God's Beautiful Pearls

We had to do whatever it took to survive. We had to escape. We needed hope.

Our family did whatever we could to survive in the harsh land of North Korea. My husband got involved in brokering people's escape to China and South Korea. During this time, I first heard about God from a woman who had escaped to China and then was sent back to North Korea. I thought that she was just a strange person talking nonsense. 

After my husband suffered a stress-induced stroke, he suggested we go to China to meet with Chinese brokers, saying I would need to work instead of him. However, he had a hidden intention to defect. Not knowing this, I went with him and our 2-year-old daughter to China. From China, we escaped to Laos where I almost lost my life when our car overturned while crossing the border. In that terrifying moment, I called out to God, whom I didn't even believe in, asking for help. God protected our entire family from harm in this life-threatening situation.

Along this journey, we met others who had escaped from North Korea. Whenever I suffered from car sickness, they would put their hands on me and pray, and the car sickness would leave every time. I learned that God hears prayer and can heal. When we travelled to Thailand, I was imprisoned there for a month. While in prison, I read the Bible and learned about God. But it wasn’t until our family eventually made our way to South Korea that I gave my life to him.

While in South Korea, I experienced emotional pain in my relationships with other North Korean defectors. As I suffered with depression from this hurt, God introduced me to a missionary who shared with me an important truth. Just like an oyster overcomes many difficulties to create a beautiful pearl, God often uses painful times in our lives to create his beautiful character in us. He is always with us through the pain, offering his peace.

Two years ago, I joined the TWR Women of Hope prayer team and learned about the Women of Hope ministry, which broadcasts the gospel to North Korean women. God led me to start a prayer group of North Korean women in January 2025. Among the participants, there are sisters who haven't yet deeply encountered God, but I believe he will transform them into precious and beautiful pearls. 

* Name changed to protect her identity