Rev. Lee Won-ho, who serves asa pastorin New Jersey, experienced severe abdominal pain last August while driving his daughter back from Michigan, where she is studying.Hewas treated at an emergency room in Michigan, admitted to the hospital, and underwent surgery for gallstones. The total cost for his approximately one-week hospital stay, surgery, and treatment amounted to nearly $45,000, which was covered by the Mutual Aid Society. Pastor Lee expressed his gratitude to the members who assisted with his medical expenses and conveyed his desire to serve for the advancement of the Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society. We at the Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society asked Pastor Lee to help us increase our membership and also posed a few questions to him.
1. Please tell us how you’ve been doing since the surgery.
Thanks to everyone’s help, the surgery went well, and I’m recovering nicely. My doctor recommended a vegetarian diet to speed up my recovery, but perhaps because my lifestyle has changed, I lost as much as 30 pounds and became quite frail. After returning to New Jersey, the elder (a Korean doctor) who was treating me advised me to eat mixed-grain rice and gradually reintroduce spicy foods, so I’ve been adjusting my diet in the Korean style, and my weight has recently started returning to normal. I’ve heard that with any surgery, it takes about six months to a year to fully recover, so I’m being careful.
2. How did you become a member of the Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society?
A few years ago, Pastor Lee, who belongs to our presbytery, fell ill, so I went to visit him. While we were talking about insurance, I learned about the Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society and read the *Christian Journal* newspaper and the society’s brochure. I also received information about the society from Pastors Lee and Cho, who were already members. At the time, I was in good health, and I wanted to become a member simply to help others. I was delighted by the idea that I could assist others in this way, so after discussing it with my wife, I joined. After becoming a member, I posted an announcement about the association on the church bulletin board, and I understand that several families from our congregation have since joined as well. Whenever health issues come up in conversation, I always explain what I know about the association.
3. What would you like to say to fellow believers who are still hesitating to become members because of their doubts?
I, too, thought the idea was truly good, but I also had my doubts about whether such support was really possible with such a small membership fee. However, as Christians, we have no choice but to participate in faith. We may be healthy now, but we never know when or what kind of problems might arise. Also, I’d like to add that the process of paying medical bills was handled very smoothly. In fact, I understand that even with regular health insurance, the procedures can be very complicated in some cases. Whenever I receive a bill, I simply forward it to the mutual aid society. I appreciated how smoothly everything was handled.
4. Finally, do you have any advice for the Christian Medical Mutual Aid Association?
I hope you’ll explore ways to encourage more young people with young children to participate. I believe that if many members join this ministry, it will grow even further and become a truly valuable ministry. I hope all members stay healthy and experience many blessings this year.
Thank you.