.
From South Korea, they came to the Philippines on business without any inkling that one day they would be called by God to the true Church -- the Iglesia ni Cristo
.
 
Home   Convert Stories-Asia

  Inspiring Convert Story-19

"God accepts men from every nation who heed His call"

Converts:
Ja-Hoon Ku, Hae-Eun Cheong, and Vincent Boram Son
South Korea

THERE ARE THINGS in life that take place in a straightforward   manner  but,   undeniably,  certain surprising twists do bring to the fore God's plan. Such is what happened to Brothers    Ja-Hoon Ku, Hae-Eu Cheong, and Vincent Boram Son. From their homeland Korea, they came to the Philippines without any inkling that one day they would be called by God to the true Church and that they would, indeed, listen to His call.

Mr.   Ku,   a   civil   engineer   and   a   housing   and condominium developer, decided to build the core of his business in the Philippines because of its fine weather, in contrast to Korea's freezing cold, and his taking notice  of many Koreans staying here for good. With him in his venture was Mr. Cheong, a mechanical engineer, who has been working for him for 20 years now. They then needed someone fluent in the Korean, English, and Filipino languages to serve as their interpreter. Like pieces in a puzzle falling into place, they met Mr. Son who is about 20 years their junior and whose family settled in this country back in the '90s. Aside from being their interpreter, Mr. Son also became the company's planning manager.

Their elegant condominium project rose on a suitable expanse of land along Central Avenue in Quezon City. Fortunately enough, it was just a stone's throw away from the Iglesia Ni Cristo Central Office and stood side-by-side some of the Church's properties. Probably noticing that the Church provides housing units for its volunteer workers, the company management wrote a letter to the Church Administration offering units from its condominium. Upon approval by Brother Eduardo V.  Manalo, the Church's Executive Minister,  Brothers Glicerio B. Santos Jr. and Restituto S. Lazaro, General Auditor and Legal Officer of the Church, respectively, were assigned to facilitate the purchase of several units in the condominium. During     the    course    of    their transactions, Brother Jun Santos took the opportunity to mention to Mr. Ku  several beliefs of the Church. It was during this conversation that Brother Jun asked if Mr. Ku could assist the Church in having it registered in South Korea. He assented and surprised Brothers Jun and Resty by even accompanying them on their trip to South Korea.

Mr. Ku attended his first worship service in South Korea which was officiated   by   Brother   Jun.    With the aid of a translator, he was able to understand  the  lesson. In fact, despite  the language barrier,   he was visibly moved by the singing. of hymns, the fervent prayers, and the    orderliness    and   spirituality of the entire worship service. He recounted, "I was observing Brother Jun and the brethren during their stay here [in South Korea]. I admire their helpfulness, trust, and instant camaraderie even though they were just introduced to each other."

For Mr. Ku, the conduct of the worship  service  in the Iglesia  ni Cristo  stood   in  sharp  contrast    to the   congregational    gatherings    of his religion, the Korean Christian Church. He said, "I admired the focus of the Iglesia Ni Cristo in their worship services. Afterwards, the members go back to their work or school. In my religion, after the worship, there are a lot of gatherings that one has to still attend.  In the back of his mind right that instant was a burning resolve to know more about the Church when he returned to the Philippines.

By    divine    providence,     Mr. Cheong, an active Protestant for 30 years, was already familiar with some of the doctrines of the Iglesia Ni Cristo through friends who are members of the Church and by watching its religious programs  aired on Net25 and GEM TV. He had observed the solemnity of the worship services and had learned that the Lord Jesus Christ is Man, not God, and that He is God's greatest messenger. Mr. Cheong also found out that Christmas is not found in the Bible.

Back from South Korea, Mr. Ku, together with Mr. Cheong and Mr. Son, took care of the necessary documents for the purchase of properties by the Church in South Korea.

But Mr. Son, for his part, really did not have any idea about the doctrines of the Church. As he recalled, "I did not have any interest in the Church or its doctrines. My interaction with the ministers assigned to coordinate properties was purely on a professional basis. But when I accompanied Brother: Ku to assist the ministers in registering the Church in Korea, my mindset was changed. The focus of the ministers in overcoming all obstacles, be it the freezing   weather  or bureaucratic difficulties to register the Church caught my   attention. There must be something to this Church, I thought."  Born and raised a Catholic, his first impression of the Iglesia Ni   Cristo  worship service was that "it is very orderly". The teaching about the one true God called his attention as well as the use of the Bible as the sole basis of faith. His exposure to the brotherhood in the Church tells him that "there are no walls between brethren, they listen [to] and help each other."

The language barrier  did not hinder Brothers Ku and Cheong from joining the Church. With Brother Son acting as the group's official translator, and Brothers Ku and Cheong bringing their own Bibles written in the Korean language,   the biblical   instructions  went underway.  A typical lesson took almost two hours to complete, primarily because of the translation needed for Brothers Ku and Cheong to fully   grasp   the lessons taught. Still, they managed to go through all the lessons. The three of them were eager to ask their questions which Brother Roldan A. Gavino, a minister of the gospel, answered by reading  verses written in the Bible. Brother Son said that their discussion prior to entering the Church centered on the relationship of Brother Felix Y. Manalo to the Iglesia Ni Cristo." At first when we heard that the Church believed that Brother Felix Manalo is the messenger of God in these last days, we initially met it with a lot of skepticism. But when we studied the prophecies written in the Bible pertaining   to   his   commissioning, we said to each other that he really is the Last Messenger.' Brother Son emphatically said, adding that "I am very happy to be a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo.

Brothers Ku and Cheong share this same feeling with Brother Son. They expressed their great  appreciation for Brother Eduardo  Manalo's determination in  shepherding  the flock. They pray for Brother Eduardo Manalo to stay healthy as he continues to lead the Church to its salvation. Although their families are not yet members of the Church, they said they are determined to invite them to also join the Church.

By: Norman A. Reyes, Marie F, Ruiz, and Bienvenido A. Santiago ]r

  ___________________

Source: November 2011, God's Message, pp.34-36

  Back to Top
  Study, Examine, and Compare the
Iglesia ni Cristo

www.studyiglesianicristo.com