One of our staff in China spent a few days visiting with North Korean refugees earlier this year.  Given the security concerns in China, we are privileged to be able to continue our work and share the following stories with you.

Ellie

While living in North Korea, Ellie was forced to give up her daughter for adoption after her husband's death. She left North Korea in 1999 and was sold to a man in China. They had a daughter together but she lost track of her daughter when she was captured and sent back to North Korea. After a year in prison and “reeducation,” Ellie escaped to China again, and she was sold to the man she currently lives with now.

When their first son was just four years old, she was caught and spent another year in North Korea for “rehabilitation.” She returned to her husband and they had their second son together. Her oldest son is currently attending college while her youngest is a middle school student.

When asked about her prayer request, Ellie shared that in March of 2023, she was involved in a car accident while returning home after drinking with friends on Women’s Day, a major holiday in China. She still has difficulty using her left arm and leg and is only able to walk a few steps around her house. The consequences of the accident have made Ellie desperate for physical recovery. She quoted a popular Chinese expression which translates to “thankful thinking,” that says a lot of enlightenment comes from accidents. Ellie has decided to quit drinking as a result.

Hope

Hope worked as a nurse in North Korea. When she was 28, her husband died in a car accident, and at the age of 35, she had a stroke. Her health continued to decline and after some bloodwork, she was told that she had bone cancer. Hope was able to defect from North Korea in 2020 with her two daughters and a four-month old granddaughter. But even in China, she was not able to receive any treatment until recently. Hope is not able to walk as a result.

She shared that she began to see ghosts earlier this year. Various ghosts of animals and dead people would appear from time to time. Hope said their eyes were rolled back, bodies injured, they spoke nonsense and came to harass her. She attended a gathering of refugees with our pastor where he was able to pray over her and against these spirits. Hope said this phenomenon of seeing ghosts stopped immediately and she gave her life to the Lord.

Hope’s prayer request is that she might die without pain.

We all need the hope of Jesus. This giving season, would you consider making a one time donation or commit to a monthly giving plan so that we can continue the work of helping and sharing the good news of the gospel with North Korean refugees like Ellie and Hope?