After I accepted the truth, my mom and younger sister became heavenly family members the very next year. But my dad was different. He wouldn’t even listen to the message. Perhaps it was the influence of my grandmother, who used to run a prayer center, and my uncle, who was a pastor of a pioneering church—whatever the reason, my dad became furious whenever I brought up the truth and forbade me from speaking another word about it. Even as time passed, he remained immovable. Still, I was thankful that he no longer stopped me from going to church.
They say that in every crisis, there is opportunity. It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that my dad began to change. Early in the outbreak, as the world was thrown into confusion, he saw how the Church of God calmly conducted worships and meetings in line with government guidelines. His view of our church began to shift positively. One day, we were talking about my late grandmother, and the conversation naturally turned to the church. I shared the words of God with him, and to my surprise, he listened intently for two full hours. He said he still didn’t fully understand about God the Father and God the Mother, but that the Sabbath and the Passover made sense to him. I could feel that God was starting to open his heart.
A little while later, my parents opened a shop in Jeju Island. Since it was the peak season, they needed help with the business. Thinking, “I can always find another job, and if not me, who else will help them?” I quit my job and boarded a flight to Jeju. I had planned to help for three months, but when my uncle—who was helping with the kitchen—began to suffer health problems, my stay had to be extended.
Life in Jeju, where I ended up settling unintentionally, was tough. I missed the faces of the church members I had grown attached to, and being tied down to the shop without much freedom often left me frustrated. Thankfully, the members of the Jeju Church visited me often and took care of me.
The greatest comfort of all, however, was that my dad had become a child of God. About a month after I arrived in Jeju, my dad suddenly said to me, “Thank you so much for coming all the way here—and I’m sorry, too.” Hearing those words unlocked emotions I had kept buried deep inside.
“Dad,” I said, “honestly, I’m okay with everything, but there’s one thing that scares me. Just thinking that I might not be able to go to heaven with you—it makes my heart ache and brings me to tears. I really hope you can receive God’s blessing.”
Then, my dad said something unbelievable:
“Alright, this time . . . I’ll get baptized.”
It was the moment I had imagined thousands of times and prayed for tens of thousands more. After the baptism ceremony, My dad said to the pastor, “Thank you for baptizing me. I came here because of my daughter, but I’ll give it an honest try.” I felt so happy that I could hardly tell if I was dreaming or awake. On the way home, he even said, “I should have a suit sent to me. I’ll need it for worship.”
The memories of the past came flooding back like a film. It had been a truly earnest ten years. I had always believed that one day God would open a way, and I longed for the moment my dad would receive the blessing of new life. And after exactly ten years, God finally allowed it.
Looking back, the situations that once seemed so difficult were all part of God’s plan to save my dad. I’m deeply thankful to God, who allows us to reap a harvest in due time if we don’t give up. I look forward to the day—surely not far off—when we’ll find all our lost heavenly family members scattered across the world and be united with them forever.