Image above: Drawing based on eyewitness account shows secret church service in North Korea.
Despite Kim Jong-un's attempts to signal openness to the outside world, it is still a crime to be a Christian in North Korea. Only the Juche ideology is allowed in the country, which teaches, among other things, that man is made in the image of Kim Il-Sung and that citizens must honor and obey the Kim dynasty.
Yet there are an estimated 100,000 underground Christians in North Korea. One third of these are estimated to be trapped in the country's notorious concentration camps, described as worse than Hitler's. The humiliation of the inmates is indescribable. Witnesses report that guards urinate on prisoners and some prisoners are subjected to plagues of lice.
There are accounts from the concentration camps of Christians being pressured by their captors to deny their faith and accept Juche ideology. One eyewitness reports that Christians are executed, including being burned alive as in the drawing.
Leaders in the underground church tell Danish European Mission that Christians stand firmly on the words of Psalm 121 from the Bible, which says: "I lift my eyes to the mountains, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth".
No dictatorship can stop God from helping those who call on him, not even a country like North Korea - where the health situation is also catastrophic. Hospitals lack medicine and even the most basic equipment. North Korean Christians say that life in the country has become a struggle for survival.
Through secret channels, you can ensure that medicine is smuggled to persecuted Christians. Diseases treated include tuberculosis, hepatitis B, diarrhea, fevers, infectious diseases, circulatory problems, high blood pressure and arthritis, and supplements are smuggled in.
The North Korean Christians say: "The worst thing in North Korea is the lack of medicine and malnutrition. It is critical, especially for newborns, children and the elderly."
"Our underground church does its best to care for the weak, the elderly and children who have lost their parents with care and empowered by the love of Christ. There are indeed many challenges, obstacles and problems on our path, but we look to Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life, for strength and encouragement."
It's touching and encouraging to read. The North Korean Christians look to Jesus - and experience in their challenging daily lives how he brings joy and strength.
And they not only apply the medicine to themselves, but also give to others in need. In doing so, because of the encouragement they have received, they bring hope to others in need in what is probably one of the most isolated and deranged places on earth.
Thank you for extending a helping hand to sick North Korean Christians and other North Koreans in need. Not only will they experience physical healing, they will also feel in a practical way that Christians outside North Korea stand with them.
