Who God Used to Convert Me
I was not raised Adventist. I grew up with three older sisters, and we were raised by generous and loving parents who didn’t have any religious belief. Although my parents had no religious faith, they were always willing to volunteer and service the community, and were even cited by the president of S. Korea for their active community service. Our family was always happy and accepting of one another.
I got baptized into the Seventh Day Adventist church in May 1994. I started going to church on Sabbath and my diet changed. No one in my family complained about how I changed, even though my Sabbath keeping disrupted my family plans on Saturdays. My mother also went the extra mile preparing “my food.”
In November 2003, my father was diagnosed with liver cancer. I was a fervent believer in the NEWSTART program but I didn’t feel comfortable talking about our church health program. While I had faith in the NEWSTART philosophy, I didn’t relish arguing with my family, who was relying on modern medical technology. My father’s situation was acute. The tumor was too big to open and he was too old to undergo surgery. Things progressed quickly and the end result seemed sudden. The doctors told our family to take him home because they couldn’t do anything more for him.
By this time, my father was skeletal and exhausted from repeated fasting and medical treatments. After a month of treatments, my dad was finally going home to die. My family left his room to take care of the discharging process. I stayed behind alone with him. My father was an atheist and we’d never talked about religious matters since my baptism; partly because I was in and out of the country from 1996-2003 working in mission fields, and partly because my father didn’t want to talk about religion. He never discouraged me though; he was happy for me and just smiled when I tried to convince him about God and Christianity.
But that day, when I was alone with my father, I held his hand and whispered a short prayer. My voice was already shaking but I asked, “Dad! Would you do me a favor? Dad! I want you hold my hand and walk with me at my wedding. I know you can make it. To make this happen, would you go to the SDA sanitarium with me? Please…” My dear father nodded, as tears ran down his face. My family didn’t discourage my plans because the hospital had given up on him.
Soon after he was discharged from the hospital, I took my parents to the SDA sanitarium. He could barely eat while at the hospital. However, after a few days, he was able to eat again and my parents enjoyed their stay. After three weeks, my father could go hiking without any problems. After they left the sanitarium, I introduced Sang Lee’s NEWSTART seminar to my parents and sent them there. I earnestly wanted my parents to accept the word of God and Jesus as their savior, not just the amazing vegetarian diet.
When my parents came home from the seminar, my father wanted to know more about God and asked for bible studies. I gave him some books about our beliefs and the bible. He started to read and study carefully and one day, told me he wanted to get baptized.
My parents decided to accept Jesus and got baptized on March 27, 2004. And the next Sabbath, my parents and I were doing special music for church together - God is so Good! They really enjoyed working in the church because that was what they had been doing all their lives without knowing God. But this time, their joy in giving was greater, with knowing God.
But 2004 was a difficult year for all of us. My dear grandmother, as well as my uncle, both died that year. Our family didn’t tell my father about this because he wasn’t fully recovered from his cancer. Unfortunately, he heard the news and overcome with grief and shock, never recovered. My father passed away in November, 2004, assured in the truth that we shall see each other again.
There were many reasons that my father decided to become a Christian. One thing I surely know is that he loved me so much. He was always supportive and always there for me. He was so adamant about being at my wedding, that he agreed to go to the sanitarium, even though he was exhausted from his treatments at the hospital. I am so proud of how my father studied the bible so earnestly once he accepted Jesus. I will never forget the days that we praised God and shared the Word together. We will do it again when Jesus comes back.
I remember my prayer to God when I got baptized. I prayed that he would use me to minister to my family, and to let them know Jesus and have the joy that I have. I thought I was called to be a missionary to my family. But now, as I think of my parents, God prepared them for me, for my benefit. God showed His love for me, through my loving parents - even though they didn’t know Him! He used them to help me understand what His love is like. I don’t know God’s plan for my future but I do know that He is a Good Father.
Thank you God, for giving me an amazing father and mother. Use me as a chosen instrument to deliver your message. This is my constant prayer.
Lastly, my Dear Dad! I miss you! When you open your eyes, you will see a new world.
Michelle Jee Young Choi, is a member of the Chuncheon SDA Language Institute church, in S. Korea.