10. An Experience in Korea

CHAPTER TEN AN EXPERIENCE IN KOREA

While living in the northern part of Korea near the Manchurian border during Japanese occupation days, I seemed to have been especially aware of the presence and power of evil spirits, and of the sad plight of persons who were possessed by them. Korean non-Christians believe that spirits infest the air, the wood, the water, the rocks, and the mountains, and that they take up their abode in people as well as in animals. They attempt to cure spirit possession by beatings, by burnings, by the use of medicines, and by exorcising, calling in sorcerers and necromancers.

Sometimes the spirits will leave a person and enter into animals - the family ox, cow, dog, or pigs, causing sickness and death. At one country village church, where my Korean Bible woman and I were holding a Bible conference for five days, we were requested to visit the home of a relative of one of the deacons in that church. She said the daughter-in-law of that family had been ill, and would we go to that house to pray for her salvation and for her healing. In the afternoon we found the young woman lying on the mud floor in the inner room of the little two-room house. The mother-in-law did not seem particularly pleased to have us come in. After a song and prayer, the young woman arose from the floor where she had been lying, and began to speak. But it was the voice of her departed mother, speaking through the lips of the daughter.

“Daughter,” the voice said, “I have come to visit with you today. Take out three lengths of linen cloth from your clothes box, and dance for me.” (That is common practice - to hold a length of cloth in the hands while doing Korean dances). At this stage we became aware of the fact that we were in the home of a village sorceress. The church deacon had not divulged this. That family has been in the sorcery business for long years.

After dancing around the room until exhausted, the young woman sank to the floor, while clouds of dust from under the straw mats filled the air. Meanwhile we continued to sing hymns about the blood of Jesus, to read Scripture of His power over demons, and to pray for her deliverance. Then the young woman rose from the floor again. “Daughter,” the voice said, “I cannot visit with you any more today. You have Christians in the house. I will come back some other time.”

We pleaded with the young woman to accept salvation for her soul and her body, but it seemed the evil spirit had a strong hold on her. Winter evening was coming on, with early evening service in the church. We suggested that she come to church with us. To our surprise she accepted, and we walked to the church where a few Christians had already assembled. We sang hymns and prayed in faith believing. Very soon the woman began edging herself, sitting on the floor, toward the door, and I thought she was going to take off for home. Instead she threw out her hands on the door sill, and with a big sigh of relief said, “Now he is gone!”

She wiped the perspiration from her face, and asked for her baby, left at home crying. With no time to eat supper, we sent for the whole family. The husband and the mother-in-law came, and along with others in the village they took a stand for Christ. In the morning, as we were getting ready to leave for the next appointment, the two women came with some red peppers as a thank offering for their new blessings. We later heard that church had been greatly revived and strengthened in faith and in numbers.

Another experience was at a village in a different section of our area. Here also, at a five-day Bible conference in the small church there, we encountered demon possession in the form of a dumb spirit inhabiting a small child seven years of age. She was the granddaughter of one of the better-class families of the church, and had been in that state for many months.

Since being possessed she had lost her power of speech, and she would not eat her rice unless fed by her mother. She would tear off her clothes and run naked around the village in that winter cold, bringing shame and disgrace on the family. The grandfather and the mother were Christians. The father was not a believer and had recently gone off to some other place, as he became so distressed at the sight of his demon-possessed child.

These Bible study conferences always included early morning prayer meetings at 5 A.M.; two hours of Bible study during the morning; visitation during the afternoon; and evangelistic meetings every evening. During these hours the Christians unitedly prayed for this child. Every evening after that service, my Bible woman and I went to the child’s house and prayed for her deliverance. The Lord was gracious in hearing our petitions, and during our last day in the village the girl began to talk again, and to feed herself without help. The family was so grateful for the Lord’s mercy to them, and hurriedly sent word for the father to come back home and become a Jesus-believer.

Presbyterian Mission Olga C. Johnson Andong, Korea ~