ⓒ 2009 WATV

These days, I realize that the completion of world mission is close at hand, witnessing the amazing works of the gospel accomplished by God Elohim. I give thanks to God with all my heart for having called this weak child and entrusted me with the mission of evangelism in Lahore, Pakistan, so that I can take part in the fulfillment of God’s prophecies in this age.

In Pakistan, the gospel of the new covenant started to be preached over ten years ago, and Zion was built early in Lahore and Karachi, the most densely populated cities in Pakistan. However, facing many difficulties, the Lahore Church did not have a solid foundation for some time and the members went through hard times with their faith. However, it was Mother who felt more sad and distressed than anyone else. By the grace of Heavenly Mother leading the gospel work without rest even for a moment to save Her children, the Lahore Zion was able to stand up again, and it is getting stronger day by day.


There is no disheartening factor in the gospel

Earthquakes, terrors, Islam, hot weather, economic difficulties . . .
These words come to mind when we think of Pakistan. In fact, deadly earthquakes took place in 2005 and 2008 and killed about 80,000 people in the northern and western parts of Pakistan, and 3,500,000 people lost their properties. As you can see often on TV or in newspapers, there is no political stability in Pakistan yet and anti-government terrorist attacks frequently take place.

Pakistan, which is located in the northwestern part of India, seceded from India in 1943 to form an independent Islamic country, distancing itself from Hinduism. That’s why their state religion is Islam and 99% of the people are Muslims. The Islamic tradition is their way of life and culture.

The weather in Pakistan is extremely hot. The temperature rises higher than 45℃ (113℉) even in May; you may not imagine how hot it is. Moreover, cooling systems are not always available; people’s living conditions are not good because of less developed economies and their power scarcity very often interrupts its supply. When the electricity fails during a worship service, electric fans stop and all the members start sweating profusely. And when the electricity fails during the Bible study at night, we usually go outside and continue our study, relying on the dim light of the moon. Recently, the economy of Pakistan has become more worse, so it needs emergency aid from the IMF.

At first, these circumstances may seem like disheartening factors in preaching the gospel. However, it is really not. Who leads the gospel? It is God Elohim, the Creator of all things and the Governor of the whole universe. No matter how hard the situation may be, it serves as an encouraging factor in the end because God is always with us.

People in Pakistan feel nervous about frequent earthquakes and terrorist attacks, so the power of the Passover of the new covenant, which enables us to escape disasters, shines more brightly here in Pakistan. The members of Zion live in safety under God’s protection every day, and they are preaching the gospel vigorously with gratitude.

It is not a problem that most people are Muslims; rather, that makes it easier to preach the gospel because we can recognize our heavenly family members more clearly. Most of the people in Pakistan are pure-hearted; when we deliver the truth about Heavenly Mother to those who believe in God, most of them are taken aback. Moreover, they like to study the words of the Bible, so we can preach the truth to whomever we meet. Truly, this is a fertile land for the gospel.

Hot weather and unfavorable living conditions are not a problem, either. Usually, people are easily able to adjust to more comfortable circumstances than they have lived in, but they feel inconvenient when they live in a place that is lagging behind even a little bit in terms of living standards. At first, I also felt inconvenient because Pakistan is worse off than Korea. Whenever I felt that way, I thought about Heavenly Father and Mother.

‘I am finding it hard to live in an undeveloped country that is only about ten years behind Korea. God our Mother has come down to this earth where humans, nothing more than maggots, live, leaving the glorious heaven, and She is still walking the path of sacrifice. How much more suffering does our Mother go through on this earth? She endures everything, dwelling among sinners, with an ardent desire to save Her children.’
While I inscribed God’s endless love and sacrifice deep in my mind, I was able to adjust to life in Pakistan and live without any inconvenience. At the beginning, the food didn’t suit my taste because of the strong spices, but now it tastes just right to me. As God is with us, every place is the best field for the gospel.


Mother, the name of great love

ⓒ 2009 WATV

In 2002 I was sent by God to Karachi, and preached the gospel there for two years. After I returned to Korea, I wanted to go to Karachi again because it felt like I did not preach the good news to my fullest there.

When I first arrived in Karachi, I was kind of embarrassed at the unfamiliar culture. I tried my hardest to learn the Pakistani culture, but there was always something new to learn even though a month, six months, a year, and a year and a half had passed by. In this situation, I was unable to preach the gospel to the utmost, and I felt sorry for not understanding and loving the members more. Especially, the members with weak faith stood out in my eyes; they were unable to foster the hope for heaven because they were in difficult circumstances and busy dealing with the realities of life that were right in front of them.

Knowing what was on my mind, Mother allowed me to go to Lahore, Pakistan, in September, 2008. At that time, due to some reasons, there was no Korean missionary in the Lahore Church and only the Pakistani members were keeping their faith by themselves. I already knew this situation, and willingly joined the gospel work in Lahore, giving thanks to God for granting this blessed opportunity to me.

“Give much love to the brothers and sisters there!”
These were the words that Mother gave me when I left Korea. In addition to those words, Mother must have breathed Her love into my heart at that time. When I arrived at the Lahore Church and saw the brothers and sisters, I was able to feel how precious they were. They had been so thirsty for the love of Mother, so they greatly rejoiced over the fact that Mother had sent a missionary for them. They gave thanks to Mother over and over again.

Contrary to my worries, they had been living a life of faith earnestly, with their love for Heavenly Mother planted in the center of their hearts, in spite of difficult circumstances. All I did for them was try to understand and encourage them as Mother had told me. While doing that, I delivered the Teachings of Mother to them. Then they followed the teachings with obedience and grew into good gospel workers day after day.

Their love towards Mother is special. When they just hear the word “Mother” while talking to one another, their eyes already start welling up with tears. Whenever I tell them the truth about Mother during a Bible study, their faces become full of happiness, yearning and love that words cannot express.

Many of them are supposed to join the Overseas Visiting Group to Korea in June. They are longing to see Mother who has come to this earth for Her weak children. Among them, there is a senior couple far advanced in age. Actually, I tried to hold them back from going to Korea because I was worried that a long distance trip would affect their health. However, they earnestly want to go to Korea no matter what it takes, saying it is their lifelong desire. How could I stop them since it is already prophesied?

Seeing how much the members miss Heavenly Mother and how hard they try to overcome difficulties by relying on Mother’s words, I come to realize the great love of Mother again. Mother’s love sustains the Lahore Zion firmly, like the stakes that are never pulled up and ropes that are never broken.


Gospel workers growing in love

Pakistan is almost 3.5 times bigger than Korea, and many of the brothers and sisters live quite far away from Zion. So, those who live in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Shekhupura and Gujranwala hold worship services together in their own regions; these cities are 2-5 hours away from Zion by car. I visit the cities in rotation to teach the members the Word and have the worship services together with them. While I do so, half a month passes very quickly.

However, the brothers and sisters can study the Bible with me only once a month, so they are very thirsty for the words of truth. They wait for me to come, counting the days on their fingers, and when I arrive, they keep asking me to visit them more frequently. Their earnest desire is that Zion will be built there soon so that they can study the Bible every day. Whenever they express their desire, I hope more earnestly that the gospel workers in Korea and overseas will volunteer to preach here and receive blessings together.

Under these circumstances, many brothers and sisters realized the love of God and grew into good gospel workers. I’d like to share the fragrance of Brother Rehmat with you first. Brother Rehmat led his whole family and relatives to Zion after he received the truth. Every Sabbath day, he shuts down the door of his factory, rents a car, and drives for an hour to Zion, picking up over 30 brothers and sisters on the way. Like him, his family members are also fervent in faith; his son and daughter-in-law led their friend’s family to Zion. Recently, Brother Rehmat volunteered to go to Islamabad to deliver the Word and keep the feasts together with the brothers and sisters there. It is really touching to see how passionate he is about his faith.

Tesla in Rawalpindi is known as the place where Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, preached the gospel and died a martyr; there remained relics of the chapel called “Thomas Mountain” on the hill. In this region, Sister Razia and her cousin, Sister Rahat, preached the gospel earnestly and led 20 souls into the arms of God. That’s really surprising, considering that the Pakistani culture restricts the freedom of women in social activities. Sister Rahat still calls me almost every day to ask some questions about the words of truth and verses in the Bible. With such a great fervor, she led her father to Zion a month ago. Her father realized the truth very well. He took four days of vacation to keep the Passover and prepared a place for the brothers and sisters in Tesla to gather to celebrate the feast together, at his own expense. It was truly God’s work.

Brother Ajmal, who translates the sermon into the Urdu language at every service, is a trustworthy pillar of Zion. He is gentle and kind, and sets a good example to the brothers and sisters. He takes good care of the members; even though he is busy at work, he visits the members individually who live in remote areas by motorcycle to share the spiritual food—God’s word—with them. His greatest desire is to concentrate only on the gospel work.

Deacon Shehzad, who is taking care of the members in Multan, is also very eager to preach the gospel, giving thanks to Mother every day. He has borne many good fruits and they are already preparing to visit Korea. Among them, there is Sister Zubaida who received the truth just three months ago. She has led all her family members to Zion and they are all growing in faith: her husband and children, her two brothers’ families, and her sister’s family. Especially, her husband, Brother Nasir, emits the gracious fragrance of Christ by keeping all the commandments of God and participating enthusiastically in preaching the sermons (46 subjects of the truth) as well.

Besides them, there are many other brothers and sisters who devote themselves to the gospel and take the lead in serving Zion, including Brother Hamur and Deacon Zafar, but because of the lack of space I can’t tell you about them all. I truly give thanks to Father and Mother, hoping that they will all become great gospel workers and fulfill the mission of preaching the gospel in Pakistan fervently.


In the best gospel field where the best blessings are allowed

Korean brothers and sisters have many opportunities to see Mother and to share the grace of God with one another through Church events held at the Okcheon Go&Come Training Institute and places like that. They have good conditions for widening their vision of faith because they can understand General Pastor’s sermons directly without interpretation and can also easily get various materials like sermon tapes or videos. However, the members here do not. It is their lifelong desire to see Heavenly Mother and they are unable to listen to the word of life enough to be satisfied in their language. Yet they obtain the same kind of realizations and grow in faith. Whenever I see them, I’m filled with emotion. I think this is the miracle of the gospel that Mother accomplishes.

The members, who have ever preached overseas, say with one voice that while they went through hardships in difficult situations abroad, they were able to feel deep in their hearts the sacrifice of Heavenly Father and Mother, which they used to say about with their lips only. That’s right. It is Father’s sacrifice and Mother’s love that is inscribed deep in our hearts every day when we preach the gospel with the members here. I want to share this blessing with many brothers and sisters all around the world.

The members of the Lahore Church desire that Zion be established all over Pakistan within this year, so that many souls will come into the arms of Mother. We believe that our desire will surely come true if we continue to preach the gospel boldly, believing that God will help us.

Mother, I give You thanks with my whole heart for having called this sinner to be Your child in this blessed age when all the prophecies of the Bible are accomplished, and also for allowing me to receive the best blessings in the best gospel field. We, the members of the Lahore Zion, are preaching the gospel every day with joy and excitement because You are always with us. By carrying out the mission entrusted to us with all our heart and mind, we will display the glory of God Elohim. Father and Mother, thank You and I love You.