Missions Catalyst

Source: Open Doors, April 29, 2021

North Korean refugee Seojun grows emotional as he remembers the hardship of growing up during North Korea’s “Great Famine” in the 1990s. He shares how he roamed the countryside foraging for vegetables, often going hungry.

A new report by the United Nations indicates North Koreans could be facing the same situations Seojun described. The UN released a statement saying that 40 percent of the country’s population (25.8 million) is starving.

While North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has previously told North Koreans to “tighten their belts” and has spoken about the country’s economic difficulties, at the beginning of this month, speaking at a party conference, Kim used words he has not previously uttered publicly to describe the current situation facing North Koreans, including more than an estimated 400,000 underground Christians.

Speaking to his party officials, the 37-year-old leader called on them to “wage another, more difficult ‘Arduous March’ in order to relieve our people of the difficulty, even a little.” The Arduous March refers to the name the people gave the great famine of the 1990s in which 2-3 million people died—a crisis created when the fall of the Soviet Union left North Korea without vital aid.

Full story includes a video in which Seojun, now a pastor in South Korea, remembers the famine of the 1990s, as well as an update on the COVID-19 situation in North Korea.

See also an analysis of the situation from the BBC and a distressing report from World Vision about seven million people at risk of starvation in six countries in East Africa.

Source: Morning Star News, April 20, 2021

Pastor Sanjay Bhandari had taken his wife for a medical check-up earlier this month when they decided to visit her sister in the same area in Karnataka state, southwest India.

“While we were still having tea, a few men barged inside the house and, grabbing me by my shirt collar, they dragged me outside, accusing me of carrying out conversions,” Pastor Bhandari told Morning Star News. “I tried very hard to explain that it was my relatives’ house and that we were only paying them a casual visit, but the men refused to listen.”

The Hindu extremists in Halaga village, near Belgaum city, Belgaum District also ignored the pleas of his wife’s family that day, April 5. The men took Pastor Bhandari outside, where 50 to 60 Hindu extremists were waiting, he said.

The mob paraded him a mile to the rented worship hall where he has led Sunday services for five years, hitting and kicking him along the way, he said.

“They continued to hit me as they dragged me,” said Pastor Bhandari, a resident of Belgaum city. “They abused me and Jesus Christ in filthy language and pressured me to hail, ‘Jai Sri Ram [Hail lord Ram],’ as they beat me.”

The mob accused him of converting their community to Christianity and trying to convert the family he was visiting—though they are already Christian, he said.

Read the full story.

As COVID continues to surge in India, we’re seeing numerous stories about people impacted and others trying to help—including members of the Indian diaspora. Did you realize the Indian diaspora, 18 million strong, is the largest in the world? (The Economic Times).

Source: International Mission Board, April 14, 2021

Choi had grown up in a rural village made up of bamboo huts carved into the side of a hill. Her community had no clean water and wasn’t accessible by car, so when our teams discovered her curiosity about the gospel through her daughter, they hiked to the summit to meet Choi and share the hope of God’s love with her searching heart.

Sitting around the campfire at night, our partners switched between Thai, English, and the village dialect to communicate with Choi. She was eager to hear the Good News but didn’t know how to read, so she asked each of our partners to share their testimonies verbally. Once she had heard them witness to the transformation God’s presence had brought in their lives, Choi jumped up and exclaimed, “Yes! This is what I’ve been searching for!”

Soon, Choi was the most prominent evangelist in the foothills.

The full story shares how God delivered Choi from witchcraft and her daughter from prostitution.

Source: Prayercast, May 5, 2021

Tomorrow (May 6) is the National Day of Prayer in the United States. And it comes at a complicated time in American history. The deep divisions feel insurmountable. The hurts and griefs feel unresolvable. Many Americans feel powerless. But we serve an all-powerful God! May the Holy Spirit ignite united prayer for America, across this nation and around the world, at this critical moment in history.

Watch the video and read related materials.

Take a look at the official National Day of Prayer resources.