Even When I Was Alone, God Walked With Me

 

Even When I Was Alone, God Walked With Me

By Pastor Park Ok-soo (Good News Gangnam Church)

After I was saved, I had nothing—no possessions and no one to help me. Whenever I had needs, God gave me food, gave me a house, and opened the way for me to preach the Gospel. Looking back, even though I was alone, God was always with me, allowing me to freely devote myself to the work of the Gospel. During those days, my heart was overflowing with gratitude.

Life in the Army Felt Like Doing Mission Work

When I was in the army, I served as a communications soldier. At that time, our unit didn’t have a chaplain, so I took on that role myself. Every Saturday at the Communications Training Center, some trainees would graduate and leave, while new ones would arrive. I would go to the barracks where the anxious new recruits stayed, talk to them kindly, and tell them about our Sunday worship service, inviting them to attend.

One Sunday, while I was preaching to over a hundred soldiers, Captain Kim, the director of the Communications Training Center, suddenly walked in, startling me. I hesitated, but he told me to continue the service. After I finished preaching, he said, “Since I was assigned to this unit, I’ve been disappointed that there’s no church or chaplain here. But seeing you carry on these religious activities makes me very glad.” After that, the captain assigned a few people to assist me.

The most important issue was that our unit didn’t have a chapel. The captain said, “Let’s build one.” So we drove the army truck to the riverside to dig up sand, brought it to a brick factory, and exchanged it for bricks. We gathered other materials in the same way and built a chapel. That made me so happy.

At that time, many Korean soldiers were being sent to fight in the Vietnam War, and many of those who were killed were communications soldiers. One day, I was scheduled to be dispatched to Vietnam as a communications soldier. Before leaving, I went to say goodbye to the captain. Looking at me, he said, “You can’t go. You must stay here and take care of the church.” So he had me lead the remaining soldiers in faith.

During my time in the military, I preached every day and worked for the church, and I was especially thankful to God. I still fondly remember my days in the army—it truly felt as though I had been sent there to do mission work.

God Also Opened the Way for the Gospel in Gimcheon

After I was discharged from the army, I went to Gimcheon to preach the Gospel. Before I found a place to live there, I stayed in a village called Yaggok-dong. One day, as I was returning from Gimcheon to Yaggok-dong, I changed buses in Geochang. Sitting next to me was a foreigner—a missionary. We started talking, and while I was buying my ticket from Geochang to Yaggok-dong, he came up to me and asked, “Could I stay at your home for a day?”

So we went to Yaggok-dong together. There was no running water there—people drank well water—but since my house was far from the well, I drank from the mountain stream nearby. Without thinking much about it, I gave the missionary some of that water to drink, and he ended up with an upset stomach. He had planned to stay one day, but ended up staying four more until he recovered.

When he was about to leave, he asked me, “Could I live with you for a year?” I agreed. A few days later, he came back with enough money to buy a house in Gimcheon. He said, “God has given us this money. Let’s find a house in Gimcheon and live there together.” We found a good house in Gimcheon and began doing Gospel work together. After a year, the missionary gave the house to me and then left.

I had nothing, yet God always provided everything I needed. I never told anyone what I lacked, but God supplied all my needs in full. The God who has given me everything has always helped me—then and now—and I am deeply thankful.

就算独自一人，神也与我同行

 

作者：朴玉洙（好消息江南教会 牧师）

 

得救后，我一无所有，也没有人帮助我。有需要时，神赐给我吃的，赐给我房子，为我打开了传福音的路。回首过往，虽然独自一人，但神一直与我同行，使我可以尽情地做福音的事情。那段日子，我心里不知道有多感谢。

 

军队生活，倒像是去传道的

我在军队时是通讯兵。当时我们部队没有军牧，我就做了军牧的工作。在通讯训练所，每周六都会有接受完训练的毕业生离开，然后有新教育生进来。我到惴惴不安的新来的训练生所在的内务班去，亲切地与他们交谈，并向他们介绍说，我们有主日礼拜，希望他们来参加。

一次主日聚会时，我正给一百多名士兵讲着圣经话语。当时，通讯训练所所长金上尉走了进来，令我吃了一惊。我犹豫了一下，所长便让我继续进行宗教活动。我讲完道，所长说：“我到这个部队来，看到这里没有教会，也没有军牧，感到很遗憾。但看到你们这样进行着宗教活动，我非常高兴。”之后，所长让几个人帮助了我。最重要的是，部队里没有礼拜堂。所长对我说：“我们盖礼拜堂吧。”我们开着部队的卡车，到江边去挖沙子，送到砖厂，换来砖。我们就这样准备了砖头，又找来其他材料，盖了礼拜堂。这件事让我感到特别开心。

当时，我们国家派了很多士兵去参加越南战争。在牺牲的军人中，有很多是通讯兵。有一次，我要被派到越南去做通讯兵。最后，我去跟所长道别。所长看着我说：“你不能去。你得做教会的工作。”便让我引导留在部队里的人们过信仰。

我在部队时，每天都传道，做着教会的事情，特别感谢神。我现在还很怀念当年在部队的生活。我在部队里给很多人传了福音，感觉我倒像是去部队传道的。

 

神在金泉也打开传福音的道路

退役后，我到金泉去传了福音。直到在金泉找到住的地方为止，我一直住在鸭谷洞。一天，我要从金泉回鸭谷洞。在居昌换乘公交车时，我旁边坐着一个外国人。他是从外国来的宣教士，我跟他聊了起来。我正在买从居昌到鸭谷洞的车票，他走过来问我：“我能否到您家，跟您生活一天？”

我们便一起去了鸭谷洞。鸭谷洞没有自来水，喝的是井水，但我家离水井有些远，所以我喝的是从山上流下来的溪水。我没有多想，就给宣教士喝了溪水。宣教士喝完就闹肚子了。他本来说呆一天，结果又多呆了四天。宣教士身体恢复后，要离开鸭谷洞时，向我请求说：“我想跟你一起生活一年。”我同意了。几天后，宣教士拿着能在金泉买房子的钱来了，说：“神给了我们钱，我们用这个钱，在金泉找房子一起生活吧。”我们在金泉得到了很好的房子，开始在那里做传福音的事情。一年后，宣教士把那个房子给了我，之后离开了。

 

我一无所有，但不管什么时候，神都赐给了我一切。我没跟任何人说过我需要什么，但神都充充足足地赐给了我。赐予我一切的神，无论是过去，还是现在，始终如一地帮助着我，特别感谢。