well, we've got day one of china training under our belt. we went from 7:30 a.m. til 8:30 p.m. at the kennedy center on byu's campus. pretty impresive stuff we're getting. there will be six of us couples at two universities in xi'an with a total of 70 people throughout china.
we've been taught time and time again today the importance of honoring the government's policy to not proselyte. to emphasize the importance of not sharing the gospel in any way other than the way we live, the kennedy center director told us how, a few years ago, a student in china approached his byu teacher and told him his father was in the hospital seriously ill, and it would "brighten my father's day if my english teacher would come to visit him." the teacher obliged and when he and the student got to the hospital, the student said, "i know you're christian and i know much can be done by faith. would you give my father a special prayer?" so the byu teacher gave the ill father a blessing. a hospital employee saw him do this and reported it to the hospital administrator who reported it to the local communist party leader. within days, the kennedy center was contacted and told "the china teachers' program was over. the teachers needed to all be sent home." jeff ringer, the kennedy center director who is telling us this experience, said he had to catch a plane to china immediately and go iron out the whole thing and with some effort, the teachers were allowed to stay.
byu teachers are committed to strictly obey chinese law concerning religion, yet evangelical english teachers from the u.s. are openly holding proselyting meetings, handing out literature and bibles, and gaining converts, some times luring them with promises to bring them to america. i'm not sure why they're not stopped. tonight a chinese lds woman from xi'an (where we're going) told how she asked her byu english teacher to tell her about her church. the teacher said she couldn't tell her because byu had promised her government they would honor chinese law. the chinese woman said,
we've been taught time and time again today the importance of honoring the government's policy to not proselyte. to emphasize the importance of not sharing the gospel in any way other than the way we live, the kennedy center director told us how, a few years ago, a student in china approached his byu teacher and told him his father was in the hospital seriously ill, and it would "brighten my father's day if my english teacher would come to visit him." the teacher obliged and when he and the student got to the hospital, the student said, "i know you're christian and i know much can be done by faith. would you give my father a special prayer?" so the byu teacher gave the ill father a blessing. a hospital employee saw him do this and reported it to the hospital administrator who reported it to the local communist party leader. within days, the kennedy center was contacted and told "the china teachers' program was over. the teachers needed to all be sent home." jeff ringer, the kennedy center director who is telling us this experience, said he had to catch a plane to china immediately and go iron out the whole thing and with some effort, the teachers were allowed to stay.
byu teachers are committed to strictly obey chinese law concerning religion, yet evangelical english teachers from the u.s. are openly holding proselyting meetings, handing out literature and bibles, and gaining converts, some times luring them with promises to bring them to america. i'm not sure why they're not stopped. tonight a chinese lds woman from xi'an (where we're going) told how she asked her byu english teacher to tell her about her church. the teacher said she couldn't tell her because byu had promised her government they would honor chinese law. the chinese woman said,
"but i have been searching for a christian church and other churches openly teach the chinese about their religion. why don't you?"
"because byu has promised your government we would not."
"but when i go to these other churches, they talk about the mormon church, they say you're a cult and evil. yet they're breaking the law and your church is not. i think i like your church."
anyway, this woman eventually visited canada where she looked up the church, was baptized and recently returned from a full-time mission and lives here in provo. she was especially excited to visit with the six of us who will be going to xi'an, her hometown. she loves china and misses it dearly.
anyway, this woman eventually visited canada where she looked up the church, was baptized and recently returned from a full-time mission and lives here in provo. she was especially excited to visit with the six of us who will be going to xi'an, her hometown. she loves china and misses it dearly.
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