Korean Priest Saw God’s Inner View
By Stephen Clark, Manila, Philippines – It’s not often that the Lord “tips his hand” and allows us to see things from his perspective and what he has in mind.
A wonderful story about a seminarian, Mang Eui-Soon from Seoul in South Korea (SK), at the beginning of the Korean War in the early 1950s gives an insight into this.
The invasion of SK by North Korea (NK) was fast; the North’s army overwhelming the South by sheer numbers, and in days many found themselves behind the lines. Mang Eui-Soon and others hid and tried to make their way south through the countryside to safety.
They were captured by the invading army and tortured for days as suspected spies. After being released they continued their journey only to be captured again and pressed into service carrying munitions and cooking for the NK army.
They escaped and pushed south where they eventually met with the SK and US forces who arrested them and sent them to a prisoner of war camp, assuming they were NK spies.
So he was placed with atheist captured NK soldiers and their Chinese allies.
Mang Eui-Soon, in prayer, began to see God’s purpose. As he put it: “They are not enemies invading our country with rifles, but sheep that God has driven along.”
He realised that “God had started the work of salvation on billions of Chinese… we have to sow the seed of the Gospel in their hearts”.
For years then he worked tirelessly in the camp and its hospital to reach out to the NK and Chinese prisoners and brought the Gospel to them.
Mang Eui-Soon had to dodge his own release after the allies sought to set him free so he could remain with those he was evangelising.
Before the end of the war, after which the POWs were to be repatriated to NK and China, he died in the camp. Most attended his funeral.
Mang Eui-Soon brought so many to God by his persistence and kindness, and then they returned to NK and China as evangelists, sowing the seed in their home countries where it continues to grow in secret.
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