An Unusual Greeting For Some North Korean Refugees Entering Thailand

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Pastor Foley

WLO_visitrememberThailand and Laos hold a special place in the heart of almost all North Korean defectors because it is here, when crossing the Mekong River, that they can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they have at last reached some semblance of safety. From here they turn themselves in to a local detention facility, and then the South Korean Embassy is notified to take custody of them and initiate the process of bringing them to South Korea.

This time in Thailand and Laos is a more complicated and dangerous process than it sounds, as there is no road map to detention facilities, and brokers do not risk crossing the Mekong for fear of their identities being discovered. So when North Koreans exit the skiffs onto the other side of the river they simply wander in the direction they’ve been told by their broker to go. In the case of Thailand, the northern part is mountainous, beautiful, and dangerous, with many poisonous snakes and mudslides. Small prisons dot the border landscape.

We partnered with two volunteer missionaries, Brother P and Brother P, who travel from Chiang Mai to the border region twice a month to bring care packages of hygiene items to newly arrived NK refugees. They had contacted us through our sister ministry, Voice of the Martyrs/US, asking for Korean New Testaments, and with VOM/US’ help we were delighted to supply them 200 of our North Korean dialect New Testaments at no charge.

Dr. Foley and I brought two Underground University (UU) missionaries with us, KWO and LCS. Each of our UU students must go on at least one mission trip with Dr. Foley and me, getting involved hands-on, side-by-side with us in the field to minister to their fellow North Koreans.

Both KWO and LCS were absolutely stunned to learn that they were experts, able to teach Brother P and Brother P many things about North Korean refugees ranging from possible refugee routes to the items most needed in prison to what happens to NK refugees once they arrive in the detention facilities. Brother P and Brother P were eager learners.

Further, the trip was extremely emotional for both women but especially KWO, since the area we visited was the exact area where she had crossed to freedom, and one of the prisons we visited was the prison where she was detained. It was interesting to learn that both women had a large number of repressed memories from their defection journeys, both positive and negative, and these memories came flooding back during our trip. I was grateful that Dr. Foley was there, given her background in licensed clinical counseling. It was easy to tell that this was a powerful healing moment for the women.

Picture taking is of course strictly prohibited at the detention facility. Still, in my years of doing this work I can recall few experiences as moving as the moment that the UU missionaries and the refugees melted into each others’ arms, crying freely. It makes me tear up to think about it even now. For some experiences, words fail.

Having the UU missionaries there made Brother P and Brother P’s ministry exponentially more effective, as they themselves attested. They do not speak Korean, and so they can’t explain who they are and why they are giving the items. Our UU missionaries were able to give the refugees the New Testaments and explain what the books are for. Our UU missionaries shared with Brother P and Brother P that there is absolutely nothing for NKs to do in the detention center, and so they sit all day long for hours on end doing absolutely nothing. They were excited that the refugees will have North Korean dialect New Testaments to read, and they know that the refugees will have many hours to ponder the statement of the UU missionaries that “God sent us to greet you.”

Posted in Bible, Making Disciples, North Korea, Proclaiming The Gospel, Sharing Your Bread, Visiting and Remembering, Works of Mercy | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Let’s Be Slow To Assume That Persecuted Christians Feel The Same Way About Their Situation As We Do

Posted on October 1, 2014 by tdillmuth

WLO_selfdenialWhat emotions are stirred up within you when you read a story like that of Kollol which was recently published on the VOM Blog?

“Kollol” and his wife were attacked by 15 radical Hindus during a June 4 prayer meeting in their home. The couple were beaten and then dragged to a Hindu temple, where they were forced to undergo a ritual cleansing . . .

Maybe you feel a great deal of horror, mixed in with shock, sadness and pity. And finally, maybe you feel a bit of outrage – you are angry that this is still happening in the 21st century.

None of these emotions are necessarily wrong. I often feel the same thing. And yet you and I may be surprised that the emotions expressed by persecuted Christians themselves are often quite different.

This is not to say that persecuted Christians don’t feel sadness, outrage or horror in the midst of their own suffering. But we should be slow to generalize our feelings onto them and quick to listen to them share the range of emotions they often feel.

Take for example the powerful witness of Varia, a former Communist who received Christ and was consequently imprisoned. Here is a portion of her letter as recorded by Richard Wurmbrand in Tortured for Christ,

The sufferings that God sends us only strengthen us more and more in the faith in Him. My heart is so full that the grace of God overflows. At work, they curse and punish me, giving me extra work because I cannot be silent. I must tell everyone what the Lord has done for me. He has made me a new being, a new creation, of me who was on the way of perdition. Can I be silent after this? No, never! As long as my lips can speak, I will witness to every one about His great love (pg. 140)

And listen to how Rev. Wurmbrand himself describes the beauty of imprisoned believers. He said,

There, Christians wear chains with the gladness with which a bride wears a precious jewel received from her beloved. The waters in prison are still. They receive His kiss and His embraces, and would not change places with kings. I have found truly joyful Christians only in the Bible, in the Underground Church and in prison (pg. 94).

Finally, consider the words of Mr. Bae in These are the Generations. He said,

I became thankful to the Lord for this time in prison – his arresting me from my own pride and drawing me into a time of reflecting, of mumbling too soft for words, of striving to remembering by his grace every hymn that we had ever sung, every lesson my grandfather had ever taught. That is how I came to rely on only the Holy Spirit with faith (pg. 55).

In describing their own suffering, persecuted Christians use words such as grace, gladness, thankfulness and strength. Very different from our words of horror, sadness, pity and shock.

And often because of our powerful emotions, we seek ways to remove those Christians from prison. Yet many persecuted Christians say they would not be willing to change places . . . even with kings.

Like you, I don’t completely understand the depths of their feelings, situation or faith . . . and yet I sense that I have much to learn from their example. I sense that like the persecuted church, I must find joy, honor and God’s grace in the midst of difficult circumstances. I sense that instead of only solving problems with my money and power, I must learn to trust God . . . in everything. And more and more I must make a decision to voluntarily take up the cross in my own nation and neighborhood, while the wood is still green.

Posted in North Korea, persecution, Sanctification | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

In North Korea You Are Free To Believe In Any Religion, So Long As It’s Juche: An Excerpt From North Korea’s Own Human Rights Report

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Pastor Foley

SUSA-KoreanHenry Ford is famous for having said that you could order his new Model T automobile in any color you wanted, as long as that color was black.

North Korea takes much the same approach in matters of religion, as it acknowledges in the religious freedom section of its own human rights report, released earlier this month. North Korea writes:

In the DPRK everybody is fully provided with the rights to choose and follow their own religion and thought according to their own free will.

Every citizen has chosen to follow the Juche Idea… (p. 72)

For those of us who have long insisted that Juche is not merely a political ideology but a religion, it is worth noting that North Korea itself draws the parallel. It moves fluidly back and forth in this religious freedom report between mentions of Juche and mentions of various religions as it finds itself on the horns of a uniquely North Korean dilemma:

  • All North Korean citizens freely choose to believe in the Juche ideology, which is “the world outlook centred on human being.”
  • All North Korean citizens can—and do–freely choose to believe in and practice other religions, i.e., they are, according to the human rights report, “officially or personally, privately or jointly with others carrying out religious service, ritual and ceremony. They are free to build religious structures or conduct religious education.”
  • According to the report, these religions include Buddhism, Chondoism, Protestantism, and Catholicism.
  • Problem is, none of these religions is particularly well known for being “[a] world outlook centred on human being.”

Well, says the North Korean human rights report, that is because it is only in their adulterated, anti-DPRK forms that such religions are something other than Juche-flavored at the core. And when the Juche flavor fades, acknowledges the report, that’s when the North Korean government has to step in and stamp it out:

Freedom of religion is allowed and provided by the State law within the limit necessary for securing social order, health, social security, morality and other human rights. Especially, the Government prevents the religion from being used to draw in foreign forces or harm the state and social order.

Sum it up and say: You can have any kind of religion you want, so long as when you scratch the surface, there’s Juche underneath.

Sadly, as we’ve noted in a prior post, the World Council of Churches has not yet discerned this. Or, even more disconcertingly, perhaps they have discerned this and yet regard Juche-Christianity as an authentic expression of the Christian faith. Either way, one claim on which we completely concur with North Korea’s human rights report is that the World Council of Churches’ engagement is very, very useful for the North Korean regime:

At present we have the Korean Christians’ Federation, the Korean Buddhists Federation, the Korean Catholic Association, the Korean Chondoist Society and the Korean Association of Religionists in the DPRK. These religious organizations have well-organized structural system (Central Committee at national level, sub-committees at provincial, city and county level and sub-units under them) and their own church, publication, educational organ and so on. They are also conducting cooperation and exchanges with several religious organizations of the world. (Such as World Religionists Peace Conference, World Council of Churches and Asia Religionists Peace Conference)

Last week we wrote about North Korea’s confirmation that our balloon-launched New Testaments are landing true. It is worth noting that the New Testaments we send are ones originally translated and authorized for printing by the North Korean government. So if what we were sending is authorized by the North Korean government, and if North Koreans are indeed guaranteed the free choice and practice of religion, then it’s puzzling why our launches would concern them as much as they do. After all, we are doing little more than aiding the publication efforts they laud in their human rights report:

Publications of religious organizations in the DPRK include “Chondoist Scriptures”, “Chondoist Epitome”, “The Old Testament”, “Hymns”, “Selection and Practice”, “Let’s Know about Chonjugyo”, “Steps of Religious Life” and “Catholic Prayers”.

Interesting that they list the Old Testament but omit the New Testament.

Well, no worries. Fortunately we have that one covered.

Posted in Balloon Launching, Bible, North Korea, persecution | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments