“I learned about a very shocking ministry,” said Yoon B.Y., one of the Oryun Church trainees. “It is touching that they do many field ministries and also quietly help with the gospel without making a lot of noise for that ministry. I will pray for those who live the life of a martyr alone. The Voice of the Martyrs organization is in 15 countries around the world, and especially the Voice of the Martyrs in Korea is working for North Korea, and it was surprising and a blessing to see them working hard and working to spread the gospel in various ways.”

During the event, trainees also wrote letters to Christians currently in prison for their faith, in addition to recording sermons of early Korean Christians for broadcast on Voice of the Martyrs’ four daily broadcasts to North Korea. Trainees also learned more about how the organization supports and partners with persecuted Christians from Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley. 

Participant Kim H.S. said, “I felt ashamed that I had been living a life of faith too complacently and that I came to participate today with a light heart. I thought it was far from me, but when I visited today and participated directly, the words of the leader who spoke about Hebrews 13:3 were engraved in my heart. I was moved and thankful while writing letters to prisoners. I hope that it will be a great comfort to those who are incarcerated and that the words of God will be delivered.”

Hebrews 13:3, Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s theme verse says, “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” 

According to Representative Foley, Voice of the Martyrs Korea has conducted the half-day Underground Church Experience for Christian schools and boarding schools, as well as church groups and short-term mission trainees. “20% of Christians around the world live in countries where their faith is either restricted or outlawed, but for most Korean Christians, that’s just a statistic,” said Representative Foley. “But once you personally experience being put in handcuffs, or being put in a torture box, or worshiping in secret, or writing an actual Christian who is in prison or their faith, or recording a radio broadcast that will be listened to by real North Korean Christians, then it forever changes the way you think about your faith and about your relationship to persecuted Christians.”  

Jeong H.S. said he was most impacted by entering the torture box after viewing a portion of the movie “Tortured for Christ”, which shows Voice of the Martyrs founder, the Romanian pastor, Rev. Richard Wurmbrand, being tortured in the same kind of torture box. “Thank you for making a torture box for the missionary training team of Oryun Church,” said Jeong H.S. “I got to know Pastor Wurmbrand through Voice of the Martyrs, and I am grateful that I was able to experience even a little bit of how hard it must have been for him to be persecuted and tortured. As I listened to his story about his ministry, I was moved to hear that Voice of the Martyrs is doing a ministry to care for the bereaved families of martyrs. Also, through the letter writing for prisoners, I thought about those who were imprisoned because of their faith, and it was a good time to participate in providing the word of life by sending Bible verses to those imprisoned in persecuting countries where they cannot even read the Bible.”

“The whole time I was participating in the program, it was a time of deep gratitude,” said Bang S. “Now, I am enjoying my life of faith so comfortably and living in the grace of the Lord, but I have no gratitude. It was a time when I realized anew about persecuted Christians and desperately felt the need for sincere prayer and ministry. I learned that it is so hard and difficult for the gospel and word of God to enter communist countries, but there are ministers who are working hard for it and martyrs. I learned that there are many Christians in persecuted countries who have not stopped preaching the gospel even while being martyred and persecuted. I learned that the voice of the martyrs is quietly spreading the word of God and the gospel in persecuted countries, and I am grateful and will pray for that ministry.”

Lee G.J. was one of the Oryun Church trainees who experienced how Christians in Central Asia worship in their automobiles to avoid detection by authorities. He said, “I felt the precious hands of the invisible places while participating, experiencing, and serving here, and I felt that God was receiving glory through this place. I was grateful to know and understand the situation of Christians in Central Asia through the experience of the underground church where we worship in the car. I first learned that the letters we wrote were delivered to prisoners who were imprisoned because of their faith, and I wrote them while praying that the letters I wrote would be well delivered to them, knowing how important the letters of the word were to those who were desperate for the word in prison. I was touched.”

Ahn HS said, “The most memorable part was the nailed-on single-person prison (torture box). ‘Can I truly worship and praise while being tortured and imprisoned?’”

Churches or Christian schools interested in participating in a future “Underground Church Experience” can contact Voice of the Martyrs Korea at 02-2065-0703 for more information.