16th March 1945
Days of his childhood
The Beginning: 1945
Born on 16 March 1945 in an impoverished village in Seongmak-ri, South Korea, Pastor Jeong Myeong Seok grew up with six siblings.
Days of His Childhood: 1950s
Resorting to eating tree bark when there was a lack of food, Jeong held onto God for hope from the age of six. His journey with Jesus began when Christian missionaries shared the gospel at his elementary school and distributed free bibles to each family.
Days of His Childhood: 1960s
Unable to attend middle school due to poverty, Jeong was worried that he would remain ignorant without education. Realizing that Jesus is the greatest teacher in life, Jeong pleaded with Jesus even more earnestly, “Lord, please teach me!”
Jeong would farm in the fields during the day and study the Bible by candlelight during the night, driven by an immense desire to love Jesus, receive the Lord’s Second Coming, and understand the purpose of humankind’s creation.
Jeong often retreated into the mountains to read the Bible and pray.
Enduring hunger, solitude, and the cold, Jeong’s efforts to learn directly from Jesus paid off when Jesus appeared in spirit to teach him the deep secrets of the Bible.
Jeong began evangelizing on the streets at 20, moved by God’s immeasurable love for humankind. With the teachings he learned from Jesus, Jeong continues to preach the gospel until today. Since then, he has led more than 10,000 people back to God.