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Editor's note: Christian supergroup Casting Crowns recently visited North Korea when invited to play in the communist nation's Spring Friendship Arts Festival. Frontman Mark Hall writes about the trip in this exclusive article for Christian Music Today.

When Jesus said to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28), he didn't put any disclaimers on where that meant. He didn't say to go be with people who dress like you, talk like you, and think like you. He didn't say go to places where everyone practices the same faith or supports the same politics.

Mark Hall and student guides in North Korea

He just said Go. So when Casting Crowns was approached two years ago about going to North Korea to participate in the 2007 Spring Friendship Arts Festival, we said yes.

North Korea wasn't exactly on my top 10 list of vacation spots. Given the nation's tenuous relationship with the U.S. and the human rights concerns raised by several organizations, a few band members questioned the wisdom of visiting this part of the globe. But we knew we were supposed to go.

This festival is held every other year, with more than 800 artists and performers coming from all over the world. It represents a unique opportunity to be salt and light in a place and to people who aren't exposed to either.

Still, some folks criticized us for going, accusing us of partnering with a political enemy and supporting a dictatorship. Frankly, I think that's ludicrous. It's like asking, "Why go to a place that obviously needs so much help?" Hello!! That's what we're called to do.

The band was invited to participate in the festival by Global Resource Services (GRS), a humanitarian, non-governmental organization whose mission is "to go to regions challenged by conflict, looking beyond charity to find real solutions where peace and security are in jeopardy." That was enough for me. I went over there without any major agenda except to help GRS build relationships in North Korea.

As a believer, I feel that God has called all of us to go and love people where they are—physically, spiritually and emotionally—regardless of race, gender, faith or political affiliation. With Casting, we've been able to do that in most states and in countries all over the world. We love people through our music. Dentists fix teeth, construction workers build houses, and we share our music and just love on people. Those are our gifts, and when the chance came to use them in North Korea, and to help GRS with their work in the process, we said yes.

In our first visit, we were overwhelmed with the kindness and generosity of the people we encountered. It truly felt like we were participating in a goodwill exchange, building significant relationships. So, when GRS invited us back this year, we were so honored that we decided to bring our families along as well.

We arrived in the capital city of Pyongyang exhausted from too many hours of travel and not enough sleep. Still, our hosts—about a dozen college-aged translators—were excited to show us their city, so we loaded up a tour bus and headed downtown.

Throughout our time in North Korea, swapping stories and spending time with these students was priceless. They've always lived in urban high rises, so we had to explain what it was like to live in a house in a neighborhood. They were fascinated to learn about fast food as well as technology, like our digital cameras and the Internet. We talked a lot about sports, and probably the most fun we had was getting to play ping pong with them. Of course, they totally destroyed us.

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