{"id":44576,"date":"2022-11-15T14:00:58","date_gmt":"2022-11-15T05:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=44576"},"modified":"2022-11-15T11:50:00","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T02:50:00","slug":"vomk-report-229","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2022\/11\/15\/vomk-report-229\/","title":{"rendered":"VOMK Begins Delivery of Christmas Care Packages to Children of Persecuted Christians"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”44558″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”With an initial delivery of 100 packages containing emergency food rations and Bibles to children of Christians living in famine in the war-torn Tigray region of northern Ethiopia this week, Voice of the Martyrs Korea began its 2022 Christmas Care package distribution. According to Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley, the project will deliver aid no later than early 2023 to the children of Christians suffering for their faith in eight countries selected by the ministry. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” el_class=”headline”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, with the help of our donors we <\/span>raised funds and distributed over 1,700 Christmas care packages<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>.<\/span> \u201cThis year we have pledged to<\/span> more than double that,<\/span> deliver<\/span>ing<\/span> a total of 3,800 packages to children <\/span>of Christians who are suffering <\/span>in <\/span>China, Russia, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Laos<\/span>, <\/span>Uzbekistan, <\/span>and wherever <\/span>North<\/span> Korea<\/span>n <\/span>Christian<\/span>s are found<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]According to Representative Foley, funds have so far been raised and sent to the field for 3,200 of those Christmas Care packages. <\/span>An additional <\/span>600 packages remain to be funded<\/span> and delivered<\/span>, at a cost of 6<\/span>5<\/span>,000 KRW per package. Donations for the Christmas Care Package program must be received <\/span>by Voice of the Martyrs Korea <\/span>no later than December 31.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”44562″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Voice of the Martyrs Korea will be delivering a total of 3,800 packages to children of Christians who are suffering in China, Russia, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Laos, Uzbekistan, and wherever North Korean Christians are found.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says th<\/span>e c<\/span>ontents <\/span>for each Christmas Care Package <\/span>are sourced locally<\/span>, with the contents tailored to the needs and preferences of local believers<\/span>. The <\/span>packs<\/span>, which usually contain a combination of food and hygiene items as well as a children\u2019s Bible<\/span> or Christian book, <\/span>are <\/span>being distributed from now through <\/span>early 202<\/span>3<\/span> by VOM<\/span>K<\/span> frontline workers<\/span>, who identify <\/span>the <\/span>children eligible to receive the gifts<\/span>.<\/span> Representative Foley says that in some <\/span>of the <\/span>countries a small number of the <\/span>packages are used by local believers and VOM<\/span>K<\/span> frontline workers for outreach events <\/span>reaching non-Christian children.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says the Christmas Care <\/span>Package <\/span>distribution project is <\/span>different than the <\/span>humanitarian aid project<\/span>s<\/span> done by <\/span>large churches and <\/span>international <\/span>relief organizations<\/span>. \u201cThe<\/span> areas where we are delivering <\/span>are war zones and places where Christians are actively being persecuted,\u201d she says. \u201c<\/span>It\u2019s not possible <\/span>fill up a <\/span>plane or a truck <\/span>with supplies and get it to <\/span>these places and <\/span>just <\/span>start unloading.<\/span>\u201d She notes that most of the funds for purchasing the items that go in the packages must be hand-carried<\/span> by couriers. <\/span>Then, acquisition of the items for the packages <\/span>must often be done in<\/span>side the country in <\/span>secret<\/span> or imported without attracting the attention of authorities<\/span>. Finally, the distribution itself is frequently a completely underground operation.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cIn many ways, to deliver even one package <\/span>to these places <\/span>is as miraculous as Santa Claus <\/span>coming down the chimney,<\/span> but it\u2019s <\/span>even <\/span>more difficult, dangerous, and time-consuming <\/span>than that,<\/span>\u201d she says. \u201cIt requires the creativity, prayer, patience<\/span>, and troubleshooting<\/span> of a whole <\/span>network of believers all the way from Korea to the seven countries where we<\/span> are delivering packages this year.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”44565″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”A Tigray Christian girl receives a children\u2019s Bible as part of a Christmas Care Package of emergency food rations sent by Voice of the Martyrs Korea supporters.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]But she says the joy of a child <\/span>of a persecuted or suffering Christian <\/span>receiving <\/span>an unexpected Christmas gift makes the work worthwhile.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are countries where Christians are <\/span>restricted, <\/span>persecuted<\/span>, or suffering especially due to their faith<\/span>,\u201d she says. \u201cChildren in these countries know th<\/span>at the only <\/span>hope <\/span>they have is <\/span>Christ. <\/span>W<\/span>hen they receive a care package from Christians in other countries, they know that while they may be hated in their <\/span>own <\/span>village or city or country, they <\/span>remain <\/span>part of <\/span>the <\/span>worldwide body <\/span>of Christ <\/span>that <\/span>has not and will not forget about them.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that receiving the reports from the distribution of the first hundred packages in Tigray<\/span>, Northern Ethiopia<\/span> this week was especially gratifying.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cI and our Voice of the Martyrs Korea team have taught in these <\/span>villages<\/span> many times<\/span>,<\/span> in buildings which are no longer standing because of the war,<\/span>\u201d she says. \u201cWe have <\/span>broken bread with these believers and their children who are now <\/span>literally <\/span>starving<\/span> to death<\/span>. <\/span>International aid agencies have been unable to <\/span>bring <\/span>them <\/span>the food that is needed. The banks are closed there. The Internet is not working. The roads are blocked. <\/span>Ordinary citizens are being killed by drones. <\/span>But we prayed for the Lord to make a way<\/span> to get food and children\u2019s Bibles to <\/span>the believers who requested them in <\/span>these villages<\/span>, and <\/span>the Lord made a way<\/span>.<\/span> It\u2019s an extremely complicated process to get even one care package there, but we\u2019ve already distributed one hundred, and through our donors\u2019 generosity<\/span> and the Lord\u2019s grace<\/span>, we <\/span>are on track to <\/span>distribute 400 more packages there within the next month.<\/span>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”44569″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Christmas Care Packages of emergency food rations and Children\u2019s Bibles sent by Voice of the Martyrs Korea supporters.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that similar plans are underway in the other six countries where Voice of the Martyrs Korea is in the process of distributing a projected 3,800 Christmas Care Packages this year, should donations permit. \u201cThis year we have to navigate through war zones not only in Ethiopia and Eritrea but also in Ukraine and Russia. China is locked down due to COVID. Reaching North Koreans anywhere is always challenging, and as regards Laos and Uzbekistan, many Korean Christians don\u2019t fully realize the significant restrictions local believers face. Yet with each of these groups, the Lord is opening amazing \u2018underground doors\u2019 for us. Each Christmas Care Package we deliver is truly a miracle.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”44572″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”A Tigray Christian boy receives a children\u2019s Bible as part of a Christmas Care Package of emergency food rations sent by Voice of the Martyrs Korea supporters.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Donations for 2022 Christmas Care Packages can be received by Voice of the Martyrs Korea until December 31 at <\/span>www.vomkorea.com\/en\/donation<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”44558″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”With an initial delivery of 100 packages containing emergency food rations and Bibles to children of Christians living in famine in the war-torn Tigray region of northern …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":44559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[857,235,869,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-russian-special","category-special-column","category-china-special","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44576"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44581,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44576\/revisions\/44581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}