When the translator saw Mrs Im, she told us that she was surprised at how well she looked. When she had first met her upon arriving in SK, she was very thin, had missing teeth and her hair was very brittle and light colored (from malnutrition). When she saw her this time, she had put on a little weight, had her teeth fixed and her hair was dark and healthy looking.

Mrs. Im is a 65 year old woman originally from North Korea. She came to know the Lord in 1990. She did not hear about God from any person, but in her dreams. One of her family members died and she felt sorry and confused. She said, "One night, I dreamed of my dead family member and wanted to change the clothes that he was wearing in the coffin. When I first looked at him, I saw a rotted body. As I watched, I saw the man revive; his skin was restored and red color came back into his lips. When I awoke, I wondered what the dream meant. I went to my neighbor [Mrs. Im did not know her neighbor was a Christian] and told her about the dream because I was anxious about it and wanted to know its meaning. When I shared the dream with my neighbor, her interpretation was that that God would revive the spirit of the North Korean people. My neighbor also shared the gospel with me and I accepted it totally."

When asked how knowing the Lord changed her life, Mrs. Im responded, "Before becoming a Christian, I was afraid of many things. After I came to know Jesus, He made me strong and I was reminded that God protects His people. It was like tasting honey." Mrs. Im stated that when her neighbor shared that Jesus would be returning, she was so excited that she could not sleep. "I was so happy and simply believed."

Mrs. Im went on to share about the situation of Christians in North Korea. "The NK government searches out Christians in order to persecute them. Even one word about God, if the government hears about it, could mean that the person who mentioned His name would ‘disappear'." People in North Korea also are always on guard because people are always watching to see what everyone is doing. If seen doing any of the following three things, the police are called and the person is arrested:

• 1) If there is a group of people seen traveling together (meaning perhaps a meeting is going on).
• 2) If people are caught giving money to someone, this is seen as suspicious especially if the person is not rich. Christians often give sacrificially to those in need.
• 3) If someone looks like they are praying, this also warrants a call to police.

In all 3 of these situations, the police arrest people who they think are Christians.

Then Mrs. Im shared about several North Korean incidents . In the mid 90's she heard of an incident where the government caught a Christian group (around 300 people). One old woman was a missionary to these people. The police caught every one of them, including some as young as 19 and 20, and asked them whether they would deny God or not. If they denied God they would be free. No one denied Him, and all were shot to death. She said that believers are few in NK, but they are strong.

Another incident happened around 2000. After a very heavy rain that washed away a lot of soil, someone found a bag of New Testaments which were buried under a pine tree and reported this to the police. The police started searching door-to-door for who they suspected was a Christian. Several people were arrested and disappeared.

At a recent meeting Mrs. Im attended at a South Korean church, a SK pastor shared about the time he attended one of the show churches in NK, and how he saw people singing and crying. He was moved by them, but Mrs. Im was angry because he had been deceived; she knew these were actors.

When asked how Christians can pray for NK, Mrs Im said, "Like Elijah, who thought that he was the only survivor of all God's prophets, but was encouraged when God told him about the 7,000 people who did not bow the knee to Baal, please pray for NK believers that they would not bow their knee but remain strong and encouraged and believe God will protect them."

She worries about North Koreans who give false testimonies, telling lies about how they have been Christian living in NK. Spies for NK in SK report this information to NK, then police search for and arrest Christians in the area.

She is reluctant to share her testimony in public in order to protect Christians in NK. She emphasized that, "we must take care with NK missions so as not to endanger NK Christians." She is concerned about SK missionaries who train NKs as missionaries and send them back to NK. She thinks in general, "the missionaries don't understand enough about the situation in Norh Korea and basically send people back to NK to die."