Beaverton church works with North Korean defectors

By EDWIN OUELLETTE
CNNW intern reporter

    BEAVERTON — A missions team from a local church recently returned from working with North Korean defectors in South Korea. The 12-person team, from Southwest Hills Baptist Church, partnered with Seoul USA and Voice of the Martyrs in a nine day trip June 20-29.
    South Korea has become a refuge for North Koreans looking to avoid religious persecution in their country. In North Korea, Christians face more hostility than in any other country, said Annalise Klein, a member of the mission team. “It is the number one country where Christians are persecuted … 90 percent of the Christians (in North Korea) are in concentration camps,” said Klein.
    There are five active concentration camps in North Korea of which the team was aware, said Andrew Elzinga, another team member. “Christians never come out — they’re death camps,” he added.
    The concentration camps in North Korea have been around for 50 years. They are as terrible as the German concentration camps in World War II, said Klein. But the North Korean government denies they exist — yet satellite images confirm their existence, and numerous people have escaped from the camps, she added.
    From the beginning, this particular effort was not a typical mission trip. It was intended as a starting point — an exploratory trip. The team first connected with Voice of the Martyrs, an international Christian organization that assists the persecuted Church. Next, the team partnered with Seoul USA, a ministry devoted to supporting the work of the indigenous underground churches of North Korea. A common goal was to help spread awareness about what is going on in North Korea. “We wanted to find out how American churches can help reach North Koreans,” said Klein.
    While in Seoul, the team worked in a Seoul USA program called Under-ground University, which trains North Korean defectors to return to North Korea as missionaries. Klein said going back into North Korea is “pretty much a death sentence —most people don’t go back in and come back out.”   

    Still, some Christians are willing to take the risk to meet the desperate need that exists for missionaries there. Throughout the trip, the team experienced many unique opportunities. For instance, members attended a church for North Korean defectors. North Korean defectors are often not welcome in South Korea, even in its churches.
    “Most South Koreans aren’t very open to having North Koreans worship with them or (become) a part of their congregation,” said Klein.
    Elzinga said a majority of South Koreans look down upon North Koreans. One reason is that most defectors have some sort of stress-related illness.
    The mission team also interviewed two of the top North Korean activists. One of the activists, Kang Chol-Hwan, author of Aquariums of Pyongyang, met with President George W. Bush on June 15, 2005 to discuss the plight of Christians in North Korea.
    Team members also participated in a one-night home-stay with a North Korean. Klein said the home-stay was very interesting because from birth, North Koreans are taught to hate Americans, including missionaries.    However, team members were successful in establishing trust and friendship with many North Korean defectors.
    Additionally, the team helped to launch 70,000 gospel tracts into North Korea via giant helium balloons. The balloons were rigged with a device that released the leaflets at pre-determined locations. The team took a small fishing boat out to sea for the launch.
     Finding a solution to the problems in North Korea will be no quick nor easy task, said Klein. “There are so many horrible things going on behind the North Korean border, we can’t just step aside and just go on with our lives here,” she added.
     Currently, the team is planning a Voice of the Martyrs conference Sept. 18 at Central Bible Church in Portland, and Sept. 19 at Southwest Hills Baptist in Beaverton. Speakers will include a North Korean defector, as well as Eric Foley of Seoul USA. For more information, visit: www.prayforthepersecuted.com, www.persecu-tion.com, or www.seoulusa.