Caleb Mission Newsletter 💌 The Third Week of January

Hallelujah. I pray that the God of peace will be with you all.

January is already passing its midpoint. Through your prayers, North Korean escapees have continued to be rescued safely even in recent days, and others are currently waiting to be rescued. By God’s great grace, we earnestly pray that in 2026, even more North Korean escapees will be protected and that the gospel will be shared with them.

We are deeply thankful and filled with joy as we witness recently rescued sisters growing in the gospel while studying the Bible at our Southeast Asia safe house. At the same time, whenever new escapees arrive, our hearts are also weighed down with serious concern.

After enduring extreme hardship in China and crying out for help, many arrive at our Southeast Asia safe house expressing a deep desire to know God.

Once they are rescued, however, the realities of starting a new life can feel overwhelming. Some begin to ask whether spiritual growth can wait until later, once they reach South Korea, and struggle to understand the importance of this season of discipleship.

In many ways, this mirrors our own spiritual condition. When we are in the midst of suffering, we cling desperately to God in prayer. But once prayers are answered and life becomes more stable and busy, we often find ourselves focusing more on ourselves and our daily lives than on prayer. Likewise, the escapees were rescued through your prayers during times of fear and uncertainty, but now some of their hearts are pressed by realistic concerns—helping family members left behind in North Korea and starting a new life in South Korea.

Because we understand their pain and tears better than anyone, we know that the only true comforter for them is Jesus Christ. Yet when we see them resist the process of coming to know Him, it feels as though we are looking again at our own weaknesses, and our hearts ache. The local missionaries who serve and disciple these escapees also carry deep emotional and spiritual burdens. Having laid everything down for the sake of the gospel, they face repeated spiritual battles each time new escapees arrive—battles so intense that some become physically exhausted and even require medical care. Still, they return to God, clinging to Him and striving to recover their first love.

This is why even your small prayers of intercession for these workers are so desperately needed. I myself have carried this ministry for 28 years. Along the way, I have undergone surgery with metal plates placed in my neck, gallbladder removal surgery, and multiple back surgeries, and even now, some areas still require treatment. From a human perspective, there are moments when I ask, “Should I really continue on this path?” Yet the only reason I have been able to walk this road is that God’s grace has always outweighed human weakness.

No one begins with a strong and mature faith. Just as we stand here today solely by the grace of Jesus Christ, who came to call sinners, North Korean escapees also arrive at the Southeast Asia center carrying many different wounds and weaknesses. My sincere hope is that here, they would truly encounter God and grow into people of God who carry the vision for the gospel of our nation and the gospel of the world. Remembering the countless prayers and sacrifices poured out for them, we earnestly desire that they would commit to at least three months of Bible study to lay a solid foundation of faith.

This work is never easy. It is a fierce spiritual battle against Satan. At the same time, even now, more people are crying out desperately for rescue. Everyone is saying, “Save me first,” yet our capacity is limited.

Therefore, we ask you to pray especially this coming week that these individuals would not merely survive, but be fully armed with the gospel and be raised up as missionaries who will prepare for the era of reunification. We humbly ask for your earnest intercessory prayers.Thank you.

In Christ’s love and service,Pastor Seungeun Kim

❤️Please support the North Korean defectors 🙏🏻

https://www.calebmissionusa.org

🙏🏻❤️Please pray with us for North Korea ❤️🙏🏻

1. Heavenly Father, help us examine our hearts and restore our first love for You.May we live in the grace, love, and truth of Jesus.

2. God, have mercy on those suffering in North Korea.May the gospel bring unity to the Korean Peninsula and establish Your Kingdom.

3. God, please protect the North Korean sisters waiting for rescue in China.

Bring them safely to freedom, that they may hear the gospel and become Your children.