Pastor Ock Soo Park's Testimony
IT WAS VERY RARE TO MEET A PERSON LIKE HIM
IT WAS VERY RARE TO MEET A PERSON LIKE HIM
Visiting many countries to preach the gospel, I meet many
people. Especially, when I go to Africa, I meet people such as deputy secretary
(vice ministers), ministers, and prime ministers whom I cannot meet easily in
Korea. In special cases, I have the chance to preach the gospel to a president.
We get to meet these people through events. However, as I preach the gospel to
them little by little, they often open their hearts and accept the gospel.
One time, when we held a camp in an African country, the
deputy secretary of Youth department came. Looking around the camp, he opened
his heart a lot. Sharing a meal and conversation with me, he started to accept
the gospel. When I talk about the gospel to government officials, most of them
pretend to accept it out of politeness. However, this deputy secretary accepted
the gospel very sincerely and received salvation. Whenever I met him, I talked
about spiritual matters. In fact, it was rare that I had met someone among the
government officials who accepted the Word with
sincerity and had a joyful heart in front of the Word.
One day, the vice minister of the youth department visited me
and talked about what was in his heart. He said to me, “My youngest son has a
serious mental disability. Could you pray for him?” I promised to do that, and
the next day he brought his youngest son to the camp. His son had many mental
problems so I told him about spiritual life and prayed for him. After that, the
deputy secretary was very happy and said, “After you prayed for my son, he
became more stable mentally.“ He was very thankful. Upon hearing me saying, “If
you bring him to me, whenever I have a chance, I want to preach to him and pray
for him,” he left with a grateful heart.
THE DEPUTY SECRETARY DID. SO DID HIS WIFE AND SON
The next time he brought his wife to the camp. I said, ”I
have something to tell you. Do you time?” She gladly gave me her time. I
explained to her how our sins could be washed away. God gave us his begotten
son so that we could come out of sins. Jesus carried our sins, shed his blood,
and died on the cross. I told her that His death was not in vain, and all of
our sins were forgiven. We became righteous in the eyes of God so that He
called us righteous. She listened to the Word and received salvation.
After that time, the vice-minister brought his eldest son. He
was a very positive, brilliant young man. On that day, it was difficult to
speak to him individually because we had a group meeting. I said to this young
man, “I have something to tell you. If you have time, can you visit me
tomorrow?” The next day, the vice-minister’s eldest son came to see me by
himself. I was so thankful. I preached the gospel to him. Just as the
vice-minister accepted the gospel, so did his wife and son. The young man was
studying in England so I introduced him to the church in England so that he
could go to our church when he returned there.
GOD PREPARED PEOPLE IN EACH COUNTRY THAT WE VISITED
From then on, I could see that the vice minister of the
department of youth was helping IYF with his whole heart and working for us.
When I look back on that time, his youngest son had brought such difficulty and
pain to the vice minister and his wife. However, I could see that God humbled
the vice minister’s heart through his son. I could feel that his heart became
gentle.
When I preach the Word of God to people, people usually think
of their position and status instead of the Word itself. On many occasions people
do not accept the Word of God and rather go against it when they have a
conflicting thought while listening to the Word. Nevertheless, a humble person
has no heart to abandon or refuse the Word of God because his heart is lowered.
He has the heart to follow the Word of God and receive the grace of God. On the
other hand, the person whose works are going well and better than others
pursues their own desires. Therefore, he is influenced by those things, despite
listening to the Word of God.
The vice minister provided great help to us as we preached
the gospel. When we go to a foreign country and work for the youth facing
various kinds of difficulties, I experience how God allows people to help us
and work for us. If it were not for them, there would have been a lot of
hardships ministering abroad. Wherever we went, God prepared someone like the
vice minister in each country. Whenever I notice that these people help us and
work for us, I am unceasingly thankful.
THE VICE MINISTER KNELT DOWN NEXT TO ME AND PRAYED
A deputy secretary! I respect him in my heart. I once visited
him in his office, and he asked me, “Pastor, could you pray for us? Please pray
for our children, for our youth department.” Then I suggested to him, “Sir,
let’s pray together!” I knelt down on the office floor and prayed. He also
knelt down next to me and prayed. He was so joyful and thankful.
A country’s vice minister of the department of youth is a
very highly regarded person. It is not easy to meet a person like him.
Nonetheless, whenever I went to that country, he visited me and spent time with
me. Sometimes, he invited me to his office, prayed, and had fellowship with me.
He always remains in my heart among the many government officials that I have
met until now.
Although the pain and sorrow that he went through because of
his youngest son was so great, I am thankful that the heart of the vice
minister became the best heart to receive the grace of God through that. I am
so thankful that the vice minister, his wife, and his oldest son, all humbled
their hearts in front of God and received salvation. I am still very thankful
when I remember the vice minister who helped us so that many things went well
for us. I hope God pours abundant blessings and grace unto him. Whenever I
think about him, I pray for his youngest son to be healed soon and live a
blessed life.
GIVE THANKS TO GOD WHO MADE US PRAISE HIM
I do many things abroad. If I go to one county, I lead a
conference or camp for the youth for three to four days. God prepares many
people to help us whenever we face big and small difficulties in a foreign
country. I am very thankful to God who lets us preach the gospel to many
countries around the world and leads many youths to receive salvation in this
way. God arranges people and lets them help us whenever we visit a certain
country for the gospel. I give thanks to God who allows us to praise Him
through this.
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