North Korea is among 15 countries around the globe that still claims to be untouched by COVID-19. While experts have expressed concerns that the country’s health system isn’t equipped to fight an outbreak, and remain sceptical of its coronavirus-free status, Voice of the Martyrs Korea recently received confirmation that COVID-19 is rife in North Korea.
The letter, sent by a North Korean inside North Korea, who received an MP4 player containing an audio Bible, included the following:
“I receive hope of living as I am praying. The virus situation in Pyongyang and Sinuiju is more serious than the border areas. I think we will all die from starvation or being infected. Both are deadly and cause despair, but after knowing Him, my fear has vanished. We truly thank you again.”
In the midst of the pandemic, this man is greatly comforted by the Word of God.
The COVID-19 crisis has made it even harder to get the Word of God into North Korea, and with the shortage of food becoming more pronounced, VOM Korea is undertaking a project to send both spiritual and practical assistance into North Korea. Voice of the Martyrs Australia has partnered with VOM Korea to float, via sea, PET bottles containing rice and Bibles to North Korea.
Due to the ocean current, there are only a few days each month that it is possible to send bottles to North Korea. On these days, in addition to sending the bottles, a GPS is also sent in order to verify that the bottles make it to shore. Recently, 500 bottles were floated to North Korea in just one day.
This is one of the most sustainable methods of reaching North Korea and environmentally friendly too. The bottles that are launched have already been recycled and the North Koreans will use them once they arrive.
We thank God that we have been able to send practical and spiritual assistance to North Korean citizens and will continue to support this project. Our prayer is that many North Koreans will find the help, love and encouragement they need at this very challenging time.
If you would like to financially support the work of Voice of the Martyrs, please go to: vom.com.au/donate
Voice of the Martyrs Australia is an endorsed deductible gift recipient (DGR) by the Australian government. This means you can claim tax deductions for all donations over $2 to Voice of the Martyrs Australia on your tax return.