January's Book of the Month

I heard a discussion on talk radio last year about North Korea.  Pretty much all I knew about North Korea was that the country has an evil leader, the people are treated horribly, there is a demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea, and North Korea keeps threatening nuclear war.  Other than that, North Korea has spent very little time on my radar.

But then I heard the discussion on the radio.  A very well respected radio host was discussing how difficult it would be to liberate the people of North Korea.  In his opinion, since the people are so brain washed, living in such horrid conditions, and seem to have no sense of right and wrong, he felt that bombing (nuclear) the entire country might be necessary as these people could not assimilate with the rest of the world.  Instead of having a new Korea like our current united Germany (no longer East and West), he said that liberating North Korea could be disastrous for South Korea.  At least that's what I interpreted the guy as saying.

Needless to say, this "plan" for North Korea was troubling to me.  And suddenly, I became curious about the country and its people.

Late last year, Dear Husband and I watched a Fox News special on North Korea.  During the special, they interviewed Mike Kim from Crossing Borders Ministry.  He is one of a very few number of Americans who have been allowed inside North Korea.  And he has written a fascinating book about North Korea, the people of North Korea, and the Christian church in China who is currently risking everything to reach out to Korean refugees.  After hearing Mr. Kim's interview, we immediately ordered his book.

Escaping North Korea is a graphic and honest depiction of North Korea and the people who live there.  It's mind-boggling to read the stories of refugees and martyrs in the book and to realize that these people are having these experiences in my lifetime.  It's also discouraging to see how a few changes in foreign policy from outside countries could topple the evil regime, yet these countries refuse to disrupt the status quo.  Mr. Kim's book is both educational  and inspiring as he shares his own personal testimony (he is a devout Christian) and stories of a rapidly growing Christian church within the borders of North Korea.  His book is a reminder that no one is hopeless.  God can work anywhere and He can change the ugliest lives and make them beautiful.

So to my friend on the radio, nuclear options might be necessary to topple the government.  But don't give up on the people of North Korea.  

If you would like to learn more about Mike Kim's ministry in North Korea, you can follow his weekly blog (see the Crossing Borders blog link in my blog list) or follow Crossing Borders on Facebook.  It's a wonderful ministry that is truly changing lives and sharing Jesus with others.  

My book of the month reviews are also available under my Book Review page above.