wailing

::: there is great anguish and wailing on both sides of the 38th parallel north -- the line of latitude that cuts the korean peninsula roughly in half...

...in the north, adults and children are weeping and wailing under the pounding forces of famine and governmental brutality...the deprivation of human rights in the north is among the worst you'll find anywhere on this planet...

...in the south, people in megachurches in seoul -- like towering young nak church --

...to small parishes dotting the countryside down to busan are weeping in prayer and wailing to God for repentance and restoration of the korean people...among south korean christians, in recent months there has been a more concerted effort toward unified prayer and action for n.k...



...moments still remain fresh in our minds as we return from a two-day prayer vigil for north korea held at young nak church...

• the unforgettable soundwall and sometimes terrifying spiritual dynamic of thousands of people wailing and weeping before God in repentance and raw heartbreak

• watching video footage of a n.k woman hiding for her life as she makes her way through the underground railroad that starts at the n.k./china border and runs secretly to safety in south asia...as to why she left n.k., she responds: "all the trees are eaten and bare [in n.k.]; if i can eat a bowl of rice in china, then i can die"

• listening to a man who was the highest ranking general under the n.k. dictator -- he successfully escaped a few years ago and is now a powerful galvanizer for prayer

• at the conclusion of a particularly moving testimony of the subhuman conditions in n.k., a young escapee said to the audience of south koreans with tears flowing down his face: "our bones are your bones, our tears are your tears, our people are your people"

• experiencing worship as a powerful window of hope and truth