The Answer in the Garden

By Ju Pil Sun, North Jeolla, Korea

I didn’t realize it at first, but the answer to my prayer was standing right in front of me.

Image

two Korean women sitting next to each another

Photograph courtesy of the author (right, with Sister Lim on the left)

Recently some missionaries in JeonJu Korea Stake and I made a flower garden at the entrance to my apartment. One morning before I went to my garden, I asked Heavenly Father to bless me to use the garden to make a new friend who was prepared to hear the gospel. That day while I was working in the garden, a woman approached.

“I’m looking for the church that is above a nearby supermarket,” she said. “Do you know where I can find it?”

“I don’t know that church,” I replied.

She went on her way but returned 30 minutes later.

“I’ve heard that there is a church here somewhere,” she said. “I moved to my apartment a few days ago, and I’m looking for a church to attend.”

At that moment, it struck me. She was the answer to my prayer. I learned that she had moved to the same floor of the same apartment building where my husband and I live.

The next day we met at an open area behind the garden. For more than three hours, Lim Bo Nam and I shared our lives. Acting on a strong feeling, I shared some of my beliefs as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I also told her about the sacrament meetings we were holding in our home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then I invited her to our home to join us. To my surprise, she promised to come.

We taught Sister Lim about repentance and the meaning of the emblems of the sacrament. We also shared some related Bible verses about the importance of being “born of water and of the Spirit” (John 3:5). The Spirit touched her.

Sister Lim expressed gratitude to learn about the true gospel of Jesus Christ. After receiving the discussions from the full-time missionaries, she was baptized August 1, 2020.

During her first fast and testimony meeting as a member of the Church, she testified that she had prayed to make friends in her new area. On the day we met, she had also prayed about which church to attend.

I am grateful the Lord answered both of our prayers and blessed me with the opportunity to make a friend and share the gospel with her.