When Sister Ki was a child in North Korea, her father came home one day, completely distraught, crying so loudly that she feared the neighbours would tell the police. She thought someone must have died. Ki's intuition was correct. Her father's younger brother had been executed for his faith in Christ. She was let in on the family secret: most of her relatives were Christians! But Ki knew that 'threats' against the Government were not tolerated, and she did not want to have anything to do with the Christian faith. "I wanted life to go back to normal, so I focused on school," she told Open Doors. Nevertheless, she wanted to leave North Korea. When the North Korean State gave her the opportunity to go to China in a sponsored student programme, she refused. "Going abroad under the umbrella of the State meant they would severely monitor and control me. No, if I wanted to leave, I had to go by myself without telling anyone." Some time after leaving school, she went to the Chinese border and swam across the river that divided the two countries. She then trekked inland until she came to a village. "I was caught by human traffickers and sold to a Chinese farmer," she recounted. "He wasn't as bad as most Chinese men who buy North Korean women. I had a child with him. But still I thought I could never feel at home in this family." Her mother-in-law also lived with Ki and her Chinese husband, and Ki began to notice 'suspicious behaviour' by the woman. Some days the mother-in-law left the house without telling where she was going. "One night, I decided to follow her. It was a long way before she reached the place where some kind of meeting was going on. I called her. Of course, she was very surprised to see me, but she also invited me to participate. I quickly discovered it was a Christian meeting, which made me uncomfortable because in my country I had always been against Christianity. My curiosity beat my fear and I decided to stay to learn more about God." Ki continued to go to the meetings with her mother-in-law, and grew in faith and knowledge of God. After some time, Ki wanted to let her family back in North Korea know that she had become a Christian. However, her Chinese family, probably less naïve than she was, did not want her to make this dangerous journey. But in the end they let her go. The border crossing back into North Korea went horribly wrong. Ki was almost immediately arrested by a military patrol and sent to prison. "When I saw how the other prisoners and I were treated, as if we weren't humans, I gave up on life. I trembled often in prison and thought I would never see my earthly family again." But after some time, something stirred in her heart that was impossible to resist. "It was like an invisible power," she said. "I felt it every time I wanted to give up hope. That power was God Himself. He was with me and didn't want me to give up." Ki remembered Bible verses she had memorized, especially verses 6 and 7 from Psalm 62: 'Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honour depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.' "Then, I begged God for mercy. All I wanted was a chance to be reunited with my family and to worship God together with them." After a few months in the camp, the prison guards found out her family background, and - as is the custom in North Korea - she was transferred to a camp closer to her hometown. This camp had less surveillance. "I took this as a sign from God to try to escape," she recounted. "I knew He would protect me. One night, the guards were drunk and they hadn't locked the door of the barracks. I snuck out and ran through the gate. My heart was pounding so fast! I didn't stop running until I came to a sign that pointed me the way to my hometown." After her escape, Ki was finally reunited with her North Korean family. "It was the most joyous experience ever," she said. "We were so happy to see each other, and for the first time, we worshipped God together as a family. Later, I also attended small gatherings of other Christian families. Slowly, I came to the realization that God had guided me every step of the way. He had a purpose for every experience, no matter how painful it was. It all happened to prepare me to share the Gospel to the lost people in North Korea and China. First and foremost, to the next generation. "That's why I decided I needed to go back to my Chinese family. My husband and my son had to hear the Gospel too. It was a dangerous trip. I could get arrested again and be severely punished. But nothing could extinguish my passion for Christ." Thanks to various people who helped her she arrived safely back in China. "They were truly the Hands of God to protect and guide my journey. I wish more people could have the blessing that I received through them," she said. Now in her mid-forties, her husband and son, who became believers, are living in South Korea with her, and she said that they are happier than ever before and serve God by supporting a North Korean Mission. "I will never forget my childhood," she stated. "There are so many Christian parents in North Korea who cannot share their faith with their children. It breaks my heart. I was once a victim of this too. But thanks to praying people I found God in the end. And thanks to the prayers of my mother-in-law, I survived prison too. My life story testifies of the power of prayer. I hope this can be a call to all brothers and sisters in Christ to join in prayer, so that God will bring grace and justice to my country." North Korea is number one on the Open Doors 2018 World Watch List, making it the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian. Despite this, they estimate that there are between 200 000 and 400 000 Christians in North Korea, worshipping secretly, or imprisoned in labour camps. The Organization's workers risk their lives to smuggle Bibles and other vital aid, such as food and medicine, into North Korea, to support persecuted Christians. They also run safe houses for North Korean defectors in China, and broadcasts Christian radio programmes into North Korea. Source: Sister Ki (anonymized), Sheraz Khan, Joel News International, August 2018