80-10From the threat of giving birth to a deformed child, I've given birth to a normal child.

From the threat of giving birth to a deformed child, I've given birth to a normal child.

Cho-rong Huh (Kwangju Manmin Church) "The condition of the baby's left lung is rather serious. You should go to a bigger hospital for a more thorough evaluation." I heard something completely unexpected during a visit to my obstetrician at the 7th month of my pregnancy. A diagnosis at Chonnam National University Hospital revealed the baby was suffering from "congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation" in which miniscule cysts had developed in the baby's lung, causing the left lung to become enlarged and the heart to be pushed to the right. If left untreated, my husband and I were told, hydrops could develop and the baby could die in the womb or suffer from Down syndrome or such a mental retardation condition as chromosome abnormality. Even after birth, because the baby's lungs would not be functioning properly and he would have to wait until he reached the proper age for an operation and the operation itself would not guarantee any marked improvements. As we knew from God's Word that the illness in small children, in many cases, was the result of the sins and wrongdoings of their parents, my husband and I began clinging to God in prayer at "The Daniel Prayer Meetings" in order to destroy the wall of sin standing in our way to Him. I thoroughly rent my heart in repentance of having only kept the Lord's Day holy without living a proper life of prayer and having lived my life the way I wanted to live. My husband (Deacon Dong-pil Lee) had been healed of gastric ulcer by the prayer of Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee in December 2005, but he also rent his heart in repentance of having gotten lazy with worship and prayer because of his constant night work. After repenting of all our sins, we came up to Seoul on February 24 and March 3, 2006 to receive the Senior Pastor's prayer prior to "The Friday All-night Service." With the offerings my husband and I had prepared with all our heart, we received his prayer. Then on Sunday, March 19, we received the handkerchief prayer (Acts 19:11-12) from Mrs. Boknim Lee, President of Manmin Prayer Center, who came to lead the anniversary service at Kwangju Manmin Church. The March 20 ultrasound conducted by my obstetrician, who had examined me periodically throughout my pregnancy, revealed that the baby's heart, which had been pushed to the right, had returned to its place at the center and that much of harmful parts in the lungs had also disappeared. Yet, the doctor told us that while the baby's condition seemed to have improved, lungs that had been harmed once could not be made whole again. So my husband and I received prayer for the third time from the Senior Pastor. On my next visit to the obstetrician on Monday, April 17, I heard good news: the ultrasound revealed that the baby's heart was almost back to its normal place and the abnormal parts on his lungs were no longer visible. Another examination at Chonnam National University Hospital also revealed that the negative prognosis could not be found. Our son Gi-ppeum (Editor's Note: "Gi-ppeum," when literally translated, means "Joy") was born on Saturday, May 13. Yet, the joy lasted only for a little while as the ultrasound, electrocardiography, and X-rays performed at the Pediatrics Department at Chonnam National University Hospital revealed that Gi-ppeum was in a serious condition as the jaundice level was too high. On the following Friday the 19th, Rev. Hyung-ryul Park, Senior Pastor at Kwangju Manmin Church, went to Seoul on our behalf to receive prayer from Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee on the baby's photograph. He asked Rev. Park how the faith of the baby's mother was and told him, "God has given this baby to them but he is still sick. The parents must see if there is any wall of sin that remains standing." Once again, my husband and I thoroughly rent our heart in repentance as we looked back at our lives in Christ and received prayer from Rev. Dr. Lee again on Sunday, May 21. From that very evening onward, Gi-ppeum could open his eyes wide. His pupils, which had a shade of yellow before, turned white. The jaundice level examined three days later revealed that from the level of 19~20, it had dropped significantly to 11~13, and another evaluation on June 2 revealed that the jaundice level was normal. Hallelujah! Ultrasound 1. Before receiving prayer: Baby's heart pushed to the right because of the cyst oFront, heart, rear, cyst 2. After receiving prayer: Cyst disappeared and the heart back at its right position oRear, cyst disappeared, heart, front

Manmin News NO.77 July 9, 2006

80-9My brother had been in a coma from acute respiratory failure but has awakened!

My brother had been in a coma from acute respiratory failure but has awakened!

Taek-soon Jung (6-22nd Parish) When my older brother Yong-gook Jung experienced hemoptysis on Monday, April 3, 2006, his condition worsened immediately and we took him by ambulance to Kyunghee Medical Center, where he was soon hospitalized. The doctor said my brother was suffering from acute respiratory failure of an unknown nature. The following evening, my brother lost consciousness and became 100% dependent on oxygen injection. When the doctor told us on the evening of April 5 that there was a little likelihood of my brother's survival, I became utterly hopeless while my mother, who began weeping, looked like she was about to faint. That night, when Rev. Young-suk Kim visited us at the hospital and prayed earnestly for my brother with the handkerchief (Acts 19:11-12) on which Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee had prayed, my brother's lungs, which had been turning white, stopped its irregular activity. My mother and I attended "The Special 28-Day Prayer Meeting" at the Guri Branch Sanctuary and clung to God in prayer. There, I rent my heart in repentance for not having attended the church even though I had joined Manmin in 2002 and had many firsthand experiences of the Living God, and not having been on good terms with my brother. I also repented on behalf of my brother. On Friday, April 7, I received the Senior Pastor's prayer for my brother, who was no longer in danger of losing his life but still had not awakened from the coma. "Father God, please place Your hand on this photograph. Let him wake up now." The next day, the oxygen injection, which had been at 100%, dropped to 80% and there were signs of his recovery. My mother and I prayed all the more fervently for my brother and the Senior Pastor prayed again on his photograph on Friday, April 21. Exactly 21 days after he was admitted to the hospital, my brother responded to the conversation I was having with my mother. His condition improved so rapidly afterwards that in four days, he was moved to a regular bedroom and finally on May 8, he left the hospital, as healthy as he had ever been. Hallelujah!

Manmin News NO.77 July 9, 2006

80-8After founding Yamagata Manmin Church in Japan, there are brimming blessings at home and work!

After founding Yamagata Manmin Church in Japan, there are brimming blessings at home and work!

Deacon Jea-kyu Joo (Director, The Korean Residents Union in Japan) Working at the Korean Residents Union in Japan in Yamagata Prefecture I had been working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Korea from June 1986 and then moved to Japan to work at the Korean Consulate General at Sendai in December 1988. After marrying my wife Deaconess Yoon-young Choi, I began my life in Christ because of the heart surgery she underwent. Then in the autumn of 1994, I was offered a position at the Korean Residents Union in Japan (an organization created to promote the rights and prosperity of South Korean-Japanese residents; also known as "Mindan") in Yamagata Prefecture. Thinking of the proposal as a sign of God's guidance, I quit my post at the Consulate General and my wife and I settled in Yamagata. Contrary to our anticipation, however, only unfamiliarity and poor financial conditions of the Mindan were awaiting my arrival. My wife diagnosed with "cholesteatoma otitis media" Then in the middle of one night in May 1995, my wife began complaining of an acute pain and we rushed to a nearby hospital on an ambulance, but the doctors were clueless as to even the name of the disease. For I had to leave for Korea on business in two days and because there was no one to look after my wife in Japan, we ended up going to Korea together. En route to Seoul, my wife complained of the pain and said if she could, she wanted to jump out of the plane. Once in Korea, we went to a hospital for medical checkup and my wife was diagnosed with an incurable disease called "cholesteatoma otitis media," in which bacteria would not only gnaw at the bones in one's ears but also penetrate the brain and develop brain tumor. We were also told that an immediate operation was unavoidable. Receiving Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee's prayer and healing At the time, my mother-in-law had just attended "The Two-week Special Revival Meeting with Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee" and received healing of her rheumatoid arthritis. She urged my wife to receive Rev. Dr. Lee's prayer and we ended up receiving his prayer together. Miraculously, as I found out later, the moment we received his prayer my wife said her body felt very "cool" all of a sudden and the severe pain already disappeared. The following day, we attended the "Special Meeting for the Sick" at which she rent her heart in repentance. After that day, there was no more oozing from her ears and without any sequela, my wife was completely healed. Receiving the blessing of pregnancy; creating a blissful family God's blessings did not end with my wife's healing. In June 1995, my wife became pregnant. We had been unable to have children during the first five years of marriage but after receiving the Senior Pastor's prayer, we received the blessing of pregnancy. Our firstborn Shi-young was born in March 1996 and he was followed by Dae-young in October 1998. Another exam in 1999 revealed that my wife was pregnant with another son but this time we wanted a daughter. So we received the Senior Pastor's prayer. With the birth of our daughter Ga-young in May 2005, our family praised and gave glory to Our God on High! Worshipping on Sundays; praying for a branch church "Father God, we ask you to spread throughout the whole Japan the messages filled with life. Allow a branch church to be built here. Send us a missionary." After experiencing the Living God with the healing of cholesteatoma otitis media and the blessing of pregnancy, my wife and I returned to Japan and diligently distributed sermon cassette tapes and books written by Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee and never stopped spreading the gospel and praying. On July 4, 1997, we had a worship service with Rev. Seung-kil Ryu, Pastor at Ida Manmin Church, at a Mindan office. We rented a welfare center building the following week and began Bible study sessions once or twice a month with the people we had evangelized. On November 16, eight people including children offered God our first Sunday Worship Service and we met every Sunday from then on at the welfare center building. During breaks at work, I prepared for worship services by creating the weekly bulletins and calling other members. After work, my wife, our children, and I paid visits to other members at their homes. We offered Sunday Worship Services with the Senior Pastor's sermon tapes, and words cannot adequately describe the bliss all of us felt when we shared the testimonies of the grace we had received. Each member came to the Service with food he or she had prepared at home, and we prayed fervently for the founding of a branch church and a sanctuary. Yamagata Manmin Church founded! On January 9, 1998, my heart could not have been moved any more as we offered God the "Founding Service" of Yamagata Manmin Church in His grace. In September, with Rev. Kang-sup Jang who was commissioned to Yamagata from Korea, we rejoiced in gathering on the entire second floor of the welfare center building and prayed all the more fervently for the construction of a sanctuary. "Father! Give us a sanctuary at a convenient location where we can call out to You freely. Give us lots of parking spaces, too!" The God of love began doing His work. He moved the hearts of Korean-Japanese residents in the area, who had long seen me faithfully serving and working for them despite the continuing financial difficulties at the Mindan, as they provided with necessary furnishings and funds for the construction of the sanctuary. Finally in September 1999, as His answer to the prayer of Rev. Jang and alls of us, God allowed us to offer Him "The Dedication Service" in a sanctuary of almost 4,300 square feet in area on a land almost 11,400 square feet in area. In September 2003, when I received the Senior Pastor's prayer for the upcoming "Handkerchief Meeting" (Acts 19:11-12) and the attendance of 17 people we had evangelized, God worked for all of the 17 people to attend the Meeting. We are so thankful to have a church that keeps growing in a country where it is so difficult to spread the gospel to even one person. Brimming blessings at home and work after founding Yamagata Manmin Church Meeting with former President of Korea Dae-jung Kim God also blessed me in many other ways. The construction of a Korean-Japanese Resident Center was complete only in my fifth year at the Mindan while I was given the Envoy Extraordinary and Ambassador Plenipotentiary's Award in January 2004 in recognition of contributing to the development of the Korean-Japanese society and enhancing national prestige. As I am a salaried man, I do not have much to spare but as I sowed earnestly on various occasions, God blessed me as much as I have sown. In 2003, I was able to purchase a single-family house with a lawn. When I received the Senior Pastor's prayer with offering in May 2005 because I wanted the stocks of a Korean-Japanese company I had purchased in 2004 to be listed, God did His work in a truly astonishing way soon after. I had never received the dividend from the company for the previous 12 years but within a couple of months after receiving the Senior Pastor's prayer, I received the hundred fold of the offering in return. In addition, I have also been receiving so many requests on my side job ? in which I introduce companies in both Korea and Japan and help them do business with each other ? that God has allowed my tithes to double. I give all thanks and glory to God and Our Lord Jesus Christ, and I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee, who leads my family onto the road of blessing with his life-filled messages and prayer.

Manmin News NO.76 June 19, 2006

80-7I have been healed of my 20-year-old bronchial asthma!

I have been healed of my 20-year-old bronchial asthma!

Sung-jin Lee (65; Eastern Kwangju Manmin Church) One day in 1985, some 21 years ago, I began coughing. At first, I only thought of the coughing as a part of the resolution phase but it gradually became worse. Then starting about 7 years ago, the coughing was compounded with dyspnea, which forced me to quit my job and stay at home. Over the years, my condition only grew worse. Beginning a few years ago, walking up a step in a staircase became unbearably difficult and even going to the bathroom became so tremendously burdensome that I did not bother going outdoors. I went to a few hospitals but none of them had the cure for me and I began relying on medication in vain. Depression also began to overwhelm me, perhaps because I was staying home most of the time. In hopes of overcoming this, when I was not out of breath as much, I smoked one to two packs of cigarettes a day, which, looking back at it now, was nothing but suicidal. From inertia and the loss of appetite, I skipped a lot of meals and at one point, I was 175 centimeters (about 5 feet nine inches) tall but weighed only 49 kilograms (about 108 pounds). At the introduction of my youngest sister, I joined Eastern Kwangju Manmin Church in March 2005. When I first arrived at the church, I did not understand any of the messages but I felt unexplainable peace in my heart. Then I set aside 21 days of vowed worship services with the guidance of pastor Yeon-ok Jung at my home. During those three weeks, I learned things like who God is and why Jesus is my Savior, and through Manmin Joong-ang News and the Manmin magazine, and books he had written, I learned about Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee's manifestations of God's power. In December 2005, I became convinced that I would be healed of my bronchial asthma if I went to Manmin's Main Sanctuary in Seoul and received Rev. Dr. Lee's prayer. Before the Friday All-night Service, I received his prayer and the moment Rev. Dr. Lee prayed for me, I felt strength throughout my body and I could walk up a flight of stairs with no difficulty. Moreover, in the grace of God, by early January 2006 I was able to do something I had been unable to do even in times I was sick: quit smoking. During a worship service one day in January 2006, I rent my heart with tears in repentance for not having heeded the words of evangelists, lived a life of intemperance, sought only my own benefits, and made my wife's life difficult. As I received the Senior Pastor's prayer a few more times afterwards, my condition improved dramatically. I no longer run out of breath even when I run up and down the staircases and I have since gained 8 kilograms (about 18 pounds). At my oldest son's wedding on March 12, relatives and well-wishers in attendance were very delighted to see me so healthy and well again. In addition to my asthma, God has also healed me of hemorrhoid from which I'd been suffering for 25 years. Hallelujah!

Manmin News NO.76 June 19, 2006

80-6I can now hear with my right ear, which had troubled me because of sudden deafness, and with my left ear for the first time in 50 years!

I can now hear with my right ear, which had troubled me because of sudden deafness, and with my left ear for the first time in 50 years!

Deaconess Ok-sun Lee (65; Masan Manmin Church) The year I turned 15, I was grave ill and after I recovered from the illness, I realized I could no longer hear with my left ear. My family was in a difficult financial shape at the time so I could not even dream of a medical treatment. I went for medical checkup 10 or so years later at which point I was told that treatment was impossible. For the next 50 years, I was forced to rely only on my right ear but then, beginning a few months ago, I could not hear with the right ear, either. On the evening of November 28, 2005, I heard a variety of sounds and noises with my left ear at once. After some time, however, except for very loud noises I was no longer able to hear with my right ear. I was diagnosed with "sudden deafness" whose symptoms include severe deafness and tinnitus and the doctor told me that an operation might be necessary in time. However, as I had been healed of rheumatoid arthritis, thyroiditis, gastraneuria, and migraine at Masan Manmin Church 12 years earlier and as I had always seen countless instances of healing in the name of Jesus Christ, I was at peace. Looking back at how I had not been protected by God, I rent my heart in repentance as God reminded me of the times I hadn't served my ill husband from the heart and I hadn't been at peace with my cell members. The next day, I attended the "Tuesday District Prayer Meeting" and received prayer from Parish Pastor Jung-sook Kim with the handkerchief (Acts 19:11-12) on which Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee had prayed. The following day, November 30, 2005, as I went inside the sanctuary at Masan Manmin Church and looked for a seat for the Wednesday Evening Service, I began to hear loud noises all of a sudden. I could hear the conversations of fellow members. I could listen to the message clearly, praise along, and chat with others on the way home in the church van with no difficulty whatsoever. When I went to the hospital on December 30, 2005, to give glory to God with accurate medical data, I learned something even more remarkable. Not only was now I able to hear with my right ear, I could also hear with my left ear for the first time in 50 years! Hallelujah! Before receiving healing: oRight ear: hearing level of 90dB oLeft ear: completely deaf After receiving healing: oRight ear: improves to almost normal level oLeft ear: hearing level of 90dB

Manmin News NO.76 June 19, 2006

80-5I have been healed of cystoma ovarii for which I needed to undergo an operation.

I have been healed of cystoma ovarii for which I needed to undergo an operation.

Deaconess Mi-sook Choi (44, Masan Manmin Holiness Church) Back in late March, the lower-left part of my stomach began hurting and I could no longer stand a pain that felt like my stomach being gouged out by a knife. A few days later, my stomach felt like it was going to explode so I went to a local hospital for medical checkup. "There is a large tumor in your ovary and unless you undergo an operation immediately, it is very dangerous." The diagnosis completely caught me off guard. Upon hearing that I had "cystoma ovarii," I could not stand up straight. Anxiety only increased with the passing of time but as I had seen countless instances of healing manifested through Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee, I suddenly thought to myself, 'If God places His hand on it, this is nothing." On Sunday, April 16, 2006, I told the details to Rev. Sang-tae Kim, Pastor at Masan Manmin Church, and he prayed for me with the handkerchief on which Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee had prayed (Acts 19:11-12). In that instant, all the pain went away and I attended "The 28-day Special Prayer Meeting" at the Main Sanctuary in Seoul, desperately looking for things I had done wrong against God. There were so many things of which I needed to repent but I rent my heart in repentance for the discord I was having with my mother-in-law. During the Friday All-night Worship Service, I received Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee's prayer on the screen, and when I went to bed early Saturday morning, I had a dream in which a great deal of blood was discharged through the vulva. While I was praying at "The 28-day Special All-night Prayer Meeting" on April 23, I received the Holy Spirit's baptism by fire and my body felt like a ball of fire. In excitement, I placed my hand on my lower stomach and realized that I could not feel the tumor that had been there. On April 25, I went to the hospital for another examination and my doctor was apparently very puzzled at what he was seeing and told me, "I cannot see the tumor. It is a normal ovary." When I testified to him that I had been healed after receiving Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee's prayer by faith, he rejoiced with me. "Congratulations!" he said. "I am a Christian, too. When God does His work, everything is possible!" Hallelujah!

Manmin News NO.75 June 4, 2006

80-4I have been healed of amenorrhea caused by hormonal disorder.

I have been healed of amenorrhea caused by hormonal disorder.

Sun-mi Min (23, New Cheongju Manmin Church) I am twenty-three years of age and single, and since puberty I have had a problem about which I could not confide in others. After graduating from the middle school in 2000, I began suffering from irregularities in periods and the severe and nonstop discharge of blood through the vulva for six years. The doctor diagnosed me with "anovulatory bleeding caused from hormonal disorder," and I always felt dizzy and was out of breath even after making small movements. Upon looking my pale face, people constantly said to me, "What is wrong with you?" and when the discharge of blood was severe, I often had to receive blood transfusion and this was not an easy thing for a student. Then my period stopped in November 2005, and my heart could not feel any heavier. Can you imagine how frightened I must have been to know that period stopped in my early twenties? As I had been leading my life in Christ at New Cheongju Manmin Church and witnessed countless instances of healing manifested by Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee, I thought it was the time to show God my faith in Him. With tears, I repented of my past, of how I had enjoyed such worldly things as television and comic books more than God's Word, and of how I had not lived by the Word. I was working at a beauty salon at the time, often standing on my feet for 12 hours a day. Nevertheless, I strove to worship God in spirit and in truth and began calling out to God in prayer at "The Daniel Night Prayer Meeting." Then in February 2006, I received the Senior Pastor's prayer with an offering I had prepared for the crusade in the DR Congo. "May her hormones be controlled and may her internal organs be strengthened!" A few days later, my doctor recommended that I take medication but the moment I vowed to myself, 'The Senior Pastor prayed for me and I would like to vouch for his prayer,' I was very much at peace. That very evening, my period resumed. My body also became whole and I soon began having periods regularly every month. Hallelujah!

Manmin News NO.75 June 4, 2006

80-3I have been set free from the affliction of evil spirits and symptoms of depression.

I have been set free from the affliction of evil spirits and symptoms of depression.

Young-ae Lee (33, Milyang Manmin Church) Eight years ago, I left Harbin, China, for Korea, my motherland, and began living a difficult life working at men's shirt factories and restaurants. My body grew steadily weaker and starting about 3 years ago, I unconsciously began seeing evil spirits and the symptoms of depression were detected. I stayed awake many a night because of evil spirits I had seen even in my dreams. Beginning a few months ago, I always felt like I was being chased and my obsessive behavior wrenched my organs, making me feel like I would die soon. I was eventually hospitalized for a year and discharged in November 2005. As I was recuperating, Deacon Suh-hang Um from Milyang Manmin Church visited me and shared with me the love of God who is able to resolve any problems of life and diseases His words were like a ray of light to someone who had been in utter darkness. A few days later, I followed Deacon Um and attended the worship service of Milyang Manmin Church, and with the aid of Milyang Manmin members, I began to grow faith. Peace settled in my heart as I attended "The Daniel Night Prayer Meeting" and I continued to nurture my faith by reading a number of the Senior Pastor's published materials and listening to a variety of sermon tapes. As I listened to the tapes of "The Series on Hell," I turned away from the desire to commit suicide and learned that I was afflicted by evil spirits because of the influence from my idol-worshipping. I attended the monthly handkerchief meetings (Acts 19:11-12) at Milyang Manmin Church, received the grace of repentance, rent my heart in repentance, and saw that my depression symptoms were disappearing. I soon came to believe that I would be healed at once if I received the Senior Pastor's prayer. I began preparing myself with fasting and offerings, and prior to the Friday All-night Worship Service on April 14, 2006, I went before the Senior Pastor and received his prayer. Afterwards, I have been set free from the affliction of evil spirits and while the depression symptoms have disappeared. I have since returned to work and am healthier than ever. Hallelujah!

Manmin News NO.75 June 4, 2006

80-2I've Been Healed of the Life-threatening Anorexia!

I've Been Healed of the Life-threatening Anorexia!

In-joo Choi (10th Grade, Eastern Kwangju Manmin Church) Anorexia, one of the most common eating disorders today, is a disease in which a person refuses to consume food to a level that is considered clinically dangerous. The patient is diagnosed with anorexia when he or she has lost 20% or more of his or her weight without any organic reasons. Anorexia is often accompanied by a reckless effort to lose weight, amenorrhea, impotence, physical distortion, and a fear of obesity. It is common among women in their puberty and years immediately following the puberty. The degree of introversion, anxiety, and dependence in anorexia patients, who often also suffer from obsessive behavior, is higher than that of normal people. Reckless dieting During the third year of middle school, all the students had their pictures taken for the class yearbook. Because I was a little overweight, my face looked plump and not pretty at all. At the time, I was 158 centimeters (about 5 feet and 2 inches) tall, weighed 58 kilograms (about 128 pounds), and my friends often called me "Chubby." I wanted to show off a slender body to my friends and immediately went on a diet. I only had two spoons of rice, about 600 grams (about 1.3 pounds) of a variety of fruit, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes for each meal, and filled my hunger with water. I stayed away from beef and snacks and overcame all kinds of temptations by thinking only of a slender and slim body I would soon have. I satisfied myself only with the smelling of delicious food. About three months later, people began telling me I looked great and asked me how I had lost all that weight. As my weight decreased from 58 kilograms to 47 (103 pounds), to 43 (94 pounds), and then to 40 kilograms (88 pounds), I thought I should put an end to the dieting. As I had refused to eat with friends, I became alone at school. I also began spending more and more time, eating alone in my room at home. At the threshold of death from anorexia Although I wanted to stop dieting as I began feeling lonely and an overwhelming sense of emptiness, it was difficult to actually stop. As everything I thought about was losing weight, I didn't even like to hear my family and friends telling me, "Perhaps you should stop." With the passing of time, the thought of eating anything became even more distant and I began losing my appetite all the more rapidly. I also became cranky from the lack of sleep. In December 2005, my weight was at 34 kilograms (75 pounds) and my body grew weaker and weaker. My reflection in the mirror was nothing but skin and bones and I had to wear layers of clothing to hide my body. I began to avoid coming in contact with others and coming out of my room altogether. At some point, going to school alone began to feel excruciatingly strenuous. I did not allow anyone in my room. When my mother tried to undress me to see how I was, I would scream at her and become jittery. As my body lost weight so rapidly, I began feeling chills everyday and I had to carry around a small container of hot water to keep myself warm. I would collapse to my feet in the morning when I tried to get out of bed, when I tried to climb onto the bed at night, or when I tried to get on a bus. I was seized with fear, 'I could die like this, and I could only go to hell if I died right now,' and spent much time crying by myself. All symptoms pointed towards anorexia that had resulted from my reckless effort of becoming thin. Encouraged by the love of brothers and sisters in Christ I was attending Eastern Kwangju Manmin Church at the time and Pastor Yeon-ok Jung, and other Eastern Kwangju Manmin Church members decided to set a week apart for vowed worship service and set three days apart for fasting to pray for me. I soon began to notice differences. Whenever my mother asked me to go with her and receive prayer from Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee, I used to become angry with her, saying "I'm no patient!" but now, I wanted to receive his prayer. I also began repenting of not having been obedient to my parents, having gotten angry and hot-tempered with my friends and others, and having focused only on the outward appearance without circumcising my heart. My mother told me later that she had also repented of having disobeyed God's Word during this time, including not having always rejoiced, not having given thanks in everything, not having harbored her children in love, and not having been faithful. Before the Friday All-night Service on January 13, 2006, I went before the Senior Pastor with an offering to receive his prayer. As he saw me so thin and so wan, he said, "What kept you this long until you came to see me?" As he placed his hand on my head and began praying for me, I could feel the indescribable love he had for souls. Next day, I did not eat. My mother was so worried that she said, "Okay, you and I have to talk," and asked me to show her my body. The whole time I was on a diet, I had not allowed her to see my body and she had grown so anxious. Right at that moment, I could see how helpless my mother was. As I began telling her every piece and bit of my torment I had endured, we sobbed uncontrollably together. After receiving Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee's prayer I can still remember my mother's reaction upon seeing my body that had grown so thin. When I told her that I could feel the chills going out of my body and that my body began to heat up and sweat while I was receiving the Senior Pastor's prayer, she rejoiced and told me that I was already healed. I began eating rice gruel. I had no strength to eat a spoonful of the rice gruel by myself at first, so I ate little bits often. Yet, I still had difficulty in digesting. After receiving the Senior Pastor's prayer the second time on January 20, I could get on the church van by myself without any difficulty. When I returned home, I began to eat more food and I could also digest food better. When the Senior Pastor prayed for me the third time on January 27, he said, "May she digest well, become healthy, and become even healthier than before!" I felt peace in my heart. On the way back to Kwangju after the Friday All-night Prayer Service, we stopped at a service area on the highway and I wanted to have some soup they had there. As I put the soup in my mouth, I told myself, "It's a miracle! It's a miracle!" I could taste the food for the first time in nearly six months. I have become whole as my body and heart are so pretty! Even though eating is a natural part of man's everyday life, I could not familiarize myself with that notion for a while. Today, however, every bodily function in me has been made normal. I now weigh 48 kilograms (about 106 pounds) and look really pretty. I am more thankful, however, because my heart has also turned beautiful through this experience. During the time I was suffering from anorexia, I was overly sensitive and quick to become angry. As I am so gentle and meek nowadays, people jokingly say that I could possibly not be the same person I had been. My friends and I are close once again. All my teachers are proud to have me in their classes and I am studying diligently. I give all thanks and glory to God and Our Lord and I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee for his prayer.

Manmin News NO.74 May 28, 2006