It
was a male voice and it sounded as though he was standing next to me. I
opened my eyes expecting to see him, but there was no one there. Only
Chinese speaking people surrounded me. They, like myself, were on the
train from Hong Kong to Guangzhow (Canton) China. The only other
westerners on this car were the three other women who were a part of the
team smuggling Bibles into China. Who had spoken to me in English? I
took my Bible from my bag and found the scripture in Matthew.
As I
read it, a deep peace settled over me and a thought that was foreign to
my thoughts penetrated my being: "Leona, your time for blessing has
come". I knew it was the Lord speaking to me, and that it was He who
had spoken to me in an audible voice. As I pondered this, my mind
wandered back to the events of the past months.
The
outreach in Hong Kong had been difficult for me. Sleeping on a concrete
floor near by a construction site where the jackhammers started at the
crack of dawn and continued throughout most of the day. Without any
spending money, I was unable to buy even a drink to quench my thirst
during our open-air meetings. These had been a challenge to endure, but
the greatest burden I carried was homesickness. I missed my children and
grandchildren to the point of despair. Yes, outreach had been a
challenge, but when I was presented with the opportunity to extend my
stay for the purpose of carrying Bibles into China, I knew the Lord
wanted me to accept.
For
a week prior to our departure we (three other young women from the Hong
Kong outreach team and myself) met with the Chinese church team (Hong
Kong Chinese) that was sponsoring this trip. The leaders gave us very
detailed instructions for a Plan A and a Plan B. We had to memorize all
the information; nothing could be written that could be traced to anyone
involved in this smuggling ministry. We were told there were twenty
carriers on this trip, but that we would not meet with any of them. We
knew only that they were on the same train, and that they were Hong Kong
Chinese.
Christians had been smuggling Bibles into China for the underground
church for several years. In the early 70s the tight restrictions China
had on trade had gradually been lifted. In 1979 the Chinese government
had established a five-year plan to develop tourism. With the door to
tourism open Christians were able to make contact with believers in
mainland-China. Incredible stories of the strong underground church
began to work their way into the West, which stirred up the interest in
the hearts of believers in the free world to support their brothers and
sisters in China. By the time of my trip in late September of 1983,
thousands of Bibles had made it into the hands of the Chinese
underground church. We were told the Bibles were still so scarce that no
one person was given a complete Bible. The Bibles were divided into
portions; the portions were distributed to the believers, who would then
share them with each other. Although these smuggling trips had already
been going on for about four years, they were still illegal and frowned
upon by the Chinese government. The leaders of this ministry in Hong
Kong strove to impress us about the danger, and the need to follow their
instructions completely.
The
train arrived at the border of Hong Kong, and I was swept along with the
mass of humanity flooding the long passage-way of no man’s land
in route to the customs check-points on the Chinese side. Having made it
through without any complications, I met up with the other three and
together we boarded a second train. Upon arriving at the train station
in Guangzhow, we searched the crowd for our contact who would be wearing
a T-shirt with a postage stamp on it. Ten minutes, which seemed more
like an hour, passed without finding her. We were beginning to get a
little anxious and considered going with Plan B when at last she
arrived.
"Hello," she said with a strained smile, "my name is May. Please come
with me."
Without another word she led us at a very quick pace to a locker area.
"Please place the bags in here," May instructed as she pointed to the
open lockers.
"This was not a part of the instructions we had for either plans," I
objected looking at the other three for support. They nodded their heads
in agreement.
"There has been a change of plans, and we need to place them here," May
asserted.
I
was very uncertain, and I imagined the other three were also. We
hesitated, and May started to take the bags herself. I said a silent
prayer asking for guidance, and the Lord gave me peace. I then placed my
bag in a locker.
"Follow me," May commanded. We obeyed. We exited the train station, and
May approached a taxi. Again, this was not a part of either plan.
"We
were told to stay at the hotel across the street," I objected.
"The
plans have changed."
She is a fountain of information, I thought. My mind would not
accept all these changes, but my spirit had peace. I looked at the other
three, who were obviously puzzled by the changes also. In spite of our
doubts, we all followed May into the taxi.
After a silent ride, which seemed like an eternity, but in reality was
only about fifteen minutes long, we arrived at a hotel on the other side
of town. May checked us in and accompanied us to our rooms; they were
double rooms, so we were two in a room.
"Remain here until I return," she instructed before leaving.
We
four carriers were stunned and agreed to meet in the hotel courtyard in
an hour, after we had unpacked and prayed. After refreshing myself by
washing up, I sat down on the bed. Surprisingly, I was overwhelmed! I
had forgotten what a bed felt!
"Can
you believe how good this feels?" I exclaimed.
"It
has been a long time," my roommate laughed as she sat on her bed.
We
spent at least a half-hour experiencing the joy of sitting and lying on
a bed. Our joy over this helped to ease up some of the tension we were
feeling over the turn of events. With a somewhat better attitude we
turned to the Lord in prayer.
"Lord, we don’t know what is going on here, but we ask that our gifts
get through and that you keep us safe," we agreed in prayer and then
left to meet the other two.
The
courtyard area was on the first floor off of the reception area. We met
there to talk because we were concerned that our rooms were bugged. We
had been instructed in Hong Kong not to discuss the Bibles we were
carrying or any other details in our hotel room.
"What do you think is going on?" my roommate asked the other two.
"I
don’t know," one responded, "but it is sure making me nervous. This
isn’t anything at all similar to either of our plans."
"Well, what else can we do?" another asked.
"I
don’t know," I answered. "It seems that all we can do is wait for May to
return."
We
stood silently, each lost in our own thoughts, for several minutes
before agreeing that we would eat meals together in the dining room and
meet together every two hours in the courtyard. It was two days before
May returned. During this time fears and doubts assaulted me and I had
to choose to rest in the peace the Lord had given me. There were moments
when I failed. I became especially paranoid about listening devices in
the room. In these moments the Lord would release to me the measure of
faith that I needed to trust Him.
Finally, in the late afternoon of our third day in China, May arrived.
"Come with me," she said. We followed her once again getting into a
taxi. After a short ride we got out at a park. May led us down a path a
short distance before stopping near a pond.
"The
Bibles you carried in have been delivered," she announced.
"Praise the Lord," we sang out in unison.
"We
did have a problem," she paused looking earnestly at us. It was apparent
that
she was concerned about something. "Two of our team members were caught
and
arrested," she continued. "They were both Hong Kong Chinese," she
concluded.
"What will happen to them?" I asked.
"Pray for them," May answered solemnly.
We
returned to the hotel, and the next day went on to Hong Kong. It was
several months later when I learned that the two Hong Kong Chinese who
had been arrested were accused of being spies and were executed. They
had been aware of the danger of carrying Bibles into China, especially
as Hong Kong Chinese (it is doubtful the Chinese would have executed
American citizens). They had counted the cost and were willing to give
their lives so that their brothers and sisters in mainland-China would
have the word of God.
One
of the greatest privileges and highest honors I have had in serving the
Lord was been to have been a part of the same team that these young men
were on. I have not had the opportunity to return to China, but each
year thousands of carriers continue to carry Bibles into China for the
underground church. I look forward to meeting them, and the two Hong
Kong Chinese martyrs in eternity.
Marantha!