At our bookshop, many people have asked me about the story of my vocation, "Did you hear the voice of God calling you?  Did you dream about God?"  To be honest, I did not hear God's voice or see him in my dream.  But God reached out to me through many people, calling me to follow him.

I'm a Daughter of St Paul, from Korea.  

My name is Sister Mary Gesuina.  “Gesuina” means 'Little Jesus'.  Most people call me Sister “Yan Yan”, which is the Cantonese pronunciation of my Korean name, “In Eun”.

God reached out to me through many people, calling me to follow him.

When the Three Kings from the Orient came looking for baby Jesus, God sent them a big bright star to guide them to baby Jesus. 

In the same way, God sent me several stars to show me the way to him.

My first star was my secondary school friend.  She was already a Catholic when we became friends, whereas I did not know anything about God.  Every Sunday, she took me with her to church, and brought me a lot of delicious food too.  I was touched by her faith in God and her love for the people around her.  I was baptized during the second term of my Secondary One.

The day before my baptism, we went for a one-day retreat.  We went to Chon Jin Am, the birthplace of the Catholic Church in Korea, where Catholic doctrines were taught and religious activities were held for the first time in Korea 200 years ago.  

I was profoundly moved during the retreat.  I felt as if I were in heaven.

My second star was my mother.  My mother is a devout Catholic.  She led Bible study groups and helped people to know more about Jesus.  It was her hope that I would enter the convent.  Whenever she mentioned this, I would say, “No, I want to get married!”  

As it was, my mother was the person who taught me about God and nurtured my faith in Christ.  She encouraged me to pray and say the rosary and introduced me to books about spirituality.  My mother has made a great impact on me.

Have you thought about entering the convent?

I want to get married!

My third star was my girl friend in university.  We met in the Catholic fellowship I joined in university.  Our main activities were reading the Bible and visiting the elderly and the orphans.  We got on very well and became very good friends.  She told me that she had wanted to be a nun since she was a little girl.

One day, she asked me, “Why don’t we enter the convent together?”  I gave her the same answer I gave my mother, “No, I want to get married!”  

I want to get married!

Yan Yan, let’s enter the convent together.

It happened that the chairman of our fellowship also expressed his hope of joining a seminary.  The three of us often met to eat, drink and discuss our relationships with God.  Soon, the two of them soon fell in love.  

For three years, they prayed together, thinking over and over whether they should get married or follow Christ’s path.  Finally, they decided to get married.  

This gave me food for thought: Should I get married or enter the convent?  I started considering the vocation of following Christ.

MARRIAGE?

My fourth star was my father.  He died of cancer when I started working after university.  I wondered where my father had gone.  I believed that my father had gone to be with God.  We came from God and should return to Him.  The greatest blessing is to live with God.

I started thinking whether I could be with God.  The idea of entering the convent took root in my mind.

Papa!

Since then, I had one admirer who was my senior in school.  He wrote me several love letters but I rejected them all.  I had made up my mind to enter the convent.  

I thank God for choosing me to follow His way and all the blessings he has showered on me.  I am also grateful to my four stars and my friends for guiding me along my vocational path.

I am small and weak but God has picked me to serve him.

Find the stars that

lead you to God.

Young people,

open your eyes!