Mrs. Lee, a defector from N. Korea, inherited a legacy of faith that had been quietly preserved through four generations—despite relentless persecution. She shares:
“Before I could even say the words ‘mom’ or ‘dad,’ I was placed in a state-run daycare where I was trained to chant, ‘Thank you, Grand Master Kim Il Sung,’ over and over again. That’s how I was raised—to believe that I must dedicate my entire body and soul to the Grand Master and the nation. My parents, fearing for our safety, hid their Christian faith so carefully that I grew up without ever hearing the name of God.”
But one ordinary day when Mrs. Lee was twelve, everything changed.
“I was rummaging through the bottom of my dresser drawer when I found a book with no title on the cover. Curious, I opened it and read, ‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.’ In N. Korea, all foreign books must be reported. I was terrified. ‘How could such a forbidden book be in my house? Should I report it to the Ministry of Security? To my homeroom teacher? Will my family be ruined?’ I trembled with fear. That night, I couldn’t sleep. My mind raced with questions: ‘When is the beginning? Who is God? What are the heavens and the earth?’ The questions haunted me for days.”
Two weeks later, she mustered the courage to ask her father, “Why is that book in our house?”
Without saying a word, he gently took her hand and led her outside. Pointing to the night sky, he asked, “Do you think those stars just appeared? Or do you think someone made them?” When she couldn’t respond, he asked another question: “What animal scares you the most?” She answered, “Snakes.”
Then, for the first time, her father told her the story of Adam and Eve, the serpent, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—and the Creator who made it all. Miraculously, she didn’t question it. “Somehow, I just believed,” she recalls.
Night after night, her father shared more stories: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and then Joseph. “It all made sense,” she said. “And I found it incredibly fascinating. I knew that in a communist country like N. Korea, I could face persecution for believing in God—but I loved hearing about Him. I wanted to know more.”
HOW TO PRAY
Pray for other families such as Mrs. Lee’s to be able to share their Christian heritage with the younger generation, that they too, may know and believe in Jesus as Lord
Pray for copies of the Bible to be preserved and protected from prying eyes, so that family members may be nourished in God’s Word.
Pray for more and more young people to recognize the Truth of God when they hear it and be freed from the mental bondage of brainwashing.
Pray for hearts to be softened through God’s testimony in His creation to affirm His Word and lead more North Koreans into faith as Christ’s disciples.