Love breaking the Jar of Precious Perfume

An Artist From Heaven

By Senior Deaconess Bekok Choi

Senior Deaconess Bekok Choi, Pyunghwa Presbyterian Church of Seoul Eunpyungku Shinsadong is called °̀an artist from heaven." The reason is due to her heavenly paintings, which depict God's world up in the heavens. She was named such since she shows these heavenly paintings to disabled children suffering from cerebral palsy who do not know God. She also let them draw pictures about heaven.

Every Thursday morning Senior Deaconess Choi leaves her house with her painting tools. She heads to Seoul Municipal Korean Cerebral Palsy Welfare Center located in Sanggedong in Seoul. She and her six students teach painting to children disabled from cerebral palsy.

She says, "I thank God that I can share my God-given talent. Through painting and calligraphy, I teach children about the beautiful, natural world created by God. I also teach them that they are individuals created by God. As they draw and paint, they open out themselves, which were previously closed. Then their hearts face heaven." Gifts from the Holy Spirit and the belief of faithful Christians enable her to teach children without getting paid. She provides the children with emotional stability. She chose Korean literature because of her parents' influence although she showed talent in painting while she was still in elementary school.

An artist came to see her draft painting, and in 1972 introduced her to the artist, Woonbo KiChang Kim. She learned painting under Woonbo KiChang Kim. In 1981, Senior Deaconess Choi's neck was paralyzed but through prayer and the mercy of the Spirit, she was healed. She has volunteered continuously since then. In the beginning she volunteered to work for the Elder Hall and hospitals, but in 1992 moved on to the current Welfare Center. She is a member of "Whosohue" established in 1936. Through the Korean Art Association, she finds her life worth living when she finds a child' heart looking to God through painting.