Gil Jun's Story

Without God and without The Wesleyan Church
to support us, this would never have happened.

The Hope and Holiness Trust
is Building New Churches

Gil Jun’s father was a hero, or at least that’s what everyone told the boy. The cruel murder of Gil’s father saved the lives of his fellow anti-Communists in North Korea; for though the man was tortured, he never revealed their secrets. In Gil’s eyes, his mother was also a hero. Upon her husband’s death, she had to flee the country. Carrying young Gil on her back and holding the hand of his sister, the woman walked over the mountains to reach the port where they boarded a ship and suffered through a brutal journey to safety.

Poverty-stricken and displaced in Guje Island, Gil almost died of malaria. When he was in second grade, the small family moved to Seoul and found solace in church. Together they accepted Christ, and through all the circumstances of their lives, they kept their joy and dignity.

It was an answer to prayer when Gil was selected by an American sponsor through Save the Children. The consistent donations of this generous woman, Mary Lou Mueller, enabled Gil to receive his education. Though he was the poorest in the class, he never missed a tuition payment.

Gil had a dream to go to the United States to meet his benefactor. But after arriving in the country in 1972, ten years passed before he could make it happen. Married with children by that time, and having talked frequently about Mary Lou with his family, they all sobbed when the meeting finally happened. The children called her grandmother, and they spent many hours singing hymns and talking together at her dinner table.

Gil was called to become a pastor, and Mary Lou was proud of his achievements. She became a big supporter of his ministry, especially when God led him to a building program in Chino Hills, California, to establish Crossroads Community, a Korean-American church.

It was an endeavor that would have been impossible without the hand of God. Gil’s small church of about 150 members, after much prayer and fasting for their worship place, miraculously raised $470,000 plus $700,000 in pledges from among them.

They came across a piece of land in Chino Hills that belonged to The Wesleyan Church, but at $1.9 million, it was out of reach. They made an offer of $470,000 with willingness to become a Wesleyan Church, and it was immediately accepted.

It took seven more years of prayer and perseverance to secure funds and build the church building. Many small and large miracles happened throughout those years to overcome obstacles—from a donation of a thousand truckloads of dirt, to an unexpected ally on the planning commission, to a generous loan from Wesleyan Investment Foundation. “Without God,” Gil says with a quaver in his voice, “and without The Wesleyan Church to support us, this would never have happened.”

Mary Lou, at the age of 85, attended the dedication of the building, so proud of the young man she had supported all those years ago and who is now making such a difference in his community. After the service, on the way back to the airport, something in their conversation made Gil wonder about her salvation. Not long after, Gil visited her at her home and asked if she had ever accepted Christ into her heart. To his great surprise, she hadn’t—though he himself was evidence of her work for the Lord through her generous and caring heart.

Gil shared the gospel with her that day, and Mary Lou accepted the Lord. They wept together and praised God, in awe of His presence. The legacy a stranger had built into the life of a little boy in South Korea was returned—as the greatest gift of all.