Saru Church, Taiwan

Pastor Na InSu

My experience of serving God in Sakhalin, Russia, in the third batch of 1000 Missionary Movement missionaries 10 years ago has been an unforgettable memory.  I just had to cling to God since I faced difficulties all by myself in the mission field, and I had wonderful experiences of the presence of God.  I changed my major and chose to do ministry after I completed my missionary work.  Those who got baptized and kept attending church despite tough situations during that period made me happy and greatly encouraged me at every moment.  That’s how mission work became indispensable to me.

I constantly thought about the northern mission while serving God in Korea.  My Master’s thesis was also “A Study on Mission Status and Strategies in Some Parts of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division.”  When I heard about the Pioneer Mission Movement, which was promoted by the Northern Asia-Pacific Division, I had the desire to once again go through the same missionary experience I had 10 years ago.  I wanted to become a witness of the gospel through the power of prayer and the Spirit.  So I joined Pioneer Mission Movement, remembering the missionary’s creed: once a missionary, always a missionary.   As Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth,” I was eager to work faithfully with the spirit of pioneers for many of those that hadn’t heard the Three Angels’ Messages.

It’s been over one and a half years since God called me to Taiwan and I started church planting.  Let me briefly share how God has stretched out His helping hand to help me lead souls to seek the truth and get baptized.

When I was posted in my mission field, the only church members I had were my family and another young lady.  We wanted to decorate the church after renting a building, but there was nothing to decorate with.  Twelve old chairs given by the retired Taiwanese pastor were all we had.  However, God stretched out His helping hand again and encouraged us tenderly when we were hopeless and at a loss.   As we worshiped God with only 12 chairs for around two months, those around us looked at us as if something were strange.  That’s because we didn’t have decent furniture or many people.  It was then that a deaconess from Southwest Korean Conference sent the money needed to purchase chairs, desks, and air conditioners.  That’s how we made our small church a beautiful one.  Now all we needed were souls.

We started to visit homes around us.  We also opened a Korean language class.  As more and more souls began to join our church, we introduced the love of God to them in a wise way.  God was working here in Saru, no matter how smudged it was with idols.  We saw the people gradually open up when we loved them from the bottoms of our hearts.  Though our nations and cultures were different from one another, we were united in love.  And from this, seven souls were born again as God’s children last year.

We were also able to form a good relationship with those around us.  We have quite a few seekers after truth studying the Bible at least one hour a week.  We give the Korean language students a free hour-long Korean lesson if they study the Bible with us.  As I introduced them to the Bible, starting with Genesis 1, I saw some gradual changes in their facial expressions.

The two souls that got baptized in early July last year began to study the Bible and attend the Sabbath worship service in the same way.  God still gives me wisdom to meet souls in so many different ways.  I have a strong assurance that the Presbyterians that are currently studying the Bible with me will change their minds before long.  God’s helping hand is still available today.

The first baptismal service of Saru Church

The get-together of Saru church members