"Miracle" from Haiti blesses Yongsan

By Pfc. Lee Hyokang (IMCOM)May 9, 2012

"Miracle" from Haiti blesses Yongsan
A Haitian choir team, The "Miracle", shows their talent at USAG Yongsan South Post Chapel, May 6. They were all orphans before Reverend Paik Sam-Sook started her missionary work at Haiti since 2002. She has been raising them ever since. (U.S. Army Ph... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea -- Do you remember it? The devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010 that displaced roughly three million people. Haiti needed humanitarian aid even before the incident but the earthquake made the situation far worse by increasing the number of dead, injured and homeless.

One of the biggest issues in Haiti is orphans. People abandon children because they can't afford to raise them. Since they can't even afford a daily plate of rice, they eat cookies made of dirt that cause stomach pain. In this hopeless land, a Korean woman is sacrificing her life to make a miracle.

Reverend Paik Sam-sook, started her missionary work in Haiti in 2002. Since then she has raised 10 orphans by herself. She organized a choir team, the "Miracle," to tour all over the world to teach people more about Haiti. Paik and her choir visited U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan's South Post chapel and lifted up the audience with their voices, May 6.

The "Miracle" choir comprised of one main vocalist, two guitarists, one drummer, and ten kid vocalists, sang and worshipped for an hour and people responded with rounds of applause and cheers through the performance.

Paik expressed her hope and vision for the future at the beginning of the worship. Chun Tong Suk, chief executive officer of World Cultural & Sports Foundation, one of the bigger supporters and sponsors of Paik, came along with her as a translator.

"All human deserves to be taken care of," Paik said. "It is what all animals do and so should humans. I hope people don't abandon their kids any more in the first place, but if there is any, I wish I am not the only one who saves them."

Paik said she wants to raise her kids until the time is right for them to live on their own and she hopes, just like her choir team name, a miracle comes in Haiti and anywhere people suffer to survive.

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