by Ronald K. Nielsen
Due to his skill in English, Brother Rhee, HoNam was asked by the Mission President, Gail Carr, to translate for him in a District Conference in Pusan.
Brother Rhee was a public school teacher and had teaching assignments till noon on Saturday. President Carr and Brother Rhee took an airplane from Seoul to Pusan Saturday afternoon and spoke in the Saturday night meetings. Brother Rhee continued to translate during the Sunday meetings for President Carr. While President Carr remained a few more days in Pusan to work with the missionaries, Brother Rhee took the Sunday night train and slept on the way back to Seoul.
He had planned with his wife that he would go straight to work Monday morning, because it would be impossible to go home and still get to his school on time.
After getting off the train at Seoul Station he went to the bus stop to catch the bus to his school. Immediately a bus pulled up and the bus attendants urged him to get on.
But this was not the bus to his school; it was the bus to his home. Something within urged him to get on.
He did, but wondered why, as this would make him late for work.
Since it was early in the morning and not many people were out, the bus made it to his home in record time. He quickly walked to his house and was surprised that no one was up.
He knocked at the gate; no one came. He hopped over the fence and could see no one about. This was really strange.
He slid open the mulberry paper door and there lying on the floor unconscious was his newly wedded wife and her sister who was staying with her while Brother Rhee was in Pusan.
They had been overcome by carbon monoxide that had leaked through cracks in the floor flumes from the yontan coal stove that heated the floor.
Brother Rhee quickly drug them out to fresh air and tried to revive them. Neither responded.
They were rushed to a hospital and the attending doctor said they were too far gone and would not survive.
The missionaries were called and blessings were given. Miraculously one was discharged from the hospital after one day and the other after several days with no complications.
Brother Rhee's prayers were answered.
When President Carr returned from Pusan, Brother Rhee thanked him profusely for asking him to go to Pusan. Had he not been asked or had he refused and not gone to Pusan, there would have been no one to drag him and his wife out to fresh air on that Monday morning.
It is marvelous how the Lord protects his servants when they are about His errands.
Blessings come through obedience and accepting the call to serve. And blessings of protection are realized as we heed the prompting of the spirit. The interceding power of the priesthood and the prayer of faith bring great miracles into our lives. |