BIBLES FOR COMMUNISTS
God Works in War-Torn Korea Through the Ministry of the Whangs
By Dorothy C. Haskin
K OREAN communists reading the Bible! It seems impossible, but here it is in a recent letter from Korea: “Dear Brother Whang: “I am sure you will be interested to know that I have distributed the Korean Scriptures you have sent to the P.O.W. in here and they are exceedingly grater ful for them. God is richly blessing the work here in the P.O.W. Camp and we are now having five Bible institutes among them with a total of 250 students. It is. a joyous work and I trust you will remember us heartily in your prayers. Give our love to Mrs. Whang and greet ings to all the other folks. “ Your brother, “ Chaplain Harold, Voelkel.” Supplying Korean Scriptures for their enemies is but a part of the ministry of S. T. and Janet Whang. They also work with Rev. Y. S. Kim, a co-worker of the Korea Gospel Mission, who is chaplain for the wounded Korean sol diers, and they did help Lee Chang Gook, who was looking after their Korean orphans. S. T. and Janet Whang, directors of the Korea Gospel Mission, are Koreans by birth, who came to the United States when children, she at three months and he at twelve years. They grew up in the States, married and after their children were grown, the need of the Koreans to know Christ so concerned them that they sold their holdings for $20,000.00 and went back to Korea to evangelize their own people. Both their background and their char acter prepared them for this task. Janet is enthusiastic and voluble. S. T. is quieter, but he feels deeply and never misses an opportunity to testify for his Lord. They arrived in Korea in the autumn of 1949, when the trees on the hills were covered with brightly - colored leaves. Nature was beautiful but the people lived in dire poverty. Their coun try was almost ruined economically by the division of the 38th parallel. Although it is claimed that Korea is a Christian country, this is not because most of its people are Christians. Rath er, it is because no other religion has a majority of the people as its followers. It is Christian by default. Because it is a hilly country, people in one valley may be Christians, but not in the next. Buddhist monasteries are located across the land. The clang of Buddhist cymbals Page Sixteen
and the tinkle of Buddhist bells are fre quent sounds. Janet and S. T. Whang settled in Jung Nung Li. He became president of
knew that if he said so he would anger his inquisitor, so he replied, “ Plenty of bread and rice.” “Next to that?” Whang, realizing they were trying to trap him into saying something that could be construed as derogatory to the communists, answered, “ To ride in an automobile.” “How could you ride in an automo bile?” Whang explained about, the monthly payments and the good roads. The man listened, interested. But the fact which finally convinced the communists that Whang was not pro-American was the fact that, despite all the years Whang had lived in the States, he was not a citizen. Due to Korea’s being ruled by Japan for forty years, a Korean is not allowed to become an American citizen. Meanwhile the villagers were coming to the authorities and pleading that S. T. be released, telling of the good he had done in giving them food and clothes. So after hours of questioning, and searching his house, Whang was released. The battle brought hunger to the people. They even pounded the soft bark of trees and pine needles into pulp for food. The Whangs shared their harvest and spent hours in the com stalks, talking to the people about the Lord, and encouraging them. The Marines marched into Seoul, Sept. 29, 1950. It took them two weeks to cover the five miles to the Whangs. Then the battle waged across their prop erty while the Whangs prayed and re peated Psalms. The bullets hit the fence like hail stones, but at last the battle was over. The Whangs rejoiced at their libera tion, and then came the orphans. The Marines brought scores of them to Janet. The little ones were numb with fright from the gruesome sights they had witnessed. They cried and moaned. Janet fed them, comforted them and told them of the Saviour. One child, who had been thrust through by a bay onet, learned to repeat John 3:16, and then died in Janet’s arms. War had stripped the Whangs until they had nothing to give. They decided they must return to the States to col lect clothes and money for food for the orphans. As they went to Seoul, the communists’ guns roared. Roads were choked with refugees. (Continued on Page 2 () T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Mr. and Mrs. S. T. Whang with Bibles for Korea.
the Christian Brotherhood League, help ing the Korean farmers. The League supplies the farmer with breeding pig lets, and he pays for them by giving the League a pair out of his litter. They also help the farmer market whatever he manufactured in his home during the winter. S. T. Whang preached from village to village. He saw whole villages turn to Christ, stopping smoking, drinking, swearing, to serve the true and living God. At the same time the Whangs planted their Sunflower farm. They grew twen ty-five different vegetables with seeds from the United States. Men begged to work in the fields for old clothes and p bowl of Janet’s warm, nourishing soup. Crowds of children gathered in the liv- ingroom on Sunday, listening to the story of the Lord Jesus Christ. Into this helpful Christian ministry, in June, 1950, marched the communists. The Whangs were marked for death. Were they not Christians from America and therefore anti-communists? S. T. was taken to headquarters and a sol dier, with two guns, questioned Whang. He asked, “What is the best thing you find in America?” Whang knew—freedom. But he also
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