Friday night, Somonim took us to the border of North Korea. For those that don't know, let me tell you a little about North Korea. It is the poorest, most closed country in the world. The people there are living on grass and boiled tree bark. Everyday they must get up and bow before the dictator and declare he is the only god. There are no Christians in the country as they have all been killed. The native people have been brainwashed to think they live in the greatest country in the world, that everyone else is worse off than them, and that the borders are closed to protect them from the mobs. Countries such as the U.S. send food there to help the people. The North Korean government repackages it to say that North Korea made it and then tell the people how good the governement is for providing this food for them.

North Korea and South Korea are seperated by a mile of land that is carefully guarded. There were army tanks everywhere on the roads while we were there. Riots had just broken out along the border before we flew to South Korea. Several of the lookout points that we were going to go to were shut down. In the picture up above, the fence is the south border, and in front of the mountains is the north border. Everyone in Seoul is very conscious of NOrth Korea being there. Coming out of stores, they pause for awhile and look wishfully at the border. So many people still have families up there. The man in the picture to the right excaped from North Korea when he was 16. It took him 3 months to walk to South Korea and his brother was killed along the way. He prays that his mother, sisters, and brothers are still alive up there.


We went to a memorial of the Korean war. On the border closest to North Korea stands a huge bell with the hammer ready to ring its joy when the two Koreas are united again. There is a train there that was on its way to North Korea when the border closed. It was stopped in its tracks and has never moved since. There is a plaque in front of the train that says, "Let the Iron Horse Run Again." Below is the hope of the country. If you click on the picture, you can see it enlarged and read the engraving.

After we saw the war memorial, Somonim took us to Prayer Mountain where people have been praying nonstop for 100 years. We sat through a service and afterwards we went out to the mountain. Looking down the side, there are small mounds of dirt everywhere. Looking up the side, you can see small 2.5 ft tall doors in every mound leading to a 3X3 room; just enough space for you and God. We didn't get to pray, but it was powerful just to see the people spending solitude time with the Lord.