My Born Again Oven and North Korea

So about a month ago, my FAB-U-LOUS husband and I were painting the town red in celebration of our two year anniversary when we got a call from the kids:  the oven was throwing a temper tantrum in the form of an incessantly blinking F1 light and refused to turn itself off no matter how many times OFF was pushed. It stayed RED hot until we got home and cut it off at the breaker. My new-to-me oven was no longer new to me. (Thankfully, my gracious husband didn't say, "I told you not to get a used oven from Craigslist," even though he indeed HAD told me, "I don't think you should get a used oven from Craigslist.")

I decided to redeem the situation by turning it into a do-it-myself job. Reading the handy instructions I determined it was best to order the blah-blah-blah part recommended. We anxiously awaited the arrival of this miracle piece day by day, and I managed to feed our family a number of meals cooked in the electric skillet--and, I'll admit, with the help of $1.50 hot dog meals at Costco and coupons for Wendy's. Then the UPS lady arrived--our salvation from Hamburger Helper meals! Crossing our fingers I flipped the switch and WALLAH--the magical part turned out to be the not-so-magical part. The oven scoffed at us as it got warmer and warmer, once again refusing to allow our push button commands to take effect.  Singing "If I only had a brain..." (think Scarecrow from Wizard of Oz), we reluctantly diagnosed it with: oven brainus shut-downus and a severe neurological malfunction; an oven lobotomy was the required procedure [For those in medical field, the Px was 316207502.]  

I'll spare you the culinary malfunction details we encountered during the second waiting period, as well as the incredible drain on our budget when only fast food would do--the kids actually grew tired Little Caesars! The good news is the surgeon of the household performed a life changing procedure on said patient, and the recovery period was zero time as the successful results were immediate! "I'm born again!" the oven rejoiced as we deposited frozen chicken nuggets into its big mouth.

I know you're wondering, "What does all this nail biting drama have to do with North Korea?" I recall a conversation with a friend a few years ago when I told her I could turn any subject into something related to North Korea. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a little OCD about it. So here goes--

The above story required our family to live through a few weeks of inconvenience. During that time I grew a newly found appreciation for the amenities afforded by my slick hot box. Isn't it nice to be able to push a few buttons or turn a small knob and with minimal effort feed a small group of people? And it's all because of a fantastic invention called electricity. When I think of the incredible conveniences that electricity has allowed us, I am amazed at what we can do! Our food is kept safe in large cold coffers; we are entertained by big boxes that display pretty moving pictures and sound; we can maneuver contraptions on four wheels that can take us anywhere near or far in great luxury with heat/air/radio/comforts...there are too many things to name, but pretty much everything we do in our lives revolves around the use of electricity. 

Can you imagine NOT having such a luxury? Can you imagine living without these everyday comforts? The picture below shows such a place. Note the stark contrast along the borderlines between China/North Korea on the north side, and North Korea/South Korea on the south side. 

Please pray for this country!

IAMTHEIRVOICENK--from the beginning

Thank you for visiting IAMTHEIRVOICENK! Here's a bit about me:

I have been a human rights activist for NK refugees and defectors since 2008. My journey began after I had become a Voice of the Martyrs area representative. One of the monthly issues that came to me highlighted the atrocities in North Korea. I was immediately drawn to the subject and as I delved further into it, I was continuously surprised. 

At that time North Korea had been voted as the #1 persecutor of Christians in the world for the 8th year in a row. I read testimonies of how people had lived in concentration camps (which I thought were obsolete in this day and age) and stories of their harrowing escapes. The ultimate turning point came when I watched this video: Shin Dong Hyuk Born and Raised in a Concentration Camp. With tears rolling down my cheeks I watched the video three times over a three day period. After that, I pleaded that God would give me a mission for this cause. 

Since then, God has opened up door after door, allowing me to meet the most amazing people and experience things I would have never dreamed. 

COMING SOON: How you can help!