Testimonial: Developing A Better Self
By Morgan Michael Denton

How I arrived at this point in my life is surely by chance. It all started in August of 1999. I was involved in a head-on car accident that left my spine in poor shape. I couldn’t do any of the exercise activities that I was used to doing. Working at a desk job, with no way of exercising, I quickly gained a lot of weight and my self-esteem was falling with every additional pound. This continued for the next five months until I received word from my employer that my application for promotion was accepted and that I would be helping to start up our new Allentown office.

On 01/07/00 I arrived in Allentown by myself and started my new position. I did not know anyone in the Allentown area, and I quickly learned to hate the weekends, due to the fact I would be alone. Still going through rehabilitation for my back injuries and being completely alone here, I quickly dropped into a sloth-like state. I was very depressed and spent most of my time outside of work online chatting with my family and friends back home.

Finally the day came when my physical therapist told me to join a gym to lose some weight and start to get back into shape. My old physical self wasn’t the only thing that was gone; I had also lost all coordination, balance and depth perception due to my spinal injuries. Not wanting to just get back into shape, but regain my dexterity, I asked if it would be alright if I joined some type of martial arts school. I was informed that this would be acceptable.

The very next day at work I opened the phone book and started calling different schools that looked interesting. I called a school called Kim’s Black Belt Academy, and a friendly female voice answered and talked with me for a bit. This voice that I would learn later to be the voice of Mrs. Kim invited me down to the school that Saturday to have a look around and talk to Grand Master Kim.

Grand Master Kim told me that his school would be able to help me with everything I needed, and we set up a day for me to come in for a free lesson to make sure I liked the school.
Right away my depressed state started to change. I was learning a great amount, even though at the time I didn’t realize it. I also came to the realization that you can accomplish almost anything if you believe that you can. My life that was once filled with heartache and sadness was clear and simple. Within the first nine months of taking class I had already dropped 20 pounds and was feeling much better about how I looked.

By the time I had made it to the rank of Green belt, I had the itch to learn more about sparring. I joined the Full Contact Olympic style sparring class not knowing what I was getting myself into. The Full Contact class taught me to push my own limits and once I’d reached them, to go further. I learned that there is more than one style of Tae Kwon Do, and by learning every way; you have a more diverse arsenal to choose from when you spar. I have also learned a great deal of the intricate aspects of sparring and have now placed Gold in both the State and US Cup competitions.

One of the things that I have noticed more and more as I have worked my way through the ranks is that not everyone has the drive to succeed. If you just push yourself and believe you can accomplish something chances are that you will accomplish it. I believe that you only get out of Tae Kwon Do what you put into it. If you aren’t willing to try than you won’t get anything in return. This school isn’t designed to not let you push yourself. Getting to the point where I will be able to test for Black Belt is just a stepping-stone.

When I entered this school I was overweight and didn’t think very highly of myself. I had no coordination, balance, or depth perception. I didn’t know anyone in the area and was depressed. Now I have many friends both inside and outside of Tae Kwon Do. I have dropped over fifty pounds from the time that I joined and am in great shape. I not only changed on the outside, but on the inside as well. I feel that I am now ready for whatever challenges life may choose to throw at me. I feel that I have developed a better self. ~Morgan Denton


Testimonial: A Mother's Perspective
By Lisa Godshall

My name is Lisa Godshall. I’d like to spend just a moment sharing my story with you. On Christmas day in 1996, I suffered a stroke at the age of 33 caused by Lupus. It was only the beginning of a 4-year nightmare for my family. For a couple of years, my kids “adapted”, but eventually the strain began to show. In April of 2000, my then 13 ½ year old son, an honor student since the 3rd grade, brought home a mid-term report with 2 D’s and an F. We also were seeing his personality changing. He began lying to us about homework and his respectful nature was changing for the worse. We were frustrated and saddened by the change that we knew was due to the instability of what was happening to me physically.

As we prayed for an answer to help our son, a friend from our church told us that she had recently enrolled her child in Tae Kwon Do classes. She mentioned that Grandmaster Jon Chung Kim was a man of great character and faith, and that we should consider it. We made a call, and took our boy to his first class in late May. The rest is great history!

Within 6 weeks, Nik was back on the honor roll! He also tested and received his first belt promotion. Grandmaster Kim’s constant encouragement that Nik could be anything he wanted to be if he tried hard enough turned him back around in the right direction. 3 years later, Nik has his 1st Degree Black belt, and continues to train hard. He has won over 35 trophies at various tournaments, and is constantly striving to learn more and perfect his Tae Kwon Do skills. He loves teaching other students at both the class and individual levels. He maintains a 4.0 GPA as a senior at Parkland High School, and was inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior. He tutors in several subjects, and was elected president of the Parkland High School Chorus for the 2003-2004 school year. He also enjoyed the honor of being nominated to the Homecoming Court this fall-one of 5 young men from the senior class. He also holds down a part-time job at the new Target store in South Whitehall Township. He assisted me at the general elections held this past week as well. I serve as the Judge of Election for my district, and wound up with an emergency need for a clerk. Mr. Snisczak, the P.H.S. principal, enthusiastically excused Nik for the day, and he had yet another great and unique learning experience to tuck under his belt.

Physically, he has grown in strength and flexibility incredibly. He also has very severe asthma, for which he uses a preventive and a steroid type inhaler twice daily, and receives 4 allergy shots every 2 weeks. With the constant conditioning he receives through his training, we have noted a dramatic improvement in his asthma! He has stamina that he never had before.

The discipline of Tae Kwon Do has been a phenomenal influence in our son’s development, but the care and love of Grandmaster Jon Chung Kim for all of his students is beyond my words. The hugs and positive words are not what you might expect in a Tae Kwon Do class-but his desire is not to just make them excellent martial artists. It’s to make them better people. This was obvious to us from the start. The All Korean National Champion has much to share, and does so in a father-like manner. The students desire to please him out of love and respect, not fear! His constant encouragement for the students is heartwarming. He checks every report card, and requires every student to participate in a reading program every summer. Just kicks and punches? Not at all!

In conclusion, I feel blessed that we have had his influence in our lives. Yes, my son may win the trophies, but we have all been able to benefit from knowing this great man. My daughter even brings her report cards to him-and she’s not a student! But she knows that he will encourage her. Grandmaster Kim, Master Jay Morgenstern and all of the black belts are dedicated to making every student strive to achieve the very best that they can in every area of their lives. I will be forever grateful. ~Lisa Godshall