Stories from the Field

August 2003

Boldness in the face of Beatings

When the young Chinese boy asked his father about God, his father beat him and warned him not to ask again. The boy's mouth was silenced, but his heart continued to question.

When he became a university student, he enrolled in a summer English program being conducted by visiting Christian teachers. One of the topics was Christmas. During a lesson about the holiday, the teachers performed a simple Christmas program. The questioning student observed with rapt attention as one of the teachers walked down the aisle of the classroom carrying a star. Portraying wise men, three more teachers followed the star. Then the star stopped over a makeshift stable. Suddenly the student knew that the truth that he had been searching for was Jesus.

Now he lives to make that truth known. He has recently received additional beatings: not from his father anymore, but from authorities. These beatings resulted not from him asking about God, but from him boldly telling others about God.

From IMB Preachables, Vol. 40

Use your Christmas Break to influence students like this young man with the true message of Christmas - be part of Christmas in China. Info at www.thetask.org/students/projects.