“Unseen Seeds”

For two weeks, our church held an evangelistic series—and honestly, I went into it with high hopes.

The first people on my mind were the kids from our weekday program and their parents. We had built real connections over time—through songs, Bible stories, and simple, everyday conversations. I thought, this is it. This could be the moment their hearts open to God.

As I handed out invitations, I kept whispering a quiet prayer:“Lord, please let this be a blessing for them.”

But when the meetings actually started, things didn’t go the way I imagined.

The kids mostly just wanted to play. The parents? Barely showed up. The families I secretly thought were “most likely” to respond didn’t seem interested at all. And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t get to me.

I started asking myself, Was all this even worth it?

Still, the routine continued. Every day, I invited people. Every night, I helped manage a room full of energetic kids while the sermon went on. Keeping them engaged for almost two hours—especially with a language barrier—was exhausting. By the end of each night, I was drained, physically and spiritually.

More than once, I prayed, “Lord… am I even making a difference?”

Then came the final night.

After the sermon, the call for baptism was made. People began standing and walking forward—and yes, I was happy. But deep down, I felt a quiet disappointment. The people I had specifically prayed for weren’t there. Some hadn’t even attended at all.

And then something unexpected happened.

A woman slowly stood up and walked forward.

I recognized her immediately—she was the mother of six kids who used to attend our program. I had visited their home before. She was always kind, but quiet. During the meetings, she would sit at the back, just watching her kids, never really engaging.

But that night, she chose baptism.

I was honestly stunned.

In that moment, something clicked deep in my heart: It was never me who could open hearts. Only God can do that.

While I was busy feeling discouraged, thinking nothing was happening, God had been working behind the scenes the whole time.

That experience humbled me.

I realized that success in ministry isn’t about visible results or instant responses. Sometimes, the biggest things God does are the ones we don’t see right away. The quiet moments. The unnoticed seeds.

Now I hold on to this truth:Our job is to be faithful. God’s job is to transform.

What looks like failure to us might actually be the beginning of something eternal.

And honestly, that changed everything for me.

Name: Kim Sang Hyeok I 64th Batch 1000MM

Hometown: South Korea

Mission field: Poblacion Kaputian Samal island