The summer of 2018, my friend Hee Jung invited me to visit her country of origin with her…South Korea. I said yes without thinking about anything or even asking when! There’s nothing like visiting a foreign country with someone whose from the destination. And this trip would prove to be sensational in many ways.

     During the June trip, my friend Hee Jung had a Tuesday dinner meeting scheduled with Master Choi. Choi is a South Korean man that God has gifted with the talent to heal. About the only thing I knew of this man was that he was the mentor of my San Diego tai chi master and friend (Master SangHan), that Choi had been instrumental in helping Han find healing for a serious heart condition, and, that Choi had been successful in creating and sustaining an academy for teaching the healing arts, as well as a center for healing that can be likened to a hospital.

     My friend Hee Jung invited me to join her dinner appointment. I declined because Choi does not speak English, and I understood that the two of them were to discuss business topics of some kind. I opted instead to pop in for a quick intro and hello. I told Hee, ‘if it feels right, I’ll get my dinner from the [Sheraton Club] buffet and sit quietly beside you.’ And, that’s how it went. Master Choi directed a few questions of conversation my way through Hee Jung as translator. Unbeknownst to me, my San Diego tai chi Master (Han) had discussed my spine problems a bit with Choi ahead of my Korea visit. Choi understood that a close friendship had developed between the Hans and me. It was agreed that, upon meeting me, if Choi felt called, then Choi would honor his friend Han’s request to spend time helping me. This is a beautiful aspect of Korean culture. What a gift their friendship had in store for me.

     Toward the end of the Tuesday night dinner, Master Choi turned to me and began speaking to me in Korean. I had absolutely no idea what he was saying, but noticed other cues that hinted to a positive note. As he spoke to me, his eyes began to ‘smile’ with a sparkle. He smiled as he spoke to me in a gentle tone. His cheeks became flushed pink. I watched him intently, but got lost in my own thought, ‘I bet the look on Choi’s face is the same as when people describe me when I talk about God or art and comment about how I light up.’ When Choi stopped talking, I slowly turned to Hee Jung for the translation – “Wow, he’s really excited about something. What in the world is he saying to me?!” At the same time, Hee Jung was turning to me in slow motion exclaiming, “Oh my gosh, Lisa, he just offered you a healing session!” Immediately, another friend came into my mind. I knew at that instant that God was overlapping a previous conversation with the current situation to let me know:

This is ok, it’s My doing.

     I really had no idea what Choi’s offer really meant; but I felt strongly that I was supposed to accept. So I said to Hee Jung, ‘I don’t understand what this is, but I trust you Hee Jung, and I feel strongly that God is at work in this somehow. So I say yes, please tell Master Choi I humbly accept his offer.’ At that, Choi gave us an appointment for two days later on Thursday, with instruction that he would pick us up from the Sheraton at 10am.  Then Choi told Hee Jung that he sent some energy or magic or something to me?! Hee Jung couldn’t come up with whatever the actual English translation was supposed to be! At that, it seemed Choi disappeared in an instant. Well, Hee Jung and I looked at each other with confusion and said, “What is happening here?!” We finished our meals and headed back up to our hotel rooms. Walking down the hallway to the elevator corridor, I stopped dead in my tracks. The pain that I usually feel during every waking minute had almost vanished. After telling Hee Jung, she thought I was messing around, making up things. But I was so shocked at the difference, the missing pain, that I kept talking about it. We were both a little freaked out. But I had that weird peace that comes from God and so I was a little excited about experiencing something new and extraordinary.

     Before moving on, let me offer a bit of background so you have some context. I was diagnosed with degenerative spine disease in 2013 and had felt the effects of disease onset (and ignored it) many years ahead of the diagnosis. Daily pain and a lot of discomfort became my new normal. My spine specialist let me know that what I have is ‘not reversible. The best I can do is stay ahead of it to slow the progress and preserve what ability I have now’ (ability which was already diminished). I found resources that have been very helpful: physical therapy, acupuncture, tai chi, reading material pertaining to explaining the dynamics of pain and how the body works along with anti-inflammatory diet tips. The succession of healing modalities all became steps to finding a better place, once I found the right practitioners [1]. Ahead of my trip to So Korea, I prayed a lot. I accepted the invite to visit So Korea from Hee Jung knowing that it would be a great cultural experience. But, secretly I was very concerned about how would I be able to do the amount of walking, stair climbing and general endurance required for this type of trip, and then there’s the long flights. What comes next is the icing on the cake. Back to the story.

   

 

     The next morning (Wed) after meeting Choi, I found I had slept more comfortably than usual and my lower and middle back still felt unusually good. Hee Jung and I went about the day touring Seoul and I continued to make safe choices, not to over do it. On Thursday morning, Hee Jung and I waited outside the hotel for Choi to pick us up. Right on schedule, Choi whisked us over to a 7-story office building that, turns out, he owns. I thought at first that this was Choi’s academy. But the Seoul location was his office space. The academies are in four other locations, in three different countries. Once inside, there was walls of books, which come to find out many were authored by Choi. We were escorted to a quiet room to meditate. After a discussion on the meditation program basics, there was a recording to guide us through the steps of Choi’s meditation program. Hee Jung translated all of this meeting for me. In some strange way, the meeting with this stranger was comfortable like when you’ve been friends for a long time. Master Choi was sharing healing energy with us through the process. I committed to being open to the process, no matter how weird and different the process was to me.  I prayed…

     God, you are the true Master. I invite You into this setting. I ask that You ultimately lead it. Protect me, guide me. You are the Authority. Let me be open to receiving healing in any way You want to bring it to me. Thank You for crossing my path with Master Choi. Please use him and bless him, allowing his to be a beautiful experience and beginning of a wonderful friendship.

     During the meditation program, right away I felt my body become extremely relaxed. When the program speaker suggested breathing through all my pores, I imagined it, and I felt it. When the speaker said to open a gate at the top of my head, I imagined God in shining light enter my body. I felt heat generate inside my torso. It seemed that I could feel a small ball of heated energy moving through my body as the speaker guided the process. Slight, gentle elongation of my lower and middle spine. I imagined my spinal canal widen, sensing energy at my tailbone begin to swirl, and rush up the spinal canal. Although every bit of it felt very strange, to be honest, it also felt good.

     The meditation training presented basics of tapping into the body’s natural (chi) energy and to learn how to circulate the energy to the areas in need of healing. Seated on the floor, the process took about 50 minutes, but the easy flow of it felt like only 20 minutes had passed. Upon completion, I stood up and felt so light, it was like I was weightless or floating. My body and nervous system reached a totally calm state.  After meditation, we had tea ceremony in Choi’s office where there were pictures of Choi with Prince Phillip of England, the Dali Lama and other high profile people. The tea ceremony was a time of sharing, as was lunch together afterwards. During lunch I shared my experience during the meditation session including the fact that I invited God in.

     Master Choi’s intention is that religion not be a main aspect of the meditation program. Choi’s program focuses on the physiology of the human body and the body’s capacity to heal itself. Ancient Tao/Dao medicine and history are part of the roots of the program, but Choi’s developed end result aims to integrate the best elements of many philosophies, without strongly referencing one. Choi was accepting of the method that worked for me, which I would describe as a christian version of his healing meditation program. The session was very powerful for me. I think part of the success came from believing, from faith, from allowing myself to be open to new things and most important, inviting God to be at the center of it. I can’t explain the result outside of using the word “miracle,” but my pain completely left me, even in my worst cervical spine (neck) area. The relief lasted for about 2 months after returning from Korea. The meditation process is not complicated, so I repeated it on my own and have been able to keep the pain at bay. During meditation, I found odd nuances occurring: it seemed I had an urge to pull my scalp or skull open on the top of my head to let God in even more (I know that sounds gross, but it was beautiful, more in the way a flower blooms and opens reaching with determination upwards to the light); I also felt my head lift up from my spine during two different meditation sessions that could be likened to a physical therapy decompression technique. One of those times, without me actually moving, my neck clicked as if vertebrate moved into a better position or something. Then the swirling energy in the spinal canal became more effective, shooting all the way up my spinal canal and past the neck area. It seemed as if some blockage had given way or been obliterated. I really can’t explain how this works because it’s so odd. Two months after my return from Korea, my husband and I were watching TV and something triggered him to comment, “hey, I haven’t heard you complain about your back or neck pain for a while?!” I said, “I know, I’ve been trying to tell you, something happened in Korea that I can’t explain other than it’s a miracle!”

     Upon returning to San Diego, I met up with my friend Master Han (Choi’s student and Hee Jung’s husband)[2]. With excitement and amazement, I shared all that had happened in Korea with Master Choi. I was surprised to find that some of the odd nuances that I felt, but did not understand, were actually a normal effect of the meditation practice. It’s crazy how a inexplicable ‘knowing’ could come during the process, but I suppose I don’t have to be surprised at the unique way God was communicating with me. This conversation is when Master Han let me know he had asked his mentor Master Choi to meet with me and help me. This is why the invitation was offered to me; because I was considered an extended family-member. So beautiful.

     Upon departing Korea, I called to thank Master Choi again and say good-bye. I had told him that if he wanted to bring this healing discipline to the United States, I felt that I am supposed to help in this effort. He said no, that’s not what this was all about. But within a couple weeks, Choi changed his mind. And then things changed quickly. A few months later, in October 2018, Master Choi made a visit to San Diego. And then again in Oct 2019. Hee Jung and I organized week-long seminars for Master Choi and Master Han to share this healing modality with others. The group is like a family.  During this time, I had opportunity to  practice the meditation discipline several times. Now, I awake each day completely ‘wowed‘ that I don’t have pain. The difference is so noticeable that I’m noticing being OUT of pain.

     I can say this experience has showed me great things. God really does work in mysterious ways and He owns everything. Now, seeing how many dots got connected to bring me to the healing setting that I ended up with in Korea only strengthens my testimony and belief in God’s power. What a unique and unexpected venue God used to bring me healing and prove His power! As a christian, God showed me He works in all settings and there are no limits to His authority and power. God used a setting that many would consider to be more of eastern philosophy than anything else, despite Choi’s aim for the spiritual without religion. It’s a cause for many to close the door on the topic before exploring the possibilities.  But God owns everything. God bridges gaps between people and beliefs. How can it be that God chose me for miraculous healing?! I have to tell everyone.

1 Tai Chi/Qi Gong: Master Sang Han/Golden Rishi-Hans Dragon Martial Arts; Physical therapy: Bruce Inniss Physical
Therapy; Acupuncture: Kimberly Hoover/AcuCare; Book: Pain Free by Peter Egoscue; Book: The Anti-inflammatory
Diet & Recipe Book by Jessica Black. I also strongly recommend attending 'Bodies: The Exhibition' for better
understanding of our bodies. 
2 Master Sang Pok Han Coursework is in San Diego and available through https://goldenrishi.com/