Prayer for North Korean Refugees: Protection

We have always known that the work that we do with Crossing Borders involves risk, danger, concerns for both the North Korean refugees we aid and those who help them. Even as our network security is scrutinized regularly for flaws, there are still ways the Chinese or North Korean governments can hack into our systems. Though we take precautions upon precautions, there are always dangers present for our workers and the North Korean refugees we support. We realize that even though each of our workers uses code names and no one knows the location of our missionaries’ homes, there are still ways to find them. None of our Chinese citizen workers has ever heard the name “Crossing Borders,” but there are still ways for them to get into terrible trouble.

No matter how many precautions we take to keep our North Korean refugees, our missionaries and our workers safe, we can never overstate the fact that our work is illegal and there are inherent risks that people take when they step off the plane in China.

It is the prayers of our supporters to God that have ultimately provided our protection. God has, in our every step, made our efforts possible. Some of these stories we have been able to share, most others would compromise the safety of our refugees or field workers. But believe us when we say that there is an army of angels that surely looks after us.

Thank you for your continued prayers. Please continue to lift us up.

An Inside Look: Our Work with North Korean Refugees

Welcome to the new and improved Crossing Borders website and blog! We are an organization with the mission to share the compassion of Christ with North Korean refugees and their children in China.

It has been over 5 years since we’ve had a blog and for good reason: security.

There is a line we must walk as a missionary organization. We must share stories about the North Korean refugees we encounter and their plight.  Telling stories about the people we help can spread awareness about our mission but in so doing, we can run the risk of compromising the security of the very people we support. Since we’ve been on the mission field now for seven years, we feel like we have developed a firm grasp on what we can and cannot share and the precautions we must take in security.

We understand that we ask of our partner churches, donors and supports for an incredible amount of trust in participating in our work. In order for you to donate to us or even take time to read our emails, tweets and now, blog entries, you must first believe that we do in fact help North Korean refugees in Northeast China. You have to trust that we aren’t just pocketing your money and using it for ourselves.

There is a leap of faith that so many of you make when you write your checks and send them so faithfully to our PO Box.

We believe the trust factor is one reason why so many people don’t support us. If this is you, we hope this blog will help you change your mind.

Although we can never share the names of our refugees, tell you where they live or show their faces, we hope that this blog will give you the information necessary to trust that we are in fact on the difficult mission to restore the lives of North Korean refugees and their children.

We will share stories of our refugees and orphans, give you a behind-the-scenes look at our work, recommend and review books that might help you understand what we’re doing better, and share updates in the world of North Korean refugee work. We will try to pack as much information and news into our posts as possible. We warn you that some of our stories will be heartbreaking, dispiriting, depressing. But we guarantee that there will also be stories of light, joy and hope.

Through it all, we hope that you will be more engaged and motivated to help us share compassion and love to a people in need.