November 20, 2020
The following message was tape recorded by Pastor Ko. One sister helped write it out.
On November 17th I went to the hospital in St. Louis for surgery. When I saw the surgeon, I asked him: “What are we going to do?” because he hadn’t told me what he was going to do. He sighed and said, “I usually tell the patient what our plan is before surgery, but this time I don’t have a plan. We have to wait until we cut open and check before I could decide what to do. If we find that cancer cells have spread and we can do nothing then we will sew back the cut; if not, we will decide what and how to do at that time. Because the stomach is complex, we do not know how much of it will be cut off and if the pancreas also needs to be removed. So we have no plan.” Then another doctor on the medical team asked me, “Are you afraid?” and I answered with a little louder voice, “Just trust God!” after I said that everyone became very quiet. I asked the surgeon if he will touch the blood veins, and he gave me the same answer that he has to wait until he sees it. Even though the doctor could not answer my questions, I really thank the Lord that at least I had testified to the members of this medical team, leave the rest to God. I will just trust Him.
The operation lasted about five hours. When I woke up the doctor was there. He thought I might be still confused; but thank the Lord I could hear him clearly. He briefly told me that because I had ulcer 50 years ago, the surface of the stomach is uneven so for safety reasons they removed the whole stomach. They also removed the dodecadactylon (the first part of the small intestine next to the stomach). The doctor told me that the doctor in the Columbia hospital was very concerned about cancer in the blood vessels and was reluctant to perform the surgery. The St. Louis doctor didn’t think that the blood vessels were affected. I asked him if any of the liver had been cut off, and he said, “No, it looks like it’s all right.” Learning that this surgery was even more complicated than what the doctor in Columbia Hospital had assessed, I thank the Lord for His wonderful arrangement that I had the surgery done in Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University.
Now because there is no stomach, a feeding tube is connected to the small intestine in order to give me enough nutrients. Thanks to the Lord, His wonderful works are shown upon me in every situation. Thanks to the Lord, my energy level is OK. I slept a lot because of taking the painkiller, but almost every 20 minutes I would wake up and press the button for the painkiller. The doctor said that the first three days after the operation will be most painful time, but thank the Lord, today is the third day, and I already feel less pain—except when the physical therapists make me move around for exercise. Other than that I basically am not in much pain when laying on the bed or sitting. Thank the Lord for granting me with less pain than the doctor expected. Thanks to all the brothers and sisters for sending me texts. Since most of the time I have been sleeping, I have not been able to reply to you individually. I will update my progress on the CWC website. Please do not worry for me; for the Lord is watching over me through your prayers. I know so many of you have been praying for me wholeheartedly. Some have been fasting & praying. With your fervent prayers, I have seen the Lord’s blessings upon me throughout the process.
Another thing, when I heard the doctor said that he didn’t have a plan at all, I was not afraid but very surprised. Thanks to the Lord! At that moment, some thoughts came into my mind: One was that not long after I was diagnosed, someone had said that he will buy me a new organ to play when I am recovered. (An organ can be quite expensive, usually more than $10,000.) My heart was very moved, because I know that God has given me a new job. I also thought of that some brothers and sisters had offered $200,000 for the East Coast camp. This is enough for the first payment of construction. Although I did not do much promotion, the Lord had moved people to devote these costs at this particular time, and right away I was thinking that God will use me to complete these works. When I thought of these brothers and sisters for their commitment, and how faithful God has provided accordingly, I am sure that, He who began the good work will perfectly accomplish it. Believing that the Lord will continue to use me, my faith was increased. That’s why I said to the doctor and his medical team “Just trust God.”