ChristianWeek

LANGLEY, BC—Trinity Western University linguistics professor Phil Goertzen cannot explain why a group of avowedly atheistic North Koreans should choose Canada's largest Christian university as the place to hone their English-language skills.

Three middle-school English teachers and one university professor, along with three North Korean government officials, were on campus for six weeks during March and April. The project was funded by the Canadian branch of English Language Institute China (ELIC).

It may be the first time a North Korean delegation has ever traveled to Canada for educational purposes, let alone to a Christian campus.

"You just have to pinch yourself to wonder what's going on," says Goertzen, director of the university's Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages program.

"We've always been open about who we are as Christians. You obviously can't have people at Trinity Western for six weeks and hide your Christianity. It's just not going to happen."

Goertzen has traveled to the hard-line Communist country several times since 2002 to train English teachers on behalf of ELIC. He believes the North Koreans liked their Canadian hosts' professional, respectful attitude.

"I mean, we don't take sort of an evangelistic approach to what we are doing. We provide a service and we do that to the best of our ability," he says.

"They are openly atheistic and very faithful to their country and to their own system. And yet they're very open to us being exactly who we are. They respect our faith and our values."

Apart from the language training, Goertzen believes the trip was beneficial in breaking down some of the stereotypes that both countries have about each other. The common perception of North Korea is as a member of the "axis of evil"—an oppressive, impoverished, terrorist-sponsoring state with designs to become a nuclear power.

And yet not only are North Koreans generally "fun to be around," says Goertzen, this particular group "were excellent students—maybe the best I've ever taught, actually."

"It's tremendously encouraging to see that type of exchange," says Susan Ritchie, the executive director of First Steps Canada, a Vancouver-based charity that helps feed 40,000 malnourished North Korean children every day.

Since early 2002, this faith-based ministry has been free to operate without any hindrance coming from Pyongyang, North Korea's seat of government.

"I don't know how to explain how they don't have a problem with the fact that we are Christians," says Ritchie, echoing Goertzen.

"I tell people everywhere I go that they're being supported mainly by people in churches and people that really care about them, are concerned for them and are praying for them. They love to hear that."

Ritchie adds that she too enjoys working with North Koreans. "They take the support that we can provide and they really multiply the benefits....They work tremendously hard and we are able to do a lot with a little," she says.

Yet the tensions between the two Koreas are so deep and longstanding that some of Trinity's South Korean students had mixed feelings over the prospect of having North Koreans in their midst, as Mars' Hill, the university's student newspaper, reported last fall.

"They are our family, our brothers and sisters, but at the same time they are not part of my life and my country," said one student. "I feel it is a good opportunity for them to come to Canada, depending on what they are using it for," said another.

It appears the two sides made no attempt to meet.

Even so, Goertzen believes the visit will only raise Trinity's international profile as a participant in "track two"—or non-governmental—diplomacy.

"The track two diplomacy theory goes that engagement is good, that by exposing people and groups to different cultures you will reduce the conflicts in conflict areas," he says. "So [for Trinity] to be seen to be part of that...is a good thing."