all my life. The church often got into trouble. There were many…

Yeong-ye Cha from Gimhae, South Korea

The Most Valuable Work, the Most Special Blessing

Just like most other Korean dads, my life was also a series of days to go to work, seeing the stars early in the morning, and come back home, seeing the stars again late at night. Back then, I didn’t know what the starry world in the distance was and for whom those stars were shining. My only goal was to give my family a comfortable life, not asking others for help, as a head of my family. With this goal, I worked hard without taking a day off throughout the year. It was not until my wife told me about the truth that I thought this life might not be all. Actually, I didn’t believe the truth at first…

Choi Su-hyeon from Austin Town, India

Tears of a Prodigal Child

Before I entered high school, I was led to the Church of God by my cousin, and I started attending the Church. My parents opposed my going there, but I liked Zion so much because there was a beautiful unity among brothers and sisters through the word of God. However, my mind changed when I entered university and my parents approved of my faith. Just as the saints of the early Church relied fully on God and kept their faith firm during hard times but became neglectful of the truth during peaceful times, my mind, which once went towards Zion, gradually started to go towards the world and I became lazy in my life of faith. After I started a…

Hui-jeong Im from Namyangju, South Korea

Something That You Know When You Do It

My parents died when I was young and I had to earn a living. So, my life was literally like a war and the world was like a battle field. In order not to get left behind in the cold-hearted world where no one could protect me, I worked tenaciously. Even after having a family at a late age, my life was the same. Doing the delivery service in the market, I had been working nights and sleeping days for over ten years. It was even difficult to see my children due to my busy daily life, so my only joy was to chat with the market vendors and get drunk. Since we had been living a tough life, we…

Ahn Byeong-chan from Seoul, South Korea

Hoping to Be the Protagonist of the New Book of Acts

‘O God, I will do anything if I can go to heaven, so please give me confidence in salvation.’ This is what I always made sure to say whenever I prayed, because I wasn’t confident in my salvation though I went to church. Although I was young, I was so scared of going to hell that I went for all kinds of retreats, praise gatherings, and early morning prayer meetings. I also read the Bible every day, and waited to have confidence in going to heaven. One cold winter day, I met two angels who were preaching the truth, and I learned about the Sabbath day, the Passover, and many more. I received a new life immediately, and studied the…

Song Hye-ju from Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

Parents’ Love that Rejoices Over a Child Who Returned

For parents, the ones who are beautiful and lovely like flowers must be their children. Anything in this world cannot be compared with the devotional love of parents; they can even give up their lives for their children, the source of their joy. The reason it is hard to understand parental love is that it is like a precious pearl hidden in the deep sea. When I was little, my father took me wherever he went. Whenever I saw kids playing outside on the way back home from my father’s work, I wanted to play with them, but my father didn’t want me to. So sometimes I got in trouble as I went outside to play without telling him. However,…

John Pariyar from Kathmandu, Nepal