Source: www.persecution.org
Date: February 8, 2022
North Korea (International Christian Concern) – For having a Bible, a group of North Korean Christians was sent to remote village with hard labor and limited rations.
Open Doors UK recently shared the story of Bae*, a Christian leader who had her Bible destroyed and forced to live in exiled place yet refuses to abandon her underground church inside North Korea.
Bae spends her day working in the fields picking crops in the village she’s forced to live in. By night, she and her housemates cover the windows with blankets, light a small candle, and sit in a tight circle before getting out a book to read.
“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,” she reads.
Although Bae was offered to stay in China, she turned down the offer and continues to serve her underground church. Below is a recent letter from her received by OD staff in China.
“Dear Brother,
We are well and at peace through the grace of Jesus Christ and your prayers. When our Bible was found, it was immediately destroyed. And because we are Christians, we were exiled to a remote village with no chance of ever leaving. Work here is hard. Rations are limited. We are always hungry or sick.
We need to forage to survive. But every morning when I open my eyes, I feel the presence of the Lord and thank our father God that I am still strong enough to be used as His servant.
Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Even though it was difficult, I recently was able to cross the border into China. There I met with other Christians. They gave me food, medicine and – by the grace of God – a new Bible.
I was offered a place to stay in China. It would have meant freedom. But I could not abandon my family and church however small it may be.
From your perspective, brother, our suffering must appear as though we live a cursed life. However, we see it as a blessing because it is a shortcut to the father.
But yet brother, I have one more request that you send our gratitude to those who continue to pray for us.
In return we’ll stay healthy and continue to spread the Gospel throughout North Korea.
Your sister in Christ.”
Please continue to keep brave North Korean Christians such as Bae in your prayers, as they live in the country that is considered most hostile to Christianity in the world.
*Name changed for security reasons.
HOW TO PRAY: Pray for protection for North Korea’s underground church. Pray for Bae’s faith to be strengthened in this season. Pray for the gospel to spread among the unreached in North Korea.