Kneeling on the damp ground, the old woman gingerly digs in the dirt. She has buried her greatest and most dangerous treasure … hoping to keep it — and herself — safe. Every morning she comes to this spot, long before the sun rises. And every morning, she risks her life to hold it in her weathered hands, to read it with tired but loving eyes.
It is her Bible — but she lives in a country where owning God’s Word is reason enough to be beaten and sent to jail. Or put to death.
In North Korea, groups of believers huddle in dark rooms and quietly whisper verses back and forth. These are verses they have committed to memory — learned from others or from individual pages of Scripture they’ve happened to get their hands on.
They have to memorize the verses, because even a single page can be taken from them in a moment’s notice. They have no backup copy, no way to look up a forgotten passage. They live in a country full of darkness … both physically and spiritually.
Every night, the power in North Korea flickers off, and the entire country is plunged into darkness. People get by with bits of light from candles and lamps.
Meanwhile, every single day, believers fight to hold onto their faith despite the darkness that surrounds them and threatens to destroy their lives. They cling to the fragments of verses they remember, and they pray — believing that the light of God’s Word can change their nation.
In John 1, the apostle begins his Gospel account with a description of Jesus … and a promise.
“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1: 4-5, NIV)
Most people in North Korea have never even been able to read that verse, yet they believe its promise. Light will win in the battle against darkness! Can you imagine the encouragement these words could be to them?
They long for Bibles — beg for them, even! They trust in the power of the Gospel to transform lives, and they want to read the words for themselves and share them with others.
These believers are willing to risk everything to help the light of Jesus overcome the darkness in this oppressed nation.
When a person in North Korea … or any other country where the Christian faith is prohibited … is caught with a Bible or attending a prayer service, they face incredible persecution.
Friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers physically and emotionally attack Christians in some closed countries. In North Korea, they are put in prison and forced to endure a 15-year sentence of brutal violence and hard labor.
But despite the persecution, these Christians are boldly asking you to send Bibles. They have declared that access to God’s Word is worth any cost.
The light of the Gospel is changing lives in North Korea. But they need more copies of the Bible. For just $10, you can provide the Scriptures to a North Korean believer or seeker. The Bible you provide will be passed around to family and friends — multiplying your impact and reaching more people with the Good News.
You can light a candle in the darkness for just $10. Your gift will change lives, bringing hope and encouragement to Christians in need.
Give a Bible today, and join the battle against darkness in North Korea.