Daesung Kim (1-1 Canaan Mission, badminton player, Suwon City Hall)

Since the age of 12, I led a Christian life at the Miryang Manmin Church. Born into an athletic family (my grandfather was a soccer player and my father a volleyball player), ever since I was very young, I liked to play outside, rather than sit at a desk. I was good runner, so in the 4th grade, I got to represent my school as a member of the track team. And this is when I picked up the badminton racket.

Being a zealous athlete with a competitive spirit, I prayed to God, asking Him to make me into a national badminton player. I had one goal, and I did my best to reach that goal with unchanging passion. Of course I was also faithful at church, attended worship services and praying continuously. As a result, in 2002, in my third year in high school, I finally accomplished my dream of becoming a national badminton player. I still remember how happy I was at that time. I felt like I had everything in the world.

After entering Inha University, I began attending Manmin Central Church in Seoul. But even though I felt as though I had the world, I began facing tribulations. While in training, my prayer life came to a halt, and there were even times when I had to skip worship services. As I lost fullness of the Holy Spirit, I began losing interest in the sport I loved, and I didn't do so well in the competitions either.

To make matters worse, in 2006, I sprained my wrist due to a fall during a soccer game. Immediately, I received Dr. Jaerock Lee's prayer through ARS (Automated Response System), and the pain was gone. But because I hurt my wrist, which is the most vital part of a badminton player, I was very concerned about my future career as a badminton player.

I repented about neglecting my spiritual life, and I received a prayer from Dr. Jaerock Lee. At that moment, I felt my wrist becoming very hot, and I had an assurance of healing. And I was so happy when my coach recommended that I go home and take a rest, because now I could finally attend the church Summer Retreat that I had missed out on for several years. I still have precious memories of this special retreat, where I thoroughly enjoyed the field games, where I could show and use my talents before God, and above all things, I was able to recover joy and fullness in my heart while being drenched in God's love.

In December 2008, I was discharged from the Korean Armed Forces Athletic Corps, and in the same year I joined the badminton team of Suwon City Hall. In April 2009, I played my first game in the Kyunki Athletic Tournament. This game was critical for Suwon, because Suwon had a goal of 5 consecutive wins, so we felt the pressure of having to win a gold medal. Because this was my first game since I joined the team, my heart was half full of worries and half full of excitement. So with each game, I played with the faith that God was with me. After playing each game with my heart committing everything to God, I finally went on to the finals.

On Sunday, the day of the finals, I received a call that the president of 1-1 Canaan Ministry had received prayer from Dr. Jaerock Lee on my behalf. Upon hearing that, I felt a surge of confidence and became certain of my victory. The game began, and with a feeling that I was flying through the air, I did my very best. We defeated Yong-In City Hall 3-0 and won gold medal. Hallelujah! Because Suwon had 5 consecutive wins, I became a recognized player.

Beginning June 24th, during the Summer Badminton Championships, I won two bronze medals, one in doubles, the other in the mixed doubles categories. This was my ticket to the national tryouts. However, the date of the tryouts overlapped with our church summer retreat, so I felt very sad about having to give up going to the retreat. The date was already set, so changing it would have been next to impossible. However, with a strong desire to attend the summer retreat, I prayed to God. But a couple days later, on the badminton league website, they announced that the tryouts for the national team was postponed to October! Hallelujah! And at this year's 6 Ministries Joint Retreat, I was selected as the male MVP in the field tournament. With a thankful heart, I received that recognition as a message from God, encouraging me to do my best to prepare for the national tryouts.

I am actually a bit small for a badminton player, but I don't think of it as an obstacle because I can move quicker than others. Focusing on my dream, I train myself when others sleep, rest, or go on vacation. My dream is to glorify God and to make our church known by achieving an Olympic gold medal. Until this dream comes true, let's go, Manmin!