Finally, I was allowed to do the work of an evangelist, which I had hoped for. Every day, I worked for the gospel with a thankful heart. However, I was overly enthusiastic and gave an advice to a member out of consideration for her, which, on the contrary to my expectation, hurt her. When I found that out later, I really wanted to sink through the floor. But when I approached her to ask for forgiveness, she magnanimously forgave me.
Afterward, I looked back upon my faith. Instead of relying on God, I’d tried to lead the members on my own. It is only God who leads the gospel. Around that time, the Prayer Week of the Day of Atonement began.
“If you pray hard, you will receive much blessing.”
What Mother said on the Day of Atonement was deeply cherished in my heart as if She told me to follow God, always relying on Him. I was very thankful for allowing me to know my faults and repent of my sins. During the prayer week, I was blessed with beautiful fruit of the gospel as well. They were one family.
A mother was at home after giving birth to her second child. Before, she had attended a church with her mother-in-law, but after the death of her mother-in-law, she had stopped going to church. Since she still had a positive attitude toward living a life of faith, she attentively studied God’s word with us and received a new life from God. A few days later, when I visited her, I encountered her husband, who was going to take his wife to the driver’s license test course. I explained briefly about the Church of God to him, thinking he would be curious about which church his wife attends. Then, he started saying that the Church of God seemed to be very good because he had a decades-long friend who attended the Church of God. At that moment, I felt that he must have been chosen to be of our heavenly family.
He willingly accepted our invitation, and on the Sabbath day he came to Zion with his wife. He looked around Zion with a smile on his face all the time. After watching the Church of God intro video and studying the word of God, he was born again as a child of God. Through this, I realized once again that everything unfolds according to God’s will, not man’s plan.
These days, I constantly think over Mother’s word given during the prayer week. Since God is the One who leads the gospel, I will be able to reap good gospel result if I ask God for help, relying on Him. I really hope that I will no longer repeat the same mistake of trying to do according to my greed. I earnestly pray that I may humbly preach the gospel, relying only on God, no matter what circumstances I may be in.