Driving toward her home in Altadena, California, Jihyun Oh struggled to see through the early-morning darkness. Less than 12 hours before, Jihyun had evacuated the area as news of wildfires reached her California neighborhood.
“For some reason I didn’t have the emergency alert on my phone. It was about 7 p.m. when a neighbor knocked on my door and said, ‘We’re evacuating!’ When I looked outside, I could see an orange glow over the mountain. I didn’t even think twice about it. I grabbed a few things and left, thinking I would be back in the morning.”
The next morning, Jihyun drove slowly through the familiar Altadena streets, believing the danger had passed. As she neared her home, the darkness broke as flames erupted in the distance. What Jihyun assumed was the dawning of the new day was actually a thick cloud of smoke hiding the growing devastation.
“When I looked to one side, the sun was coming out, and the other side was just dark. When I drove into it, there were embers flying everywhere and houses on fire. I couldn’t even get close to my street. I turned around immediately.”
When I looked outside, I could see flames over the mountain coming this direction.
Since that first evacuation in early January, Jihyun has relocated five times and is still waiting to return home. Miraculously, her house, along with a neighbor’s, is still standing; 10 other homes on her street burned to the ground. On either side and across the street, only rubble remains.
“There’s still a daunting task ahead of us, even when we are able to gain access. We just don’t know what the next steps will be.”
In circumstances that feel overwhelming, Jihyun finds hope in God’s Word.
“I realized how important it is to study Scripture daily. God tells us that there will be trouble in this world, so if we store the passages in our heart in the normal times, we experience God’s comfort through His Word when we need it the most.”
Jihyun’s faith reminds us of God’s promise from Revelation 1:3: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
Just as early Christians found courage through Revelation generations ago, Jihyun clings to God’s promises today.
Hear It – Take It To Heart
In 1997, newly arrived in the United States from Korea, Jihyun’s life was changed when she encountered God. During her first few months in a new country, Jihyun lived with a Christian family who helped her acclimate to a new culture – and invited her to church.
Every Sunday, Jihyun attended church with her host family. When she heard the hymn “Amazing Grace” for the first time, her life changed for eternity.
“Even with my poor English I knew that I had to agree. I heard ‘I once was lost’ and felt like yes, that’s me! I heard ‘I once was blind’ and thought, ‘yes, I agree!’ I was lost and I was blind. I realized what God was offering me. It was what I had been missing all those years.”
I realized what God was offering me. It was what I had been missing all those years.
In 2010, Jihyun joined Bible Study Fellowship and her faith grew.
“BSF helped me to hide God’s Word in my heart. In BSF, studying God’s Word becomes a habit. You know it is good for you, even if you don’t feel the daily impact. But in your most desperate time, you realize how important it truly is. When I am having a hard time, I have to keep repeating Scripture over and over again. When I pray, God draws to mind verses that I need for comfort and peace.”
For Jihyun, BSF’s daily study rhythm offered the spiritual foundation she needed. By hearing God’s Word and taking it to heart, Jihyun experienced peace in suffering: a blessing only God can provide.
Read The Words Aloud – Share The Hope
The day Jihyun accepted Christ in 1997, she began to pray for her family. Recently, Jihyun’s younger sister became a Christian after Jihyn shared the gospel with her. But Jihyun’s mother, a practicing Buddhist, was simply not interested.
“Every time I talked to her about God, she couldn’t open her heart. But gradually, she decided to stop going to Buddha’s temple. At times I wanted to give up, to stop praying, but my fellow BSF leaders helped me to keep praying for her.”
When Jihyun shared with her mother about the fires consuming her LA neighborhood, she also shared about God’s mercy.
“I just asked her to pray. I told her, ‘I am okay, and that has to be God’s mercy.’ My mom was so emotional, I could tell she was thinking about something. She asked if we could go to church together the next time I visit Korea. I broke into tears, praising God in my heart. I couldn’t believe what she had just said! I am praying she will receive Christ soon, even before I get there!”
If this is what God uses to bring my mom to faith in God, it will be worth losing everything I have for her to gain eternal salvation.
For years, Jihyun has shared her faith with her family. This year, she shared about what God was teaching her through Revelation: The Hope. And through the tragedy of the wildfires, she shared about God’s mercy in the midst of suffering. Through it all, Jihyun prayed.
“If this is what God uses to bring my mom to faith in God, it will be worth losing everything I have for her to gain eternal salvation.”
Jihyun’s story reminds us that God speaks through His Word—He simply asks us to hear it and take it to heart. When we share His truth, He faithfully works beyond what we can see.
“When I look back, I see all the ways God has been leading me. He actually brought me all the way across the world to save me. Even if I have nothing, salvation is the most invaluable thing—and the only thing I can never lose.”