Korean Fire Drill

Have you heard of a Chinese Fire Drill? That's where you pull up to a stop sign or light and everyone gets out of the car, runs around the car. Then, they all get back in, but everyone is in a different seat. Well, Korean fire drills can be just about as much fun.

Today, while I am teaching a class of 11 seven year olds, I see one of the teachers run up to my window, look in, look in the window across the hall and then run back down the hall as fast as she could go. I am thinking to myself, "What's going on? Did one of the students disappear?" So, I open my classroom door and look down the hall only to see smoke coming up the stairwell. The other American teacher is looking the same direction and I asked him if we were supposed to evacuate. He said he didn't know. One of the Korean teachers says that the smoke is from downstairs and it's okay, just keep teaching. I'm thinking, "If downstairs is on fire, we need to get out of here." I go back into my classroom and continue teaching still wondering what's going on. A couple of hours later, at lunch, I find out that another school on the floor below was having a fire drill with their students. They told me that this school has a fire drill almost once a month and that they try to make them as real as possible. So, they use smoke bombs. They bought them from a different manufacturer this time and they were much more powerful than the previous ones. We asked our fellow teachers what we were supposed to do in case of real fire. We have never had a fire drill. In America, there would be a fire escape plan posted in each classroom. My school is on the fourth floor and there is only one stairwell. What do we do if there is a fire on the second floor and we can't go down the stairs? When we asked this question, we were told they have a rope in one of the classrooms. We have 80 plus seven year old students and about 12 adults that we would be trying to lower by rope out a window. They are now considering what we would do and planning about how to handle the real scenario.

As I think about this, I couldn't help but think how Satan is like this fire drill. He likes to give us something that looks like the real thing, but it is really just a subtle lie. I man looking for a wife and a man looking to enjoy himself with a woman for a night say the same thing, "I love you." One is being sincere and thinking of the other person's feelings, whereas the other is only looking out for himself. One truly means what he says, the other is lying to get what he wants. Satan likes to tell us what we want to hear instead of telling us the hard truth. He used these same tactics when he spoke to Jesus in the desert. Unfortunately, this is happening in many churches these days. The preacher is telling people what they want to hear and not speaking the "truth in love" to their sheep. The old adage is, "where there is smoke there is fire." In this circumstance at the school, there was smoke, but no fire. Many churches make a lot of smoke, but where is the fire. Where is the Holy Spirit actually changing people's lives, making them into new creatures? Where is the power of people surrendered to God following Him no matter what the cost? Where are the people who have been delivered from the power of sin, who are dead to sin, but alive to God through Christ? Where is the fire of love for mankind that should lead people to show compassion on others, to share the gospel with them, to share the truth even when it hurts? In my Bible, it says that my God is a consuming fire. Are you being consumed by Him?

What is He thinking?

Have you ever asked yourself this question about someone? What was he/she thinking? I sometimes ask myself this question in regards to God. What is He thinking? When we were in Ochang, I asked some of the church people what they thought about the North Koreans. They looked at me like I was from outer space and it wasn't because they didn't understand the question. Each and every person said they never thought about it. They didn't think about people of their own nationality, that speak their own language, that love the same God that were starving and being tortured for their faith. The young people even went so far as to tell me that they were against unification because it would be difficult financially for South Koreans. I knew more Americans praying for North Korea than South Koreans. I found that really sad.

Fast forward to our new home and new church. Our pastor is a Canadian Korean that has a heart for North Korea. The church has been volunteer teaching English to male North Korean refugees through the government facility for right at two years. They go every Tuesday evening. One month ago, I went with them for the first time. My heart went out to these men. They were so eager to learn. There are many different levels of ability, but they all want to learn more. A week and a half ago, seven people from our church (myself included) went to the women's and children's facility to teach English there. Almost 80% of the refugees coming into South Korea are women. These people face many hardships leaving their country. They also face severe penalties if caught. Yet they do it to have the freedoms that we enjoy here in South Korea, much like there in the States. Two weeks ago, our church had a guest speaker who had been a missionary to Korea for many years through Youth with a Mission (YWAM). He spoke about the North Korean church and plight of the people. He believes there will be a large mission force raised up from North Korea that will go into the most hostile environments to the Gospel because they are already equipped to handle the situation better than any westerners. They already know what it is to have nothing, to have little or no food, to face persecution, and even risk death for the Gospel. I don't know what God is doing, but I know that He has put a burden in my family's heart for the North Korean people. Who knows, maybe this is just a training ground for God to prepare us to go to North Korea someday. After the missionary preached about North Korea and all of the suffering there, Pamela and I were both feeling like God might be moving us there later. As we were walking home that day, Caitlyn said, "Mom, I think God wants me to go to North Korea. I am going to study Korean very hard so I can speak it fluently and take the Gospel into North Korea."

So, what is God thinking? I can't say for sure, but I know He is thinking about North Korea. Psalms repeatedly talks about hearing our cry and rescuing us. I know that the North Koreans need His saving hand. When you have a leader who has made himself into a God and the people have to pray to him, God is watching. One day, judgment will fall on the leader and then what will God do through these people? The spiritual heritage South Koreans have is directly related to North Korean Christians. There was a huge revival in the capital city before the communist came into power and many of the people came south when they did come. I know that God's heart breaks for these people and He wants them to surrender to him. Will you join me in praying for North Korea? Visit www.persecution.com to read about Christians in North Korea and to get some fact sheets. Every Tuesday, my family is eating rice and water to remember the North Koreans who don't have even that. That is the same day that I go teach at the refugee center. Maybe you would be willing to join us in that also. We plan on donating the money we would normally spend on meat and vegetables to see ministry done in North Korea. I don't know what God is thinking, but I know He has burdened my heart.