Thank God they failed. No really, thank Him every day. Imagine a Korea with little or no Christianity. Totalitarian. Communist. The largest church in the world would be somewhere else. The mission-sending power that Korea has become, Korea would not have become. The economics and politics of such a situation are mind-boggling also.

But they failed. Kim Joon-gon was one who witnessed this failure, though through several reverses of fortune. According to Hefley's By Their Blood Kim had first suffered persecution under the Japanese who took over Korea in the early 20th century. He had become a Christian and refused to worship at one of the many Shinto shrines set up by them. Then World War II ended with its clear message to the Japanese. They left. But the Koreans had seen nothing yet.

The Koreans themselves out-did the Japanese for cruelty when they became twisted in their thinking by the Communists and the one that ruled them, Kim Il-sung. In 1950 the North made their move and Kim Joon-gon, his wife, and his daughter fled to an island. But the Communists took over that island, and he was trapped. In October his turn came to be arrested. His crime was friendship with American missionaries, who in paranoid Communist thinking had only come to conquer Korea for the U.S. After he denied such foolishness and was given more threats, they ley him go. He had not denied Jesus or His people.

When he arrived home he found his wife busy preparing white martyrs' clothing, in Korean tradition. She fully expected to be with the Lord soon. She was not disappointed.

Kim, wife, and father-in-law were arrested in the cowardly Communist style, at 2 a.m. next morning. With a trained mob as in Jesus' trial, the Communists intimidated and beat the father and the wife to death. Kim himself passed out from the beatings, and did not awaken until dawn. He stumbled away from the tragic scene left by his oppressors to the house of a neighbor woman he presumed to be still an interested friend. How wrong he was.

She called the Communists. They came and were going to kill him at once in the house. The woman protested, asking only that they at least take him outside. Kim escapes death again.

Outside a debate began as to the best way to dispose of this troublesome Christian. As the argument continued people from the village approached and begged that this man, who had only taught them good things, migt be spared. Life spared yet again.

There was a pause. And in the midst of the silence a sudden shout from other soldiers down the road: "Americans!" Kim was forgotten in an instant, as it became clear that the UN troops were on the way. Once more, no death for Kim.

A man so marvelously allowed to live must surely be grateful and determined to serve Christ all his days. So it was. First the business of forgiveness. When those who killed his wife and father were brought to trial Kim insisted that His Lord wanted him to show mercy. And mercy was shown. And news of that mercy spread across the island. Communists repented and came to Christ. The enemy had been conquered by the King of Kings.

Next Kim became principal of a High School and pastor of a large church. The message was passed on to many hundreds more. In 1957 he came to study at a famous American seminary, met Bill Bright -founder of Campus Crusade for Christ- and returned to Korea to direct CCC's South Korean work.