Brother Hyungbae Park (1-1st Canaan Mission, 28th Parish)

Experiencing the Holy Spirit after long years of wandering

In May of 2004, while attending a high school at the 12th grade, I once fought against a friend. Unexpectedly the friend charged me with violence and I had to suffer from many difficulties. My mother was so busy in solving the problem going around many places to meet with various people for help. But it seemed to me that she was being humiliated before worldly authorities. So I cried to her, "Please don't do that! It would be better to go to jail than to put up with such insults!"
I wanted to be released from such a suffocating situation, and I often became drunk or indulged myself in playing computer games at local PC rooms. A month later the charge was solved but I couldn't control my heart. Since I had been accepted by the university through nonscheduled admission, I didn't even attend class. In June of that same year, I registered at Manmin Central Church by the guidance of my mother and attended the summer retreat. At the summer retreat, I experienced the Holy Spirit, but afterwards he returned to the world losing the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Touched at books of Senior Pastor during my military service

In May of 2006, I received the prayer from Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee and went into the military service. In the late November of that year, I sprained my ankle ligament and stayed at a ward due to surgical treatment. There I read a few books authored by Dr. Jaerock Lee, including The Message of the Cross, The Measure of Faith, Heaven I & II, and Hell, that my mother had sent. My broken and lonely heart became filled with the Word of God and my faith grew up. And I made up my mind to lead a fervent life of faith after completing the military service.
In 2008, I took a reward vacation shortly before the completion of the military service. In my dream I drank with my friends and while walking along the road I saw the heaven open and the Lord coming down in the air. I thought the Lord had come again in the air as prophesied in the Bible, and immediately I was taken to the Great Judgment. All my deeds and words were revealed on the sea of glass before the throne of God.
Until then I had thought I would be able to gain salvation and enter Paradise, but I was so startled at that vision. It was because even the slightest goodness for salvation was not revealed throughout my life. Shortly after the Great Judgment I was cast into hell. I insisted in my mind that it was a mere dream and struggled desperately to wake up from that dream.

Discovering myself through that dream

After I woke up I was really comforted and shed tears of gratitude and comfort at the fact that everything was a dream. I wept with tears for some time and fell into sleep again. I found myself thrown into the lake of fire. My body was submerged into the boiling fire and only my head was seen on the surface. Countless people were screaming in agony and pain around me. I was almost crying and shouting, "Help me! Please take me out of here!"
While I was shouting, a person shining dazzling lights was walking toward me in the midst of that darkness. The person laid his hand on my head and said to me, "God the Father gave you one more chance." When I drew myself closer to him, I noticed that person was my Senior Pastor and I hugged his leg weeping out for a while.
That dream was a special grace of God, and my life changed greatly. And after the military service in May of 2008, I could keep on leading a good Christian life. Later I saw the kingdom of Heaven in my dream. I gave thanks to God and couldn't express my happiness with words because the kingdom of Heaven God has prepared for us is amazingly beautiful. I was so thankful for the grace of God that I eagerly wanted to become a son who would be able to contribute to the church and the shepherd. Accordingly I tried my best to become sanctified, and prayed and fulfilled my God-given duties faithfully.

Filled with the Lord's love and the hope for Heaven

In September of 2009, I joined in the Volunteers' Mission and possessed greater love for the church. I was really happy at the fact I was serving and volunteering someone else.
In April of 2010, I began to pray I might give more offering at the College and Canaan Missions' Devotional Service than ever before. I had little money as a college student. Seven days before the devotional service was held, I was praying to God, thinking, 'What else but prayers can I offer to God?' An idea came upon my mind: to spread the church and the shepherd with Manmin News.
That night I immediately obeyed that guidance rising from my heart. After Daniel Prayer Meeting, I took 1,000 copies of newsletters to my home and folded them one by one. I took two bags having those 1,000 copies of newsletters and went out early morning. I felt a little pain on my shoulders on which I placed the two bags. I thought, 'Lord Jesus was severely flogged, wore the crown of thorns and took that heavy cross on His shoulder.' I was ashamed that I had felt pains on my shoulders. For a week until the devotional service day fell on, I took out 1,000 copies of newsletters every morning and spread 7,000 copies in total. My heart became filled with joy and the love for God. After offering that devotional service to God, my hope for New Jerusalem became stronger and I have been running the race of faith more fervently.
My heart couldn't be filled with anything in the world. But now my heart is full of the Lord's love and the hope for Heaven. This year 2010 is the beginning of the third stage of the takeoff in Manmin. I want to leap into deeper level of spirit and be faithful to the church and the shepherd. I give all thanks and glory to God who has guided me in His abundant grace.