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North Korea Investigative
Mission Trip 2001
Prayer/Support Letter
Greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ!
God has opened up a tremendous
opportunity for me to serve Him this summer. I will be part of a
small team going to northeast China to search for North Korean refugees
who are fleeing a famine that is devastating that country. An estimated
three million people in North Korea have died because of severe
floods that have destroyed the annual harvest since the mid-’90s.
Every day hundreds of North Koreans enter China illegally in search
of a better life, without knowing who Jesus Christ is.
This trip is intended to help lay
the groundwork for future evangelism in North Korea. As North Korea
continues to open itself up to the world, Christians must be prepared
to effectively present the gospel to these people. By speaking intimately
with the refugees about their lives, our hope is to accurately assess
the situation in North Korea and spread awareness to the international
community.
The past few years I have worked
as an online news editor and seen the power the Internet has to
give people a deeper look at a story by combining text, photos,
multimedia and interactivity. God has given me a blessed opportunity
through my job to inform people of news going in the community and
around the world. Through this trip, our team hopes to provide resources
that will let people witness daily life for those living near the
North Korean border; listen to refugees tell their life stories;
and interact with other believers who have a passion for the people
of North Korea.
We plan to have those resources
available at www.nkmissions.com, which has more details about
the mission trip and recent news articles about North Korea. I also
ask that you prayerfully consider supporting this trip financially,
as it will cost $3,000 per person.
Here are my personal prayer requests:
• To have a heart that
is open and obedient to God’s guidance. With this being my first
mission trip, I want to continually lean on His understanding instead
of my own. Trusting in God will be particularly important because
I’m not fluent in Korean and Mandarin Chinese — thus my actions
in China will definitely speak louder than my words.
• Wisdom and protection
concerning the North Korean refugees. Because they live in constant
fear of being discovered by North Korean or Chinese spies, finding
refugees willing to share openly will be challenging. Also, interacting
with foreigners, especially Christian missionaries, could further
endanger the refugees if caught by spies. Not only do we want to
learn the refugees’ stories, but we also want to share with them
the greatest story of all — the saving power of Jesus Christ.
• For seeds to be planted
in North Korea. This trip is not meant to be a one-time deal,
but an opportunity to prepare for when North Korea is opened up
to the world. Gathering life stories from refugees will give us
a better understanding of the current situation in North Korea and
help strategize future outreach efforts.
For His glory,
“G”
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