Source: Godreports, June 2, 2014
The North Korean famine of the 1990s resulted in the deaths of as many as 800,000 people. The famine’s return in 2013 led some to undertake desperate measures to survive. Many attempt to cross the border into China in a frantic search for food.
Some of the North Koreans understand if they can locate a certain identifiable symbol on a house or building, they will find sustenance.
“North Koreans know when they find the cross, they are able to get food and shelter,” says Joseph Lee, with Cornerstone Ministries International.
One church in northeast China has spearheaded a special outreach to North Korean refugees over the last decade. As a result, about 400 North Koreans who traveled to China to get food have heard the gospel through their ministry.
After a rapport is developed and the refugees’ physical needs are attended, even deeper needs can be met. “After this we feel that they are ready to listen to us; we explain the gospel to them,” Lee noted.
“Together they are taught how to pray and sing hymns as a group so that they can sing them in their own personal devotions, as it is dangerous to carry the Bible or hymn books into North Korea. We encourage them to memorize Bible verses and hymns, which they are really good at.”
» Read complete article. See also this Report from House Churches in North Korea.