The People of North Korea are suffering the worst famine anywhere in the world over the last 40 years. Food is being rationed at 100 grams of rice per day, producing approximately 400 calories of the 2,400 calories needed daily to support life. The result of this starvation has been thousands of North Koreans fleeing across the border into China, hoping to find food there.

Organized by one of our partner ministries, there are now 26 Bethany Centers strung along the entire length of the Chinese border with north Korea. At present, each one of these Bethany Centers, staffed by Christian Korean-Chinese, is handling about 140 refugees per month.

This terrible situation has a positive element to it. In several small Chinese towns by the border of North Korea, there are unimpressive but well kept buildings, as remarkable inside as they are unremarkable outside...

These buildings are Bethany Centers. North Korean refugees are being fed, clothed, medically attended, and hearing for the first time the name of Jesus. 80 percent of these will accept Jesus as Savior.

90 percent of those who accept Christ at a Bethany Center will commit themselves to be trained to be witnesses for Jesus Christ, and will voluntarily return into North Korea to carry the Good News of Christ to their spiritually starved countrymen who have no hope in this world without Him.

Compassion Radio has committed itself to sponsoring one or more of these Bethany Centers, ministering to the refugees from the world’s most closed and repressive society with the love of Jesus Christ.

It takes $1,000 a month, $12,000 a year, for Compassion Radio to provide the necessary food and supplies for one of these Bethany Centers.

The work is being done in partnership with the same ministry partners with whom Norm and Cher Nelson have traveled and served inside of North Korea for over 3 years For their security, we are unable to post their information on the Web.