Pastor Lee Gye-il
In the 1980s, Pastor Jung Myung Seok went on a tour to the Daegu region of Korea.
Whenever Pastor Jung went on a tour, he would always deliver the Sunday service message,
have a simple meal afterward, and then spend the afternoon playing soccer, volleyball, or other sports.
That day, Pastor Jung played soccer for a very long time. Just when we thought the game was over, he began taking shots on goal. And it wasn’t just once or twice. On that day, he took 700 shots. Pastor Jung was exhausted, and truthfully, those watching were also very tired.
At that time, one disciple asked Pastor Jung,“Teacher, you already gave the sermon today and played a lot of soccer. Why did you take as many as 700 shots?”
When asked this, Pastor Jung replied, “I prayed with each shot, asking God to let me [save] one life here in Daegu for every shot I took.”
Hearing this story, two Providence disciples decided, “One of us will do the shooting, and the other will be the goalkeeper catching the shots!” They then went on to do 777 shots and catches. It took them five hours.
During the process, they thought, “This is too hard. Why did we decide to do this?”
They said they regretted it many times. That’s how difficult and tiring 700 shots must have been,
yet Pastor Jung endured the long and grueling effort, thinking about souls, and practiced shooting.
One day, Pastor Jung went to a sauna with the soccer disciples. At that time, he asked them, “Hey, who do you think is the best at playing soccer?”
The disciples answered, “The one who scores the most goals plays the best.”
“The one who makes good passes plays the best.”
“Maybe the one who dribbles well is the best?”
Pastor Jung said, “The one who can put into practice exactly what he envisions and can control the ball as he wishes. That’s the one who plays soccer the best.”
He always said, “In any matter or situation, if it concerns life, how will you handle it?”
Pastor Jung always saw the soccer ball as representing life. He would say, “If I can’t even control a dead cowhide as I wish, how could I possibly lead and save a living soul for God?”
With that mindset, Pastor Jung practiced and trained more than anyone else. When he practiced a lot, he would shoot over 3,000 times. Watching him, we could feel, “Pastor Jung is truly someone who practices and works hard with unwavering consistency.”