A Unique Way To Get The Gospel Into North Korea – North Korean Ministry Packs

Posted on April 30, 2015 by tdillmuth

ministry packs 2015One of the most interesting and unique ways that we spread the gospel into North Korea is through our North Korean ministry packs.  The ministry packs contain basic necessities customized to the location to which they are being delivered. Some packs contain hygiene supplies, undergarments, socks, rice, or noodles. Others contain shoes and jackets and even work tools.

But loneliness, emptiness, and disillusionment can’t be remedied by a pair of socks. The packs also include the gospel in the form of a tract, MP3 Player, New Testament, or other Gospel-sharing resource, such as The Story of Jesus, a visual depiction of Bible stories. All of these are done in the North Korean dialect.

Although we’ve done many MP3 players in the past, this year we made an intentional shift to less print and more electronic media in the packs.  This is because many countries continue to crack down much harder on the easily detected printed material for NK ministry rather than the easily disguisable electronic media. This year, we are placing 1,250 MP3 players loaded with gospel content into the hands of NKs in Asia. The MP3 players contain the Dramatized New Testament, 60 NK style hymns, Prequip leadership segments, and In The Shadow Of The Cross lessons.

“These packs will be very helpful for people in NK,” one of our partners, Mr. H, told us with excitement as we gave him the funds to assemble and distribute 30 ministry packs to NKs. Later, he assembled these packs with living necessities such as personal hygiene items, socks, clothes and towels. These packs also contain greatly needed medicine that is difficult for NKs to get because it is so expensive.

Through a contact of Mr. H who is returning to NK, these packs are being carried into NK and distributed to those in need.

We were also excited to provide one of our partners with money to purchase 50 ministry packs and distribute them to North Korean workers in a nearby town. Our partner has a good relationship with one of the NK leaders who works there, and she will be allowed to distribute the packs. The women’s salaries are low, and they do not have enough supplies to live on. Many of them also suffer from sickness, which means that the medicine in the packs will be especially helpful to them.

The Lord continues to use these ministry packs to open doors of ministry with North Koreans that normally wouldn’t be open.  Please pray that the Lord would allow more and more packs to enter into North Korea this year.  Also pray that God would use the individuals carrying the packs to share the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Finally, pray that God would open the hearts of each North Korean receiving a pack.

 

Posted in North Korea, Proclaiming The Gospel, Uncategorized, Visiting and Remembering | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Muslim Who Died For Mosul’s Christians And Other Good Samaritan Stories

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Pastor Foley

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I suspect that were Jesus to reprise the parable of the Good Samaritan today, he might tell it as the parable of the Good Muslim.

The Muslim who gave up his life for Mosul’s Christians
He refused to keep silent about the violence agaist Mosul’s Christians  who are forced to choose between converting to the Muslim faith, paying the jizyah (the Islamic tax for non-Muslims) or fleeing. Professor Mahmoud Al ‘Asali, a law professor who lectures on pedagogy at the University of Mosul, had the courage to make a stand against this brutal duress which he believes go against the Muslim commandments. But he paid for this gesture with his life: he was killed by ISIS militants in Mosul [on July 20].

The article goes on to detail that other Muslims in Mosul

…have launched the “I am Iraqi, I am Christian” campaign in response to the letter N’s written on the walls of Christian homes in Mosul. [On July 20] some of them turned up outside the Chaldean Church of St. George in Baghdad, with a banner displaying the slogan and posted a picture on Facebook.

Another article shows pictures of Muslims in Mosul holding up various signs in support of Christians, including one that reads, Christians: Apostles of Peace and Love.

Meanwhile, in Garissa, Kenya, the site of the gruesome massacre of Christian university students by El Shabab militants,

In a show of solidarity with their Christian neighbors, the Kenyan Muslim community in the Nairobi area took to the streets in protest against terrorism in their name. “We want to condemn the attack and urge the government to take security seriously and take actions against terrorist suspects,” said Ishmael Abdul. “We’ll not sit and see terrorists divide this country.”

Re-telling the Good Samaritan parable as the story of the Good Muslim does not imply that Islam is a religion of peace any more than Jesus implied that Samaritanism was a vibrant and misunderstood faith.

It does imply, however, that human beings are not canisters into which particular religions or ideologies are poured and labels affixed. Rarely are such helpful, or accurate.

However, Jesus did note in the Good Samaritan parable one ideological label which held particular interest for him:

Neighbor.

Posted in ISIS, Visiting and Remembering, Works of Mercy | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sharing The Gospel In Her North Korean Hometown, For The First Time In Seven Years

Posted on April 23, 2015 by tdillmuth

Logo 071414Many well-meaning Westerners have traveled to North Korea for purposes related to teaching, sightseeing or even evangelism.  We are always very purposeful in telling people, in no uncertain terms, to not visit North Korea.

Our reasoning relates, not to the danger, but to the uniformed strategy that many Westerners employ.  For example, if you are going for tourism than you are doing nothing more than supporting an evil regime with your money and seeing a part of North Korea that the government wants you to see.  If like some dedicated Christians, you are entering into NK for evangelism, than you are ignoring the faithful witness of the NK underground church who is already doing the work of Christ in NK.  These underground Christians are men and women who not only know the risks, but they also know the culture, the language and the best ways to reach their brothers and sisters in NK.

One example of this is our NK sister who recently visited her hometown for the first time in seven years.  Please read her own update on her visit . . .

I was so happy to meet with my relatives and friends there and share the love of God with them. Some people were monitoring my behavior and they kept watching me. I had to be careful to share the gospel directly with my relatives and friends. However, I kept trying to share the love of God with my neighbors.

There is no sufficient electricity supply to NK people, so many NK people are using solar energy. In a nearby town, there are no trees, firewood or plants, so NK people need to work for four-five hours to get firewood and sell it.

Two years ago, one of my relatives saw balloons from SK. He saw a Bible and rice as well. It had fallen down on the mountain, so he picked up the Bible and rice.

My mother is an underground Christian, although she could not share the Gospel with her neighbors directly, but whenever she had a chance to share food and help others, then she would pray for them and prepare food as well. Early every morning, before making a fire in the furnace, she reads the Bible and then she hides it secretly near the furnace. Before she goes to sleep, she hides the Bible inside the furnace. By the grace of God, neighbors in her hometown rely on my mother and she always prays for them in her heart.

God is not only working through things like balloon launches, but also through NK Christians . . . like the woman who reads her Bible and hides it by the furnace, and like her daughter who is willing to evangelize despite the fact that she was being carefully monitored.

Stories like these remind us of a God who is making himself known in some of the most difficult places around the world.  We can certainly be called to be a part of this work, but God is not asking us to do this apart from what he has already established.

In the case of North Korea, God has established a vibrant underground church with Christians who are faithfully and strategically sharing the Gospel with their friends and family members.

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