CFK Update

August 20, 2010

UPDATE: DPRK FLOODING

Recent news reports indicate that the DPRK has again been impacted by flooding stemming from heavy seasonal rains that intensified in early August. While details are limited at this time, we know from visits in years past the damage and misery that occur in the DPRK following heavy flooding. Needs are expected to include food, medicine and construction materials. We will be making a planned visit to the DPRK from August 26 – September 7, and during that time we hope to assess flood damage in our supported areas while engaged in our regular ongoing work. If you can help with this or other pressing priorities (see below) we will respond as fully as possible based on the needs we see, flood related or otherwise, on the upcoming visit.

Fall 2010 Visits: The original intent of our late August visit is to confirm multiple shipments we have sent over the summer - shipments made possible through your faithful support. These include canned meat and other food, medicine, medical supplies, vitamins, tractors, and greenhouses (especially useful for growing food during coming cold winter months). Also included is a shipment of heavy duty electrical cable, needed to connect the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory we helped renovate to the national power grid.

In October we expect to visit again, with teams of volunteers to complete water supply projects at two TB rest homes, conduct a greenhouse workshop for representatives from twenty or more TB facilities, open the National TB Reference Lab, and initiate more full-scale lab training in partnership with Stanford University and the Bay Area TB Consortium. We covet your prayers and support for these and other ongoing efforts to love and serve the people of the DPRK in the name of Christ.

A Home for CFK: We also want to share with you a new opportunity to expand our work and enable us to use our resources more efficiently at our office in Black Mountain, North Carolina. During the past year our Board has asked us to search for a permanent home for CFK - after 15 years in borrowed or rented space, 5 moves, and two floods. About a month ago we learned of the availability of a nearby property, which includes a well-constructed house that - with only minor modifications - would be a highly suitable CFK office. There is plenty of room on the ¾ acre lot for the construction of a warehouse, and it is already zoned as a commercial property, allowing it to be used for our purposes. During the 15 months it has been on the market, the sale price has dropped from $239,000 down to $165,000. We would expect the down payment and closing costs to be in the range of $35,000; we hope to get a favorable mortgage for the balance. Assuming present interest rates, our monthly payment would be similar to our current monthly lease rate, which has been manageable. Additionally, we expect that we will need about $10,000 - $15,000 to complete modest renovations to the structure so that it will be a suitable office, and, once adequate additional funds are raised, we also plan to construct a basic warehouse (estimated to cost in the range of $50,000) to facilitate receiving, packing and loading of ongoing shipments. Few properties have sold in our area during the recent downturn in the economy, and because the property has been on the market so long, the sellers are asking for an expedited transaction. As of August 13, we have raised $8,500 towards the down payment and office renovations and will need to raise by October 1 the remaining $41,500 needed for this purpose. We will need an additional $50,000 in order to construct an onsite warehouse. We hope it will be possible to purchase a more permanent home for CFK without impacting the support also needed now to enable us to respond in the love of Christ to the urgent needs of the suffering people of the DPRK.
We are deeply grateful for the prayers, support, and encouragement of our donors and supporters that make these continuing and ongoing efforts possible. Despite very difficult challenges in relations between North Korea and her neighbors, with your faithful support, we look forward to continuing our work to love and serve the people of the DPRK in the name of Christ.