When I was a child, I liked to hide. I’d build a fort out of blankets, slip underneath my parents’ desk, or sit in the back of the linen closet to color, play with my dolls, and just be by myself.
But for the children of Christians living in North Korea, hiding is not a game. They don’t have a choice. They have to hide when they pray, read the Bible, or worship God.
It’s a matter of life and death.
So, how do you explain to your kids that there are children on the other side of the world who don’t have the luxury of saying their bedtime prayers freely and openly?
These free, downloadable resources are designed to help you start a conversation with your kids, grandkids, or the children at your church about the risks persecuted Christians take to show their love to God.
You might be hesitant to share stories of persecution about people who are beaten, imprisoned, or killed, which is why our children’s prayer guide breaks down persecution in seven countries in a simple, age-appropriate way.
There is an example from each country of a child that your kids, grandkids, or the kids in your children’s ministry can relate to — like Joon from North Korea. He has to hide when his family prays, and he doesn’t have a Bible. Joon’s example is based on real-life stories we receive regularly from our partners working secretly in North Korea … stories like Mi-Sun and her two little boys.
Mi-Sun, whose name we’ve changed to protect her, was fortunate to own a Bible, but it was an enormous risk for her to keep it in her home, let alone share it with her children. But every night before they’d go to sleep, Mi-Sun would hide under the covers with her boys and quietly read the Bible to them.
She’d whisper passages from the Gospel, knowing she’d never be able to openly profess her faith — not as long as she lived in North Korea.
Mi-Sun’s story is like many other North Korean secret believers. It’s dangerous for them to be Christians, but they’re willing to take the risk in order to stay faithful and own a Bible of their own.
Explain to the children in your life that families like Mi-Sun’s are brave and should be examples for us to be bold in our own faith. And that we should all be thankful that we can read a Bible in public without fear.
Check out other resources and examples of how to discuss persecution with children at worldhelp.net/prayer.
And keep an eye on our blog for more kid-friendly stories about persecution. Between now and International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on Nov. 3, we’ll be sharing a full story from each of the countries featured on the free, downloadable kids’ prayer guide.
So be sure to check back often, download your free resources, and start the conversation about praying for persecuted Christians around the world.