When I was 12, the Korean War began.
At that time, I was in the Deajeon province, but I
had to flee to the Nonsan province.
Nonsan, was where my grandparents lived.
During the war, we hid there.
During the war, as the American soldiers began advancing north,
my grandfather, mother, and I
returned back to Daejeon following the soldiers.
The distance was 100 nie (32 kilometers). We walked the entire distance in a day
from early in the morning to very late at night.
We walked. There were no cars, no bicycles, just walking all day
over a mountain and through fields.
It took all day long to get home. We arrived very late at night.
I was 12 years old then,
but I didn't feel tired. I just kept up with the adults.
We finally arrived home, but the house had been fire bombed, and there was nothing left.
Our family assumed that our father had been killed during the war,
so I only had my mother.
There were many airplanes that dropped bombs throughout the city of Daejeon.
When I heard the sounds, I ran around the city out of curiosity trying to see the planes and bombs.
We didn't have anything to eat,
so we went everywhere to try and find food. We of had to beg for food.
I had to become a shoe shine boy for the American soldiers in order to survive.
I ate all the food that the soldiers gave me.
When I had time, I would study.
I spent a few months like that in Daejeon, but then eventually tried to return to school.
However, I was unable to pay for tuition, so I couldn't attend.
I returned home, and made a living as a shoe shine boy. I had to spend all of my money for food for my family.
I did that for a few years, and then attended high school.
I was funded by a family friend, and was able to attend a high school in Busan.
I attended a Presbyterian high school there,
and I met Seventh Day Adventist students there, who gave me Bible studies.
I became Christian.
As a group, we wanted to keep the Sabbath,
so we worked at a Seventh-Day Adventist orphanage.
We went to a Seventh-Day Adventist orphanage to volunteer our services because we were old enough.
There were about 80 people there including us. Most of them were orphans.
Every morning, the director would pick someone to clean his office.
It was my turn one morning.
I was a young, a senior in high school.
I began cleaning. I dusted the whole office.
Then I swept the whole floor.
I scrubbed the floor with soapy water.
It was all clean, but I started dusting again.
I swept again. I mopped the floor again.
I repeated this 7 times, all day long.
The other children only did it once,
but I cleaned the office seven times.
At the end of the day, the director returned, and looked around his office.
He took a white handkerchief out of his pocket, and swiped the table.
I cleaned the office seven times, do you think there was any dust?
It was clean.
The director touched something like this, and that. Every thing was clean.
He smiled because it was so clean. He told me that I did a good job.
The next year, the other children didn't take a college entrance exam. However, the director told me to try
because I cleaned the office seven times. The following year I entered college with his financial aid.
4 of us from the orphanage took the exam, but I was the only one to pass.
I worked at the college farm during the day, and as a watch man at night.
From 2 to 4 a.m., it is the sleepiest time of the night, but it pays the most.
Due to the fact that I wanted to make money, I worked those hours and circled the campus.
It took one hour to circle the campus, so I walked two circles, and then I went to breakfast.
Then I would go to class and fall asleep.
I would alternate between sleeping and studying.
Then on Sabbath I would go to country churches, and preach. I was a theology student at the time.
I studied and worked until my third year in college. Then, I entered the South Korean military.
The Korean military teaches you how to operate firearms.However, I did not want to learn.
I was like Desmond Doss, and I refused to learn how to use a gun.
As a result, they beat me a lot.
Additionally, I wanted to keep the Sabbath, but the government refused.
I was court martialed and went to trial.
I was sentenced to four years in prison.
It was a military prison.
I spent 1 year and 6 months in prison.
The rest of my sentence was pardoned.
I left prison... and was sent to the front lines.
I was sent to the point closest to the enemy.
I worked there, but didn't use a gun.
I worked as a medic instead.
Including my prison time, I was in the military for 3 years.
I returned to college and studied for 1 more year.
Afterwards, I graduated with a degree in Theology.
I moved to the country in order to begin my ministry.
Before I left, I met my wife, and we were married.
We moved to Daejeon, then to Yehsan to serve God.
There were 26 churchs in Yehsan.
During the weekdays, I traveled through the country side to different villages, and preached everyday.
On the beginning of Sabbath, Friday evening, I returned home.
In those days only the wealthy could afford cars. I traveled by bus from village to village
My daughter was born.
She was born in hospital in Seoul.
My mother-in-law, the baby's grandmother, traveled with the baby from Seoul to Yehsan by train.
The train was overcrowded.
The grandmother held the baby in her arms, and pushed people out of her way while commanding them to move.
She didn't want the baby to get hurt.
People were shocked. My daughter's grandmother was very healthy and strong
She yelled at people all the way from Seoul to Yehsan.
My wife had no breast milk for the baby.
We did not know what to do. The baby had no milk, and she was sick.
Milk was expensive, so we obtained donor milk from a neighbor for the baby.
After 3 or 4 years, we moved to Seoul, closer to the hospital.
So when the baby was sick, we could take her directly to the hospital.
My daughter needed surgery, but that surgery was impossible in Korea at the time.
We had no money, so we didn't know what to do.
Fortunately, my wife had friends in America who arranged for surgery here.
They arranged for the legal papers necessary for immigration to America.
When my daughter was four and her baby brother was 2,
we traveled by plane to America.
Inside the plane, from Hawaii to mainland America,
we flew on Northwest Airlines, and they provided macadamia nuts for snacks.
They only gave us 4 macadamia nuts each,
but my daughter ate all of the nuts, and she wanted more.
We didn't speak English, so we couldn't even ask for more nuts.
We communicated through hand motions, and were finally understood. However, there were no more nuts.
Now every time we see macadamia nuts, I remember how I wasn't able to give my daughter nuts when she was crying for them.
After coming to America, I worked several odd jobs.
My friends were looking for a pastor, and they hired me. They believed that I was a very spiritual man.
I started my ministry in America in California.
I pastor several churches: 1. Rosemead 2. Orange County 3. Sacramento 4. Napa 5. Atlanta, Georgia 6. Seattle, Washington.
I worked in 6 different churches
For every congregation, God helped to us to build or buy a church.
In America, I was involved in 6 building projects for congregations.
Everyone was happy after we built the buildings.
In 2003, I turned 65 years old.
I retired in Seattle, Washington.
After I retired, I still worked with a church group in San Jose, California.
I worked there because they did not have a pastor at the time.
I helped them for one year.
My son, Jimmy, passed away.
I was so sad, so the Las Vegas church called me to see if I wanted to be a pastor there.
I served there for about 8 months.
Another church in Korean invited me to pastor in Korea, so I traveled to Korea. I served there for 2 years and 8 months.
I served there for almost 3 years.
I was getting older, and I missed my daughter, so I moved into her house. Then I moved here.
Now, I have a big garden that I farm.
I supply organic vegetables for my community.
I wake up early in the morning for Bible study.
All day long, I work hard in my garden.
Every day I thank God for all that He has done for me.
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