On Feb 13, 1990, we had pilgrims visiting Naju from Seongnam and Suwon in three large buses. Also, another bus contained pilgrims from Busan and other areas.
When I was going out to meet the pilgrims, I had an accident that should not have been serious, but my big toe ended up breaking from the fall. Instantly, my whole right big toe became very swollen.
Nevertheless, I still went to the pilgrims and delivered messages.
How painful it should have been. Yet I delivered the messages without feeling any pain. But it wasn’t a fact that it was not painful. Because as I shared love, I didn’t feel any pain. I was happy instead.
When the vigil was over, many insisted that I should go the hospital to check if my toe was broken. The hospital confirmed that it was a V-shaped fracture on my big toe. “V” means victory, right? How happy I was! So, I exclaimed, “Wow, we’ve got the victory!”
The right big toe of a right-handed person holds 80% of the body weight, and I am a typical right-hander. So they put a soft cast on since it was extremely swollen. But do you know how they applied that soft cast?
You know, my big toe was broken. This toe is longer. They put the soft cast on me, but somehow, they didn’t up cover my broken toe. Do you see this? They did it like this. So, my toe continued to hurt.
Many pilgrims would come every day and I delivered messages while seated. Though I was like this, it still hurt while people passed by. Even when I was sitting this way, Rufino was passing by to arrange the flowers and accidentally hit my toe. Each time he did that, ‘Praise and Glory to Jesus!’
When I turned this way, he would come in the other way and hit it again. ‘Praise and Glory to the Lord!’ There was no chance of getting cured.
Once, someone was passing by and dropped something on my toe. I went to the hospital and found that my big toe broke again. This time they put a thick cast all the way up to the knee.
Would anyone wear a cast up to the knee for a broken toe? The cast was thick and heavy; I couldn’t walk properly even with the crutches. It was a full cast up to my right knee, but the injured big toe was still exposed.
God loves us; He shows us His love like this. Dear all, whenever you are suffering, let us not think, ‘Ah, God doesn’t protect me.’ But instead, ‘God has such a great love for me!’ You should think in this way. I also think in this way. ‘Oh my, how much God loves me as to cover an entire cast but still exposed the broken toe here....’
I asked, “I would rather remove the cast.” “No, you have not recovered yet.” “Think about it. This part is broken, but it is still exposed. What’s the use of this?”
Then doctor said, “Ow~ Who messed this up so stupidly?” and he started to cut it open. It was too thick to cut even with a saw. So he said, “Who did this ridiculous cast for you?” “It was here in your hospital.” “I would never have done anything like this! Who did this?”
I said that he was the one who did it. Then he asked the nurse there, she answered, “It was you, sir.” It failed again and again as he tried to cut it off. The skin on my foot was accidentally cut during the process.
‘Oh, Lord Glory to You! How many blessings would you grant in Pittsburgh by giving me this cut on the skin?’ For 15 days since the toe was broken, I couldn’t get any injections despite trying. Yet I was fully healed when I offered up praise and glory to the Lord. I could even jump up and down.
Not with my own mind, “I wish to...” but when you entirely entrust the Lord, “I have to! I will do it.” Then He will help you. Even if a doctor can’t do it, Our Lord can do whatever! Amen!
