Mission life: THE KUKMIN DAILY

Minister’s Prayers Calm Anxious Church Members After Earthquake

2016-09-23 15:00

On September 22, Rev. Noh Byeong-yong (58, Gyeongju Naenam Central Church; right side in photo above) followed the winding farm road leading to the home (photo below) of Senior Deacon Kim Yeong-hwa (70, left), the one most severely damaged in the earthquake-stricken area of Nogong-ri, Naenam-myeon, in Gyeongju. The place is approximately 3 km from the epicenter of the quake that occurred on the 12th. A room-by-room house tour led by Deacon Kim showed marks of the earthquake everywhere. Behind a wardrobe in the inner room were three or four 2~3-cm-wide cracks between ceiling and floor, and in the bathroom, tiles hung precipitously.



“I was so shocked I couldn’t say a word. There was this sudden rumbling and booming, and I thought, ‘This is how I’m going to die,’” Kim said.

During the past 10 days since the quake, Kim had been carrying herbal medicine around with her. Rev. Noh held her hand and prayed. “Father God, stretch out your comforting hand and clear away the troubles that are afflicting the family of the Lord.”

On this day, Rev. Noh visited seven families in Naenam-myeon to soothe their unsettled minds. “As the aftershocks continue, 400 of them so far, various kinds of ghost stories are circulating through the village. I’m praying for the church members so they will not be psychologically burdened by fear, and I’m telling them the issue of life and death is in God’s hands.”

Article and photos by reporters Choi Ki-young & Lee Saya (ky710@kmib.co.kr), from Gyeongju, with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)


Full Story in Korean:
지진으로 불안한 성도들 “목사님 기도로 위로와 평안”: 잇단 여진 공포 경주·울산… 지역 교회 섬김 사역 르포

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