The overseas members continue to visit Korea according to the prophecy that people from all nations will come to Jerusalem like clouds, like doves to their nests. This past May, the 38th Overseas Visiting Group came to Korea. This visiting group, consisting of the members from 32 local Churches in 12 countries—mainly from South America, included the brothers and sisters from the Curitiba Zion in Brazil. This was the first time for the members of the Curitiba Church to join the visiting group, and Missionary Gil-gyeong Kim visited Korea together with them.

Being sent by God to carry out the overseas mission, Missionary Gil-gyeong Kim sowed the seed of God’s word in Curitiba, a barren land for the gospel, and harvested the sheaves with joy. He said that he had missed Heavenly Mother so much, like a child misses his or her mother’s embrace. Missionary Kim, whose heart was burning with enthusiasm for the gospel, poured out the fragrances of Zion immediately as soon as we asked him questions. We heard from him how the Curitiba Church had been carrying out the gospel work.


How long has it been since you left Korea?
Since I went on a mission to Curitiba in November, 2007, it has been almost one and a half years. In the summer of 2007, I went to Curitiba for the first time as a short-term mission team leader. During a short period of time, God allowed us to find many souls. After coming back to Korea, all of my team members couldn’t stop thinking about the souls whom we had found in Curitiba and left behind. We prayed to God with one mind to send a missionary to Curitiba to establish Zion there quickly. God answered our prayers after just a few months. Yet I had never dreamed that I would go to Curitiba on that mission.

Please introduce Brazil briefly.
Brazil occupies half the landmass of South America. It is 85 times larger than South Korea with a population of 200 million. As the nation has been open to immigrants, there are people of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds living together. In the past, Brazil was under the control of Portugal, so it is the only nation in South America that uses Portuguese instead of Spanish.

There is a 12 hour time difference between Korea and Brazil. So, if it is summer in Korea, it is winter in Brazil. In a word, it is a country that is located opposite from Korea—the furthest west from Korea.

We are wondering about the current status of the gospel in Curitiba.
About seven years ago, the new covenant began to be preached in Brazil; the starting place was Sao Paulo. Afterwards, Zion was also established in Manaus, Salvador and Brasilia by the grace of God. As I told you earlier, the gospel first reached Curitiba in 2007 through the summer short-term mission team, and Zion was established in January, 2008. As of now, the Curitiba Church is the latest born Church in Brazil.

What kind of mindset did you have when you started the gospel ministry in Curitiba?
Only thinking of my precious short-term mission experience, I expected that I would be able to find many of our heavenly family members and establish Zion here quickly, but the reality was different. It was not easy to lead the souls whom we had found during the short-term mission trip, and it was also difficult to find a suitable place for Zion.

When I held the first worship service here with my wife, I burst into tears. I couldn’t speak Portuguese, I didn’t know the way, and there was no one I knew. Even though I saw something, I didn’t know what it was; and even though I heard people say something, I didn’t know what they meant. I knew I had to do something, but I didn’t know what to do and it made me feel very distressed. In this situation, I was weighed down with the thought that I should find my lost brothers and sisters who would fly to Jerusalem like clouds, like doves to their nests, in order to fulfill the prophecies quickly; I really missed the days when I was at Mother’ side in Korea.

There must have been plenty of difficulties. What was the hardest one?
Because of the poor transportation systems, we had to walk a lot and it made our body tired. And it was also difficult to learn an unfamiliar language. However, there was another obstacle that made me more exhausted and frustrated. People in Brazil responded positively when they first listened to the Word; some even shed tears as if they were deeply moved, and promised to listen to the Word again; however, when we visited them again, full of expectations, they weren’t there at the appointed time; they would break their promises. Moreover, most people agreed with God’s word while listening, but they denied the truth as soon as they turned around. As this thing repeated, we became discouraged. Later, I found out that Brazilians do not open their hearts easily; they just agree with others just out of courtesy.

Their concept of faith is quite different from ours. Over 80% of Brazilians believe in Catholicism, so Brazil is the world’s most populous Catholic country. Most of them believe that Brazil is God’s chosen land, and they are convinced of their salvation, saying, “We are saved because we live in the land God has chosen.” In actuality, there were many people who said, “That’s okay. I’m already saved,” even though they acknowledged the truth after hearing it.

They can’t discern the truth. Most churches hold service every day for their convenience, and they have a peculiar custom of eating chocolate on Easter, called Pascoa [Passover]. “Sabado” referring to the Sabbath means Saturday in their language, and it is clearly written in the Portuguese Bible, “Lembra-te do dia de sábado (Saturday), para o santificar (Exodus 20:8).” Nevertheless, they don’t realize the Sabbath at all. In this situation, leading one soul to the truth is like looking for a diamond on a vast sandy beach.

How did you overcome those difficulties?
Before I left Korea, Mother encouraged me and told me to “pray.” She said that Father would answer all our prayers, and asked me to pray hard with firm faith. In fact, all that I could do in Curitiba was pray to God. I also frequently asked Mother for advice. Since I was weak and lacking in many ways, the harder things got, the more I asked Father and Mother for Their blessings.

As I put my heart and mind into preaching the gospel in Curitiba, God quickly granted my wishes. Father and Mother granted us a place for Zion in two months, and just in time They sent us a winter short-term mission team from Korea and allowed us to bear the first fruit in the Curitiba Church. Truly it is God who leads the gospel work.

What did you realize through the overseas mission?
Curitiba was indeed a barren land for the gospel, so we took a lot of care for even small things when we established Zion and managed it. Then I thought about Heavenly Father. I could imagine how Father established the Church in this spiritually barren land and led it in the early days; He must have personally prepared everything one by one and taken great care of the Church. Father’s love and sacrifice has become the foundation of the Church of God today. I missed Father much more than I did in Korea; I was so eager to see Him.

The Curitiba Church members have joined this 38th Overseas Visiting Group. You probably feel differently about the overseas members when you see them now as an overseas missionary from when you saw them before in Korea.
Yes, it truly is. In the past, I just felt the fulfillment of the prophecy, thinking to myself, ‘Wow, so many brothers and sisters have come to Korea with yearning for Mother!’ However, now I can understand how earnestly they had prayed, how many things they had to prepare, how anxious their hearts were, and how many difficulties they went through, until each and every one of them was able to join the visiting group. It was the same with the members of the Curitiba Church.

In Brazil, bureaucratic procedures are so complicated that people have to prepare many documents even to get a passport, and nobody knows how long it will take—it may take several months or years. The scheduled date of visit was approaching, but the members’ passports were not ready and I was very anxious. However, the brothers and sisters were not discouraged at all, rather comforted one another, and they didn’t lose their confidence in meeting Mother but hold to their resolution to go to Mother. God, knowing their hearts, made all things go smoothly. A member’s passport was issued just one week before our departure. It was really a miracle from God.

Passing through several places, we arrived in Korea after four days. Mother was waiting for us until late at night and took the members by the hand one by one. Tears ran down my face. While staying in Korea, the members wanted to be more close to Mother and asked Her for blessings whenever they met Her. As I saw the members changing beautifully in the love of Mother, I was overwhelmed with joy.

What do you think is the reason why the overseas members continuously visit Korea despite many difficulties?
It’s because of the prophecy! The heavenly children can’t help but come to New Jerusalem because it is due time for the prophecy to be fulfilled.

When I taught the members God’s word at the beginning, I asked them, “Who will fly to Jerusalem like clouds, like doves to their nests, as Isaiah prophesied?” Then they replied, “I want to be a protagonist of that prophecy.” At that moment, I felt a lump in my throat, thinking that God sent me here to find these prophetic people.

It was not easy for the Brazilian brothers and sisters to come to Korea because of their circumstances. Even in difficult situations, they threw themselves wholeheartedly into the gospel work, saying, “It’s hard for me now, but I will certainly go to Korea with a smile. I will keep my promise to go to Mother for sure.” As a result, they were finally carried into Mother’s arms. I give thanks to Father and Mother for allowing the members of the Curitiba Church to stand at the center of the prophecy and allowing me to witness its fulfillment.

What do you think the overseas mission means to the children of God in this age?
As soon as I arrived in Korea, I said to Mother, “Thank You for allowing me to carry out the overseas mission.” Through the overseas mission, I was able to experience the path which Father and Mother had walked, even a little bit, and I was also able to taste joy that I had never felt before, as Zion was established in a desolate place and our heavenly family members were gathered together. It was a kind of feeling that I could never experience anywhere in this world.

Actually, for me, the overseas mission was nothing but a vague dream kept just in my mind. I would hesitate because of fear because I had no experience of living in another country and I was not good at Portuguese, either. However, when I came to Brazil, I realized that there is something more important than language and circumstance. It is the love of Mother. If we have Mother’s love in our heart, we become eager to find our lost heavenly family members; and when we keep preaching the gospel with such an earnest mind, we can naturally learn their language.

There is an urgent need for someone to preach in overseas countries. So, with the thought that ‘no one can know the way to salvation unless I preach,’ I proclaimed the gospel fervently, depending more on Father and Mother.

While I was preaching in Curitiba, what made me most anxious was that there were many souls that needed care but they were not taken care of enough, because of the lack of gospel workers. They will revive and grow in faith soon if we give them more love and concern, but now we don’t have enough workers to do that.

Heavenly Father said all His children in this age would be the prophets. I hope that many of our brothers and sisters around the world will go to the countries and cities where the gospel has not yet been preached and participate in the fulfillment of prophecy, believing in Father’s words.

Tell us about the atmosphere of the Curitiba Church.
When the Curitiba Zion was established, I hoped that it would be filled with love. So, in order to deliver the love of Heavenly Father and Mother to the members, I always shared gracious stories with them. To my surprise, a local member who grew in faith did the same to a new member. As they shared gracious stories and took care of one another, the number of those gathering to Zion increased every month.

Some members were unable to come to Korea this time because of their circumstances. However, rather than being discouraged, they supported and helped the members who were able to visit Korea. The members, who had received such love and come to Korea, asked Mother to allow the brothers and sisters who couldn’t come this time to come next time.

Like this, the members of the Curitiba Church share the love of the heavenly family by blessing each other and taking care of one another.

Last of all, please tell us the Curitiba Church’s plan for the gospel.
The Curitiba Church members are eager to receive heavenly blessings. They hope to enlarge the field of the gospel by bearing good fruit abundantly. The members, who joined this visiting group, finished all their trip schedules and returned to Brazil ahead of me. They told me at the airport that they would be with some newborn members around the time of my arrival in Curitiba. So I’m now very excited. I, too, want to go back soon and deliver the love that I have received from Mother in Korea to the fullest.

I cannot forget how happy and delighted Mother was when She embraced Her children from all nations. The only way to please Mother is to find our lost heavenly brothers and sisters. We, members of the Curitiba Zion, will preach the gospel more fervently, so that the heavenly children in Brazil will all be carried in Mother’s arms, like chicks are gathered under their mother’s wings.