God opens a door in China

I am always amazed at how God opens doors in the Christian missions field!

I am often asked “How did you get involved in China?” and my answer is “God opened the door for me and pushed me in!”

In 2000 I was invited to speak at a conference of Chinese Christians in San Francisco. I declined the invitation because it was too far to travel just to speak for a few hours and I was convinced that others could easily speak on the topic that I was given. However, the organizer was insistent that I accept the invitation.

So I told him that I would only accept the invitation if I could stay in the same hotel room as a Christian worker from China. I insisted that I didn’t want to stay with American Chinese Christians, or Chinese Christians from other countries. I can’t remember if i said this so that I could find an excuse not to attend but it was indeed a strange request because at that time I didn’t speak a word of Chinese! The organizer agreed to my condition and I didn’t have an excuse to miss the conference!

When I arrived at the conference hotel in San Francisco, I found out that my room-mate was indeed from China – and he didn’t speak a word of English! For the few days we communicated in gestures and English (which he didn’t understand) and Chinese (which I didn’t understand).

My room-mate, Uncle J,  was about 70 years old. He had been a member of Wang Ming Dao’s church in Shanghai when the Cultural Revolution broke out in China. He was severely persecuted for his faith and contemplated suicide on several occasions. He escaped to Hong Kong and started working for a Christian broadcaster as a radio preacher/teacher. Throughout the Cultural Revolution he broadcast his message nightly into China. As there was no communication from China at that time, he had no idea whether any one was listening to him during all those years!

When the Cultural Revolution was over, he realized that thousands had illegally listened to him on short-wave radio during those dark years. He realized that his voice was familiar to thousands in northern China. Nowadays, whenever older Christians heard his voice, they recognised it as the voice of the “Radio Preacher”!

During the conference, he was so secretive that he did not even sit with the other conferees but preferred to sit by himself in the balcony of the conference auditorium. After each session, we spent much time talking in our room. I hardly understood him but found myself crying for the lost in China.

This was very strange to me because utntil this time I had no burden for the souls of China. I was involved in Christian missions in many other countries but I had absolutely no desire to go to China.

Was God putting a burden in my heart for China? Was God going to use Uncle J to open the door of China for me?