My heart is only filled with hope for heaven now. It’s because earnestness and the sense of mission which I didn’t have before have filled me.
It’s already been more than half a year since I came to Australia. I remember the day I preached the gospel here for the first time.
I couldn’t express what I wanted to say because of my poor English, and couldn’t understand what they were speaking. Just following the brothers and sisters, I was surprised that people at the malls or on campus or some other places would listen to the words of the Bible for thirty minutes or even for an hour. Is this how Peter felt when Jesus made him a fisher of men? I felt like I was inside the water, watching a school of fish that I could reach if only I stretched my hand.
They nodded their heads even when I gave a brief explanation on the existence of God the Father and God the Mother.
I was happy and thankful that they were showing interest in the truth. Among them, there was a young lady who listened to the gospel very carefully. She was interested in the truth that she even brought her twin sister and listened to the truth together.
However, I could no longer meet her after she declared to her parents that she would go to the Church of God; because they didn’t allow her. When I received her text message expressing how bad she felt that she couldn’t come but that she had to listen to her parents, I felt sorry that I couldn’t stop crying.
I often experienced something like this in Korea, too, but I didn’t cry. I thought about the reason why I felt more heartbroken in Australia. Whenever I met her, my heart was very earnest; it felt like we understood each other although we couldn’t communicate smoothly. It was very sad to be unable to meet someone whom I had shared my mind with.
I also felt earnest whenever I met a Korean like me. I once preached to a Korean who was traveling in Australia, and introduced to her the Church of God near her residence so that she could learn more about the truth when she went back to Korea. Later, I heard that she said the earnest eyes of the person she met in Australia made her want to know more about the Church of God although she didn’t know much about God or the Bible. I was so thankful and happy when I heard that, but at the same time, I also regretted not having preached like that when I was in Korea even though I could have preached the truth to anyone as long as I stepped outside.
I realized that my mindset is important when preaching the gospel, and that the seed of the words I sow can bear fruit anywhere. Then I made a resolution to be faithful with my gospel mission I’ve been entrusted with although I don’t see the result immediately.
‘I don’t speak English well, but I will eagerly preach even one more seed of the gospel. If they hear the word of the truth somewhere else again, they will remember what I told them and understand the truth better. It would be a joyful thing if the one I once preached to becomes a heavenly family member. I’m going to receive the Award of Sowing Seeds in heaven.’
When I made up my mind like that, my footsteps on the way to preaching was so much lighter, and I got more opportunities to preach the gospel.
It wasn’t easy to wait, but a fruit was surely borne. A soul came into Mother’s arms after five months of studying the word of God. It was truly Father and Mother’s grace.
My heart is only filled with hope for heaven now. It’s because earnestness and the sense of mission which I didn’t have before have filled my heart.
There are many things that I’ve learned in Australia, the rich fishing ground of the gospel. I am grateful to Father and Mother even for the fact alone that I’ve met precious Zion members in this distant foreign country. I earnestly hope once again that I can add even a little bit of strength of mine to the work of establishing more churches in Australia.