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by Esther Chang (Author), Eugene Bach (Author)
North Korea is dark.
Literally dark--most of its regions are too poor to afford electricity and other basic needs. Figuratively dark--its daily life is hidden from outsiders, its citizens reticent, and its propaganda vast. And spiritually dark-its ruler, Kim Jong-il, is both worshipped and feared and the gospel is squelched without question.
Into this darkness, Esther walked.
Growing up a Chinese-Korean, Esther wanted nothing to do with Christianity until a visit to an underground church in China flooded her with the mercy and power of the Spirit--and she was given an unusual call: be a missionary to North Koreans. But again, Esther wanted nothing to do with it, or rather, with them. Rude, filthy, and abusive, North Koreans seeking refuge in China were the worst of the worst. However, when Esther slipped inside North Korea for the first time and witnessed for herself the shocking conditions, she finally understood: they acted desperate, because they were.
Esther gave her all to her mission. Although imprisoned and tortured by both North Korea and China, sometimes destitute and always in danger, having few resources and little time for family, for the past fifteen years Esther has faithfully spread aid and the gospel witness to North Koreans. Smuggling Light is her true tale of bravery, humility, and complete reliance on the mighty hand of God in one of the darkest nations in the world.
Author Biography
Eugene Bach is a pseudonym for a member of the Chinese underground church who, for security reasons, does not wish to be identified. He has been working with the underground church in China for more than twenty years, helping them to establish forward missions bases in closed countries around the world, including Iraq and Syria. He worked with Esther for several years in China, helping to supply her with Bibles and other needed materials for her ministry. Eugene leads projects with the Chinese missions movement Back to Jerusalem, which provides essential support for Chinese missionaries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and he has written books about the underground church in China, North Korea, and Iran. His other books with Whitaker House include Shackled, China and End-Time Prophecy; I Stand with Christ; ISIS: The Heart of Terror; Kidnapped by a Cult; Leaving Buddha; and The Underground Church.
Esther, a pseudonym, grew up in a small town in northern China, caught between two cultures: rejected by the Chinese for being an ethnic minority, and rejected by fellow Chinese-Koreans for having a grandfather who was a staunch Christian. After her conversion, Esther tirelessly spread the gospel to North Koreans, as this book recounts. Because of concerns for their safety, Esther and her family have recently fled China, and now live outside the country.
