In the Bible, youth is likened to the dew of the dawn. The pure and clean dew of the dawn is beautiful but it is seen only for a while. Though young adults receive great blessings in the time of youth, it passes quickly. So I made up my mind to take the blessing whenever I get a chance. In the beginning of this year, I applied for a short-term mission to Quezon City, Philippines, after coming back from Panaji in India.
Quezon City is the biggest city located in the southwestern part of Luzon. The population is as large as the vast land, and there are the National Assembly, government offices, and prestigious schools. Probably because of this, the city more developed than I had expected. However, the water was often cut off that we had to store water for washing during the mission trip.
Most Filipinos are Catholics, so we found it easy to talk about God and the Bible. They were also willing to listen. However, when we shared God’s words for a long time and suggested being born again as a child of God, they made excuses like “I have to go to work,” “I have a sibling to take care of,” or “It’s hard to change religion.” I was sorry to see them lose the chance of salvation even though they claimed to believe and understand the Bible.
As I was rejected by people for days, I thought there might be something that I lacked. When I looked back, I was full of shortcomings. During the mission trip, I couldn’t do my best for my given tasks, and when I faced difficulties, I depended on man rather than God. I needed more earnestness and patience to save souls.
To fix my lacking parts, I began to carry out the given mission faithfully and often remembered Father’s words, “Depend only on God.” I prayed that I would be able to preach the Gospel with the heart of Heavenly Father and Mother and meet the soul who earnestly sought God.
I met a man at a park and told him about God the Mother. I was surprised because he said he had thought for a long time that there must be God the Mother as there is God the Father just as everything has its mate. That was not all. When he heard about Christ who came a second time to Korea, the ends of the earth in the East, he opened his eyes wide and asked, “Is it true that Jesus came a second time to Korea? I’ve been thinking that He would come to Korea!”
He had been studying the Bible alone and waiting for Christ to come a second time. He even showed us the verses prophesying about Christ’s second coming. He promised to see us the next day at the same place to study the Bible more, and left. My heart beat fast. I earnestly prayed that the soul who was looking for God anxiously would receive the blessing of salvation without fail.
The next day, it was almost the appointed hour but he didn’t appear. We were anxious. We couldn’t reach him and we thought of going back because he didn’t appear for a long time. However, his rejoicing over the news of the Second Coming Jesus and God the Mother kept lingering in mind that we couldn’t leave. We waited for him for hours, thinking, ‘We’ll wait a little bit more.’ Then we heard someone running in a hurry and calling us. It was him! We came to know later that he was late because he had lost his cell phone in a jeepny on the way and had to report the loss. He said he kept praying on the way that he would be able to see us. He came to Zion to study the Bible and received the blessing of a new life right away. The brother was happy to meet God Elohim and now studies the Bible diligently.
Brother David, who is a college student found during the short-term mission, is also enthusiastic. After he heard about God the Mother with his friend, he discussed the matter and made known the existence of God the Mother to his classmates. He came to Zion to study the Bible until late at night for days, and started to preach the truth four days after he received the truth. His active attitude positively influenced the existing members.
The mission we carried out in Quezon City was like a special lesson that Mother granted us. I learned much the way to do my best for God-given mission, and the way to lead a soul to God with patience, to depend only on God, and to repent. After receiving the lessons in the Philippines, I feel like I became one step closer to my dream, which is to become an overseas prophet.
Many members in the Philippines work at night and preach the Gospel in the morning and afternoon, cutting down on sleep. They are making all efforts to save souls with strong faith and spirit even under the scorching sun and the heavy rain. I too will give a helping hand by putting into actions what I learned in the Philippines.