At that very moment for the first time in the country the first and the last president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev was elected. In order to lift the country out of the fallout of the crisis, he began a new political reform of the country so called a perestroika and glasnost. In connection with the new political reform, freedom of speech came to the country and some restrictions on movement around the country have been removed.
The Sakhalin Island that had been considered as a strategically important military objective for many years was classified. Therefore, in this regard, no one could cross the border of this island without the permission of the Soviet government. Only the inhabitants of the island with Soviet nationality could freely move around Sakhalin and from the island to the mainland and back. As for the rest of the citizens of the USSR, they could not cross the border of the island if they so wish. As for me, although I lived and was registered in Sakhalin, I could not move freely out of the Sakhalin Island as well as travel through it since I did not have Soviet citizenship.
Despite the fact that the parents had the opportunity to acquire Soviet citizenship, they chose to maintain stateless persons, hoping that they would someday return to their homeland. Due to the fact that they renounced citizenship, it was not easy for our family in our life, as for all ethnic Koreans living in the Sakhalin region. At that time, there was a harsh law on violations of the passport regime. In case of the violation of the passport regime, it was strictly suppressed and punished by the legal authorities, up to and including imprisonment.
I knew people, many of whom were serving sentences for violations of the passport regime. Therefore, it was not easy for me to move from one area to another. The island, being considered closed for many years, could not withstand the pressure of new political publicity, and opened its doors.
However, Sakhalin, which seemed to never open its doors, under no circumstances, with the coming to power of Mikhail Gorbachev, the island's doors could not withstand the pressure of the so-called policy of perestroika and glasnost, at last it wide opened. In addition, Sakhalin was elected as a free economic zone, which attracted many foreign investors from the countries of the Asian Pacific region.
No sooner had the island been proclaimed a free economic zone than a stream of foreigners rushed there so that it was impossible to stop them. Only could God do that! Together with them are the Protestant missionaries.
Once after the daily work was done I came home to find many guests whose faces I did not know. At first, I could not understand what was going on in my house. Why are so many guests gathered at our home? What brought them to our house, I was very interested to know. It turns out later I learned from my mother that the missionary guests came from South Korea.
That's how it got all started. As soon as I open the door, a tall missionary approaches me, his height was less than 2 meters. Although I was not familiar with the guest, he spoke as if we knew each other well. He began by saying that I need to believe in God and repent of my sin, then I can go to heaven. Frankly speaking, I did not like their approach, as they imposed their idea on me to accept Christ. They were completely unfamiliar to me, how I could trust them. On the one hand, I was glad to see them, because the room was filled with a warm atmosphere, which we lacked, but on the other hand, I was not ready to accept what they imposed on me. In order not to offend them, I pretended to accept their offer, and behaved appropriately. However at the start, I wanted to observe them for who they are. The first impression they made on me was pleasant and inspiring. As far as spiritual life is concerned, I saw the purity of their hearts and zeal to evangelize, in contrast to other faiths. They began to gain some attention with their sincerity like a magnet. And I thought that maybe through them I would be able to fulfill my dream to go to Korea.
I had a big selfish plan for the future, to fulfill my father's will to go to Korea.
As a child, I remember my father during his paycheck, came home drunk, and harassed us with his own conditions who are you going to live with? Naturally, we answered him with mother. In response to this, he got cross at us l and behaved very aggressively, and it happened that he forced us to undress to our underpants, and kicked us out the door despite its cold outside whether in summer or in winter. It was tolerable in summer because it was not cold, but in winter it was unbearably cold, so we answered that we would go with him. Then suddenly he became soft and nice that invited us into the house by taking care of us with food and talked about his homeland. He said that he was on Sakhalin not of his own free will; he was forced to come when he was 20 years old by the Japanese authorities. The Japanese gave severe orders to young Koreans who had not yet turned 20 when they were forcibly mobilized to serve in the army of Japanese imperialism. Listening to him for hours, we ourselves did not notice how the dream was sown in our souls. From that moment, my brother and I only thought about how to leave for the homeland of our ancestors. Only in order to fulfill my father's will, I did not get married there while almost all my friends got married and have children.
In order to fulfill my father's will, I did everything so that they would be impressed by me. Initially I went to church formally, but inside I was far from God. Generally I was not interested in God at all; all I wanted to do was to fulfill my dream. From my point of view, I could not believe in God, because he is invisible. Therefore in order to please our guests, I did everything they demanded of me, and I myself pretended to be a believer. Even though I would go to church, my life remains as it was. In fact, I had been obedient and tried to please them with everything. However inside of me I remain the same- no transformation involved. However, my life at that point did not differ from the life of my friends. I also continued to keep up with the world, follow new trends. One leg was in the church and the other in the world. Every Sunday I go to church, but on weekdays, I also play cards and enjoy the beer. Unlike my friends, I didn't really like vodka, but I was a fond of the beer. Usually, my friend and I liked to drink beer after the bath, moreover, a lot with a mountain of fish being served (smelt) on the table. Sometimes, we could drink so much with him that we could barely move our legs. Apparently God was not pleased with my double standard life, he decides to impact me. In fact, I kept telling people that I believe in God, but in reality my heart was way too far from the truth. In order to change me, God decided to teach me a lesson, and he started following me. After God intervened in my life, suddenly strange events began to occur in my life, in which I have had to feel remorse. More than likely, God began to work in my life, crushing me into an image that he wants me to be The most interesting thing is that when I was a godless, no matter what evil I have done or lied to people I felt no remorse. From that experience I learned a great lesson that my life was led by evil. I belonged to the god of this world so God did not pay special attention to me. It turns out that I was a child of darkness and wrath, so he did not need to interfere with me at all. In the Holy Scriptures there are many cases how God intervened with his chosen people, but he did not pay attention to other nations. Therefore when I was a godless, I was a child of darkness, I did not sense God and lived as I wished. My spirit was dead, but God revived it. If God does not interfere in people's life, it means that people belong to the power of darkness. This is my conclusion based on the experience of my spiritual life. Whether agree with me or not, my statement is true. As it is written in Romans:There is not one righteous;