First a woman told me her testimony, how that when she was 10 years old, she used to go to a church and they would teach her songs.  She heard that God created everything and believed it.  Now she is around 70 years old and still believes in Jesus.  She told me that God has helped her through her years.  The testimony was told in English and I recall that she taught herself from the Bible, a dictionary, along with a student book.  Then another man told me how he came to dedicate his life to the Lord.  His speech was also in English.

This young man reminisced to me concerning how he came to dedicate his life to the Lord.  When he was young, although both parents were believers, he didn't personally believe in God.  I was told that he viewed his parents as though they weren't good people.  After finishing high school at 17 years of age, he wondered what to do with his life and headed out on a walk past a field.  While walking, he felt a light flow through him and the Lord spoke to him, "I am the life.  I'm the way and the truth." He ran home scared and hid himself under something.  Then he decided to give his life to the Lord.  He later found out from his parents that they had given him to the Lord while he was in the womb.  He went on to study theology for some time and then moved down to the Yunnan province from northern China.  Praise the Lord!  He leads 2 house groups and spends some time telling minority people about Jesus.  He also trains others to preach Jesus.

The following morning I headed out after saying goodbye.  Then I had the Chinese letter translated.

Translation

The basic questions about belief!
Why do I believe in Jesus Christ?

Because I realize that man was created by God.  Adam sinned and as a result sin is also in the world.  Man is the descendant of Adam, so all men are also sinners.  Men also have sinful desires in their minds.  So, everyone is a sinner.  The payment for sin is death.  We live in a painful and hopeless world.  Our whole life is miserable.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16).  Jesus came to the world and was nailed to the cross for our evilness.  He bore our sins and our pain.  He rose from the dead; this demonstrated that He is the Son of God.  We who believe in Him will have eternal life and our sins are forgiven.  After I believed in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, the life of Jesus began living in my heart.  I was born of the Holy Spirit, so I have a new life.  I no longer live a luxurious life and no longer commit crime because the Holy Spirit lives in my heart.  He leads me in the right paths for His name's sake.  This is God's witness to me.  "Who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace.  This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began" (2 Timothy 1:9).

•  Translated with the help of my Chinese friends in Christ on 10/14/01.  (next page)