ⓒ 2008 WATV

As the new year in the sacred calendar has begun, the members of Zion are busier than ever before, preaching God Elohim— the Saviors in this age—in obedience to the will of Christ who said, “Be my witnesses in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” While the members flew into many different areas throughout the world and preached the gospel, only depending on God despite difficult circumstances, the huge world has become a “global village,” and the people of the world have become our neighbors.

Pastor Wang-Hyeon Kim, who has been cultivating the gospel grounds in South America with strong faith and great enthusiasm in obedience to God’s will, came to Korea to attend the 2008 General Assembly. Now, he is working as a missionary for the 2nd Lima Church in Peru. At the General Assembly Awards Ceremony, he received the “Award for Excellence in Preaching” and the “Award for Outstanding Achievements in Branching Out” as a representative of the 2nd Lima Church. He was busy getting ready to leave for Peru to share the joy with the members and to let them know the vision for the gospel he had learned during the General Assembly. We met him and asked him to tell about the 2nd Lima Church and his realizations he had received through his overseas preaching.


Congratulations on your Church’s receiving awards! We’d like to know how the gospel work is going on in the 2nd Lima Church.

First of all, I’d like to give thanks to our God Elohim for giving these precious awards to us, who are lacking in many areas. We thought we had always tried to do our best, but when we reflect on ourselves, we come to realize that there were many times when we caused Father and Mother to worry rather than pleased Them. However, God filled in all our shortcomings.

I began to carry out my mission in the 2nd Lima Church in December, 2006. It was my second time to preach in Peru. With even firmer resolution, I began to preach the gospel together with the Peruvian brothers and sisters. While we were doing so, God blessed us to lead more than 200 souls to Zion for the last one year.

As the number of the members increased, God gave us another blessing to branch out, and three branch Churches were established—the 4th Lima Church, Ventanilla Church and San Martin Church about an hour away from Lima. Now, there are a total of nine Churches in Lima. Considering that the population of Lima is 10 million, we should preach even harder. Now, the brothers and sisters are preaching diligently in many different areas and are also preparing another barn of Zion where they will bring good fruits into.


What are the characteristics of the gospel work in the 2nd Lima Church?

First of all, let me tell you the characteristics of Lima. Lima, the capital city of Peru, is the commercial center of Peru and a big city where one-third of the whole population of Peru live. Like many other countries in South America, most people in Lima are Catholic and their faith is strong. Since they are born and grow up as Christians, they are proud of their faith. So when we try to preach to them, many of them refuse to listen to our preaching. Lima, which seems to be a spiritual wasteland, is now turning into a fertile land by the grace of heavenly Mother. South Americans are very passionate. The brothers and sisters in Lima are also active and positive in preaching the gospel. They are very fervent to preach the gospel, which means their love for God is great. Because they had already believed in God even before they received the truth, they actively participate in preaching the gospel with thankfulness after realizing the truth. The brothers and sisters’ passion is not only caused by their racial characteristics. Actually, most South American people are very passionate, but their passion cools down very easily too. However, the members of the 2nd Lima Church become more and more passionate for preaching as time passes by.

The driving force which enables the brothers and sisters to preach so energetically comes from their “obedience.” The Peruvian brothers and sisters always listen to the words of God, and try to obey every one of them. They know how important the words of God are. Engraving every word of Mother in their hearts, they try to follow the examples of God’s love and sacrifice. That is why they keep enthusiasm for the gospel.

Now, the brothers and sisters, who have tasted the joy of bearing fruits, strive to participate in preaching despite their difficult circumstances. Many brothers and sisters work for one day and preach the next day, like the Apostle Paul did. It’s meaningless if one’s passion cools down soon no matter how fervent he is, but the brothers and sisters of the 2nd Lima Church preach the gospel with untiring fervor, obedience and patience every day.


We know you have been carrying out the overseas mission for quite a long time.

It was 1998 when I was called by God and sent to Peru. Actually, when I was about to leave Korea, I was somewhat afraid. I had no information about Peru. It was on the plane to Peru that I began to study the Spanish alphabets. There was nothing I could do. However, since God chooses the weak and shows His power through them, I went to Peru in obedience to His command to “go,” and then God opened wide the path of the gospel. While reclaiming the gospel ground in Bolivia, Argentina and Chile, starting from Peru, God blessed me to find our heavenly family members wherever I went and establish Zion there.

I still remember very clearly the first service I had in the 2nd Lima Church. As the worship time was approaching, the brothers and sisters began to enter the temple in line, and my heart began to beat. When the temple was filled with the members and the new songs resounded in the temple, I was reminded of the time when I first began to preach the gospel in Peru, and I was so overwhelmed that tears kept rolling down my face. The work of the gospel in Peru had been accomplished amazingly according to the prophecy of God. I realized again that nothing can stop the gospel work which God accomplishes. The Bible testifies so, and I have personally experienced it.


There must be many difficulties in preaching overseas.

I don’t think there is much difference between preaching overseas and preaching in Korea. Of course, since the environment and culture are different from Korea, there are some difficulties caused by the language problem or the cultural difference. I think these are unavoidable problems that everyone should face at the beginning of the overseas preaching.

However, we can overcome these difficulties through the joy of achievement in the gospel work. With what can we compare the joy we feel when we find the precious souls who are more precious than the whole world, through God’s power, after we overcome all the difficulties? Following the sacrificial path of Father and Mother, many times I thought of how hard our Father and Mother’s life was, and then I came to love God even more. While preaching God’s love diligently, many souls were reborn as God’s children; they became the gospel workers and led more souls to God, and Zion was established. Doing so, I didn’t even have time to feel tired. It is really exciting to participate in the fulfillment of the prophecy, following the example of Father and Mother. I think the overseas preaching, through which we can receive so much blessing and joy, is a special gift which God has given us in this age.


Please give advice to the brothers and sisters who are planning for the overseas preaching.

As the Bible testifies, and as we ourselves have seen and heard, the world mission is being fulfilled very rapidly as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west. As God’s children who want to keep in step with the world mission, what we need the most is not the language ability or the knowledge about culture, but fervor, firm will and strong faith.

Of course, language ability is important for preaching the gospel overseas. To some extent, we should also know the conditions and cultures of the countries we are going to, so that we can reduce difficulties that we are to face in the overseas preaching spots. However, even though we have good language skills and understanding of culture, if we cannot save people, what is the use of all these things?

Preparing what we need for overseas preaching step by step, we must not forget that it is God who fills our lack of ability and accomplishes the gospel work. I hope that our brothers and sisters will be the prophetic heroes who participate in the fulfillment of the world mission, relying on God rather than worrying about their lack of ability.


We’d like to listen to the realizations you got through the 2008 General Assembly and also the 2nd Lima Church’s plans for the gospel.

My heart is already beating fast, thinking of the gospel vision provided by God in 2008 to lead all mankind to salvation. During the 2008 General Assembly, I’ve found the key that enables us to receive the Holy Spirit that is seven times stronger than that of the Early Church: That is “The Teachings of Mother.” We didn’t realize that there was such great power in Mother’s Teachings, even though we claimed we read and engraved it in our minds every day. There is the power that enables us to only look toward God in the Teachings of Mother, such as giving love, sacrifice, humility, concession, patience and so on. If we engrave the Teachings of Mother in our hearts and practice each and every one of them, God will quickly accomplish the gospel work in a very miraculous way.

Last year, we witnessed many souls being led to Zion by God’s grace, and we deeply felt the necessity of many gospel workers. From now on, a great number of people will rush to Zion according to the prophecy of the Bible. Therefore, the biggest goal of the 2nd Lima Church is to produce a lot of faithful gospel workers.

The reason why God entrusts me with the gospel work in South America is because He wants me to become perfectly one in love with the brothers and sisters and help them, just as God helps me and makes up for my lack of ability with His love. In 2008 the year of great hope, I will walk the path of the gospel with firm faith, following the will of God Elohim, as a faithful prophet; I will be strong but not arrogant, and be humble but not servile. I’ll shine the light of the truth with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength all over Peru, praying for all the brothers and sisters in the 2nd Lima Church to become gospel workers and bear seed-bearing fruits every month, so that the world mission will be accomplished soon.