I am a newly appointed missionary to India; it’s been just three months since I came here. I thought I had many experiences in overseas missions, but since I came to India, I’ve often thought I am like a child who flounders around, not knowing what to do.
While staying in the Hubli Church during the preaching festival, I sincerely realized that God had sent me to India to train me to be a suitable prophet for the gospel. I’ve engraved on my heart the realization I received through this trip, and I am writing to share it with Zion members around the world.
It takes more than twelve hours to travel from Pune to Hubli. In India, this distance is just like going to the next door, but since it was my first trip there, the long-distance trip was not easy for me. We crossed the mountains and rivers, sitting on a rigid bus seat fixed at an angle of ninety degrees and suffering carsickness. I didn’t know how I would travel more than ten hours like this, but seeing the unit leader who came with me preaching to the passenger beside him, I gained strength.
When we arrived at the Hubli Church after many twists and turns and met the beautiful souls like jewels, all my headache and tiredness disappeared. Even though it was late at night, the branch church members were waiting to welcome us, along with their neighbors and relatives who had been studying the truth for a long time.
That day, a total of six souls were blessed to become children of God. The new members were growing in their faith, keeping the autumn feasts as well as the Sabbath. After baptism, I taught them the words of God under a dim light; they had twinkling eyes full of gratitude. Then I was reminded of Heavenly Father a lot.
Father used to visit His children who had been eagerly waiting for the words of life. Although He arrived at a late hour by taking a local train, He taught them the truth until late at night Only after walking His path did I realize how great the sacrifice and love of Father was. I got all choked up while teaching them the words of God.
“When you go to India, you will feel Father’s sacrifice and love all the more,” said Mother. Now I can realize even a little bit what Mother meant. It took me quite a long time to be accustomed to the meal times. People in India normally have lunch around 3 p.m. and dinner around 10 p.m. As I had been used to the Korean meal times, I was always hungry though I was not skipping meals.
While preaching in hunger, I came to think of Father. When Father was plowing the gospel field in the early days, the whole country was devastated and people lived in extreme poverty after war. Even in this difficult economic situation with a shortage of food, Father did hard work to raise expenses for preaching, writing the Truth Books, and taking care of the church; He often skipped meals.
The gospel of the new covenant, which started in Korea—the farthest land in the east, is spreading rapidly in India, and many people are accepting the truth even in the unknown cities and towns. This amazing work has been able to be accomplished thanks to the sacrifice of Father who walked the gospel path for thirty seven years to save His lost children. Furthermore, there is the love of Mother who prevents all troubles by praying for Her children even until now. I believe that the gospel will be preached quickly to all people as it is prophesied: “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations” (Mt 24:14).
As a prophet who has called to fulfill this mission, I will follow the example of Father who walked the sacrificial path, regarding it as a flowery path only for the salvation of His children, together with my brothers and sisters who resemble Father and Mother and devote themselves to the gospel with a beautiful faith.