When I read accounts like the following, I must admit that I feel a tinge of
shame.

Why?

Because Christians like this man -- Robert Park -- are really putting feet
to their faith. As the Apostle James writes, they are truly showing their
faith by their works, and putting their lives on the line for the cause of
Christ.

Let's face it. Most of us here practice a type of armchair Christianity. We
practice an easy, safe type of Christianity from the comforts of our homes
which makes few demands on us, and which does not endanger us in any way.

May God give us more men with the boldness to do things like Robert Park.
God bless this man! It is this kind of boldness of the Spirit which resulted
in the Gospel being spread around the world since the First Century.


Missionary Carrying Message of Forgiveness and Salvation for Kim Jong-il Is
Arrested in North Korea

By Patrick Goodenough, International Editor - CNSNews.com

Tuesday, December 29, 2009


(CNSNews.com) - Four days after an American evangelical missionary crossed
the border from China into North Korea in a bid to draw attention to human
rights abuses, Pyongyang state media announced Tuesday that an American was
being detained after entering the country illegally.

Robert Park, a 28-year-old resident of Tucson, Ariz. and a U.S. citizen of
Korean background, reportedly crossed the frozen Tumen river border on
Christmas Day.

He was carrying a Bible and a letter addressed to Kim Jong-il, appealing for
the reclusive North Korean leader to open the impoverished country's borders
to aid, to free political prisoners and close prison camps.

The brief dispatch carried by Pyongyang's Korea Central News Agency (KCNA)
mouthpiece did not name the American or give many details. It said the
matter was under investigation by a "relevant organ."

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Monday the U.S. was concerned
about reports of Park's arrest although it did not have independent
confirmation of the incident.

"Our Swedish protecting power has offered to go in and try and get us more
information," he added. The U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with
North Korea, and Sweden represents Americans' consular interests there.

Park, who runs a ministry called Global Justice Prayer Network, emailed a
statement last week saying that he had had a "vision" last July about the
need for mass demonstrations to call for North Korea's liberation, as the
world marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and
subsequent reunification of Germany.

The email also contained what appears to be the text of the letter Park
carried with him into North Korea, addressed to "Mr. Kim Jong-il and North
Korea's leaders."

It says, "I proclaim Christ's love and forgiveness towards you today. God
promises mercy and clemency for those who repent. He promises forgiveness
for every sin and re-birth through the Holy Spirit for those who believe
Christ died for the atonement of all their sins, as a sacrifice from God,
given in love. He is the true and living God.

"He loves you and wants to save you and all of North Korea today. Please
open your borders so that we may bring food, provisions, medicine,
necessities, and assistance to those who are struggling to survive. Please
close down all concentration camps and release all political prisoners
today, and allow care teams to enter to minister healing to those who have
been tortured and traumatized."

The letter concludes, "All we are asking is for all North Koreans to be
free, safe and have life."

Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of the London-based organization Christian
Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), described Park, whom he had known for several
years, as "a man of deep courage, faith and commitment who has been serving
North Korean refugees and campaigning to draw the world's attention to the
horrific violations of human rights in North Korea."

"We believe the international community should take this opportunity not
only to appeal for his immediate release, but also to increase political and
diplomatic pressure on North Korea to open up its prison camps for
international inspection and bring an end to its grotesque abuse of human
rights, which is among the very worst in the world."

Thomas said the international community, including the U.S., should ensure
that human rights feature in every dialogue held with the North Koreans.

"We urge Christians around the world to pray for Robert Park and for North
Korea, and that his brave act on Christmas Day might not have been in vain,"
he said.

Abuses

Human rights campaigners and Western governments say North Korea has
arguably the world's worst record for human rights violations, including
religious persecution. It allegedly keeps more than 100,000 political
prisoners in a network of notorious concentration camps, where recorded
abuses include torture, assault of pregnant inmates to induce abortions, and
infanticide.

The U.S.-based North Korea Freedom Coalition says that an estimated three
million North Koreans have died as a result of regime-inflicted abuses
including starvation since the mid-1990s.

In recent years members of a loose underground network of Christian
missionaries and other human rights activists, many of them South Korean,
have been helping North Koreans desperate to escape. Most refugees cross
illegally into China, whose border with North Korea is relatively easily
breached.

Once in China, they face the risk of being detained and forcibly
repatriated, as Beijing says it does not recognize them as legitimate
refugees. Pyongyang generally punishes the returnees with prison camp
sentences, and some have reportedly been killed.

The activists' network has helped some of the North Koreans to seek refuge
in foreign diplomatic missions in China, or to leave China for neighboring
Southeast Asian countries, from where they eventually make their way to a
new life in South Korea.

Most recently, nine North Koreans were helped to get access to the Danish
Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam, in late September. They were later able to go to
South Korea.


Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23
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