We received a thank you letter from the underground church in North Korea:
"We probably received xxxx [number not disclosed for security reasons] boxes of various medications, including cold and fever medications, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics and xxx pieces of clothing."
"To follow Jesus is to be on a pilgrimage where, in the face of hardship and difficulty, one continues to praise and worship God - on the front lines of ministry. This is only possible through the power of God's Word and strong faith."
"Although there are difficulties, our North Korean believers continue to bear beautiful fruits in Christ. The path we walk on will eventually lead us to victory. We trust in the Lord who has promised us victory."
Read also: Thank you letter from the underground church in North Korea
So writes a leader of the underground church in North Korea in a letter we received. In the country, it is a crime to be a Christian, as Christians worship a different God than the Juche ideology and the Kim dynasty.
While there are official churches in Pyongyang, they only open when visitors from abroad arrive and are staffed by Communist Party volunteers. These churches are meant to give visitors the impression that there is freedom of religion in the country.
Christians meet in secret
However, the truth is that Christians must meet in secret. Typically, a small underground church does not meet at a fixed time and place, so authorities cannot uncover a pattern of meeting activity. Sometimes the believers eat together. The number is so many that can meet in one room of a house or apartment. The church tries to avoid suspicion when it meets by having a natural and legitimate reason, such as a birthday celebration.
It is extremely risky for Christians to fellowship with other Christians, possess Bibles and share their faith with others. Christians who are discovered risk being sent to prison camps without trial. Eyewitness accounts tell how people are tortured in the most horrific and humiliating ways imaginable.
According to North Korean criminal law, an entire family can be punished if one family member commits a crime, and families are punished for the crimes of family members for three generations. The North Korean regime has thus created an oppressive social structure with built-in social pressure to keep the population in an iron grip.
North Koreans live in what is probably the world's worst dictatorship, and not least Christians feel it first-hand.
The medication was a big help
Add to this COVID-19, which hit North Korea once again this summer. "Between May and August, our lives were suspended and blocked due to the severe situation after the sudden outbreak of COVID-19. All streets and villages were deserted," says the leader of the underground church.
"We couldn't get medicine at the local pharmacy. We couldn't afford to buy the little expensive medicine that was available. The price of medicine had skyrocketed due to the new wave of COVID-19. After the lockdown, people have been without food."
"Our underground church will do our best to save the lives and health of our brothers and sisters by effectively using the medicine you have sent."
The medicine is smuggled into North Korea and is used to treat dysentery, diarrhea, tuberculosis, influenza and other infectious diseases, arthritis and colds. Dietary supplements are also distributed.
Please pray for the persecuted Christians in North Korea, for the authorities and the entire population. Christians pay a high price for their faith in Jesus. They must be careful about sharing their faith. But we hear that many are sharing the message of God's love in Jesus with people they trust.
And Christians don't just use medicines and supplements for themselves. They can spread care, hope and love in a country where Christians and other segments of the population are facing fierce oppression.
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