Got your passports ready? Time to head to North Korea!
The Setting
North Korea is located on the northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea. The land is mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys and the interior is sparsely populated due to the fact that it is mostly made of mountains. North Korea has a population of about 23 million people.
Family Life
Not much is known about North Korea. This is due to the nation's strict government-enforced closed-country policy: not many outsiders have visited there and not many North Koreans have traveled to the outside world. We do know that there has been trouble in recent years with having enough food for the population causing North Koreans to try to escape to South Korea and other countries such as China. In fact, the United Nations reported in early 2011 that more than 6 million North Koreans are in need of urgent food aid.
See some rare pictures of the country and life in North Korea.
Religion
The people of North Korea are traditionally either Buddhist or Confucianist, although there are some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way). Freedom of religion is almost nonexistent. There are government-sponsored religious groups that exist to provide the illusion of religious freedom.
See “Tots on a Mission to Mongolia” for information about the difference between Christianity and Buddhism.
Confucianism isn’t technically a religion but more of a way to live (i.e. code of ethics) based on the teachings of Confucius, a traveling scholar. These teachings include standards of how to treat others, how to submit to authority and living a “good” life.
Christianity on the other hand is based on the fact that we can never be “good” enough on our own and that there is nothing good in us apart from Jesus Christ in us. Living a “good” life does not mean that we are good. We, as sinners, need Christ as our Savior as He is the only way to God. See Mommy Missions for more resources to teach your children about the Gospel.
Unfortunately, Christianity is not generally welcome in North Korea. Because of this, Christians have tried several ways to let the North Korean people know about Jesus including sending Christian books by balloon and in plastic enveloped thrown into the ocean! The vast majority of North Koreans need to hear about Jesus Christ.
This is a great kid-friendly resource from kidsofcourage.com about North Korea!
Prayers for North Korea
You can thank God for:
*the many secret believers in North Korea
You can ask God:
*that the Christians will know He is near them despite the threat of punishment or even death if they are betrayed
*to prepare the hearts of the North Koreans for the day when the good news about Jesus can once more be shared openly
*for Christians around the world to faithfully pray until people can once more share the Gospel in North Korea
Get Involved!
Find out ways you can help children all around the world in situations similar to North Koreans!
We’ve put together a printable about North Korea for you all to use with your little ones as you pray for the country. Color in the flag, see where the country is located, and spell out the name of the country too. Keep it handy because it also has the things to thank God for about the country as well as prayer reminders.
We’ve put together a printable about North Korea for you all to use with your little ones as you pray for the country.
Color in the flag, see where the country is located, and spell out the name of the country too. Keep it handy because it also has the things to thank God for about the country as well as prayer reminders.
There are so many ways to impact the world for the kingdom of God! Find out more in the book Window on the World!
Hope you enjoyed our short trip to North Korea! Please pray for everyone in this country!
No comments:
Post a Comment