As we pray for North Korean refugees and those who work on the field, please pray for two missing missionaries who have recently disappeared in Northeast China. One of the missionaries is a US citizen. The US State Department has been notified and is conducting the necessary research. There isn’t very much information that we can share publicly but we can say that there has been a string of disappearances of missionaries in the region. The missionaries who have disappeared are not associated with Crossing Borders, but are part of a network of Christian missionaries in Northeast China who minister in the region. It is too early to say who is responsible for these disappearances.
China is a strange combination of dictatorship and democracy it is neither and it is both. If you’ve traveled there, you no doubt have experienced both freedom and the watchful eye of the government - cameras on every street corner, the censored Internet sites and quiet whispers of the locals as you walk by.
If you stay long enough, you might get lulled into thinking that nobody cares what you are doing until something like this happens. Events such as these serve as a chilling reminder of the power the Chinese government possesses over its guests and the evident danger of missionary work. This is something through which we pray for our own missionaries as they serve North Korean refugees with caution and secrecy.
Please pray for the two missionaries to return, for their safety and for gospel to continue to spread in this region without fear. We pray that God would continue His work, despite earthly authorities, and that the gospel would reach many North Korean refugees living in hiding. For His glory!
