Freedom is a Divine Right!

Dear Friends,
The past two weeks have been amazing! I’ve seen God’s hand in this project in some big ways. First was the realization that WE can do something for 26 million PEOPLE that they cannot do for themselves. Second, I want to share the vision behind the Known By Name Foundation and especially all of the miracles that I am experiencing since deciding to dedicate my life to this cause. I will discuss these items in reverse order so bear with me…
 
Having experienced the process we went through for the foundation's name still has me in awe. After months of struggle, the name came to me and our lawyers gave the green light to proceed so we formed the Known By Name Foundation on July 10, 2025. Over time this name has revealed a deeper understanding of the foundation’s purpose. In God’s plan He knows each of us by name, and He has granted us the greatest gift: Agency - the ability to act for ourselves using our free will. Our names reflect the story of our humanity, and the divine thread that links us together under God’s plan. However, the dictators of the world, the authoritarians who oppress and seek to control others, want to dehumanize us, replace names with numbers, and erase our divine heritage. They use fear, oppression, and propaganda to demand submission. 
 
“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.”
— Thomas Jefferson
Letter to Archibald Stuart, December 23, 1791
 
The Known By Name Foundation is established to offset the false narratives and expose their evil designs by telling true stories from the people who suffer under their regimes. We will highlight the experiences of those who know firsthand the dark and the light from each side. I admire Viktor Frankl who concludes in Man’s Search for Meaning, “there are two races of men in this world, but only these two - the ‘race’ of the decent man and the ‘race' of the indecent man. Both are found everywhere; they penetrate into all groups of society. No group consists entirely of decent or indecent people. In this sense, no group is of ‘pure race’- and therefore one occasionally found a decent fellow among the camp guards.” I hope this foundation will present a path to peace in the world by illuminating that every human soul, unique in race, religion, experiences, abilities, or beliefs, holds equal worth and dignity.
 
North Korea defectors are heroes! Every one of them has dared to do the unimaginable. They have all risked everything dear to them for freedom, most not even knowing what that freedom looks like on the other side. From my observation, every defector wants their story told. I highly, highly encourage you to read their stories. Having given all but their lives, they are crying out to be heard. Did you know that it takes 11 years on average for a defector to publish their first book? After escaping the harrowing journey out of the most oppressive country in the world, and across two other hostile countries, a journey of 3,000 miles, and other long-term challenges defectors face, including the time required to gain the linguistic, cultural, and emotional stability needed to document and publish their stories.
 
My Korean language teacher is Eunhee Park. She is a North Korean defector living in Seoul, Korea. I discovered her on Instagram and learned that she was teaching Korean through Preply so I signed up for online lessons a few months ago. She is trying to earn extra money to publish her story. Two weeks ago she asked me if I would be willing to take 5 minutes from our bi-weekly lessons to teach her about the Bible. Instantly my heart melted. Of course I would.
One of the pinnacle moments in Jake’s journey to freedom was discovering for himself that there is a God in Heaven. He was hours away from dying of Tuberculosis, in a jail cell, in Seoul Korea, ignored by the guards even after begging for medical help. He yearned for someone to help him so that his wife wouldn’t live her life never knowing what had happened to him, doubting whether he loved her as he did with all of his heart. But, flashback to another critical moment in the story, he recalls one night being woken up by noises outside his home. Peering out his window he sees police vans and armed policemen hauling families out of the home next door, in chains, while they were signing hymns of praise. Some chanted, “You can’t kill us, we have eternal life.” At the time, Jake was dumbfounded as he could not understand why people could be so careless with their lives, and to whom were they singing praises? Now, in his moment of desperation, the faith and testimony of these Christians seared his mind. What if there is a God in the sky? Could he help me in my time of desperate need?
All of these stories cause me deep reflection. Then, as I served in the House of the Lord two weeks ago, contemplating the foundation’s name, it dawned upon me…they can’t pray for themselves! North Koreans do not know who God is, and thus they cannot pray for their own situations. They are forbidden to have a Bible. If they are unable to pray for themselves, so who is going to pray for them? For their freedom? For their loved ones? For their own people?

WE CAN PRAY FOR THEM
I ask you now, to pray for the 26 million people in North Korea. He knows each one of them by name. We may not yet, but one day we may - if we exercise faith, pray, and act. This could be the formula for today’s parting the Red Sea. This is the desire of my heart, that we can come together to do something so simple for those who cannot do it for themselves. 

This modern day topic parallels the intent of the parable from Luke chapter 10, verses 25–37, where an expert of the law asks Jesus "What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus gives him the two great commandments. Then the lawyer asks “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus proceeds to give the parable of the Good Samaritan and he concludes “Go and do likewise.” 

In my next newsletter, I will share with you more about the amazing team helping with this project, the development of the screenplay as well about other people who have come into my life with enthusiasm, support, ideas, and faith in this cause.
 
God bless you and all of us as we seek to do His will!

Grateful,

Erik Felsted