When Mike Kim returned from his missions trip to Northeast China in 2001, I was deeply impacted by his stories. Neither of us could get the stories of North Korean refugees out of our minds. And with childlike naivete and a little pride, we thought we could do something to change the world. I was 24 years old and had a lot of growing up to do. We all did. The story of Crossing Borders as an organization has been about learning and growing. These are just a few things we have gleaned along the way.

Learning from the W’s and L’s

We have helped hundreds of North Koreans. For the overwhelming majority of refugees, the aid given has had a profound positive impact on their lives. But not everything in the field always went according to plan. Through the humbling moments to the greatest victories, God gave us the gift of wisdom and understanding. Starting an organization at the age of 24 with no prior experience or training also proved to be one of the most difficult and rewarding challenges of my life. Successes and failures have shaped us to become who we are today and we are grateful for both. 

Impact

The count of refugees we’ve helped doesn’t quite encapsulate the full breadth of the work because of the significant impact that a little help and care have had in the lives of many refugees. While providing people with vital resources like food, shelter and money, I have bore witness to the softening of many hearts. I have seen people who were hardened by the Great North Korean Famine and then human trafficking sing and dance with joy and freedom. It is this immeasurable impact that most motivates me.

The power of community amplifies our effectiveness. We do not help North Korean refugees in a vacuum. We try our best to help them in the context of a group setting. Human traffickers sold these women to men in targeted regions of China. We learned of these concentrated areas where they have done “business” which enabled us to minister to many more trafficked North Korean women. But before they met Crossing Borders, most were unaware that there were others like them nearby.

There is power in knowing that you are not alone.

We also have felt the power of community from our donors. This work would not be possible without your financial support, but most importantly, it is your moral support, faithful prayers and loving encouragement that keeps us going. You help us stay grounded and humble while challenging us to continue to fight the good fight.

Laughter is the spice of life

I am prone to colossal accidents. My staff rarely passes up opportunities to tease me about them because, let’s be honest, it’s who I am. Here is an abbreviated list of my best “worst” moments during my tenure at Crossing Borders:

1. I lost my passport on my first trip to China and I was told I would be stuck there for at least six months. Fortunately, this did not happen. 

2. My six-foot, American-fed frame is not able to fit into a Chinese outhouse. There are pictures floating around internally that depict this. 

3. I once shattered my elbow while on a bike ride with a donor. I invited him for a ride because I wanted to cheer him up.

The nature of our work is heavy and the depravity we see can oftentimes bring us towards depression. There have been times over these years where the sadness and unfathomable suffering of the North Korean people has consumed me. I’m grateful that God clothed me with gladness (Psalm 30:11) in those seasons as he reminds me of his immense love for the destitute. There’s great joy in seeing even one life, one refugee’s eternity changed forever.

Through this work, I have learned to laugh. If you’re going to start an organization and be exposed to some of the darkest aspects of human behavior, I’d suggest that you do it with people who can make you laugh. It has been good for my soul to balance all of the heaviness with the lighter moments. It helps me to continue in this line of work. I also hope for the day when all of the refugees we help can experience unadulterated joy and laughter.

As an eternal pessimist (I am a Cubs fan, after all), I can easily focus on the cruelty and bile I see everyday in this line of work. Over the years, God has trained me to choose to see the good. Though there is much brokenness in the lives of the people we help, I choose hope, peace and love. While the darkness may seem unavoidable, I know the Lord is at hand!

Paul (a prisoner himself) addressed this so well in Philippians 4:8: 

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

This is how I can rejoice in any and every situation.

As we reflect on the twenty years behind us and look towards (hopefully) another twenty years ahead, I’m humbled by the beautiful work that God is doing. He works through us, in us and oftentimes in spite of lost passports, outhouse mishaps and even broken elbows for His own glory and for the good of the sojourner. I’m not the reason why Crossing Borders has been able to help refugees for two decades. He is. This is at the heart of what keeps me going with the same vigor that we started with many years ago. I am grateful for all of you who have journeyed with us.