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Reagan Hall (9) and some new friends

At first, my girls Zoe (5) and Reagan (9) were a little freaked out by all the attention they were receiving. North Koreans aren't used to seeing Americans in their country, particularly children. To them, the Hall girls seemed like little princesses, and they just kept pointing and staring and giggling. Once the girls realized why they were getting all the attention, they soaked it up and began waving and curtsying. Before long, the girls themselves became amazing bridge builders because everyone wanted to meet them.

As we made our way through Pyongyang, we come upon the Tower of Juche Idea, a 560-foot structure commemorating the 70th birthday of Kim Il-sung, the nation's president from 1972 until his death in 1994. The beautiful tower sits on the bank of the River Taedong and has a huge, red flame at its peak, an image that can be seen for miles.

The tower is supposed to represent a worldview developed by Kim Il-sung—the Great Leader as he's known there—and adopted as the official state ideology, that man is the center of his destiny. I asked a teacher at one of the local universities to explain "Juche" to me.

The band in front of the Juche Tower

From what I understand, Juche philosophy advocates that man is strong, good, and can fight, which were inspiring qualities since this was developed when North Korea was under Japanese rule. This concept, that man is at the center of all things and can rely on self, gave the people confidence and helped them earn their independence.

Now, from what this teacher told me, everything that gets done in the country is based around the idea of Juche and questioned in terms of how it will affect people. Will it be good for the people? Motivation for them is not about money or fame or success. It's about people, doing what's best for the whole.

There's something incredibly noble about this culture's emphasis on people and family. There's a strong spirit of unity and a great deal of pride. The North Koreans I met are curious, serious about achieving, and aspire to greater things. We were treated with the utmost respect and care, and I saw that in how this culture interacted with one another as well.

Still, I cannot believe that man is the center of all things. That's not my faith or my destiny. I believe in something, Someone, far bigger than man.

After the teacher had explained the basic tenets of Juche, I asked, "Is it working?" She replied, "Well, it takes a long time. It takes many years for things to come together."

While not buying into the philosophy myself, we had finally arrived at a place where I could relate. I can understand patience and waiting for things to come together. Bridges aren't built in a day, or in a 10-day festival, but they are built. As these folks put their hope in Juche, I put my faith in a God who also doesn't work on my time frame and asks me to wait patiently.

There are many things I don't agree with in North Korea and wish were different. But what I know is that I have to help people one at a time. If we can just shake hands, smile, and make some new friends, that's progress. Perhaps not as quickly as I'd like, but it is a step in the right direction, toward peace, reconciliation, friendship, and hope.

In addition to the concerts, during the rest of our stay, we visited schools and universities where we were able to donate equipment to their art programs. We also spent some time learning Korean.

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