Deaconess Kim Sang-sik, a member of the Detroit Korean United Methodist Church, attended a seminar held by the Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society at her church and became a member in August 1999. Following an unexpected accident, she received full coverage—totaling over $43,600—for her medical expenses from fellow members. Deaconess Kim, who is now living a healthy, normal life, has sent us her testimony.
On Friday, July 28, 2000, at around 4:40 p.m.—a time when there were few customers—robbers unexpectedly burst into the jewelry store I run. They were rushing toward my wife and an employee, guns drawn. At that moment, I was looking for a drink in the refrigerator under the counter near the door when it suddenly occurred to me that I had to lure them outside. I quickly pulled the handgun from my pocket, fired a shot into the air, and rushed outside. When I looked back inside, the robbers—startled by the gunshot—rushed out and began firing wildly at me.
My husband and I have run our business with the mindset of entrusting everything to God, our Master, while repeatedly instilling in ourselves the safety rule that if we ever encounter a robber, we should give up everything. After fighting a fierce battle, I walked into the store, and my clothes clung to my body as if they were soaked in rain; my whole body felt as though it were being crushed under a heavy weight, and I felt a dull ache as if I’d been struck by a sledgehammer. Looking down, I saw blood soaking the back of my hand and my clothes. When I pressed the emergency button, an ambulance rushed over and administered immediate first aid. It wasn’t until I saw the blood flowing down my lower body that it really hit me: “Ah! I’ve been shot.” I also felt pain in my abdomen, so I tore open my clothes and found that I was bleeding heavily there as well.
He was rushed to the emergency room, where X-rays revealed that he had been shot six times in total: twice in his right thigh, once in his left thigh, twice in his left hand, and once in his abdomen. After waiting for about five hours without receiving any specific treatment—just having X-rays taken—he began to experience abdominal pain, so the surgical team on standby immediately performed surgery.
The day after the surgery, I learned something surprising from the doctor making his rounds. He told me that although the bullet had passed through my abdomen, none of my internal organs had been damaged. He explained that if the bullet had ruptured any internal organs, the surgery would have been extremely difficult, but it appeared the bullet had somehow missed my intestines. He added that the abdominal pain was caused by internal bleeding from the point of entry, and that he had thoroughly cleaned the area and sutured it closed. They also removed the live round lodged in my left hand and inserted a metal pin into the area where the bone had been shattered. I was able to be discharged just six days after being admitted, and I am currently getting around without any significant difficulty.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all the members of the church who prayed for me, to the Christian Journal for publishing an article about my condition, to all the members of the Christian Medical Mutual Aid Association who prayed for my speedy recovery and covered all my medical expenses, and to everyone working at the Association.
Member Kim Sang-sik