When I was a student, I could never understand why adults would say, “Those were the good old days, back when I was a student.” I would think, What could possibly be so great about them? But now I find myself saying the very same thing. Looking back, I realize that our teenage years are a time of boundless energy, when we can dream of becoming anything.
When I was in middle school, I received the truth through my mother. At church, I was a mischievous boy who rarely listened to what I was told. Then, when I entered high school, I became interested in giving a truth presentation for the first time. One day, as I sat in a corner of the church studying for my presentation, the overseer noticed me. Instead of simply walking by, he stayed and practiced with me. That was when I made up my mind: I wanted to be like him. But it wasn’t just about giving presentations. That was when a dream began to take root in the heart of an immature teenage boy—the dream of becoming a pastoral worker.
At an age when I was full of curiosity and youthful impulses, that dream kept me steady through all kinds of temptations and worries. Whenever I was about to do something, my dream would come to mind, and I would ask myself:
“If I act like this now, what will people think of me someday when I become a pastoral staff member?”
That dream stopped me from heading down the wrong path and taught me to exercise self-control. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the dream I had as a student kept me on the right path throughout my life. That is why, even here in Brazil, I often talk to the students at the São Paulo Church about their dreams. I encourage them not simply to think about what they want to be when they grow up, but to envision the person they hope to become in God. I tell them that even if they are not yet the person they hope to be, God sees the dream they carry in their hearts and will surely grant them the blessings they need to fulfill it.
The students at the São Paulo Church face many challenges when it comes to growing their faith. Because of safety concerns, it can be dangerous for them to travel on their own, and public transportation is not as well developed as it is in Korea. As a result, it is difficult for them to gather at church freely except on worship days, when they come with their parents. Moreover, as Brazil’s economic center, São Paulo has a high cost of living. Many families struggle to make ends meet, so it is common for students to begin working while continuing their studies at around the age of fifteen. For students already busy dealing with the realities of everyday life, having a “dream” seemed almost like a luxury. Even when I encouraged them to think about their dreams, they would soon forget. Still, I kept talking to them about it, again and again. Then, at some point, the students who had seemed to pay little attention began to ask themselves,
“If I want to prepare for my future, is this really what I should be doing right now?”
In this way, dreams for the future began to take root in their hearts. Those students have since grown into young adult gospel workers and are now planting seeds of faith and dreams in the hearts of younger students.
Don’t worry about whether your dream seems achievable right now. What matters is having a dream and preparing for it. If you truly desire to achieve it and keep working toward it, God will surely make that dream a reality when His appointed time comes.
At the “Worldwide Gospel Vision Proclamation Ceremony,” held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Church of God, I watched a special video that brought together historic moments from throughout our church’s history. We may not have realized it at the time, but each and every one of those moments was history in the making. Perhaps the moments we are living through right now are no different.
God has already given students around the world many opportunities to be blessed. Today, there are even programs like ISBA and ASEZ STAR, which did not exist when I was a student. Students, think of this time in your lives as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—one that will never come again—and make the most of the privileges you have been given. Moments that may seem insignificant and the small, ordinary experiences of everyday life will come together and build upon one another, turning dreams into reality and moments into history.
I believe my role is to help students make sure they do not miss those moments. In other words, it comes down to taking an interest in them—just as the overseer noticed my efforts and reached out to help when I was an immature boy, and just as our Heavenly Mother does for us.
Mother’s only concern is Her children. At the 2024 General Assembly, Mother stayed with the pastoral staff throughout the entire program. Through the example of Mother, who is love itself, I came to deeply understand what my role as a pastoral staff member should be. I, too, should always stay close to the members and always take a genuine interest in them. The same is true for the students. I believe that if I reach out to them more often and show them a little more care, the faith and love that have been steadily building in their hearts will one day blossom into something remarkable.
In the early 2000s, Mother once described the students as “eagles.” Like eagles, the kings of the sky, our students are the leaders of tomorrow and the future pillars of the gospel of the new covenant. Just as an eagle spreads its mighty wings, dare to dream big and let those dreams take flight. I, too, will do everything I can to help you.