“Not turning a blind eye to the suffering of North Korean people is serving the Lord”

Representative Susan Scholte (left) is giving a lecture at the Unification Plaza Prayer Meeting held in Washington, D.C. on the 26th, local time. ©YouTube video capture

Suzanne Scholte, the director of the North Korea Freedom Coalition and an American who has been at the forefront of fighting for the freedom and human rights of North Korean citizens, gave a lecture titled “Why We Can’t Stop Doing North Korea Ministry” at the Unification Plaza Prayer Meeting held in Washington D.C. on the 26th (local time). On this day, Scholte shared three prayer topics, along with Bible verses that have supported her during difficult times while she has been working on the North Korean human rights movement. ◈ “God who values and cherishes the people of North Korea” She first introduced Matthew 25:31-40. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from the other, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer them, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' The King will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, you did not visit me here. Representative Scholte said, “What we can learn from these words is that God truly values and cherishes the North Korean people suffering in North Korea more than all people on earth,” and “Caring for them, praying for them, and not turning a blind eye to their suffering is serving Jesus.” He added, “The refugees who escaped from North Korea, those who are starving and dying from famine there, and those in prison are all truly precious to God, more precious than anyone else,” and “We must pray for them.” ◈ "Our Duty to Save the People of North Korea" The next Bible verse was Proverbs 24:11-12. "Deliver those who are being taken to death, and withhold from those who are ready for slaughter. If you say, 'I did not know it' - does not he who weighs the hearts consider it? Does he who guards your soul not know it? He will reward each person according to what their deeds are?" Representative Scholte said, "I cannot help but think of the people of North Korea when I read this verse." He added, "They are clearly those who are being taken to death and slaughter, so we have a duty to save them. We can never say that we did not know. Now that we know, it is time to work and act for them." ◈ "God, send me many angels" The last Bible verse was Psalm 94:16-19. “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul would have lain in silence. When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your lovingkindness, O Lord, upheld me. When my worries were many within me, your consolations delighted my soul.” She said, “What this verse also tells us is that God is looking for people who will help Him against the wicked.” She added, “This verse shows us that when we participate in God’s work, when our feet slip or when we are in despair, God continues to revive and help us.” She added, “When I went to CCTV and the Chinese embassy on North Korean Refugee Day (September 24), I was really depressed that morning. I thought, ‘What am I doing? I’ve been doing this for years, but what has changed?’ No one would listen, so I fell into deep despair, wondering why I was doing this. So when I woke up that morning, I was so miserable and didn’t want to do it, but I woke up praying, ‘God, please help me get through today. ’” She said, “I actually dreamed of becoming an artist or a writer when I was young,” and “But now I feel so sorry for myself. It’s so pathetic that a woman in her 60s is protesting in front of the Chinese embassy. And I’m so angry that I’m not the only one doing this, but I’m dragging others along.” However, Scholte, who said that the ‘North Korean Refugee Day’ was so wonderful and glorious, said that she received encouragement from many people in Korea that day. She said that she was especially encouraged by a shepherd who said, “I’m always praying for you.” She also confessed that God had sent her many people, saying, “It’s like sending angels.” ◈ Death threats via email and postcards received from Korea Meanwhile, she said that she received a very severe death threat via email a few years ago. The emails reportedly included a horrifying photo of a decapitated woman’s head. “I was so shocked by this that I had a hard time for a few days,” Scholte said. “I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t tell anyone.” She said, “I was so embarrassed thinking, ‘How much do they have to hate me to take the time to find this most horrific image and email it to me? How much do they have to hate me to do that?’” Then, about a week later, she received 18 postcards from South Korea. The postcards from the children had a date written on them that was about a week before she received the death threats. The sender address was simply “Letters from Heaven, Korea,” and the pictures were accompanied by encouraging messages and Bible verses. “The letters were written to give her strength and to tell her that Jesus will always strengthen her,” Scholte said. “Most of the postcards also said, ‘Thank you for helping the people of North Korea.’” She confessed, "While someone was sending death threats using horrible photos, God was sending me these messages through the children of Korea to give me strength," and "He was preparing letters full of strong love and support for the freedom of North Korea." Representative Scholte ended by sharing three prayer requests. First, that the Korean War would not end; second, that freedom of speech, assembly, and religion would be preserved in South Korea; and third, that we pray together for North Korean defectors in South Korea.

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