God will bring into judgment
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed.
Ecclesiastes 3:17

In God’s perfect timing, He arranged for the welfare of many underground Christians by having successful food deliveries made just prior to Kim Jong-il’s death. North Korea’s borders were tightened in the days before the death announcement, with guards posted every four meters in some areas. We have received reports from our networks, including the following prayer request:

“Please keep our (operatives and their underground church) customers in prayer due to the sudden major changes about the boss for the other side. All public gathering such as even street markets have been forcibly closed, including the borders. We praise the Lord that one (operative) just got back safely a few days ago before the changes happened, so hopefully the customers got food for a little while.”

Please Pray:

• In thanksgiving that God went before the operatives to make their deliveries successful
• For the underground church members, that they remain safe, undetected, and well
• That God uses this time of uncertainty as opportunity for North Korean Christians to share His message of Hope, Love and Salvation

“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
Psalm 12:5

North Korea’s state news agency announced that Kim Jong-Il, North Korea’s “Dear Leader” since 1994, died this weekend. It is likely that the state’s power will be transitioned to his youngest son, Kim Jong-Un.

The change in leadership may provide a window of opportunity for increased freedom for the downtrodden people of North Korea.

Please Pray:

• That the uncertainty caused by the leadership transition does not interfere with the already limited food distribution system.
• For Kim Jong-Un (named the Great Successor) as he grieves the loss of his father. May he know that the only source of comfort and strength is through Jesus Christ and the love of his Father.
• That God’s light shines through the underground church of North Korea and that He protects His church from harm

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

An Alpha Relief partner who takes food into North Korea relates the following story:

In her sixties, “Hagar” tries everything possible for her family of 6 to have something to eat. However, some days they don’t have anything, as the food situation is becoming increasingly challenging this year. When given a 25kg bag of rice, tears came to her eyes and she said, “I have never seen this much rice all my life.” When told that the rice was from Jesus, Hagar asked who Jesus was, so it was explained to her.
Hagar received His love right at that time with tears.
She went home with the rice and with His love to share with her family.

Please Pray:

• That Hagar is encouraged and that she has the strength and courage to share the Gospel with her family members
• A blessing over the rice given to North Koreans in the name of Jesus, that it sustains lives and remains an effective tool for evangelism
• For the Alpha Relief partners who smuggle food to starving North Koreans and share the good news of the Gospel

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 6:35

An estimated 3.5 million North Koreans (16% of the population) died from starvation or related illnesses during the March of Tribulation, a famine of the 1990’s. Alpha Relief partners report that today the situation in North Korea appears to be even worse:

“In the past I often heard of one person from a family died, but now what I hear is that the last person in the family died. In the poorest areas, some families just all died out. They died of starvation and sickness.”

They are asking for your prayers:

• That international aid reaches the people in need rather than padding the coffers of the North Korean government
• For more underground operatives to smuggle food into the country
• That when recipients are told that the food is a gift from Jesus, they receive His love and redemption