​Driving Passengers to Christ

Taxi driver does everything possible to win souls in South Korea.

By Andrew McChesney, adventistmission.org

Taxi driver Byungeun Oh decided to shake up his life after attending church for years but never introducing a single person to Jesus.

He decided to do everything possible to win just one soul for heaven.

He placed religious tracts in his taxi cab in a rural community in South Korea.

Before leaving home for work, he prayed earnestly for the blessing of the Holy Spirit.

He tried to connect with passengers in various ways. If a passenger liked music, Byungeun would sing a song about Jesus as he drove. If a passenger expressed interest in health, he shared the Adventist health message. If he detected curiosity about faith, he spoke about his love for Jesus.

As a taxi driver in a small town, Byungeun saw many repeat customers and began to build relationships. He collected passengers’ cell phone numbers and, with his wife, took them out to eat and visited them at home.

One Sabbath afternoon, Byungeun and his wife, Mihyun Yun, visited the home of a passenger named Mr. Choi. They chatted for a while, and Byungeun invited the man out to dinner. As they left the house, Mr. Choi pointed to a small church nearby and said he once had worshipped there.

‘Would You Like to Visit?’

Byungeun saw an opportunity to share his faith. 

“We have a very beautiful church,” he said. “Would you like to visit it?”

Mr. Choi agreed to visit the church in the town of Chuncheon.

Byungeun drove to a local restaurant and introduced Mr. Choi to the Adventist owner.

“My friend is interested in our church and plans to visit next Sabbath,” he announced.

The owner, a church deacon, expressed delight and declared that the meal of buckwheat noodles was on the house. The kindness surprised Mr. Choi and strengthened his resolve to visit the church on Sabbath.

After that first Sabbath, Mr. Choi returned to the church every week and was baptized a year later.

One day, Byungeun was driving his taxi cab when he saw an elderly man emerge from a house. Byungeun had seen the man several times, and he stopped to greet him.

“I was about to call for a taxi,” the man said.

Byungeun quickly offered to take the man to his destination. As he drove, he learned that the man was named Mr. Park and that he loved to drink and smoke. He decided to visit Mr. Park that evening.

Byungeun and his wife showed up several hours later with some small gifts, and Mr. Park ushered them into the living room. As they spoke, a young woman walked in.

“Who’s that?” Byungeun asked curiously.

“She’s my wife,” the elderly man replied.

Faithful Christian With a Problem

Byungeun learned that the wife, Chunja An, was a faithful Christian but had a problem. She worked at a restaurant six days a week and only had Saturdays off, making it impossible for her to attend Sunday services at her church.

“You know, we go to church on Saturday,” Byungeun told her. “We’re Seventh-day Adventists. Why don’t you come with us?”

Chunja agreed! She began attending the Adventist church every Sabbath. As she learned about the biblical Sabbath, she accepted it and was baptized.

Her husband still loves alcohol and cigarettes but said his faith is growing.

“Even though I don’t go to church, I read the Bible regularly, and I believe in God,” he told Byungeun.

In all, three people have been baptized in two years through the influence of the small-town taxi driver. Byungeun said he is struggling to find time to build relationships with all the families and friends whom he has met through those three people.

“I’m very sad because many people want to meet Jesus, but I cannot meet them all,” he said in an interview.

But he is convinced that he doesn’t have a monopoly on winning souls. He said that if a 58-year-old taxi driver can bring people to Jesus, so can anyone.

“You also can sing to them, you can empathize with their worries, and you can share your faith,” he said. “You need to reduce your work so you can do God’s work. Simplify your life, and then fill it with the joy of meeting souls.”

Part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering in third quarter 2018 will help establish the first Adventist church in the South Korean city of Sejong. Thank you for you mission offerings that help more people meet Christ.