Among the first questions Hyeon Soo Lim asked when he landed in Toronto after more than two years of gruelling work and isolation in a North Korean labour camp were “Which funerals did I miss?” and “Donald Trump is president?”

“He didn’t know” about the U.S. election or the current situation with North Korea, church spokesperson Lisa Pak said Sunday, as congregants gathered at the Light Presbyterian Church in Mississauga hours before the service where Lim was to make his first public appearance. Inside, the air was buzzing with expectation as people held hands and clutched their phones, staking out a spot for their first look at Lim.

The room erupted with applause and chants of “our pastor,” as 62-year-old Lim — known for his sense of humour and his ability to connect with people — walked inside, dressed in a black suit with his hair closely shorn. He raised both hands and smiled widely.

Lim is passionate about North Korea and has made more than 100 missions to the country, bringing in food and visiting orphanages and a seniors home. He was taken into custody on one such trip in January 2015, and was sentenced to life in a labour camp for allegedly conducting subversive actions against leader Kim Jong Un.

For the past two and a half years the congregation has been praying for his release, many worried about his health. On Sunday, those prayers were answered with Lim’s first public address.

“I’m really very deeply grateful and moved,” Lim said after the service, as Pak translated. “Because of all the love, compassion, comfort and prayers from the Canadian people, I believe I am here. It’s a miracle for me to be here today.”

The electric atmosphere continued during the service. Every seat in the church was filled as Lim sat in the front row with his family, including his granddaughter who was born while he was imprisoned, her hair decorated with a festive pink ribbon and pigtail buns.

Lim spoke at the end of the service. His prepared remarks were a page long, but he rarely looked down, speaking comfortably for half an hour as the crowd clapped, gasped and, many times, laughed with him.

He told of days of “overwhelming loneliness.” He ate 2,757 meals in isolation and didn’t know how the ordeal would end. In the winter, he was forced to dig holes in ground so frozen that it took him two days to dig one hole, his fingers and toes becoming frostbitten. In the first two months, his weight dropped from 90 kg to 67 kg, and he joked that people might not recognize him. After one year of hard labour, he was admitted to the hospital for two months. Three other hospital stays followed. He read books about North Korea and read the Bible five times, both in English and Korean. He memorized more than 700 verses from the Bible.

“There were moments of discouragement, resentment and grumbling, but that soon changed into courage, joy and thanksgiving,” his English remarks read. “I learned to fully accept all of this as a form of God’s love and discipline to make me stronger.”

At various points, congregants translated when the crowd reacted strongly to his speech.

One woman explained that Lim is supposed to be getting rest now, but the ongoing situation between North Korea and the U.S. is the “wrong news for his health.” He also said that after being detained after many years of missionary work, “It’s almost like God was saying ‘stay put.’ ” He also spoke of his arrest. Later, a spokesperson for the church said there were misunderstandings and Lim doesn’t want to dwell on it.

On Aug. 7, a Canadian delegation flew to Pyongyang, led by Trudeau’s national security adviser Daniel Jean. By Wednesday, the North Korean government confirmed Lim would be released on humanitarian grounds. The crowd gasped when Lim told them he was alerted 15 minutes in advance. He enjoyed the three-day journey home and found the contrast between his Wednesday in North Korea to his Thursday at the Sheraton hotel in Guam both moving and shocking. He arrived in Toronto Saturday morning, and his first meal was kimchi.

Doctors examined him, and he felt bad for all the trouble and concern, when his health was fine: “I can’t make up an illness,” he joked with the congregation.

He thanked the Canadian government, and everyone who was involved in his release, including the Swedish government, who acts as Canada’s protecting power in North Korea, since Canada does not have an embassy there.

Lim walked out of the service with his wife, and a crush of cameras followed, as two men with ear pieces tried to shepherd him through the eager crowd.

“Give him space everyone.”

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“What was it like to hug your granddaughter for the first time?” a reporter asked.

“Space please,” was all you could hear.

Anna Shin, who like many, had been praying for Lim’s release since January 2015, said she had the privilege of seeing Lim on Saturday night during a meeting with the church elders. He was happy to talk after so many years alone, she said. “We’re just so glad he is in good condition,” she said.

As people snacked on fresh fruit Lim said he will tell more of his story later.

“I am so proud to be Canadian,” he said, in English. “And I am so happy to be with my wife and family.”

Then, he made the rounds, hugging anyone who caught his eye. Some jumped up and down in his embrace, and one group of men lifted him on their shoulders and carried him around the room.

With files from Mary Ormsby

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