ⓒ 2008 WATV

Shining eyes, a loud rally cry, generous minds to understand others’ mistakes . . .

These things that I see, hear and feel from the start of a day have now become a part of my life. It has been nearly a year since I came here. I spend every day experiencing overwhelming emotions that I had never experienced in Korea.

When I landed in Peru after three full days of travel, I felt what I had been dreaming of were coming true. However, in a moment, fear overtook me along with the unfamiliar atmosphere of Peru. I began to worry about many things, wondering if I would be able to do well in Peru which was very different from Korea in many aspects. Right then, Mother calmed my mind.

In Korea, I earnestly desired to go overseas to preach, but actually there was nothing I could do. However, Mother trusted me and gave me a great mission for the gospel. I wanted to repay Mother by doing what would greatly please Her. I decided to get rid of the fear I had for a while. Only believing the fact that God had given me ability, I stepped forward for the everlasting blessing. The warm welcome of the brothers and sisters and the blessed path of preaching were waiting for me.


Pure Passion and Obedience Like Little Children

There are no Korean members here. However, when I look at the pure eyes of the Peruvian brothers and sisters, I feel very comfortable and close to them. Even though I still speak Spanish like a three-year-old child, the brothers and sisters listen to me with sincere eyes until I finish speaking; they always consider me first. Whenever I am frustrated because I can’t express my feelings fully even though I want to, they understand how I feel and what I want to say. For this, I am very thankful to them.

The Peruvian people do not take precaution towards strangers, but because of poor se-curity, they do not let strangers into their houses. When they talk to strangers, they open a small porthole in the big iron door, through which they can see only the face of a person outside. So if someone wants to listen to God’s word, our brothers and sisters preach the truth by showing him the Bible through the small porthole, standing for nearly an hour or sometimes even for hours.

Actually, preaching that way was not easy for me. My legs hurt while I was standing in the heat for many hours. However, the brothers and sisters didn’t show any sign of tiredness at all. It was because they were filled with enthusam to deliver God’s earnest voice to the souls.

The atmosphere of Zion is very active. Most of the brothers and sisters suffer financial difficulties, but even in those difficult situations they always try to make each other happy. Peruvian people are optimistic and passionate. In addition to this optimism and passion, our brothers and sisters have the joyful hope of heaven. This is why the atmosphere of our Zion is very alive. We start a meeting with a loud rally cry. Even the newcomers get easily accustomed to the atmosphere of Zion, shouting the rally cry together with us.

Not only the atmosphere but also their fer-vor for the gospel are so amazing. But at first, although they were full of vigor, they didn’t know where to start. I thought that’s why God sent me here. I tried to show the brothers and sisters the way of preaching that God wanted. I delivered to them the teachings of Mother that I had learned in Korea, so that they could know what God was pleased with and how they were able to receive more blessings from God.

When they figured out how to preach, the gospel began to spread very rapidly. It was because the brothers and sisters obeyed the words of God right away, even the small things. Both young and old brothers and sisters were all the same. They followed God’s word like children, not adding their own thoughts to that. Then God quickly granted their wish to bear good fruits, just as parents grant their children’s wish when they obey them.


Fruits Bear Fruits

In April this year, the 3rd Zion was estab-lished in Lima, Peru. Many buildings here do not have roofs because it doesn’t rain but there is just dew. We had a lot of problems because of that, but now a perfect building for Zion has been built, and we’ve begun to preach in a better environment. No words can express our gladness.

We expressed our joy and gratitude to God by bearing fruits, so in six months the number of brothers and sisters grew from one hundred to two hundred. At every service, I can feel how blessed we are. At the beginning, we had a lot of empty seats, but now Zion is too small for us. We are planning to expand our Church again.

The members here preach to their families and relatives and lead them to the truth as soon as they realize the truth. When we gather together in a circle after a worship service, it looks like an individual family gathering. As for a brother, all 30 members of his family attend our Zion, and his relatives also attend Zion in another region.

Sister Maria, who is a teacher, received the truth on the bus. One of our sisters was preaching to a passenger on the bus, and she came to overhear the sister. She listened carefully to what the sister was saying even though she was not directly preaching to her. After a few minutes, she approached the sister first and asked her to teach God’s word to her. She received the true God like that and realized the truth very quickly. However, her husband who was a Catholic took a stand against her faith, not even trying to listen to the truth. However, she kept her faith patiently and eagerly asked her husband to listen to the truth just once.

A year passed like that, and God finally opened the mind of her husband, Franklin. He said he would listen to the Bible “just once.” However, after studying the Bible, he admitted that this is the perfect truth of God, repented of his past sins right away and returned to the arms of God. Now, nothing can stop his burning faith.

ⓒ 2008 WATV

Brother Franklin and Sister Maria visited Brother Franklin’s family who were Catholic and preached God’s word to them. They understood the truth, but sadly, they did not give up falsehood deeply rooted in their minds. Nevertheless, Brother Franklin and Sister Maria were not disappointed, but preached the Word to people around them even harder. They are leading two souls they met in the street to Zion, even at this very moment while I am writing this.

Since they have beautiful minds, their fruits have the same beautiful minds as them. Sister Nancy and her husband Brother Teodoro, who are Sister Maria’s colleagues, are good examples. They keep God’s regulations faithfully and also bear beautiful fruits by preaching during their holidays.

Our brothers and sisters have one mind. Their united mind and passion are succes-sively conveyed to their fruits. When their fruits bear another fruits, the fruits they borne bear another fruits, and then they bear another fruits together. Like this, the relay of life continues every day in the 3rd Lima Church.


Peru Was Shaken, and the Good News of Peace Was Heard

“Boom!”
On August 15, 6:45 p.m., our building began to shake and there was a loud roaring sound. I felt as if I had been standing on a piece of styrofoam floating on angry waves.

I was very shocked and ran out. I thought, ‘Is it a war?’ A lot of people had already come outside. They were hugging each other and crying aloud, shouting out “Father” or “Mary.” Some people even fainted. It was the first time this kind of thing occurred in Peru, a peaceful land, so not only I but even the Peruvians were shocked.

At that time, the ground began to shake violently. That’s when I realized that it was an earthquake. I went into the Church with the brothers and sisters who were with me, and prayed to God loudly and earnestly. At that moment, there was nothing I could do and I didn’t know what to do. I only prayed to Father and Mother to help us, and right then, my body felt like it was greatly shaken and I couldn’t keep my balance. As the shaking became stronger, our voices became more eager and loud. We prayed to Father and Mother with tears.

At last, the shaking which felt like a night-mare stopped. I went outside again, and saw a lot of cars and people running to their houses. There were still some aftershocks.

What I was worried about the most was the safety of the brothers and sisters. Most of them lived on mountainsides or in old houses, so they might be in a dangerous situation. I tried to call them, but I couldn’t get through to them on the phone. After a short while, the brothers and sisters called us and said that they were safe. Their houses were all fine, while a lot of houses were damaged. I cried out, “Thank You, Father and Mother!”

Brother Franklin, who was in the navy, was sent to another area a few days before the earthquake, and he wondered why he was transfered. Later, he fond out that his previous work area was the epicenter of the earthquake. He realized that it was the will of God who wanted to protect him from the disaster, and gave thanks to God.

The next day, Brother Franklin and I visited his family who had not opened their minds for a long time. As soon as they opened the door, they all cried, saying that they had been waiting for us. They said, “We want to be God’s children right now and receive the promise of salvation at your Church.” No matter how loudly they cried out to Mary and how many idols they kept in their house, they could not save them. In that situation, they remembered God’s words that we had preached to them, and they received the promise of eternal life with thankfulness.

The brothers and sisters, who had pre-viously received the truth, were the same. They gave thanks to Elohim for protecting them from the disaster, and began to par-ticipate in the gospel work more actively. They are diligently preaching the news of peace, introducing Zion—the place of the truth and the safe refuge, to their family, relatives, friends and many others.


Day and Night, Summer and Winter

Some may be surprised to hear that there is winter in Peru, but it is relatively cold in winter because it is very hot in summer. Most brothers and sisters catch a cold for the whole winter because most buildings do not have heating systems. Besides, it is always cloudy in winter, so they get tired very easily. On the other hand, it is extremely hot in summer. Even in this situation, the brothers and sisters work very hard, whether they are young or old, whether men or women.

Sister Nancy and Brother Teodoro’s two children are elementary school students. In spite of their young age, they set a good example for others. The elder son, Harold, preaches the Word very seriously, saying that he also wants to participate in spreading the gospel, and the younger daughter likes babysitting the kids at the Church. She takes care of them wholeheartedly enough to need no help from the adults.

The young adult members do their best for the work of God, hoping to be God’s prophets. “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Just as this verse says, they always preach the gospel actively, without showing the slightest sign of fatigue. They are surely the youth like the dew prophesied in the Bible. The elderly members’ faith is as strong as that of the young adult members. Even those who are over the age of 60 continually preach the gospel with untiring passion. The 3rd Lima Zion is always full of vigor.

The brothers and sisters do not remain silent day or night as the watchmen of Jerusalem. However, truly it is our Mother who is always with us and works without rest.

Jerusalem our Mother works without rest, along with the watchmen who are not silent day or night. The water of life from Jerusalem flows to the east and to the west without ceasing, in summer and in winter.

Everything here is opposite from Korea. When it is summer in Korea, it is winter in Peru; and when it is morning in Korea, it is evening in Peru. Our heavenly Mother takes care of the children on one side of the earth, and when the children sleep at night, Mother takes care of the children who are working on the other side of the earth. Mother always takes care of us without rest. Here in Peru, I understand the heart of Mother a lot more.

To be honest, sometimes I miss Korea. It is an incredible joy to be able to do the gospel work here. Still, I can’t help but miss my hometown where I grew up, the Korean people who look like me, and the Korean language which is my native tongue. When I feel homesick, I can understand the heart of Father and Mother. They must have missed heaven, our spiritual home, much more than I miss Korea, waiting for Their children, who are slow to understand, to realize the spiritual world and also waiting for Their children, who have not yet been found, to come back to Them.

I will preach the gospel more diligently together with the brothers and sisters here without rest day or night, longing for our ever-lasting home only, so that we will find all our lost brothers and sisters and go back home quickly.

Recently, in Huanuco, which is nine hours away from Lima, more than ten people have been led to the truth, and now they keep worship services together. This has been possible because Brother Gregorio has preached God’s word earnestly to find our heavenly family members in his hometown. I pray that the seeds of the gospel that were sown in Huanuco will take root and Zion will be established there as well.

I am deeply moved when I see the brothers and sisters running the way of faith with joy, despite their hard situations, with pure eyes and minds. And when I see the brothers and sisters who can’t come to Zion every day even though they want to because they can’t even afford the bus fare, I become more eager to go to heaven.

Mother, the members of the 3rd Lima Church always try to obey Your words, smiling like little children. They are the angels of angels. They eagerly want to walk the path of the gospel with You. Please bless them both spiritually and physically, so that they may become strong watchmen of Jerusalem.

All the members of the 3rd Lima Zion will do their best to preach Jerusalem Mother, who gives peace and comfort, to all people being misled by false gods, not knowing the truth yet. Mother, we give thanks to You always.