Unforgettable Birthday

By Oh Dongjun

Nine-year-old Ji-yul is a popular boy at his school in rural South Korea. The teacher also likes him because he helps clean up the classroom.

Image © Pacific Press

But Ji-yul had a problem. His friends did not want to come to his house to play after school. Ji-yul often went to their homes and saw their new toys, aquariums, and pets. But no one seemed to want to come to his house. He didn’t understand why they wouldn’t come to his house.

One day, when Ji-yul invited a friend to play after school, the boy said, “Mother said I can play with you at school but I cannot go to your house.”

“Why did your mother say that?” Ji-yul asked.

“It’s because your house is a church,” the friend replied.

Ji-yul is the son of a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, and his home occupies a wing of a Seventh-day Adventist church building. Most of the town’s other residents attend three large churches that belong to other Christian denominations in the town center. The parents of Jiyul’s friends didn’t want their children going to the house inside the Adventist church.

Ji-yul told his parents about the conversation at school. His parents wondered how Ji-yul could have friends over to play. Seeing that Ji-yul would soon have his birthday, they decided that instead of going out, they would celebrate at home for the first time. Ji-yul prayed earnestly. “Please let my friends come to the birthday party and have a good time,” he prayed. “Give their parents a good heart toward the church.”

Ji-yul made birthday invitations with the name and location of the church. Together with small gifts, he gave the cards to all his classmates.

Finally, Jiyul’s birthday arrived. When the party started at 11 a.m., ten friends showed up to celebrate the day with him. Ji-yul was so happy. For the first time, he could play with friends at home.

From that day on, if there is a concert of another event at the church, Ji-yul makes invitations and distributes them to his classmates. He has learned that the more often his friends come to church, the more fun he has at home. Now he has three friends who come regularly to his house to play. He prays that someday his friends will worship with him at the church.

This mission story illustrates Spiritual Growth Objective No. 6 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s “I Will Go” strategic plan: “To increase accession, retention, reclamation, and participation of children, youth, and young adults.” Learn more at IWillGo2020.org. This quarter, your Thirteenth Sabbath offering will support two mission projects in South Korea.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

Print/PDF/Email