Exultate Justi

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Soap Box - Isaiah 58:6-8

6 Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Howdy, all. Lots going on, and precious little time to blog. With that in mind, please allow me to share something that's been on my heart for quite some time. Zealots are hard to deal with, I know, but I'd rather burn a few people out in opening a few eyes than risk saying nothing at all. Granted, I've written about the issue before, but I'm specifically asking for my fellow believers in Christ who read this blog to take some specific steps in prayer before the Lord.

This weekend, our small group took a look at the Biblical question of Hell...as in, "what is Hell"? For now, allow me to sum up a non-theological version of the answer by saying "I don't know, but I'm willing to bet that it looks a lot like North Korea."

Some estimates indicate that more than 3.5 million North Koreans have starved to death since 1995, in a famine that is largely the result of its governmental policies. The enormous quantities of food and economic aid sent by the west has done almost no good whatsoever, as it has (predictably) been diverted to the regime's military machine (perhaps the only well-fed sector of society). In addition, there are unknown numbers (believed to be in the hundreds of thousands) who are kept in prison camps, where the odds of long-term survival are almost nil. The North Korean philosophy of punishment dictates that the person who commits a crime isn't the only one who suffers. Instead, multiple generations of that family are taken away, and sent to these camps (most of which can be easily located with commercial satellite maps).

For those desperate enough to try and flee the country across the border with China (the only escape route, really), the future is bleak, as well. Despite its status as a signatory to every major human rights treaty, China disregards its obligation to provide shelter and asylum for North Korean refugees, and repatriates them to North Korea, where they face almost certain death as punishment for their "treason". The US does remarkably little to assist, as well, as many refugees who have made it to the very gates of the US Embassy in Shenyang have been turned back, and handed over to the Chinese for repatriation (despite the passage of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004).

To get more specific (and actionable), there are hundreds of thousands of North Korean women and children currently hiding throughout China. They exist as non-people, unable to leave China (no papers), and unable to make it to the US or South Korea, where they can find asylum. The vast majority of North Korean women in China are sold into sex trafficking (estimates range from a low of 75% to a high of 90%), and the children struggle to simply survive on their own. The State Department refuses to allow the adoption of North Korean children in China due to the UN's refusal to classify them as orphans, due to the fact that their parents might conceivably be alive in North Korea.

Despite these countless outrages, the world has done almost nothing. Just like Rwanda. Just like Sudan. This catastrophe, however, has been building for more than 50 years, under the noses of several of the most developed, affluent nations in the world.

The church has a major role to play in saving these desperate women and children. The only lifelines that exist for these people are in place due largely to the work of a network of small charities (Helping Hands Korea, and Liberty in North Korea to name a couple) and South Korean churches that operate something of an 'underground railroad" designed to smuggle these people out, or allow them to live in safe houses in China where they can be fed and clothed.

It is my desire to assist in this effort, and to see more churches in this nation answer the call to "care for widows and orphans", and to liberate and shelter the oppressed. Please join me in praying for guidance and wisdom as to how best to do this. If you have the time, please watch these videos. They provide a good background on the work that needs to be done, and of the razor-thin margins that separate life from death for countless people in that dark place.

Short videos:
Seoul Train trailer (and here's the story of the family in this heart-rending video)
Mi Sun: a North Korean Refugee in China (personal story)
We Are All Witnesses
Street Children in North Korea

Basic background on North Korea (longer videos):
Welcome to North Korea (documentary)
The North Korean Human Rights Crisis (LiNK presentation)

Survivor Accounts:
Born and Raised in a Concentration Camp (presentation by Dong Hyuk Shin - a 26 year-old defector)
Escape from North Korea (a documentary following an entire family as they are smuggled out with the help of a South Korean pastor)

Forgive me for being so long-winded. I beg for your prayers. I can't shake these things from my mind, and I know that in one way or another, I'm called to do something in this effort. You, my friends, got roped in because I know you'll lift these people before the Lord. Thanks for your time.

(permalink) Posted by Jared @ 3:20 PM |

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