On January 10, around 11 pm, Senator and former president of Paraguay Fernando Armindo Lugo Mendez arrived at Incheon International Airport.

At the airport, volunteers of Paraguay and other Good News Corps volunteers were waiting to welcome the Senator. When Senator Lugo appeared at the VIP room at the Incheon International Airport, the members warmly welcomed him with applause and cheers. The Senator smiled brightly with joy, approached each member, shook their hand, and thanked them.

This is the third meeting with Senator Lugo in Korea.

The first meeting dates back 10 years. In 2008, he visited Korea as President-elect, and through the Ambassador of Paraguay to Korea, Mr. Lugo and Pastor Ock Soo Park were able to meet. Pastor Ock Soo Park introduced the activities of Good News Mission to Lugo and presented the music of the Gracias Choir.

Pastor Park Ock Soo, who visited Paraguay in 2009 for Paraguay World Camp held talks with President Fernando Lugo at the presidential palace, where he preached the gospel. The President who listened to the Gospel expressed his heart by holding Pastor Ock Soo Park’s hand and attending the Christmas Cantata performance the next day, appreciating the performance and the message.

Pastor Park Ock Soo visited Paraguay again the next year for the Paraguayan World Camp in 2010 and reunited with Lugo. As soon as he saw Pastor Ock Soo Park, he embraced him saying, “Mi Pastor (my pastor)!” According to official website news of the President, “President Lugo and Pastor Ock Soo Park are like friends. Through the Word, youths are being transformed. God is always with us and we have gained a lot of strength through the Bible.”

The second meeting in Korea was held in 2012 when Lugo attended the “World Paraguay Day” at the Yeosu World Expo. Each day after the opening of the fair, ‘National Day’ events were held, but it was the first time that the head of state attended. This day happened to be Paraguay’s Independence Day. Pastor Ock Soo Park, who is already had an established relationship with the president, supported the event with members of the Gracias Choir and 600 Good News Corps volunteers. The President and other ministers and attendants expressed their joy to the missionary and Good News Corps party who welcomed them with traditional songs of Paraguay and waved Paraguayan and the Korean flags. This event contributed to promoting an even deeper friendship between the two countries.

Even as Lugo stepped out of the presidency and became a senator, the he would visit every World Camp held in Paraguay, congratulate it, and meet Pastor Park. Pastor Ock Soo Park, who attended Paraguay World Camp in January 2017, reunited with Senator Lugo and shared gospel fellowship. At this meeting, Pastor Ock Soo Park invited him to attend the World Camp in July in Korea, and Senator Lugo responded, “We will meet in Korea when we meet again.” However, as Lugo was elected to the post of Senator at the end of June, just before the camp was held in Korea, he was could not miss his official duties and the new parliamentary schedule. Instead, he sent a video letter to the World Camp in Korea and expressed my heartfelt desire to be together but could not make it.

As a result of this visit by Senator Lugo, he reunited with Pastor Ock Soo Park in January of 2017, and as he had said before they met again in Korea this time.

The things that God will show during his visit to Korea will bless the senator and Paraguay. From January 10th to 12th, a short two-night and three-day event, the schedule of Senator Fernando Lugo’s visit was with God, hopeful and full of anticipation.