Laying the Foundation with the Love of Serving One Another

Whenever I heard fragrances of Zion from the members who bore fruits of the gospel by making much effort and earnestly praying to God, I would feel a lump in my throat, because I could feel their burning heart. It was even more touching to hear that family members who didn’t open their mind for a long time eventually came into the arms of God. My wish to lead many people to God’s love grew stronger as time passed by.

One day, I visited my husband’s family to attend a family event. Thinking that it must be a God-given opportunity, I recommended to my husband that we preach the truth to his family, and he willingly agreed, saying, “Yes, that’s what I was planning to do so. Let’s pray together for that.” We thought alike. Even though we preached the truth to his family before, many times we were worried that they might feel awkward if we talked about religion; sometimes, we just came back home without having done anything meaningful and we consoled ourselves, saying that we had at least preached God’s word. Ten years passed by. We made a firm determination to no longer be hesitant about preaching the gospel, and we went to my husband’s family. It was a very clear day, and we were excited.

On the day of the family gathering, as we arrived at the house, my mother-in-law encouraged us to preach the gospel.

“These days, the fervor for the gospel is heating up. The brothers and sisters in my Zion are also filled with zeal for the gospel.”

“Yes, we too made up our mind to preach the gospel after lunch.”

As soon as my husband finished speaking, my mother-in-law said,

“Really? Then, I will arrange an opportunity for you to preach the gospel. Confidently preach the gospel to them.”

We were a bit surprised then. My mother-in-law had been reluctant about leading her family to Zion for a long time. But that day, she appeared even more determined than us to preach the gospel. We felt as if thousands of troops and horses were on our side when she joined us in preaching.

After earnestly praying to God, we moved to the gathering place with her. We first expressed our apology to the relatives for not frequently visiting them, and began to boldly preach the gospel, saying, “My mother-in-law always says she wants to be saved together with her loving family members.” After hearing the message, they said, “Then, what should we do to be saved?” Their hearts were already opened wide; beginning with my mother-in-law’s aunt, four of the family members received a new life. I felt that God poured down His grace upon our preaching, and we were very happy and joyful.

A few days later, I found out why they were open-minded and immediately became heavenly family members. During busy farming season, my mother-in-law would visit her family, and help them with their work; she also shared joys and sorrows during every family event. So her efforts and love toward her family members served as a good foundation for bearing such good gospel results. After my marriage, my husband and I tried to preach the gospel to the family, but she was careful about it. However, now I know that it was because she was worried that we might hide the glory of God by preaching recklessly.

We are filled with excitement, looking forward to what kind of souls we will lead to Zion with my warmhearted mother-in-law. Now that we work in unity, we feel lighthearted and become filled with confidence and courage. I really want to bear beautiful fruits for God who paves the way for our blessings and waits for us to be one in faith and love.