Two weeks ago Sam was playing congas in the worship band I was leading and yesterday I was laying hands on him and praying for him as he lay in an intensive care unit in a South Korean hospital fighting for his life.

A few days ago Sam went into diabetic shock and a coma from an undiagnosed case of diabetes.  Since then his body has had a very hard time coming back from that near death experience.  While in the hospital things got worse for Sam before they got better.  Thankfully he is showing signs of improvement but he is still in intensive care and is in need of prayer.  Please pray for Sam.

Sam is an African man who is living here in South Korea with his wife Kat, who is from New Zealand.  They are teaching English here in South Korea and have been attending the Christian International Church that meets on our TCIS campus.  I have gotten to know Sam and Kat through the music and worship ministry of the church.  I lead and coordinate the morning music and worship and Sam plays congas and Kat sings and plays the drum set at times in the services.

Needless to say, this has been a very traumatic experience for Sam and Kat.  Sam has woken up in a very chaotic intensive care unit in a foreign country with a breathing tube down his throat and I V lines connected to both arms.  He is unable to speak and if he was able to speak the nurses and doctors would not understand what he was saying, nor would he understand them.  Kat, his wife, has had to manage the extreme fear of nearly losing her husband and then the huge task of caring for him in a hospital that greatly limits her access to him in the intensive care area.

Again, please pray for Sam's healing and recovery and pray for Kat--that the peace of Christ will rule in her heart.

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On another note.  I and three other people were able to enter the ICU in the Korean hospital for 30 minutes to lay hands on and pray for Sam.  It was a miracle that they let us all in at one time to see him.  Once I got into the room the reason that they were hesitant to allow all of access at the same time became quickly evident to me.

The ICU in the Korean hospital was a huge room about half the size of a basketball gym floor and throughout the room were numerous beds, all filled with people--beds and beds of people needing intensive medical care. It was not a pretty sight--at first glance it reminded me of the crowded operating rooms on the TV series M.A.S.H.  There were scores of nurses moving throughout the patients in the room and an antiseptic smell permeated the air.

Seeing the Korean ICU was a stunning experience for me with my American mindset and experience with excellent medical care.  It was a stark reminder to me that this is how the rest of the world lives.  In fact, most of the world doesn't have it as good as the Korean medical system.

My mind went off in a million different directions as I stood there for that half hour in the ICU of that Korean hospital.  Maybe in later days I will share some of my thoughts.  But for now.....

Please pray for Sam and Kat.