There is a friend who holds a special place in my life. He was the one who taught me about the truths of the Bible when I was in fourth grade. Although my mom didn’t allow me go to church with him, he shared Bible verses with me whenever he could. We even went to the gym together, and before long, we became inseparable. That friendship has stayed strong all the way into high school.
One day, my mom couldn’t come to pick me up from the gym, so I stayed over at my friend’s house. The next day happened to be Saturday. Since I had already heard the teachings, I knew that Saturday was the Sabbath. At my friend’s invitation, I observed the Sabbath for the first time in my life. I feel like God gave me the wisdom to understand the truth that day. From then on, my friend and I attended worship together every Sabbath and began studying the Bible seriously.
As I entered high school, I suddenly fell into a period of depression. Schoolwork alone felt overwhelming, and on top of that, I was juggling various extracurricular activities, which caused a lot of stress. Nothing seemed enjoyable anymore. However, after I began attending the Church of God, things started to change. I genuinely enjoyed spending time reading the Bible and being with other students at church. The happiness I felt after such a long time was warm, comforting, and truly precious.
A few months later, with my mom’s permission, I was baptized and celebrated the Passover. My faith grew stronger day by day. I came to understand God not just as knowledge, but with my heart. As my passion for living a life of faith grew, I also gained the strength to overcome my depression.
The person I most wanted to share this joy with was my beloved mom. I shared with her the teachings I had learned and invited her to come to church with me. She happily came and studied the Bible with a fellow member at church. Until then, she had been deeply hurt by seeing me suddenly depressed, even blaming herself and thinking, “I’m a failed parent.” But when she saw me grow brighter after I started attending church, she became curious about what had changed her son and decided to visit the church herself.
During Bible study, I always sat beside my mom and helped her look up the verses, hoping she would understand God’s word more deeply. However, contrary to my expectations, even after studying the Bible for several days, she remained somewhat indifferent. She would say things like, “I understand it, but it doesn’t feel like it’s meant for me,” or, “I’ve lived a fairly good life. I’ve never really thought about going to heaven. I’m just here for my son.” She found it difficult to let go of the fixed ideas she had formed when she practiced Catholicism, and she even began to question whether the Bible was really true.
I spent a lot of time thinking about what I could do for my mom. I came to realize that I first needed to grow spiritually first in order to help her soul. Following the words, “Pray continually” (1Th 5:17), I prayed constantly for my family. I also tried to keep a positive heart and made kindness and good deeds a habit at home. Whenever my mom seemed tired or troubled, I encouraged and comforted her with positive words.
God gradually began to change my mom’s heart. She started to enjoy studying God’s word. Whenever she had a moment, she would ask when we could go to church to study the Bible. Even though the church was an hour and a half away from our home, she continued to go faithfully. When she came to understand the Passover and God who restored it, she also shared the message with my aunt and cousin.
Then one day, she rested her hand firmly on the table, as if she had made up her mind, and said,
“If it’s allowed, I would like to be baptized.”
It had been only six months since she began studying the Bible. That year, my mom received the blessing of new life and celebrated the Passover together with me. I was filled with joy and deeply thankful to God.
These days, my mom is truly happy. Because she puts God’s teachings into practice at home, our family has grown to respect and love one another even more. I’ve also been eager to help out with household chores, and whenever I have the chance, I share what I’ve learned about the truth with her. I even bought my mom a Bible with the money I earned working at a fast-food restaurant. Seeing her read it every day fills me with pride.
Not long ago, my younger sister came to a church event. After that, she began coming to church with my mom whenever she went. As they studied the Bible together, my sister came to understand the truth and became part of the heavenly family. I will continue to pray that my dad, my older sisters, my aunt, and my cousins will also return to God one day.
I have many goals I want to accomplish in God. I want to study hard, be a good example wherever I go, and share the fragrance of God’s love. I also hope to unite with my friend who has guided me in faith and lead my classmates into God’s loving embrace. I will do my best to put all of this into practice so that I can become a child who brings joy to God.