China: Elderly parents thankful their daughter can experience Christ’s sufferings in prison

Posted on July 17, 2024 by Pastor Foley

Li Yanping, 61, of the Baode House Church in Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, began a seven-year prison sentence at Shanxi Women’s Prison on March 15, 2021 for allegedly illegally organizing others to cross the national border—the typical charge given by Chinese police for Christians who lead trips to Christian conferences abroad. According to her husband who was able to visit her in prison recently, Sister Li is in overall good health except for calcium deficiency and growing memory difficulties. But according to her elderly parents, Sister Li is receiving something precious in prison.

Li Yanping and her husband from the Xinzhou Baode House Church (Source: “China’s Five O’clock in the Afternoon”)

“They are grateful that their daughter is able to share the sufferings of Jesus Christ,” says Voice of the Martyrs Representative Dr Hyun Sook Foley.

Representative Foley says that while the idea of Chinese Christians viewing imprisonment and suffering for their faith as a privilege may sound unusual or extreme to Christians in other parts of the world, it has biblical backing.

“In Acts 5:40-41, after the Apostles were beaten by the Jewish ruling council, scripture says they were ‘rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name’,” says Representative Foley. “The Apostle Paul, who wrote many of his letters while in prison, said in Philippians 1:12 that his imprisonment ‘has actually served to advance the gospel’.”

Representative Foley says the gospel is advancing through Sister Li Yanping’s imprisonment.

“Sister Li’s husband, Zhao Chundan, says that even though his wife is not permitted to read the Bible in prison, and even though her memory loss has progressed to the point where she can no longer remember many scriptures, she is still preaching the gospel to her fellow prisoners,” says Represenative Foley. She says that seven or eight of Sister Li’s cellmates have now become believers.

But Representative Foley says that Christians in the rest of the world should not romanticize or minimize the pain and suffering of Christians suffering for their faith in prison. “The founding scripture verse of Voice of the Martyrs is Hebrews 13:3: ‘Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering’,” says Representative Foley. “When Paul was in prison, he asked Timothy to come quickly and to bring his coat and his scrolls. Everyone had left him, and no one was present to care for him. Even today, Christian prisoners and their families are primarily dependent on the body of Christ to care for them.” 

Representative Foley says that in the case of Sister Li Yanping, her husband says she has particular concern for her parents.

“Sister Li’s parents are in their 80’s,” says Representative Foley. “She hopes that the members of her church and her family will take on the roles she would normally fill as their daughter in caring for them,” says Representative Foley.

Representative Foley says that Christians around the world can help care for Christians in prison by praying for them as according to the scriptures, by writing them letters when their prison addresses are known and they are able to receive mail, and by providing aid to them and their families through reputable organizations.

Voice of the Martyrs Korea offers a free resource on ten biblical ways to pray for persecuted and imprisoned questions at www.vomkorea.com/en/prayer. It lists prisoners of faith who can currently receive letters, as well as instructions on how to write them, at https://vomkorea.com/en/prisoner-profiles/. Representative Foley says that while Sister Li is not currently able to be listed, five other Chinese Christian prisoners are included, as well as Christian prisoners from Iran, Eritrea, and North Korea. Information on how to donate to support families of martyrs and prisoners can be found at https://vomkorea.com/en/donation/.

Individuals interested in learning about Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s work in partnership with the house church Christians of China can visit https://vomkorea.com/en/china/.

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Central Asian pastor honored by VOMK for this year’s Day of the Christian Martyr

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Pastor Foley

A Central Asian pastor remembered as a peaceful witness for Jesus Christ is this year’s Voice of the Martyrs Korea Day of the Christian Martyr honoree.

The ministry held a press conference last week at its Seoul office to honor martyred pastor Sergei Bessarab with a plaque on its Martyrs Timeline and a video available for use by churches, small groups, and families to commemorate this year’s Day of the Christian Martyr. The video is available at www.vomkorea.com/en/dotcm.

“According to church tradition, June 29 marks the martyrdom of the Apostle Paul, so Christians around the world take time this week to honor the legacy of those who have sacrificed their lives for the advancement of the gospel,” said Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr Hyun Sook Foley.

Representative Foley said that this year her organization is honoring Pastor Sergei Bessarab, who was martyred in Central Asia on January 4, 2004.

“Five years before his death, Sergei Bessarab had gone to prison five times, but not for his faith in Christ,” said Representative Foley. She says that one day a fellow prisoner shared the gospel with Bessarab, who eventually surrendered his life to the Lord.

“After being released from prison, Bessarab and his wife Tamara felt called to gospel ministry and began preaching around Central Asia, before settling on a particular city to plant a church in,” said Representative Foley. The city had over 100 mosques but no Christian presence, she added.

Pastor Bessarab faithfully preached the gospel, and his new church grew to almost 60 people. But according to Representative Foley, some in the city were not happy with the pastor’s faithful witness.

“On January 12, 2004, after returning from a prayer meeting, Pastor Sergei came into his house and stopped by a window,” said Representative Foley. “Suddenly shots rang out and he fell dead, having been shot at point blank range.  This was less than a year after Sergei and Tamara moved to town.”

Almost immediately, Tamara began to see fruit from Sergei’s life and death.

“During Sergei’s funeral, my son gave his life to Christ,” Tamara told Voice of the Martyrs. “The fact that Sergei was always prepared to sacrifice life for his faith, and eventually did that, showed my son that faith in Christ is worth our firm stance, even under the threat of death.”

Pastor Sergei preaching at his church in Central Asia.

Representative Foley said that most people expected that Pastor Bessarab’s death would lead to the closure of the church he had planted. “On the contrary, his death filled the church, and it became a living witness of God’s faithfulness,” said Representative Foley. She said that Bessarab’s wife Tamara continues ministry to the present day, despite her own serious health problems.

According to Representative Foley, the Day of the Christian Martyr is an opportunity for churches around the world to learn about Christians facing martyrdom today, particularly in the more than 70 countries where there are restrictions on the practice of the Christian faith. She said Voice of the Martyrs Korea tries to highlight a martyr from a different country or region on the Day of the Christian Martyr each year so that Christians can better understand the extent and types of persecution currently being faced by other Christians around the world. Pastor Bessarab is the first Central Asian martyr Voice of the Martyrs Korea has highlighted, according to Representative Foley.

Pastor Sergei’s family surround a picture of Pastor Sergei after his death.

A short video about Pastor Bessarab is available at www.vomkorea.com/en/dotcm for individual viewing as well as use by churches and small groups, in commemoration of the Day of the Christian Martyr as well as for general use year round, Representative Foley said.

“Today, many local believers in Central Asia are facing increasing restrictions, persecutions, and even martyrdom due to their faithful witness for Christ,” said Representative Foley. “But the Lord is continuing to raise up bold local pastors to lead his churches there. Sadly, many churches around the world still have not yet heard the stories of Central Asian pastors like Pastor Bessarab.” She said that is why her organization is highlighting Pastor Bessarab’s martyrdom. “We want believers around the world to be encouraged and strengthened by learning more about how the Lord is working in the Central Asian towns and villages that are well beyond the reach of foreign missionaries,” said Representative Foley.

Voice of the Martyr’s Korea video on Pastor Sergei Bessarab’s faithful witness 

Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s previous honorees on the Day of the Christian Martyr include Colombian lay evangelist Rocio Pino, who was martyred on March 6, 2011 by the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia; North Korean underground Christian Cha Deok Sun, who was martyred between 2005-2010; and Somali evangelist Abdiwelli Ahmed, a convert to Christianity from Islam who was martyred in Kenya on February 27, 2013.

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The best balloon launch is the one that remains undetected

Posted on June 6, 2024 by Pastor Foley

Here are comments I shared with a reporter who was doing a story on the recent back-and-forth balloon launch activity by the North Korean government (sending human waste and trash) and some balloon launchers in South Korea who publicly announce the details of their launches:

I think it’s helpful to distinguish between balloon launching and public announcements about balloon launches. What the North Korean government and some South Korean balloon launchers have in common is that making the public aware of their launching activities is at least as important to them and their goals as the launches themselves and the materials they are sending. Both groups make extensive use of media, launch eye-catching materials in eye-catching balloons, and employ rhetoric that at times flies higher than the balloons themselves.

But of course it doesn’t have to be like this. If the goal is to reach North Koreans outside of the mediation of the North Korean government, which in my opinion should indeed be the goal of balloon launching, then the best launch is the one that remains undetected.

For some groups, balloon launching is political theatre, which is why they launch on public holidays and then heavily promote their launches. But when launchers show photos of what they launch, and when they announce when and where they launched, it’s like providing a map to North Korean authorities, who can then use these public statements to locate the materials which were launched and to round up any North Koreans who found and took the materials. Units in the North Korean military are mobilized to respond to launches once those launches are detected. So North Koreans who find the materials and take them home likely have no idea that the North Korean government already knows and is actively searching for them. Their safety is compromised completely outside of their awareness.

In order to keep potential recipients safe, launches should be separate from public advocacy and the public theatre of launching. Launch as quietly as possible. Say nothing. Post no photos, no launch data about how many balloons were sent from where carrying what. Give North Koreans the best possible opportunity to simply find what you sent without anyone already tracking them.

Some people may say the best launch is no launch, and situations like what we see at the present time will no doubt result in various parties calling for a renewed ban on launching. But balloon launches are one of very few technologies that when employed responsibly enable ordinary North Koreans access to a world not mediated by their government. When launches are done safely and quietly—using non-flammable gas, biodegradable balloons, intelligent projection and tracking tools to ensure success—they don’t make the news, and they don’t ratchet up the danger. Ordinary North Koreans benefit, and the North Korean government is none the wiser. Unfortunately, you can’t make a law that requires balloon launchers to examine their own hearts and motives, but the public can decide what groups are supported, and they can influence how groups act. Local police can enforce local laws that are already on the books so that launches are not political theatre but are efficient, effective, safe ways for Koreans to communicate without the interference of governments, as is every human being’s right.

As regards our own work at Voice of the Martyrs Korea, we ourselves don’t comment publicly about what we are or are not doing, or have done, or will do, in the field, in order to ensure the safety of of all concerned and the success of our operations. What we can say is that every year we get 40,000 Bibles into North Korea as quietly as possible, using a wide variety of methods, always focused on the safety of our neighbors here and the safety of potential recipients in North Korea. They have a right to know, and we have a responsibility to help them exercise that right as safely as possible. That requires us to separate our public advocacy role from our field work. Both are vital, but they should never be concurrent.

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