Port ahead! At last! BRlNG ME THE CAPTAlN OF THE GUARD! Lord, may You use
these Bibles for Yourglory. Every man present,
whether soldier or not, must be ready to defend our
land against these invaders. Captain! What are you doing! You can't- FlRE! Hwangyong-hamnida.
Welcome! Welcome! We sawthe cross. Christian? Uh... yes... By -grace of God...
l am Christian. My name is Samuel Moffat and these are my guides. l am a missionary. Ahhh, missionary! Good! Good! Too dark to travel now. You welcome stay with me. Word of God say,
''Be kind -to -strangers.'' l get tea. l had no idea we would find
a-a church inthis area. l did not know missionaries
had lived here. Anio-No. No missionary. So, l imagine you have some books...
Christian books. Ah. You have Bible? l do... Please, take it. Oh...Atreasure! l beg your pardon? The Bible is a treasure. l-l never have Bible. l don't understand... you are
Christian but don't have a Bible. How did you learn? ln Korea, we like to tell stories.
l tell you story. Yes? Please. Many years ago, this country was known as
''The Hermit Kingdom''. ... and feel no need forforeigner. Our rulers close dooron
what they say is evil... but at same time,
they close door on the good. Treasure! You have many trophies.
Many battles won, Governor Park. l've done my best to
protect our kingdom... from neighboring enemies and now... l will do my best to get rid of the
foreign ones and their influence. Have you brought the prisoners? Then let us finish
this once and for all. Come, Uncle!
Let's go see what is happening! Alright, Choe! Alright! (Speaking Korean) ...Excuse me! Who are they? Foreign priests. Why are they in chains?
What have they done? Shhhh! Listen! ...What need have we of any
of these foreign ideas and beliefs- brought by these strangers
who wish only to disrupt our lives. Ourvery happy lives.
They come only to trouble us. Only to- -Share with you a treasure. Treasure? The Word of God... and the good news of Salvation through His Son,
Jesus Christ. But we have no need of this...
'treasure'. Do we? lnfact, we have
no need of your books... ... oryourGod. You were warned-yet you persisted in
the spreading of this... religion As a result you are condemned to die... lmmediately! Augh! UP! Augh! Our Father which art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name... Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven... Give us this day
our day ourdaily bread and forgive us oursins
as we forgive those... those who trespass against us No! Let this serve as a
warning that we will not tolerate any disruption
to our... happy kingdom! Come, Choe. Come. What did he mean... a treasure? May God help us. Quiet. But... who will teach us about Christ now?... Who? l-l don't know, Kim. But l am sure God does.
l am sure He will not abandon us. But l am sure God does.
l am sure He will not abandon us. ...and by the powervested
in me by Almighty God, l ordain you, RobertJermain Thomas,
a minister of the Gospel. Amen. Amen! Congratulations, m'boy! Now, now good people,
let his main admirerthrough! Well, nowthat my husband's ordained, l see l best get used to sharing
him with the congregation! You'll make a fine pastor, Reverend. You're young, hard-working, dedicated
and fluent in what did you tell me? Latin, Greek and French! You'll be a blessing in any parish! You've a bright future
ahead of you both! lndeed we do hope for
a bright future... in the far east! Yes in the... uh...
whateverdo you mean? China! CHlNA? Forstarters. What l mean is,
Asia is such a large part of the world! God may have more in store
for us than we realize! Carrie and l are going as missionaries. But surely... Oh Robert, Carrie! Think of the good you could do here. But think of all the good
we could do there... China, where so few have
ever heard the Gospel. We know it will be difficult,
probably more than we can imagine... but we're convinced
God is calling us to Asia and... ...well, by God's grace,
we won't let anything hinder us from taking His Word
to the people there no matterwhat sacrifices
we have to make! Right, dearest? Yes! No matter what it takes. Come.. How could l have been so wrong. How could this happen? We were prepared to face anything!
--Together! But this? l'm so sorry, Robert. l... l know you need to be alone. Take yourtime. We'll be waiting for
you at the mission. You may be waiting for a long time. What do you mean? l was so sure we were
meant to come to China and so sure we were called
to serve as missionaries... Now l am not sure about anything. To be perfectly honest, doctor... l am not even sure l'm fit
to be-a missionary. Perhaps l have made a big mistake! Perhaps l am not meant
to do this at all. Yes, howmay l help you? You speak francais? Mais oui. Comment puis-je vous aider? Ah, Captain Page! You're back! And by the looks of it yourtrip was... ...uneventful? Stubborn people, those Koreans! You'd think they'd be begging
to trade with us with all the comforts we could bring
into their country. But... They've closed themselves
off from the West entirely! We can't even take advantage
of ourtravel route! That isn't exactly news, Captain Page. That's been the situation fora while. Nevertheless,
we must be able to find a way. (Speaking Spanish)
lts not complicated. Fill out these forms, please. He's a new one. Robert Jermain Thomas-
former missionary. Missionary? Lost his wife not long ago... Poorchap. Anyway, he no longer does
mission work, needed a change, he said. 'Hate to say it but...
his loss has been my gain. What do you mean? Well, just listen to him.
(Speaking Chinese) Honest and hard-working Christian man. Has a knack for learning
new languages... Heaven knows we need that here. Hmmmm! Aman with talent like that
could come in handy some day. Very well... let's see... Ah! (Speaking Chinese)
You're a Christian! l am a Christian, too. Chinese? You have Chinese Bible. Yes. Take it. l can get more. l used to be a missionary... and now... Well here l am. But l am always happy
to meet other believers. What part of China are you from? No. Not of China. We... from Korea. The Hermit Kingdom? But,
no one goes in or comes out from there! Would you like more tea? We be with youfew hours and you already speak big
sentence in our language. lt comes easy to me. Agift. Gift? Ah... gift from God.
You use good gift... forGod's glory. So let me see ifl understand. You leave Korea in secret. lt's not too far- but dangerous. Trading is against
law but some things... we only can get outside Korea. Like this. We cannot get in Korea. Chinese Bible So Koreans can read
and understand Chinese. Yes! Yes! Some parts!
Verrrryyy similar. But... cannot get! You say you come as missionary? l did. l came to bring the Gospel to China...
but- Nowyou work customs office. My wife and l... She died. lt... it hasn't been easy forme. We, too, experience loss. l'm sorry to hearthat. Awife? Child? 10,000 Christian believers. Killed. Very few now... Our people suffervery much. But we hungerfor
Jesus and God's Word... we don't have anyone to help us. By God's grace,
we won't let anything hinder us from taking His Word
to the people there no matterwhat sacrifices
we have to make! Right, dearest? Yes! No matter what it takes. Please -you pray for us. Pray for our people. l can do more than that. What you mean? l came here to bring the
Gospel ofJesus Christ. l've let my own pain stop me
from doing that. My suffering is nothing
compared to your need. l believe l knowwhat l
am supposed to do now... and it isn't to work
at the customs house. Where you going? To get my things. And some Bibles.. Bibles? l'd like to go with you. l will help you take Bibles to Korea But...
Foreigners not allowed in ourcountry. l think l have an idea. lf you are willing to take the risk. Soon Robert and the two fisherman
on their way to Korea... in secret. Robert and two fisherman
with many, many Bibles...in secret.
-and no get caught. But on last day... Excuse us! Excuse us! Our last one. lt been busy 4 months. Nowwe go to boat...
been here too long. Need be careful! Lord, l pray this last Bible
will go to the person you want- Oh no! l got- We go! We go now! We have no need of your books... ... oryourGod. ... lt is yours. No. lt's yours, little one. This is a treasure. Treasure? lt is the Word of God.. Now! Quickly! Quickly! What you doing? You want get us killed! Word of God! Thank you, Lord! Please use YourWord in mighty ways!
ln very mighty ways! ...it's fresh. l will give you 2 won! Three won! Uncle. Not now, Choe. Three! Two won and no more! Uncle look. Choe! Not- But look at this- Choe, you made me lose a customer! l met a man.. Just like the one who
had the courage to die! Aforeigner. What are you saying? Like the man... that was killed...
the man with the smile... the... No, it's impossible. You knowforeigners are not
permitted in our country. Your imagination is running wild! And is this my imagination, too? What? He said it was a treasure! ...the word of God- Where did you get this? Do not be afraid, little one.
Nowtell me... WHERE DlD YOU GETTHlS? Recently there have been
reports of a foreigner. No Korean will be allowed
to contact foreigners. lf any foreigner makes
his way to the coast, he must be captured,
examined and executed. You did good, turning the book in. But l- ...did the right thing,
just like l said... lndeed you did. We do not need a foreigner ruining
our happy kingdom with silly ideas. Stop that! But the man said it was a treasure! That it was the Word of God! And how do you know? Why else would he come into danger? Why else would the brave
man be willing to die? And besides,
is this really such a ''happy kingdom'' that it
fears a little book? lt doesn't matterwhat you think. You must not bring up
that subject again... it is much too dangerous. Much too dangerous! You what!? l want to go back with you! Not yet! Not possible now! But, l have continued to study
the Korean language these past four months l am more fluent! l got away with it the first time- But maybe not next! You need wait! Wait? But you think of the
Bibles we can pass out. l- ...need be careful! Since you last there, government say any Korean communicating
with foreigner be killed. Too much dangerfor our people...
and foryou. l am perfectly willing
to suffer anything- But we also must think
about our people. We very happy forsuccess in last trip. But another,
we should not do right now. You wait- Please- Someone coming! No... we can't take now... Then l'll have to make
my way back to Korea and fulfill my mission
some otherway. Ahem! Perhaps l can be of help. Ah. Time forthis China man to go home! Come along friend. Come along! Chinese go sleep very early
-so long! Goodnight Auuughhh! We no understand Korean. We Chinamen... uh... goodnight! They're not as incognito
here as they think they are. Anyway... l think l can help you Uh... you were listening. We were out on a walk. Captain Page.
And this is my Chief Officer. Robert Jermain Thomas Yes l know. You were well-known foryour language skills when you
worked at the Customs Office. And like l said... l think l can be of help
with your uh...mission. lF you help me with mine. Which is? l would like to attempt to open
a trading post with the Koreans. They won't. They might. l would like to reason
with the Korean officials. Talk with them, like gentlemen. l think l can help them understand
howtrade will benefit them... but l don't speak their language
nor do l knowtheir customs. Yourability to communicate with
them would showthem great respect Yes but- And l would not impede yourdesire
to tend to yourChristian mission. l can distribute Bibles? To your heart's content. When do you leave? ln a few days. My ship is the Sherman. Come see me there tomorrow. l'll be there. lf l can be a part of this delegation it may give me a better standing
with the Korean government... and help me distribute more Bibles. Maybe...
maybe this is the answerto my prayers. He'sjust what we need
to make ourselves understood - a nice, diplomatic, young man
that speaks their language. And if diplomacy doesn't do the trick? Then we will make ourselves
understood by uh... othermeans. Either way, l intend to be doing
business in Korea very, very soon. Not long after, the young missionary find
himself going back to Korea- Port ahead! to the mission God called him to. Lord, may You use
these Bibles for Yourglory. At last! lt cannot be! He came on that big ship? Excuse me, governor, but you must
come and see this foryourself! There! BRlNG ME THE CAPTAlN OF THE GUARD! What is that? Aforeign ship. We must warn him! We must warn him! Ah-there they are! Where he go? What is that? What he hold- No! He must stop- Let's go to our boat! Give them a warning. Sir. Every man present,
whether soldier or not, must be ready to defend
our land against these invaders. YOU! Take us to the ship. But- NOW! You! And you!... and you! What? Uncle! By the Governor's orders,
anyone that refuses to fight shall be considered
a traitor and- ... be put to death! Captain,
we have a request to come on board. Granted. Wait here. (Korean greeting) May l introduce Captain Paige. (Korean) Why have you come? You are not permitted to be in
these waters. We have no treaty- Trade with Western countries
is not the right of the governorof the district
but of the central government. Tell him to convey
our interests to the -- (Korean) We have no interest in a
trade agreement with you. You will turn yourship
around and leave. lmmediately. (Korean: But, sir-) (Korean: NOW!) Sir. Captain, perhaps- Tell him l insist! Captain, respect demands that- So this is his final word? (Korean: Final word?) (Korean: Final.) Very well then... ...have it your way. You knowwhat to do. Take hold of him! What? Auuggghhh! What are you doing? You said- That l wanted to trade! That's what l said-
now get out of my way! Auuggghh! When governorsawthat Chief of Police
is captive, he gave orders to attack... and the captain of the
ship did same thing. Fire! No! PLEASE STOP! What are you doing? FlRE! Lord Jesus, please protect Robert! We're too close! Keep going! FlRE! Run! Quickly run- Auuuugggghhhh! This way! But uncle... where are we going? Stay here! We've struck a sand bar. What? Fire boat! The battle become very big. Many attacks. Many die. Oh no! Captain, please, we must- They're coming to shore! No foreigner shall remain alive! Auuugghhh! The young missionary...
- Read this! he knew little hope to escape... so he did what he came to do... lt is the Word of God!
The Word of God! He took Bibles...
and gave them to my people. AUUUGHHH! l've got tojump! My last Bible! No! Choe! Choe where are you going- You!... Get back! No, Uncle!
He's the one! He's the man who gave me the book! The treasure...
Quiet! STOP! Please... it's... just... lt's a book. My-my last one... lt is the Word
of God... and... and it is... ... foryou. Atreasure worth more than
anything in the world. Please take it... this is the reason l left my country,
it is the reason my wife gave her life. The reason l am ready to give mine... it will bring light to you and your
people... to the Hermit Kingdom. l have come all this way...
to share it with you. Kill him! Do your duty. Kill...him. Please... read it. Oh Lord...
perhaps l've failed but please... Do it- ...use the little l have done... Now! ...foryour glory NOW. ...no...no... Come Choe. Wait! Give it to me. But uncle - Foolish young man. Dying for nothing! All of them! Throw all of
these worthless books inthere. But how can it be? Twice we received it and twice...
the treasure has been taken away. lf this is indeed the Word of God,
as the man said... Then somehow... God will make
a way to get it to our people. But... how? You seem to have been very taken
by that foreigner, little man. l wish to showyou something. We remain victorious! The foreigners have been
destroyed and their books... their so-called holy books... are good only forfire and...
as part of my wall of trophies! That is all they are good for! l am... the light of the world... He that... believes in Me... ...will neverwalk in darkness ...but will have the Light of life. And that, my brother... is all
we have had all these many years. This is ourteacher. ls that...? Yes. lt is what remains of the
treasure the young man gave my Uncle. So you...? Yes. l was that boy. l am Choe. Not long after,
many changes come to our country. When l was olderand
government collapse, through much sacrifice l was able to buy the Governor's house
and turn into a church. l and many others are fruit of
one brave man's last testimony. Aman l hardly knew and yet a man
who left his country, risked his life and finally gave it
completely so that we ... may have the treasure
of the Word of God. The word of our God
that abides forever. When missionaries like Samuel Moffat
arrived in Korea 2 decades later, they heard the story of the man who had
thrown Bibles down from a burning ship. ln 1904, almost 50 years after
RobertJermain Thomas was martyred, revival broke out in North Korea
and approximately 10,000 people came to know Christ. Two years later in 1906, 30,000 more became Christians and
then in 1907 an additional 50,000. ln 1931 a memorial church
was built nearthe site where the young missionary
had been executed. Sadly,
the church no longerexists today. Even so,
many Koreans have not forgotten him, making the long journey
to see his former home in Wales, and to ponderthe life of the young missionary who with his
last ounce of strength, held out the only remaining Bible in
his possession to his executioner. Little did Robert realize
that his ultimate sacrifice would bring the light
of God's Word to so many. Today, Korea is the second largest,
missionary-sending nation in the world.
