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We require more blood! (Blood Drive)
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Chapter 10 - We require more blood!
Because I had excellent record in attendance in young adult group meeting, I was promoted as service team co-director.
In other words, I was promoted to be used for God’s work. I thank the promoter for giving me even for someone who lacked many skills, allowing me to have such position. At that time the Young Adult Group leader was Deacon WonYoung Choi.
After Pastor KyungJik Han had met with the Vietnamese War veterans in Vietnam, he gave us a sermon during the Sunday that some of the veterans were killed or wounded, and in order to have them healed the hospital needed blood, and said as Christians who were bought by Jesus’s blood and saved, should be the ones launching this promotion to blood drive.
Since the season was in for Lent I thought it was an excellent sermon for the time being, and since I was also a veteran of the Vietnamese War. But things got interesting. About a week later on a different Sunday Reverend Han said that his last week’s sermon, “We require some blood” and many have listened to his sermon. This one foreigner who heard the sermon wanted to suggest about donating his blood who had attended the service. So he decided to do the same sermon from the last week. His words were a shock to everyone. While listening to the sermon my face was getting warm. Who would listen to such words? I knew it was obligation to our young adult team to do such. But for someone who was a co-director of the service team, just having grace from sermon wasn’t enough. There had to be something done…
After the service was over I had met with the Young Adult’s Team council for an emergency meeting about this matter. In our meeting we talked about this blood drive and push it into action. During this time period our blood drive was like this; a Blood Drive vehicle would be parked somewhere and asked or rather, nearly begged passing people’s blood for donation. Some of the working students would sell their blood for their school tuition. The blood drive’s responsibility was on Pastor Jintak Park. (He would be the president of the blood drive organization)
After I was done with the meeting I called the Pastor our plan and the actions were into motion. Since it was a newly made group a lot of the nurses had helped run this program smoothly. But during this time the blood packet’s quality wasn’t so great so sometimes when the needle was entering the body it would cause so much pain that it had to be changed out. I have had that experience first – hand few times.
When I had spoken this mission in church they gave us the Kindergartener’s room. Some of the youth group who had gathered was used to move the desk from the other building to the blood drive spot. It was a very heavy desk. Since I was the high school Sunday school teacher, and encourage this program greatly, many of the male students knew they were going to have to do this blood drive. Not to mention I did also and at that time I earned the nickname “Dracula”. Before the Easter Sunday we had blood drive two times, and about 450 people had done the blood donation. This was great for that time.
What was great was during all this time was even if Pastor KyungJik Han had busy schedule to prepare for the next sermon he would come down and hold the hands of those who were donating blood and said “You’re doing great, thank you, or even how are you doing?” as encouragements. I was thinking maybe the reverent must’ve felt the grace in the work of God through all this? Problem was he also wanted to donate his blood but the nurses said “Reverend you are too old for donation” and he instead asked what he can help in, and the nurses said the equipment’s were needed but they didn’t have enough money to purchase them. After few days I saw that the reverend quietly brought some money for the blood drive equipment and donated graciously.
Some of the ladies who wanted to join the drive but knowing they were too light for the drive. She then brought rocks in her pockets to get in the right weight because she really wanted to help with the blood donation. All this wanted me to donate in this drive, and quite often also. My mother soon found out about and said “Do you want to die without having a fulfilled life?” and was worried about me.
After this, blood drive was done more occasionally. I still know that this blood drive continues. During the time I was a school teacher in early 1970s I had done a blood drive while in school. Some of the churches in USA were encouraged also to do a blood drive. Results were, some of the American Red Cross would come to certain churches and does blood drive a year. Even coming to church is great enough but now donates blood also!
During the early 1970s when Pastor KyungJik Han’s sermon about blood donation had left a profound impact on many church goers and made a great challenge to many. I respect Pastor Han a lot because he was always encouraging, and kind and teaching of true love to those who are hurting and in pain and his willingness to join the pain was in his life. I wanted to learn and hold his teachings, and never forget his encouragement for the donations we did during that time and all the other blessings he gave me.
(January 2011)
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YoungNak Presbyterian Church World Gospel Mission 
We require more blood! (Blood Drive)